The Amazing Race Asia

The first leg of The Amazing Race Asia started off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, The two Malaysian Teams took home ground advantage although Andrew & Syeon made a last-minute blunder that let Mardy & Marsio take first place. Francesca & Sandy, nearly made an early departure from the race, but fortunately for them, this was a non-elimination round.

From Kuala Lumpur, the Teams headed off to Jakarta, Indonesia, where they faced giant snakes and pushcarts. Mardy & Marsio slipped to second place, while the Indian Team took first place after winning the Fast Forward. We also say goodbye to the first team eliminated from The Amazing Race Asia.

The next stop on The Amazing Race Asia was beautiful Bali, Indonesia. A routine Roadblock on Kuta Beach turned into a monumental task that made some of the teams quit ... and led to the elimination of the second team from the Philippines.

Once again, after a mandated rest period, the Teams set off to the destination for the next leg of the race, Sydney, Australia.

From Sydney its a short hop to Auckland, New Zealand. A new city, with new challenges, and a simple task turns into a real complication for the teams. One team finds out how easilly winning can turn into losing as they unknowingly break the rules that could cost them the race.

The seven remaining teams started the next leg at the Auckland Museum in the centre of Auckland, New Zealand. To the South Island they go, arriving in Queenstown the extreme sport capital of the world. Teams face heights and extreme challenges in this leg.

The second group of Amazing Race contestants set out on a race around the world for one hundred thousand dollars. The ten teams left the Asian Civilisations Museum near the Singapore river where they faced gruelling challenges such as a high physical task in a Detour. Teams then made their way to Manila in the Philippines where teams were required to use GPS systems to guide their Taxi drivers to the next location. Later, at the Plaza Miranda, teams had to eat eight baluts from an egg-seller's store before receiving their next clue from the egg seller. Teams then made their way to the Pit Stop located at Fort Santiago. Two teams raced each other to reach the mat first as another team was too late to catch up and stepped onto the mat last. They were relieved to know that had not been eliminated but were instead given a penalty.

All of the ten remaining teams continued racing in the Philippines where they eventually encountered their first Roadblock. To complete the task, one member had to get down and dirty by leading a carabao around a muddy field through a marked course. Teams then made their way back to Manila where they had to complete an additional task of loading and delivering food. Later, teams faced a Detour in which teams were given the choices of "Heel" or "Wheel". "Heel" required careful matching while "Wheel" is more of a puzzle task of assembling a bicycle. Lastly, teams had to make their way to Paco Park and Cemetery, the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The clue stated that this was an elimination round so teams tried to gain higher positions as much as they could. Ultimately, a true photo finish resulted in the elimination of one team.

The nine teams continued on to Hong Kong before heading directly to New Zealand where teams faced a Roadblock involving a bungee jump off the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Teams also experienced Rock climbing or a wet and wild task in a tiresome Detour. After a close foot race, one team was unable to catch up and were the last to arrive at the Pit Stop. This lead to their elimination.

Eight teams leave Auckland and continued their adventures in New Zealand as they drove to Rotorua. At the Okere Falls Scenic Reserve, teams experienced white water sledging followed by riding on a Agrojet craft through Blue Lake. A Roadblock forced team members to search the hot mud baths of Hell's Gate for their next clue. For the Detour at a Maori village in Te Puia, teams must choose between Flax (weaving a traditional Maori headband) and Sticks (tossing training sticks to the beat of drum music). One team failed to recover after starting the leg nearly six hours behind and was eliminated.

In this leg's first Detour, teams had to choose between You Catch It or You Cart It. In You Catch It, teams had to participate in the traditional game of goldfish scooping, using paddles made of rice paper (which disintegrates very easily when immersed in water) to scoop up 40 goldfish with paddles. In You Cart It, teams had to locate a dry cleaner's store and collect a yukata which they had to deliver to a certain address. In the first Roadblock, one team member had to decipher an ice block puzzle. The answer would be the name of one of the biggest cities in Japan. Once the team member has figured out the answer, the personnel will hand them their next clue. In the leg's second Detour, teams had to choose between Slither or Deliver. In Slither, teams had to proceed to the Jagalchi Fish Market where they will have to find a marked fish tank filled with octopus. Each team member must retrieve one 100-year old Korean coin (token) from the bottom of the tank before receiving their next clue. In Deliver, teams had to deliver six meals to three different addresses, some of the deliveries in which might have an ambiguous location. In the second Roadblock, teams proceeded to Yongdusan Park and look for a gatekeeper. The team member must then use the key given to search and open one of the locks before the gatekeeper will hand them their next clue. Teams will have to start over if they break their key.

In this Roadblock, one team member had to search under the lids of 1,500 soybean jars until they find one which contains their next clue. One of the jars will contain the clue plus a US$50 bonus from Standard Chartered, which Adrian and Collin won. In this Detour, teams had to choose between Too Ho and Too Heavy. In Too Ho, teams had to play a traditional Korean game where they have to throw three bamboo stickets into a cylinder 4.5 metres (15 ft) away. In Too Heavy, teams had to deliver 30 logs in a traditional carrying device and deliver it to a woman somewhere inside the village before receiving their next clue.

Kicking off the race from a brand new location, 10 teams start off in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, gunning for the top prize of US$100,000. The first Detour of the race was a choice between Race or Rice. In Race, teams had to proceed to the Chiang Mai X-Centre and drive an off-road buggy over an 8 km track to receive their next clue. In Rice, teams must work together to pound rice into paste and make two rice balls using a traditional method, subjected to approval.

After an arduous first leg that saw teams indulge in some bugs and insects, wash a two storey bus and pound some rice, the remaining 9 teams are kicking off their second day. In the first Roadblock of this season, one team member had to cross the plantation and retrieve a clue from a hanging backpack. The catch was that along the way, snipers brandishing paintball guns would fire at the team member; once shot, the team member must return to the starting point and perform the task again until successful. In this leg's Detour, the choice was between Sampan and Some Walk. In Sampan, teams must transport fruits on a sampan and row across the river to a designated fruit stall along the river. In Some Walk, teams must gather twenty live chickens and bring them to a designated retailer in the nearby market.

From the Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh, 8 teams remain in the race towards US$100.000. Siblings Bernie and Henry take the lead in this leg, and teams must now travel by bus, to the city of Hue in central Vietnam. The catch is, Hue is over 1,000kn away and the bus journey takes slightly over 25 hours.

In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Shoot It or Shape It. In Shoot It, teams drive themselves to the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan and are told to use a Sony Cybershot camera to shoot a very miniature model of a yellow-race envelope hidden inside one of the dioramas. After the photo was printed, the next clue could be found behind their new photo. In Shape It, teams drive themselves to Raohe Street Night Market where they will have to solve four sets of figures using a large tangram set. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to completely consume an entire bowl of a Taiwanese/Chinese delicacy: stinky tofu.

As it stands, two teams have decided to bail out of the race by taking the four hour penalty for not completing a challenge. Can the other teams muster enough strength to continue with the race, or will more choose to take the easy way out? After the task at the Sony Style Store, teams received a Fast Forward option. The Fast Forward was to travel to a certain street, where there will find a clue box. The clue would then instruct them to get a permanent tattoo at Kevin's Tattoo. The Roadblock was to find a souvenir, which would later be revealed to be a small silver token that had the AXN logo on one side and The Amazing Race Asia logo on the other side in a cart of coal. In this leg's Detour the choice was between Pick or Pail. In Pick, teams had to drive themselves to a local mall and retrieve three soft toys from a game machine. In Pail, teams had to go to the Grand Tong Temple and must fill a bucket full of water and carry it to the top of the mountain where a monk will check to see if they had enough water. If they have enough they will receive their next clue.

It is the halfway point in the race, and only half of the original 10 teams remain to claim the prize of US$100,000. In this Detour, teams had to choose between Get Fishy or Get Lucky. In Get Fishy, teams had to find a seafood store in Graham Street to scale and gut 12 fishes to the satisfaction of a fishmonger, before they would receive their next clue. In Get Lucky, teams had to head to one of the designated tables at Mee Lun St. and bite into hundreds of fortune cookies in a marked jar and only when they find the one cookie which contains a fortune regarding their next clue can they proceed. In this Roadblock, one team member had to choose one of the provided handbags and search through the crowded market for the lady who is carrying the same handbag as the one the team member has chosen. This lady will hand them their final clue for the leg.

Teams begin the 4th season from Thean Hou Buddhist Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Roadblock required one team member to ascend the stairs at the Batu Caves complex while carrying an offering and counting the number of steps. Once at the top, they had to exchange their offering and the correct answer of 272 steps to receive their next clue. The Detour was Flags or Rags. In Flags, teams must search five flags around the ship using ship lingo. In Rags, one team member must lower themselves down to clean windows of the ship, while the other must search for and take a photo of their partner to receive their next clue.

The Roadblock required one team member to guide a ring through an underwater rope maze whilst using diving equiptment. If the team member did not finish the puzzle in time (which is when the diver instructor told them the time is up), the team would incur a four-hour penalty for not completing the Roadblock (which would be assessed at the pit-stop). In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Rapid Water or Rapid Fire. In both detours, teams had to first drive themselves to Kiulu River White Water Rafting. In Rapid Water, teams had to sail a bamboo raft down river rapids and across the river to retrieve their next clue. In Rapid Fire, both teammates had to shoot Malaysian slingshots at two targets to receive their next clue.

In this leg's Detour, teams have to choose between Carry It or Count It. In both detours teams had to first travel to Pettah by public transport. In Carry It, teams had to carry 12 blocks of ice to a market vendor across the fish market. In Count It, teams had to count fish and give the correct amount of 1100 fish to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, teams traveled to Trendy Connection and one team member to sew a shirt to receive their next clue

In the first Fast Forward of the race, a team had to proceed to the Galle Bus Station and have their heads shaved at a nearby street barber. Once completed, the team had to bring a Hilton Duck and proceed using a marked taxi to the pit stop. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member has to know the year when Sri Lanka became a sovereign state and changed its name from Ceylon to its present name. The team member had to use this year to unlock a treasure chest located along a beach outside the Galle Lighthouse. (The Answer needed to unlock the chest is 1-9-7-2.) In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Coconut Course and Language Course. In Coconut Course, teams had climb up a laddered coconut tree and traverse on a hanging rope between two coconut trees. Once done, they will each receive a coconut which they have to give to the chieftain to get their next clue. In Language Course, teams had to go to school and learn from a student ten Sinhalese words. Once they think they have mastered all ten words, they must recite it to a teacher. If they get all ten correct, the teacher will hand them their next clue.

This Leg's Detour was a choice between Jig and Pig. In Jig, teams would do traditional costumes and dance to the satisfaction of two judges. In Pig, teams would compete in a game of catching an oiled pig. They would have to collect two pigs to receive their next clue. At this leg's Roadblock, one team member must kayak to the flagged fish farm and find one of the hundreds of clues as only ten hold the next clue (the one that says "Correct!").

In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Plunge or Swing. Both detours are located at Nevis Highwire Platform in Nevis River. In Plunge, each team member must make a bungee jump from a height of 134 metres (440 ft) above the Nevis River to receive their next clue. In Swing, both team members will be seated side by side and swing from a platform 300 metres (980 ft) above the Nevis Canyon to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, teams travel to Coronet Peak and one team member to find a clue buried in the snow hill using their avalanche rescue transceiver.