The Amazing Race Asia 2: Episode 12

With four teams left, the race is now on for a spot in the top three positions, towards the final grand prize. After spending most of the race behind Marc and Rovilson, Adrian and Collin are on top, but can they still maintain the lead, with sisters Pamela and Vanessa, together with mothers Ann and Diane, gunning for them?

From Gellert Hill and the Citadel in Budapest, Hungary, teams must now catch the next flight which will bring them to Cape Town in South Africa. They must then make their way to Signal Hill, a landmark location in the city.

With $200 for this leg of the race, Collin and Adrian are the first to leave the pitstop at 8.10pm. Far ahead of everyone else, the duo makes full use of their early lead and head directly towards a computer.

"We are going to a nearby hotel for internet access, where we can do proper research," explains Collin on their game plan. Their objective is not towards the front of the line, but just to be in the top three teams for the final leg.

But despite their best efforts, there is nothing online that will bring them a significant lead. The other teams pick up their clues, and are surprised by their next destination.

"We could not believe we would be going all the way to South Africa. It was crazy," points out Vanessa.

But putting things in perspective is her sister, who feels this is a chance for them to take the lead.

Arriving at the airport, Marc and Rovilson are first to notice that Adrian and Collin are nowhere to be found again. Did the Singaporeans manage to outsmart the rest and skip ahead?

Quips Rovilson, "They are probably setting up a website and chatting with someone from Cape Town already."

The last to leave the pitstop, the moms get to the airport but decide to steer clear of the other three teams.

"Can we just hide away from them?" ask Ann of her partner.

"What I’m finding so stressful is to outwit the others, by trying to get to Cape Town ahead of the rest."

Away from the other teams, the moms quickly snap up a pair of tickets to Cape Town via London. By making the detour on the earlier flight, the duo will travel 10,700km and arrive at 7.50am.

But it is a risk the dancing moms are willing to take, to stay ahead. "This is a big risk. It would either put us ahead of at the back of the four."

Meanwhile, Adrian, Collin, Marc, Rovilson, Pamela and Vanessa are trying their best to get on the flight to Cape Town via Frankfurt. Because they are the first two teams to arrive, Marc, Rovilson, Pamela and Vanessa manage to get confirmed seats on the flight.

Explains Vanessa, "We just wanted to get to Frankfurt, which is one of the main airports to get a flight to Cape Town."

"Currently, the moms are in first place, because they have a confirmed flight all the way to South African. But they get in at seven, whereas we get in at five am," points out Rovilson.

ALL ABOARD? (PART 1)
But where are Adrian and Collin, who have seemingly lost their early lead and do not even have confirmed seats on the next flight to Frankfurt? It seems the Frankfurt flight is fully booked and the guys have to be put on waiting list.

"The moment they said they were fully booked, my heart sank," says Adrian. "It’s very painful to hear the words fully booked, fully booked, I’m sorry I’m sorry, you cannot go anywhere."

And the reason for not being able to get seats is a folly the boys blame on themselves.

"What happened was that there was a lot of moving around. We were trying our best to secure the best flight," explains Collin.

"And we lost out to Marc and Rovilson and Paula and Vanessa, and they were ahead of us in the queue for the flight to Cape Town."

Naturally, their mistake is good news for Marc and Rovilson.

But in a fortuitous stroke of good luck though, Collin and Adrian manage to get seats on the Frankfurt flight and have to travel 9,400km to their next destination.

Touching down in Cape Town, the three teams scramble to get taxi towards Signal Hill. Luckily, the distance from the airport is only about 10 minutes.

"Ten minutes? Today, we’re going to do it in seven," Rovilson tells his taxi driver. In their taxi just seconds behind, an anxious Collin and Adrian peer ahead. Noticing their behaviour, their taxi driver asks them, "Would you like me to pass the guys who just came out before you?"

But where are Pamela and Vanessa? Their taxi driver is lost, and in fact, has to stop and get out to ask for directions, much to the dismay of the sisters. Once they arrive though, the boys try to strike up a bargain with their drivers, by attempting to buy the street directory from them. Collin even tried bargaining with his driver, and in the end, both teams walk away with old, beat up books.

ALL ABOARD? (PART 2)
All three teams arrive at the hill, only to find out that it opens at 8.30am. A dismayed Pamela notes that this will give time for the fourth team to catch up. "Ann and Diane arrive at 7. This starts at 8.30. Come on, they can easily get there." But when the gates open, the moms are nowhere in sight.

The first to their clue, Marc and Rovilson find out they have to drive a marked car to the summit of Signal Hill and locate the correct clue box for their next clue.

Marc and Rovilson simply hop into their vehicle and zip to the top. The other teams however, are stuck, and none of them are able to start their car, which happens to be a push-start vehicle. Instead of just turning a key, the driver must punch a button to get the engine started. Given her history with motor vehicles, Vanessa is naturally upset. "How do you start the car?" she asks.

"It was a push-start car, which I have never seen before in my whole life," says a sheepish Collin. "It was actually quite embarrassing."

Eventually, Vanessa manages to get her engine purring, but Collin and Adrian have to go look for help to get someone to teach them how to start their car.

At the summit, Marc and Rovilson dash to the first available clue box, only to find that it was the wrong one. They run towards another, and find it empty as well.

But they eventually manage to make their way through the misty summit and get their next clue.

Teams must drive to the Killarney Motor Racing Circuit for their next clue.

ALL ABOARD? (PART 3)
On the way down, Marc and Rovilson zip past Collin and Adrian, who are still trying to get their car started. The Filipino guys however cannot believe their luck.

Getting their clue, the sisters dash down Signal Hill while Adrian and Collin finally make their way up, only to be stumped by the many clue boxes littering the summit.

Marc and Rovilson stop to get directions from a local, and the sisters do the same. But for Vanessa and Pamela, the local help proves unrewarding, as their guide points them towards a general direction.

"I think we were going there anyway," says Vanessa wryly after she gets back into the car. Meanwhile, Adrian and Collin finally find their clue in the foggy summit.

Back on the roads, Marc and Rovilson pull over to get a better sense of direction, when there is a loud tapping on their windows. It is the very same guy who gave them directions early, who also happens to pass them on the road again. He now proceeds to give the Filipino teams more precise directions. "That’s the kind of dumb luck we have," remarks Rovilson.

On their way to the racing circuit, Marc and Rovilson keep their fingers crossed on the whereabouts of Collin and Adrian. And not only does team Singapore figure it out, they are also close behind, as they manage to find a local who will lead them to the race circuit.

But none of the guys can pull themselves together fast enough to beat the Malaysian sisters, who are the first to get to the circuit, and onto the next Roadblock.

And no one is more surprised than the girls. "It was a nice feeling getting in first, especially when they headed off first," remarks Pamela. "All of a sudden we were, huh, we are here first?"

CAR TROUBLE (PART 1)
In this Roadblock, one teammate must race 8 laps around the track of the Killarney racing circuit on a 450 horsepower open wheel race car. After making 4 laps, they must enter the race pit stop for a quick tune up. If they don’t complete the race pit stop within seven minutes, they will incur an immediate 5 minute time penalty.

All this means for the teams though, is car trouble.

Ann and Diane finally get to Summit Hill and into their car, only to find out that they do not know how to get it to start either.

Vanessa takes off in her race car, but with her history of car issues in this race, she doesn’t speed off on the tracks so much as to just drive casually.

And an anxious Pamela can only watch on, as Marc, Rovilson, Adrian and Collin arrive moments later.

Marc gets suited up and into the drivers compartment, followed by Collin. And Rovilson can only look on helplessly at his partner.

"He gets to race, it was torture," exclaims Rovilson. "It was like giving me a fork and spoon and putting me in front of a buffet, and saying, ok, you can’t eat."

And while their team mates are zipping quickly on the tracks, time seems to crawl by for those on the stands.

"We’re the world’s fastest spectator," remarks Rovilson, to a nodding Pam beside him.

And he can also only watch on the sidelines, as Marc spins out of control and off the race track. Fortunately, he is fine and carries on with the race.

But the good news to them is, the moms are nowhere to be found. Apparently, getting on a different flight is costing Ann and Diane precious time. Says a cheerful Rovilson, "Can you tell that we are quite disheartened that the moms aren’t here."

And disheartened are the mothers as well, as they manage to get their vehicle up and running, but cannot seem to find the clue box at the summit. They resort to asking for directions from the locals to where the various clue boxes are, but continue to be lost.

CAR TROUBLE (PART 2)
Back on the racing circuit, Marc speeds up fast enough to zoom past Vanessa, which prompts her sister to comment, "Vanessa is driving as fast as she is on the road."

Getting into the race pit stop after her fourth lap, Vanessa takes too long and incurs a five minute penalty.

But she still manages to pull out of there before another team arrives. But she better step on it as Marc finishes his fourth lap, and even completes his race pit stop under the allocated time, and goes directly into the fifth lap.

But Collin isn’t that lucky and incurs a 5 minute penalty as well. "I’m too slow. It’s terrible," says Collin as he watches two other teams zip by.

By this time, Vanessa gets a hang of the race and starts to speed up, which prompts her sister to say, "Someone just realises she has a heavy foot now." And as she goes faster and faster, Rovilson points out, "Now she’s showing off."

In an effort to make up for lost time, Vanessa completes her second four lap race in half the time she took to complete her first four laps, and is the first to finish the Roadblock.

Teams must now make their way to the Khayelitsha Township and collect painting supplies from a Standard Chartered support vehicle.

They must then find their way to the Intyatyambo Community Project and paint a marked section of a day care centre, to the satisfaction of the master painter there. The day care centre takes care of homeless children by providing food and shelter for them.

Getting into their normal car, Vanessa can feel the difference in the handling and quips, "I feel like speeding now".

Marc completes his 8 laps, and so does Collin, but Collin has the same hiccup. He cannot get his car to start, and has to seek help from locals on getting the engine started.

Already, Collin is feeling the pressure as he thinks he is dragging the team down.

Ann and Diane finally get to the circuit, but Ann makes the wrong choice of choosing the Roadblock. She has no idea that the car is a manual transmission. "If we knew it was manual, I would be the one driving," laments Diane.

CAR TROUBLE (PART 3)
As Ann finishes her first lap, Diane can only shake her head and say, "Too slow, too slow." She shouts out to her partner to speed up, but Ann continues on at a steady pace.

Despite her bump in driving skills, Vanessa and Pamela get lost, which results in Marc and Rovilson arriving at the community project first, and starting their paint job first as well.

The lads have a blast painting the wall, and as usual, are wondering where the sisters are.

"They were a few minutes ahead of us," points out Rovilson. "I’m assuming they are lost."

Finishing her fourth lap, Ann fails to complete her race pit stop in the allotted time and gets a 5 minute penalty, but it does not faze her. "I have to drive my 3 kids around. I am a safe driver," she points out.

Adrian and Collin are the second team to the project, followed by Pamela and Vanessa.

They get underway in doing their bit for the children, and Collin notes that it is nice to take a breather and to be doing something for charity.

With their significant lead, Marc and Rovilson finish their job and get their clue. They must now deliver a US$5,000 cheque, courtesy of Standard Chartered, to the caregivers of the daycare centre.

Once done, they must drive themselves two hours north of Cape Town, to the Aquila Park game reserve for the next clue.

When the women of the daycare centre receive the cheque, they start screaming and burst into tears of joy.

Explains Rovilson, "They were told we were going to paint their house. They didn’t know about the cheque."

"It makes us realise we are so blessed. Even people from around the world can see the need to help the children," notes Pamela.

Says Adrian after handing over his cheque, "When we gave the money to them, we feel we have done our best, and done our part to make their life easier."

Ann finally completes her eight laps and heads to the daycare centre.

By this time, the first three teams ahead are already asking for directions to the game reserve.

JUNGLE FEVER
Despite previous similar experiences, the sisters find themselves lost again and start arguing about directions. "I want to cry already. It’s damn painful when you’re with someone who doesn’t even want to stop," cries out Pamela to her sister.

"We’re just getting lost this whole trip," notes Vanessa, who soon realises she is on the wrong track and has to turn around.

Meanwhile, Adrian and Collin are told that the reserve is very, very far away.

At the daycare, the moms have completed their task and are reduced to tears after seeing the children, and passing the cheque over.

Returning to their winning streak, Marc and Rovilson press onwards and are the first team to the Aquila Safari.

Teams must now enter the cheetah enclosure, and without agitating the cheetahs, make their way to the middle and pick up their next clue.

LOAD OF CRAP
Teams must now take a Detour and get a ranger to drive them to the elephant habitat. For In One End, teams must prepare 100kg of food and feed them to the elephants. The task may be simple, but it takes a while for elephants to finish that much food.

In Out The Other, teams must clean out the elephant stalls of the elephant dung, using the tools provided and on to a marked area.

Naturally, the guys pick the dirtiest job available. Their reason? "We feel right at home, with the stench, it would be a travesty not to do it," explains Rovilson.

But they quickly realise their error when they see the tools, and notice that the shovel provided for teams to scoop up the dung is merely a small garden spade.

"Oh," says Rovilson before pausing. "Shit. That’s not a big shovel." As he is piling up the crap, his fingers sinks into one of the piles and Rovilson tries his best to clean it off.

Adrian and Collin get to the safari and pick Out the Other as well, and get into the stalls just as Marc and Rovilson are finishing up unloading their crap. Says Collin in a mixture of shock and disgust, "I haven’t seen so much dung in my life."

Quips Marc, "Oh, you haven’t seen us after nacho night."

The sisters also finally get to the safari and make their way to the cheetah enclosure.

Finishing up their dirty task, Marc and Rovilson pick up the next clue, which is to make their way to the Aquila private game reserve and to their 12th pitstop.

The last team to arrive will be eliminated.

STIRRING S#!T
Realising they do not have much of a choice, Pamela and Vanessa pick Out The Other.

"This is going to be fun," says Vanessa and on their way in, they pass Marc and Rovilson who are on the way to the pitstop. "What if it’s small tools?" Pamela asks her sister. "I will have to use my hands."

The moms also finally get to the safari, and head to the cheetah enclosure, before picking the same task as the rest of the earlier teams.

After loading up some dung onto the wheelbarrow, Pamela knows that extreme measures must be taken to ensure their entrance to the top three spot.

"Do you just want to use your hands?" she asks her sister, who realises that "there’s no way we can finish with that small shovel".

Dropping their tools, the sisters roll up their sleeves and start picking up the pieces of dung with their bare hands.

At the pitstop, Marc and Rovilson find themselves back in the top spot, and they duo win an all expense paid trip to South Africa for their efforts.

Adrian and Collin are the second team.

Back at the elephant enclosure, the sisters have wrapped up and washed up a bit and are headed for the pitstop. They are surprised that none of the guys choose to manhandle the dung.

"I would have thought the other guys would, especially Marc and Rovilson, but I guess they are too clean. (It would) Mess their hair and nails," says Pamela.

Ann and Diane get to the dung area and start to pile the dung on the wheelbarrow.

Says Ann, "We were thinking it was going to smell, but I tell u, a baby’s poop is much smellier."

But as fast as they work, the moms cannot beat the other teams and are the last to the pitstop. But after experiencing something so rewarding, the moms feel that they have already received their rewards.

"The memorable experience is being on the race itself. Not many mothers can do this. I am proud of what I’ve done," says Ann.