FUNNY. Richard Hardin and Richard Herrera, winning Philippine contestants on AXN?s ?The Amazing Race Asia? (TARA), got lost on their way to the Inquirer interview.

However, as they told it, their struggles in the reality game show were no laughing matter.

?We almost got eliminated during the Indonesian leg,? recalled Herrera, a model-actor.

But instead of getting disheartened, they got all the more revved up and motivated. ?We told ourselves, if we could make it through that round, we had a decent chance of winning,? Herrera said.

Roller-coaster ride

Win they did, and big. The two Richards, a.k.a. The Riches, are the first Pinoys to top the show?s regional edition, now on its fourth season. The finale was aired last night.

It was a roller-coaster ride for the duo. ?Sometimes we did well; sometimes, terribly,? Herrera recounted.

Hardin, an athlete, often had to overcome his fear of heights. ?I was cool with the bungee jump in New Zealand. After that, I could barely walk. I thought I was going to throw up,? he said.

They went through what Herrera described as ?sick, sadistic challenges.? Through it all, they remained solid as a rock.

Communication

?Rather than fight, we figured things out calmly,? said Herrera. ?Communication was key. The other teams were always arguing. We quarrelled once. After that, we talked openly about strategies.?

Being opposites proved to be an asset. ?He?s quiet; I?m loud,? Hardin admitted. ?We balanced each other.?

?He?s the slow, analytical player; I?m always charging ahead,? Herrera said. ?Where I was weak, he was strong. And vice versa.?

It was Ultimate Frisbee teammate and friend Will Steedman who pushed them to join ?The Amazing Race Asia,? Hardin related. Steedman thought the Riches could be naturals on TV.

The Riches are now looking at a possible regional TV career on AXN. ?Anything can happen,? said Herrera.

As for the P2 million cash prize?

Herrera said he?d like to save most of it. ?I?d bury it under the kitchen floorboards, like the guy in the movie ?Training Day,?? he jested.

Then he turned serious: ?I plan to visit my mom and dad in Ohio. They?ve been watching the show online.?

Hardin, for his part, said he would ?save, invest and pamper [my] woman.? He planned to propose to girlfriend Andrea Barandiaran during the show?s big reveal and cast party held yesterday in Singapore.

After he gets hitched, Hardin is setting his sights on being part of the first Pinoy team in the US edition of ?Amazing Race.?

?I want to retire,? Herrera quipped. ?But my partner loves this game.?

Proudly Pinoy

?If Rich quits, I?d join ?Amazing Race US? with Rovilson Fernandez (another TARA alumnus),? Hardin jested.

Although they are Filipino-Americans, the Riches are proudly Pinoy and often wore tricolor jerseys and native beads (given by the hip-hop dance group Philippine All-Stars) onscreen.

Nice guys finish first.

(E-mail: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com)