Filipino beauty queens Maggie Wilson-Consunji (Filipino-British) and Parul Shah (Filipino-Indian) won the Amazing Race Asia Season 5 that ran across 12 cities in six countries.
After a tightly-fought final race that ended in Bali, Indonesia, Maggie and Parul were declared the winners of the US$100,000 cash prize, beating by just a few minutes another pair of beauty queens — Chloe Chen and Lee Yvonne from Malaysia, reported GMA News.
The only other Filipino team in the race — fan favorites Eric Tai, a member of the Philippine rugby team Volcanoes, and his wife Rona Samson — came in third place.
When the Filipino teams reportedly met the press two months ago during the premiere of the Amazing Race Season 5, Maggie mentioned that their motivation in joining the race was to help Parul’s family as their father had suffered a stroke.
In a post-race interview during the finale, Parul reportedly said, “It was such a relief to win because the money can help my family, especially my Dad who suffered a stroke.”
“He taught me to never give up in life and I did this to prove that no matter what life throws at you, never give up,” she added.
In a news bulletin released right after the airing of the finale on AXN Channel, Virginia Lim, Senior Vice President and Head of Content, Production and Marketing, reportedly said, “It was our toughest race yet with several surprising twists and some extremely challenging conditions.”
“All 22 racers should be super proud of what they achieved during their journey. Their determination, camaraderie and sense of humor ensured that The Amazing Race Asia was the top program in its time slot among all English general entertainment channels in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines,” Lim was quoted as saying by GMA News.
