FUN, FRIENDSHIP AND FITNESS WITH MARC AND PAULA
ACTION AND FITNESS MAGAZINE
www.actionfitnessmag.com
BY KIRBY GARLITOS
DATE PUBLISHED: JULY 2009 ISSUE

The Amazing Race Asia, at least for those who only follow it on television, seems like the last place on Earth to build friendships. It’s a cutthroat competition that relies not just on the teams’ overall skills and speed, but also on a bit of deception. It’s easy to rub other teams the wrong way because, well, you want nothing more than to beat them to the finish line.

Try telling that to Marc Nelson and Paula Taylor.

The two international celebrities met in the Race as competitors. Marc was teamed with his partner-in-crime Rovilson Fernandez while Paula was joined by her best friends Natasha Monks. Competitors at the beginning, the two - along with their partners - somehow struck a friendship during the race that has extended well after the show has ended.

It’s been almost two years since their season of The Amazing Race Asia concluded, yet when you’re around these two, it seems as if they’ve been friends much longer than that. From the get-go, it quickly became apparent why these two get along so well. Witty jabs are exchanged without anyone flinching. Wisecracks abound in the room, engulfing it with boisterous laughter.

As someone who has the unenviable task of listening to an interview for transcribing purposes, trust me when I say that the job becomes tougher when you listen to it and realize that half of the interview consists of hooting and hollering. It’s a transcribers’ worst nightmare, I tell you.

Nevertheless, the tough part of the job becomes more manageable when you have two people like Marc and Paula capable of lighting up any room they walk into - not only because they’re good looking, but also because they’ve got radiant personalities. Individually, they’re two of the wittiest celebrities you’ll ever meet. And once you put them together in one room and the ribbing ensues, you’re going to have a tough time asking questions while rolling over in laughter.

PAULA TAYLOR

Being on the road -sort of-with a lot of people in a competitive environment must have been a taxing experience for you?
It was challenging but it was a good kind of challenge because you go into the race not knowing what to expect and when you see those tasks lined up in front of you, there;s really no time to think about what you can and can’t do. The adrenaline just kicks in and you only realized the magnitude of what you did after you’ve done it. At the end of the day, it was still a blast of an experience. And one thing that I’m thankful for with the race was all the friendships we’ve made with the other teams-not just from our season but with teams from other seasons as well.

You guys keep in contact with everyone?
Yes and we keep having reunions with most of the teams. The last reunion we had was in Singapore last May. It’s actually amazing to think that despite being in the competitive environment for a long time, we all ended up being friends in the end.

You’re an actress in Thailand, right?
Yes, I am. I’m a VJ and an actress over there.

Did you ever expect that because of The Amazing Race Asia, you’d end being as big-if not bigger-in the Philippines?
No way, I had no expectations whatsoever. Joining The Amazing Race Asia was something I did for fun and we didn’t have any idea that it would open doors for me here in the Philippines. It’s something that was really unexpected and I’m very thankful that it ended up the way it has.

Thailand’s a long commute, huh?
I’m actually still based in Thailand. I just go to the Philippines if I have commitments to make. Like this shoot!

Aww…Let’s talk about your sports. What are you good at?
I’ve always thought that I can hold my own in the pool, especially against someone like Marc. I’ll just smoke him out of the water. (Laughs)

Have you been to any obscure places none of us have ever heard about?
traveling is one of my therapies! (Laughs) Some girls like to shop, some girls like to get their nails done. I like to travel!. I was in Istanbul earlier this year and last year I went to Egypt, Cambodia, and Zambia.

Off the top of you’re head, what’s the most memorable place you’ve been to?
Probably Zambia last year. We went on a safari and it was so amazing and breathtaking. It was probably one of the most surreal things anyone can ever experience. It was so like Lion King! (Laughs)

Haha! Lion King, Huh?
Yeah! You’re essentailly stripped down of anything that has to do with technology. And we stayed in the middle of nowhere for like ten days with wild animals to keep us company.

What’s the next on your to-go-to-list?
Actually, I want to go to Jordan. I’ve been reading about their country recently and it really piqued my curiosity on what their history is and their culture and all that. I’m big on those things, if you haven’t noticed. (Laughs)

Oh, not at all!

MARC NELSON

How was life changed after doing TAR?
I feel very fortunate and blessed on the amount of work I had been getting before The Amazing Race Asia. As far as how things have changed after doing TAR, it has certainly opened a lot of doors for me and Rovilson. We’ve been getting quite a few more offers since then, specifically to work together. I guess people enjoy seeing us joking around like idiots, and as a result, we now have a couple of shows together-The Duke on AXN and Dare Duo on QTV

You’ve made a lot of friends in The Amazing Race Asia, including Paula…
Yeah, yeah, we get on and off, I guess. (Laughs) But seriously, the race really was everything we expected it to be and so much more. We were able to for new friendships with the other teams and I think that our season has genrated the most friendships and closest ties.

Let’s talk about two of your new shows, The Duke and Dare Duo. First of all, The Duke sounds so high class.
i know, right? The Duke is a high-end show that mostly caters to the gentlemen. It’s partly a talk show that discusses topics about men. We’ve also got a lot of segment features that a lot of men may be interested in like the fancy cars, nice clubs, and designer clothes.

Is the show shot here?
It’s actually shot in Singapore but most of the segments are filmed all over the world so you can imagine how it’s like living in a suitcase. It’s pretty tiring but it’s also a truckload of fun.

Let’s talk about Dare Duo now. That must be fun for you guys, going out and doing the most inane things possible-and getting paid to do it.
It’s fantastic show that QTV came up with for me and Rovilson. The premise is people daring us to do different things and in turn, we dare other people as well. The cool thing about it is people can send us any dare they want and we’ll do it-even at the risk of making idiots out of ourselves.

What’s the most over-the-top dare you’ve done?
We’ve done a lot of crazy stuff but I can’t tell you what they are. You’re going to have to watch the show!

How about wearing a dress while riding the MRT?
That’s peanuts for us! You’re going to have to come up with something more outrageous than that. We’re way too comfortable wearing dresses-weird as that may sound! (Laughs)

Hmm…we notice you seem to be a little bit on the sporty side…
Haha! A tad, I think. (Laughs) On a serious note, I do dabble in a lot of sports, and the ones that I enjoy most for some reason are those that involve water: scuba diving, which I’ve been doing since I was 11, wakeboarding, kite boarding, and whatever kind of boarding you can think of. (Laughs)

Dieting is a big part of your routine too, I’ve heard?
yes, I watch what I eat as much as possible.

Be so kind and share with us your dietary secrets…
My secret, to tell you the truth, is kamote (sweet potato). I eat that instead of rice and I bring some with me wherever I go.

Kamote? That’s it?
Yes, sir! And you’ll be surprised how many Kamotes I eat in a day. The DA (Dept. of Agriculture) should make me their kamote spokesperson! (Laughs)

Tags: Action and Fitness Magazine, Marc Nelson

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