http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/super/view_article.php?article_id=91319Meet the Clunks By James Gabrillo
InquirerMANILA, Philippines--The show that has captured audiences is back--this time with two of our very own TV hosts hopping along to reprezent y'all.
Okay, enough of the ghetto talk. Exciting times lie ahead for fans and newcomers to Asia's edition of the Emmy Award winning reality-competition series, "The Amazing Race," as "The Amazing Race Asia 2" promises to be bigger and bolder, traveling further and beyond Asia.
Bar none, the original Amazing Race has given viewers a global adventure reality show like no other. Even after 11 awesome installments, fans are not letting go of the show.
The Amazing Race not only just bagged its fifth consecutive Emmy Award, it has won every 'Outstanding Reality-Competition Television Programme' Emmy since the award genre was created.
The first Asian edition too wowed the fans, with over 15 million viewers tuning in for its unique brand of entertainment. With so much behind The Amazing Race franchise, The Amazing Race Asia is set to push the envelope even further in season 2.
So who made the cut this season? 10 feisty teams of varied nationalities and cultural backgrounds from a wide range of Asian nations had beaten out over 2,500 applicants (and even past participants of the original US series) to gain a hot spot in the race for an adventure of a lifetime.
Hi, I'm a Mac, only with an R in the middle
Fast forward to this exciting newsbreak! Our very own TV personalities Rovilson Fernandez and Marc Nelson form one of the two teams from the Philippines. They call themselves Team Rovilson and Marc, or Team Marc and Rovilson, depending on who you're asking.
"We promise to give you the most animated, the most exciting, the most lovable, huggable, most fun team you've ever seen on Amazing Race Asia. Why do you want us? Because we are fit, we are fearless, and best of all, we are the most competitive ... when we are giving each other a hard time," the duo says on their audition video, which was inspired by the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ad campaign of Apple.
Joining the race was Rovilson's suggestion, Marc shares. "We both love the race. We're both going through a stage in our lives where we wanted to do something out of the box, something adventurous. We have traveled together before, we have a very similar sense of humor, and we're into sports. So I was like, hell yeah, let's go! We originally planned to do a backpacking trip in Europe during the time the race was taped, so it was easy to leave. We already told people that we're gonna be away for a month or so. Everything really just kind of came together."
Watch, learn, and win?
Both hosting sports-related shows on the tube, the duo didn't need to prepare much physically. Marc, however, had to work on an important element of the race--running around. "I had to work on my cardio. I hate to run, I really do. It's not my favorite thing. The actual running during the race scared me. I don't do the treadmill on the gym, so I had to step up on my cardio a bit. Mentally, I think I was game."
Rovilson shares, "We had to study a lot on world things, like maps and current events."
In addition, the team fixed their strategies and psyched themselves up by watching a lot of episodes from the past seasons of The Amazing Race. "Every episode we could get our hands on, we watched. Up until the plane ride going to the starting location, Rovilson and I were viewing the show via an iPod!" Marc recalls.
Boys just wanna have fun
When host Allan Wu gave the go signal, the duo was immediately branded as the pretty boys of the game. Rovilson admits that he wasn't surprised. "Everyone was expecting us to be the hunks; but I'd like to think that we were the clowns. We were, well, the Clunks," he shares. Marc, on the other hand, calls their duo "The Village Idiots."
And that's pretty much their on-screen persona. Blasting that dumb-hunks stereotype, Marc and Rovilson are sophisticated, well-traveled, and self-deprecating. Expect the guys to put each other down a lot, all in the name of hamming it up for the cam.
Rovilson shares that he felt motivated by the disappointing performance of the Philippine teams last season--one duo was even eliminated during the very first episode. "Absolutely motivating. I couldn't sleep on the first night of the race. I was dreading that we would come in last on the very first pit stop, with Allan Wu saying --The Philippines has done it again. You are the last team to arrive!'"
Both guys are very confident that the audience will love them. "The whole time, we were very aware that the camera was capturing our every move. We worked it. Hey, we're two guys from TV, so we know how it is. Plus, Marc's there to pose and angle for the camera on my behalf," Rovilson says.
Marc shares, "Anything that has to do with strength or stamina--Rovilson's the man. On the other hand, I have the sense of direction, and I'm really analytical. So we complement each other."
He adds, "On the show, we were the clowns whilst being very competitive. We'd like to think that we had a great time. Yes, it was about winning; but at the end of the day, you wanna have a great time. It's an opportunity of a lifetime. You're traveling around the world with one of your best friends. Sometimes it was really just about kicking back and enjoying it. Sure we play it up sometimes but when they watch the show, they'll see Rovilson and I being Rovilson and I. It's who we are in real life. We are idiots."
Pretty, amazing
While the previous season had contestants facing challenges at major destinations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and even the Middle East, this season, viewers will get a generous dose of adventure as The Amazing Race Asia 2 goes far and wide, racing across four continents.
Plus, I've been hearing that this season's cast so well. "This is a faster, hipper, younger, more exciting batch. During our first meeting together, I swear, I thought we were in an audition for America's Next Top Model," Rovilson tells me.
Marc adds, "This is the best season of the show. It beats all the other seasons, even the ones from the US. There are some unbelievable characters in this season, including the other Philippine team, a couple from Cavite."
"They are--how do I say it--
controversial," Rovilson says.
Aside from the buzz, expect the unexpected. Expect two guys who are out there to have fun. Expect a whole lot of laughs. Expect Team Marc and Rovilson, or Rovilson and Marc to represent the country well.
It's gonna be a blast. Fo' shizzle.