Meet the Clunks

By James Gabrillo Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--The show that has captured audiences is backâthis time wit h two of our very own TV hosts hopping along to reprezent yâall. Okay, enough of the ghetto talk. Exciting times lie ahead for fans and newcomer s to Asiaâs edition of the Emmy Award winning reality-competition series, âThe Amazing Race,â as âThe Amazing Race Asia 2â promises to be bigger and bolder, t raveling further and beyond Asia. Bar none, the original Amazing Race has given viewers a global adventure realit y 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 âOutstanding Reality-Competition Television Programmeâ 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 s eason 2. So who made the cut this season? 10 feisty teams of varied nationalities and cu ltural 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 ho t spot in the race for an adventure of a lifetime. Hi, Iâm 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 o n who youâre asking. âWe promise to give you the most animated, the most exciting, the most lovable, huggable, most fun team youâve 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 comp etitive ... when we are giving each other a hard time,â the duo says on their a udition video, which was inspired by the âIâm a Mac, Iâm a PCâ ad campaign of A pple. Joining the race was Rovilsonâs suggestion, Marc shares. âWe both love the race . Weâre 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 ha ve a very similar sense of humor, and weâre into sports. So I was like, hell ye ah, letâs go! We originally planned to do a backpacking trip in Europe during t he time the race was taped, so it was easy to leave. We already told people tha t weâre gonna be away for a month or so. Everything really just kind of came to gether.â Watch, learn, and win? Both hosting sports-related shows on the tube, the duo didnât need to prepare m uch physically. Marc, however, had to work on an important element of the race ârunning around. âI had to work on my cardio. I hate to run, I really do. Itâs not my favorite thing. The actual running during the race scared me. I donât do the treadmill on the gym, so I had to step up on my cardio a bit. Mentally, I think I was game.â Rovilson shares, âWe had to study a lot on world things, like maps and current events.â In addition, the team fixed their strategies and psyched themselves up by watch ing a lot of episodes from the past seasons of The Amazing Race. âEvery episode we could get our hands on, we watched. Up until the plane ride going to the st arting location, Rovilson and I were viewing the show via an iPod!â Marc recall s. Boys just wanna have fun When host Allan Wu gave the go signal, the duo was immediately branded as the p retty boys of the game. Rovilson admits that he wasnât surprised. âEveryone was expecting us to be the hunks; but Iâd like to think that we were the clowns. W e were, well, the Clunks,â he shares. Marc, on the other hand, calls their duo âThe Village Idiots.â And thatâs pretty much their on-screen persona. Blasting that dumb-hunks stereo type, 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 seasonâone duo was even eliminated during the very first episode. âAbsolutely motivating. I couldnât sleep on the first night of the rac e. I was dreading that we would come in last on the very first pit stop, with A llan Wu saying âThe Philippines has done it again. You are the last team to arr ive!ââ Both guys are very confident that the audience will love them. âThe whole time, we were very aware that the camera was capturing our every move. We worked it. Hey, weâre two guys from TV, so we know how it is. Plus, Marcâs there to pose and angle for the camera on my behalf,â Rovilson says. Marc shares, âAnything that has to do with strength or stamina -- Rovilsonâs th e man. On the other hand, I have the sense of direction, and Iâm really analyti cal. So we complement each other.â He adds, âOn the show, we were the clowns whilst being very competitive. Weâd l ike to think that we had a great time. Yes, it was about winning; but at the en d of the day, you wanna have a great time. Itâs an opportunity of a lifetime. Y ouâre traveling around the world with one of your best friends. Sometimes it wa s really just about kicking back and enjoying it. Sure we play it up sometimes but when they watch the show, theyâll see Rovilson and I being Rovilson and I. Itâs who we are in real life. We are idiots.â Pretty, amazing While the previous season had contestants facing challenges at major destinatio ns in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and even the Middle East, this season, view ers will get a generous dose of adventure as The Amazing Race Asia 2 goes far a nd wide, racing across four continents. Plus, Iâve been hearing that this seasonâs cast so well. âThis is a faster, hip per, younger, more exciting batch. During our first meeting together, I swear, I thought we were in an audition for Americaâs Next Top Model,â Rovilson tells me. Marc adds, âThis 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 sea son, including the other Philippine team, a couple from Cavite.â âThey are -- how do I say it -- controversial,â Rovilson says. Aside from the buzz, expect the unexpected. Expect two guys who are out there t o have fun. Expect a whole lot of laughs. Expect Team Marc and Rovilson, or Rov ilson and Marc to represent the country well. Itâs gonna be a blast. Foâ shizzle.