MARINA BAY, Singapore?Controversy could hound the two teams picked by the producers of ?The Amazing Race Asia? to represent the Philippines in its newest season.

The first team, Lani Pilinger, 27, and Jacinta James, 27, were both born and raised in Australia. Pilinger?s mom hails from Bicol, and James, Pilinger?s best friend, is 100 percent Australian. Both contestants just happen to reside in the Philippines at the moment.

Team Philippines II?Richard Hardin, 34, and Richard Herrera, 31 or ?The Riches??both grew up in the United States, although Hardin?s mom is a native of Cebu and Herrera?s, from Bulacan.

Priscilla Yip, SPE Networks Asia Ltd. communications director, was quick to defend the decision to include the two teams: ?It?s not a matter of nationality; it?s also about where they live and work, and how they embrace the culture of the country. Jacinta and Lani reside in the Philippines and are proud to represent it... and they actually attempt to speak Tagalog.?

Michael McKay, executive producer and director, pointed out: ?In Season 1, we had Andy and Laura, both English, represent Thailand. We see Jacinta and Lani as representatives of people who travel around Asia. In the final casting, these girls just lit up the room. They?re a bit outrageous on the show, but I think viewers will find them funny.?

The Riches are a good team, too, ?very fit and determined,? stressed McKay, president of ActiveTV, which has produced several seasons of the series in Australia. ?They have a very laid-back approach... but coming from a professional sport, they?re not used to giving up. They fight a lot, but [they?re really] likeable guys.?

?TARA 4? also features father-and-daughter Hussein Baron, 53, and Natasha Sutadisastra, 24 (Indonesia); travel buddies Suniana Gulia, 31, and Dimple Inamdar, 32 (India); cousins Sahil Banga, 25, and Manas Katyal, 23 (India);

Beauty queen Nadine Zamira Sjarief, 26, and TV personality Hilyani Hidranto, 28 (Indonesia); husband-and wife team Ivan Evetovics, 33, and Tengku Hilda, 38 (Malaysia); Lim Kok Hon (Ethan), 26, a social worker, and Mohd Khairie, 25, student (Malaysia); actors Alan Luk, 32, and Wendy Lee, 24 (Hong Kong).

?TARA 4? premieres Sept. 23 on AXN.

Following are excerpts from our interview with director-producer McKay:

How do you pick the contestants?
We go for diversity. The first question we ask is, ?Will viewers watch them every week for three months?? We also ask, ?How much of their lives would they share with viewers??

Did you set out to get two pairs from each country?
Not really. Last year, we didn?t have a team from Indonesia. For some reason, we always get strong teams from the Philippines. You can make a whole series just out of the teams from the Philippines. I think it?s something in the water... and keep eating the balut (laughs)!

When you started, did you expect the show to become this big?
Absolutely; but we got a lot to live up to because the US version is now on its 18th series. We felt it was a big undertaking to do this in Asia. It?s a massive show, with a big budget. We?re proud to get the series going.

How different is this season from the previous ones?
If I had to choose one word that sums up this series, it would be humor. It?s a funny series. I?ve seen a lot of series over the years but I found myself laughing really hard the other night about something that?s so funny here.

To have come this far, you must have humor yourself.
Yes, the days are long. Part of my job is to be ahead of the races, so when they?re sleeping, I?m going ahead. Sense of humor comes in very handy. I love doing it. I keep coming back season after season. There?s no other show that tests you like this one. It?s a little bit like the Olympics for the production team. We?re constantly tested, constantly measured.

How do you make sure the challenges are doable?
Production team members test the challenges. In one series, where we made the teams eat balut, we also ate balut. When we were in the Philippines, the teams had to [get close] to the carabaos. We did that, too. I wouldn?t say we perform the challenges with the same determination as the teams; we just want to make sure they?re doable. We try to fashion challenges that reflect the country. The race is about taking people to different countries and experiencing different cultures.

Other shows, ?Survivor? for example, are ruined by leaks. How do you control this?

There?s a great bond among the teams and the production people. We don?t want to let one another down. One of the things I talk about before the race [starts] is that bond. We?ve invested so much on the show?including months and months of work?and we don?t want that destroyed by some dumb leaks. The teams feel the same way; they?re very protective. I think the thing they hate most is not being able to tell people they?re in the show until it?s aired. It drives them crazy?they have to make up some terrible lies!

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph