MANILA, Philippines?Get ready for the latest kick-ass reality competition series to hit the boob tube: ?The Contender Asia.? Putting an Asian twist to Hollywood?s hit boxing reality show ?The Contender,? this new show on AXN promises unadulterated sporting action, both raw and real.

Also from the master of reality TV, Mark Burnett, who is responsible for ?Survivor,? ?The Contender Asia? gathers 16 of the best Muay Thai boxers worldwide, all seeking to be the last man standing, all vying for bragging rights and a whopping US$250,000 cash prize.

Co-hosting the show with Muay Thai enthusiast and mentor Stephan Fox is the stunning Jaymee Ong, a Chinese-Australian model, TV host and film actress. She started her show-business career as a model in Asia and soon began doing movies after being spotted by Jackie Chan. She landed a cameo in the hit movie ?Pearl Harbor? and then made appearances on TV shows such as ?Las Vegas? and ?Entourage.?

At present, Jaymee can be regularly seen on ?e BUZZ,? the weekly entertainment magazine show on AXN where she gets to host, write segments and interview celebs like Nicolas Cage, Aaron Kwok, Chris Daughtry and Amerie.

2bU! had a recent phone interview with Muay Thai?s new face, and she gladly revealed just how much she loves her latest hosting project.

How different is this gig from your other hosting gigs?

Very different because I?ve never hosted a reality show before and there?s not a lot of talking with the camera at all. I?m interacting with the guys the whole time. It?s a completely different setting and interaction.

Why did you accept this job?

I was actually a huge fan of the original series, the US version, and had watched the first and second seasons of that. And when I heard it was coming to Asia, before I knew that I even had the opportunity to host, I was like, wow, this would be so amazing. It just so happened that I met the executive producer and I love Muay Thai as well, so this is the kind of perfect job and perfect opportunity for me, and I was very excited to take on the job.

How much are you into Muay Thai?

I?ve been training for six months now. I?ve been wanting to take Muay Thai for a long time, but I just never got around to it. So when I got the job, it was kind of the catalyst for me. I wanted to do it so that I?d have some sort of understanding of what the guys were going through. I didn?t want to go in and know nothing. I wanted them to know that my interest and passion for the sport was genuine.

Did you get down and dirty yourself and show the guys your own Muay Thai moves?

I know that I did get inside the ring with the guys, but I don?t know if that?s going to be on camera or not. I definitely got a bit bruised. I have to watch as well and find out if it ends up on television!

How do you find your co-host Stephan Fox?

Stephan is crazy. He?s the nicest man I?ve ever worked with. He?s really enthusiastic and very outspoken and he?s amazing at what he does. He?s vice president of the World Muay Thai council. He?s also a former world champion. We stay in touch, since we?ve become good friends.

How different is ?The Contender Asia? from the US version?

It?s still in a ring but it?s a different sport. Also, we have such a diverse group of people here. Here we have 16 fighters from 12 different countries. The sport is also different. It?s traditional and cultural and it?s been around for 130 years. It?s one of the biggest productions Singapore has ever seen. I think it will be a good platform for the sport because of the fact that so many people will be exposed to it.

How do you think Asians and non-Asians will relate to the show?

I think everybody can relate to it, whether or not you know anything about Muay Thai. It?s really about a group of people who have been striving for something their whole life and trying to make it big. Generally, Muay Thai fighters don?t get paid a lot of money, so these are people who have been striving for years and years and years and now they have an opportunity to do something and that?s something we all can relate to.

After ?The Contender,? what?s next for you?

I don?t know! I?ve always been athletic and very active. I had no idea I?d be doing what I?m doing today. I had no idea I?d be living where I?m living. It?s hard to try and map out my career because it?s always been so fluid. But I?ve been very fortunate and I?ve been very lucky, and I just hope I can do it for as long as I can because it?s something I love doing.

?The Contender Asia? kicks off tonight at 9 on AXN.

E-mail the author at ninomarksablan@yahoo.com