It is clear from the photo shoot what kind of a team Adeline D. Chan and Faeza (Fuzzie) Sirajudin are. Faeza tells the photographer half-jokingly: 'No running and no jumping, you do not want to misrepresent us.'

The two 34-year-olds form the Singapore team in the upcoming third season of The Amazing Race Asia, which premieres on AXN (StarHub Channel 19) on Sept 11. Ten teams will be competing for the top prize of US$100,000 (S$141,000).

The last Singapore team to compete in the successful Asian spin-off of the hit American reality TV show was hearing-impaired Adrian Yap and Collin Low. They went on to win the contest.

So Chan, a freelance writer/director, and Faeza, a partner at Creative Horizons Language Centre, have big shoes to fill.

But the laidback duo, who met in university and have been friends for 15 years, are cool about the pressure.

In fact, Chan says in their application video, they pitched themselves as the most unlikely racers. Unlike Yap and Low who were gym buddies, the two say: 'We do not backpack, we trolley-bag. We are not the rough-it-out type.'

Faeza chimes in: 'If there was an Olympic event for chilling, we would be gold medallists and world-record holders.'

They readily admit they are not the fittest people either. Their attempts to rev up their fitness level before the race was 'too little, too late', says Chan.

To make things more challenging, she says she has certain quirks, though she quips it is 'not as bad as Monk', referring to the detective with obsessive compulsive disorder played by the Emmy award-winning Tony Shalhoub in the hit TV series.

'I do not like dirt that is derived from food, so crumbs really bother me. Mud I can take, but not garbage.'

During the race, she just has to deal with it.

'If we have to wait by the street somewhere, I would just put my bag on top of hers or carry it until I cannot tahan (endure). Faeza is filthy, by the way. She brushes against dustbins,' says Chan.

Faeza's quick rejoinder: 'I have no fear of dirt, I do not know if that makes me filthy.'

Even though they might not be on top of their game physically, she points out: 'Sometimes when you are not so gung-ho and physically fit, you find faster ways of doing things. We might not be hard workers but we are smart workers.'

Chan adds jokingly: 'Laziness is the mother of invention.'

Their race strategy is simply not to get unnecessarily stressed. For example, Faeza says: 'It is a waste of time to try to be the first to grab a cab. I am always amazed how people get so kancheong (anxious) over that.'

Chan points out: 'It is a difference of maybe 10 minutes and the first driver can also be an idiot.'

Although they have watched the race on TV, the duo are still surprised by the physical challenges posed by the contest.

Faeza says: 'When you watch it on TV, you do not realise how long and draining the flights are.'

Chan laments: 'After a long journey, you just want to rest but no, that is when it starts.'

They insist they do not feel the pressure of following in the footsteps of the winning Singapore team.

Faeza says: 'It is not the Olympics and I do not feel we are representing Singapore or we have something to maintain.'

One thing Chan is concerned about though is seeing herself on TV. 'I am not looking forward to showing the world my paper undies.'

» The Amazing Race Asia 3 debuts exclusively on AXN (StarHub Channel 19) on Sept 11 and airs every Thursday at 9pm.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 25, 2008.