FASHION MODEL Lani Pillinger, member of one of two Philippine teams in ?The Amazing Race Asia Season 4,? said she broke a collarbone while trying to finish the race.

?I had never broken a bone in my life,? Pillinger, 27, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer during a media gathering at a hotel in Marina Bay, Singapore. ?That?s probably the worst thing that?s happened to us during the race,? added Jacinta James, 27, Pillinger?s best friend and teammate.

?She?s a tough girl. We grew up together and I never saw her in tears. When I saw her extremely quiet one day, I knew something was wrong,? said James, a former strip club manager and a tattoo artist in Australia.

James said joining the race put their friendship to the test. ?Now I know our friendship is invincible ? nothing can break us, though you?ll see us arguing during the show,? she said. To which, Pillinger quipped, ?I thought she was going to break my other collarbone.?

From rivals to buddies

Team Philippines II ? Richard Hardin, 34, and Richard Herrera, 31, or ?The Riches? ? were members of rival football teams before becoming best friends. ?We hated each other,? said Hardin, a pro-basketball player.

?I have so much respect for this guy,? said Herrera, who is also an actor. ?He went up against my team, which was very strong, leading a bunch of rag-tags. He was very competitive and beat us on some occasions. I never thought I would be doing [TARA] with him. We looked after each other. We never gave up.?

The two teams competed with eight representatives from different countries for the US$100,000 cash prize. TARA4 premieres tomorrow on AXN.

James and Pillinger were born and raised in Australia. Pillinger?s mom hails from Bicol; James is 100 percent Australian. The Riches both grew up in the United States. Hardin?s mom is from Cebu and Herrera?s, from Bulacan.

?People in the Philippines who are going to watch this show may ask, ?Why are these people representing the country? They?re white.? That?s true, but we stayed there for a very long time, know a lot of people there, shed a lot of blood there and cried a lot of tears there,? Herrera pointed out.

Pillinger related: ?I struggled a lot growing up in an all-white town in Australia. I was the only Filipino there. When I came to the Philippines, it felt like I found a family and a home. We?re really Filipinos at heart, though we may look different.? Pillinger and James reside and work in the Philippines at the moment.

?Inside, I?m Filipino. I cook my own Filipino dishes. I do everything I can to stay in the country,? said James. ?I call the Philippines my home. My family thinks that?s crazy, but it?s where I want to be.?

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph