In an epic grand finale, three teams battled it out for the top spot, but it was MMA pro Tai ‘Bam Bam’ Tuivasa and his brother Logan who were the first team to hit the Pit Stop, winning the glory and $100,000 for their chosen charity, the Sydney Region Aboriginal Corporation.
Reflecting on the moment Beau told them they had won, Tai said, “It was a bit surreal, we kind of knew we were in first place but in this race you can never get too ahead of yourself. It was really cool.”
Logan added, “I haven’t been to many Grand Finals in the footy, so this was like a Grand Final for me.”
Oscar and Billy Brownless, Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley, and Tai and Logan all began the final leg of the race together, heading to the heart of Bangkok’s cultural district to learn a traditional Thai sword dance.
Next, the teams travelled to Chinatown to deliver two fish, by hand, to a local market vendor, weaving through the busy market while being careful not to drop the massive fish. Although they left the dance challenge first, Brooke and Adam got lost in the market, leaving room for the other two teams to sneak ahead.
Teams then had to prepare and eat a local Thai delicacy of fresh frog curry, with a delicious dessert of duck neck and water bugs to wash it all down. Teams then faced one final challenge: a puzzle testing them on their whole journey.
Over the past 11 legs of the race, symbols had been present at challenges in every country. Teams had to arrange a puzzle with the symbols in the correct chronological order. With all teams arriving at the puzzle, and struggling equally, it was Tai and Logan who managed to solve it first.
Heading to the final Pit Stop at the original Bangkok Central Railway Station, the brothers celebrated their win with a shoey, or shoeyvasa, out of Beau’s shoes.
The pair were competing on behalf of the Sydney Region Aboriginal Corporation, a community-controlled not-for-profit whose mission is to improve the health, social, emotional, and economic wellbeing of Aboriginal people.
Tai said, “It’s going to be awesome, [SRAC] does a lot of work with kids from the area, from Western Sydney, and they take a lot of football gear and stuff out to the Aboriginal communities, hand them out and do football days.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing where they get to now, and how far out in the community they can reach. That’s really important to me so I’m pumped about that.”
