Singapore’s answer to the Amazing Race is here in the form of the Mitsubishi Challenge, the first reality TV series commissioned by an automotive company in Singapore.

Hosted by MTV Asia VJ Max Loong and Perfect 10 98.7 FM DJ Rosalyn Lee , the competition features 8 pairs of contestants from Singapore racing around Malaysia; through the congested avenues of Johor Baru to the dirt tracks of Mersing in the latest Mitsubishi cars.
Not Just a Ride in the Park

In this series, which is touted as “the most physically and mentally challenging race ever before” by producer MediaCorp TV in the official press release, the teams complete various challenges and obstacles and speed towards pit stops at the end of each leg of the race, where the last team to show up is eliminated.

In the final episode of this 8-part series you’ll see the surviving 3 teams battle to reach the last pit stop in the race where the first team to open the door of the Mitsubishi EX will go home with a spanking new Mitsubishi Ex 1.5 Sports Car worth over $70 000 and $10,000 in cold, hard cash.

Meet the Contestants

Karen & Leonard

Relationship: Dating

Day Jobs: Leonard works in a bank as an equities dealer while Karen is a desk-bound financial consultant.

Team Dynamics:

Leonard loves a good challenge and simply couldn’t miss out on the Mitsubishi Challenge. Karen met with a car accident not too long ago and is still frightened of being in a speeding car. However, she conquered her fear to be Leonard’s teammate.

Gerardo & Su-Anne

Relationship: Married

Day Jobs: Teachers

Team Dynamics:

Describing themselves in the press release as “Educators- Molders of the Future of the Nation, and Better Drivers”, the fun-loving pair considers themselves to be closet jokers, with Gerardo being the enigma and Su-Anne being his walking contradiction. Not wanting to be left out of this exciting race, they’re taking part in it for an experience that they can talk about for many years to come.

TK (Kuo Liang) & DJ (Daryl)

Relationship: Brotherly Buddies

Day Jobs: TK works at an aqua-cultural farm as a farmer while DJ describes his job at a bank as that of an office boy.

Team Dynamics:

This wacky duo have known each other for 24 years and have been best chums ever since. The very outspoken TK describes driving the Mitsubishi Ex as an “orgasmic experience” while DJ, who once climbed out of his mashed-up car unscathed after a severe accident, is actively involved in the unofficial Traffic Police Avoidance Group (TPAG).

Lyza (Roslizah) & Lyna (Yuslinah)

Relationship: Cousins

Day Jobs: Lyza is an air-stewardess in a local budget airline, while Lyna is a makeup artist at a prominent cosmetics firm.

Team Dynamics:

Both are soccer players who prove that they are not just pretty faces in this physically demanding competition. They’ve been girlfriends since they were toddlers. Lyza derives a twisted pleasure from out-driving some her male competitors while Lyna, who is the proud owner of a Mitsubishi Lancer, claims that she can “elegantly kick the balls off” any of the guys without working up a sweat. That’s girl power for you!

Desmond & Dino (Min Hwei)

Relationship: Ex-es

Day Jobs: Desmond is a Print Producer

Team Dynamics:

After a chance meeting at a Chinese grocery while studying in Australia, Dino and Desmond began dating. However, they parted ways amicably after 18 months and are now good friends, or so they claim. Watch out for this couple! They’re going to be starring in “quite a number of potentially most talked-about scenes” as hinted by some of their competitors at the press conference.

Roger & Glen

Relationship: Former University mates

Day Jobs: Roger is a Cocoa Trader with a commodities trading company, Glen is a Forex Dealer in a bank.

Team Dynamics:

After a chance meeting in university and many more run-ins, Roger and Glen became close friends. Roger is a cool-headed stickler who is always all wired up for any challenge and likes to pluck coconuts while the only competitions Glen has been in are lotteries and lucky draws. It’ll be interesting to see how a couple of dudes, who joined the sign-up queue for the competition thinking that it was for free curry puffs, fare in this race.

Steve & Brandon

Relationship: Teaching Colleagues

Day Jobs: Teachers

Team Dynamics:

Steve and Brandon were unanimously voted the most competitive team in the competition, entering Malaysia with 7 maps of the country and buying another 3 there, having maps of every single state in Malaysia. These rabid navigators think they were chosen as “token white guys” simply because they were the only 2 Caucasian men who signed up! Watch this kiasu (colloquial term for being afraid to lose out) duo give the rest of the Singaporeans a run for their money, especially with Brandon’s height advantage giving him a further range of sight on the road.

Chaar (Chun Hou) & Sue

Relationship: Gym buddies

Day Jobs: Chaar does freelance personal fitness training, Sue coaches netball in schools.

Team Dynamics:

If Chaar seems familiar, it’s probably because you saw him as the reformed ex-convict barber in the TV commercial for the Yellow Ribbon Project. Sue just describes herself as “stubborn, controlling but learning to compromise”. Make no mistake, Chaar and Sue are “strong” competitors. Literally. Chaar was the runner-up for the Strongman Competition 2007 while Sue came in 5th in the Asian Championship for Bodybuilding in 2003. Cheer them on as they try to muscle their way to the finishing line.


Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

The first episode of MediaCorp’s Mitsubishi Challenge goes to air tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.