PRESS STATEMENT FROM AXN:
"They broke a rule, made some bad decisions and ran into some bad luck towards the end, but the charismatic duo of Richard Hardin, a 34-year-old basketball player, and Richard Herrera, a 31-year-old actor, beat 9 other teams across 15 cities, 8 countries and over 38,000 km, to clinch the top prize of US$100,000. After the league of formidable Filipino teams in past seasons like Marc and Rovilson and Geoff and Tisha who scored in the top three, Hardin and Hererra did Pinoys proud by becoming the first Philippines team to win The Amazing Race Asia (TARA)!
"Hardin's patience and my impatience strangely balanced us out in the last few legs," mused Hererra, not without a tinge of irony. Their excellent teamwork is even more impressive, considering the fact that the duo hated each other when they first met while playing opposing teams in an American Football League, and only started being buddies two years ago.
"Starting from Malaysia, the duo raced through Sri Lanka, the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea and Singapore, to finally face off against the father and daughter team of Hussein and Natasha from Indonesia, and the young Singapore girls, Claire and Michelle, in the final leg.
"With less than 15 minutes separating the first and third team from kicking off the final leg, it was really anybody's game at that point. But with a determination that saw them take the top spot in two of the legs, and second placement in six of them, the Richards aced the game where the past Filipino teams could not. In previous seasons, Marc and Rovilson, as well as Geoff and Tisha, were strong teams who came close but ended up in the top three eventually. After two close calls, the Richards have proven their worth, as the only Filipino team in the history of TARA that actually took home the gold!
"With their strong physique, the boys tackled each challenge with ease, whether it was sawing off logs, kicking the football past the post or canoeing out to sea to grab a clue. It also saw them sacrifice their hair at one point, when they took the only Fast Forward in the game. But nothing could prepare them from the missteps in the last two legs, when they had to backtrack their steps due to breaking of a race rule in Indonesia, and almost ended up eliminated when they were lost for close to 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, in serving the penalty for getting a free ride from a kind-hearted local. 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," admits Herrera.
"The Lombok leg was not the only close shave the team faced leading up to the final leg. The Richards had to take a hefty gamble on the flight out of South Korea to Singapore, toying with the high likelihood that they would, as a result, be ousted from the race. "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. So we took the 'for sure' flight and we gambled correctly," explains Hardin of the decision that pushed them ahead of the pack.
"The foolhardy risk they took also became their turning point in the race. Team Singapore was thus left behind in South Korea with a 10 hour delay. This also meant that Claire and Michelle had no opportunity to put their home advantage to use during the final leg. And when Hussein could not walk the tightrope at a height of 55 storeys, it solidified the win for the Richards who practically flew across the rope and back, with the clue that led them to the final challenge before the pitstop.
"Added Hardin, "The run to the mat as the other teams cheered us on... I couldn't feel my body at all running up those steps and when Allan Wu announced that we were the 1st team to arrive, I felt like I had dropped 3,000 pounds off my back! To represent the Philippines and be the 1st team ever to win is a feeling I can't explain. I have always been a firm believer that if you really want something, work hard, really hard, nothing is impossible. TARA is an awesome experience like no other but it was definitely not easy! So grateful that TARA gave us a chance... thank you so much!"
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