Allan Wu returns as Amazing Race Asia host
Singapore-based US actor-host Allan Wu is back on our small screens again to host the The Amazing Race Asia 5 after the show’s six-year hiatus.
But the 44-year-old went through a much-publicised detour in his own life during that period, and admitted he’s a different man now as compared to six years ago.
After The Amazing Race Asia 4 aired in 2010, Wu moved to Shanghai, China with his then-wife, local actress-host Wong Li Lin, and their two kids to explore career opportunities there.
The celebrity couple got divorced in 2013 and soon after, Wong and their children returned to Singapore. Wu followed suit in 2014.
He told TNP over the phone from Jakarta, Indonesia, where the press conference for The Amazing Race Asia 5 was held: “Definitely a lot has changed. Every ending has a new beginning.
“Through the years, I’ve been blessed to be able to do two other versions of The Amazing Race franchise – China Rush and The Amazing Race China. Obviously now, I’m older, the show is bolder and I’m coming back with more experience.”
He added: “Of course, (when it comes to) my personal life, I cannot predict what happens when I’m out there. One thing led to another, where we realised that maybe we weren’t life partners and things started happening in that direction.
“But even with that happening, that would probably be my defining moment in terms of a life-changing (moment) or having to grow up.”
Wu said he will relish hosting The Amazing Race Asia 5 in English again as he’s been “doing it in Mandarin for the China version (of the show)”.
But what he definitely didn’t miss about the show was having to wait at the pit stop for the contestants, sometimes even up to 15 hours.
What’s new this season, however, is the addition of Indonesian actress Tara Basro as Wu’s co-host on selected legs of the race.
On whether he’s afraid that she may steal his spotlight, he said: “They always say ‘out with the old and in with the new’. I think for the most part, I’m okay. Who knows? Maybe we will have amazing chemistry.”
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now