Philippine team finally scores victory on ‘TARA 4’

MANILA, Philippines – “The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) 4” executive producer Michael McKay wasn’t kidding around when he told Bulletin Entertainment, during the media junket in Singapore in August, that the show always got strong teams from the Philippines. He joked that it must be something in our water… or the beer.

The final episode of “TARA 4” aired across Asia on AXN on Dec. 9, where the Philippine team of Richard Herrera and Richard Hardin proved victorious in finally bringing home the elusive title, as well as the hefty US $100,000 cash prize that went with it. And surely they would attest that beer had nothing to do with it. Unfortunately.

After a couple of close calls—with Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez finishing third in Season 2, and Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang ending the race as runner-ups in Season 3—the Riches triumphantly touched the mat after beating 9 other teams in a race across 15 cities in 8 countries and with over 38,000 kilometers traveled.

Beating the father-daughter team, Hussein and Natasha from Indonesia, and the rebel pals Claire and Michelle of Singapore on their own turf, the Richards had surely relied on their strength for most of the physical tasks. But it wasn’t always an easy race for this formidable duo. In fact, the boys also had their share of close calls at crucial times during the race.

Breaking a race rule in Indonesia, they almost got eliminated after being lost for nearly two hours. “We took a beating getting around Lombok when we had to do a U-turn to the previous venue (fishing village) and back. We were serving penalty for getting a free ride from a kind-hearted local,” Herrera recalled. “Rich and I agreed on the way to the next task to never stop running, because we wanted to finish strong no matter the outcome for us.”

But as one of the final three teams tasked to fly out of South Korea to Singapore (the race’s final pit stop), the gamble they took paid off handsomely. “We had to make a decision to either take a risk of getting stand-by seats, or take a later flight that had seats available,” Hardin recollected. Despite the nerve-wracking decision they had to make, luck had pushed them ahead of the other teams again.

Hometown advantage was lost to the Singapore girls when a risk they took got them stuck in South Korea, 10 hours behind the other teams. And when Hussein failed at a tightrope task, it practically sealed the deal for the Richards.

“The run to the mat as the other teams cheered us on... I couldn't feel my body at all running up those steps,” Hardin shared. Surely, that moment eclipsed even the most exhilarating instances they had during the race—like finally catching the four wily pigs in a Detour in Legazpi, Philippines; or Hardin staring his fear of heights in the face by doing a 440-foot bungee jump in New Zealand.

“Hardin's patience and my impatience strangely balanced us out in the last few legs,” mused Hererra.

“When Allan Wu announced that we were the first team to arrive, I felt like I had dropped 3,000 pounds off my back,” Hardin said, recalling the final pit stop. “TARA is an awesome experience like no other, but it’s definitely not easy!”

Manila Bulletin