With their eyes set on taking home the grand prize of the Subaru Forester 2.0X, 62 brave men and women stood up to the challenge in facing the Subaru Palm Challenge 2012 – The Malaysian Leg held at The Curve Shopping Mall, Mutiara Damansara. Unlike the original version of the challenge where the last one standing wins the prize, the contestants of this Malaysian Leg will be facing a number of challenges from time-to-time as the last 10 remaining will be representing Malaysia at the Mediacorp Subaru Challenge – The Asian Face Off in Singapore from the 27th – 30th October.
The punishing heat was not the only hurdle that the contestants had to go through as there were also other challenges set by the organizers to iron out the weakest link. From steadily balancing a ping-pong ball with a spoon using only their mouth, to raising one hand vertically into the air while standing on one leg, the challenges became tougher throughout the day. The final challenge really tested both mental and what was left of their physical strength as the remaining contestants were required to raise two 500ml water bottles 90 degrees horizontally with their left arm while standing only on their right leg.
The challenges may be tough, but their journey to the finish was neither quiet nor dreary as they were accompanied by some entertaining emcees like the Hitz.fm’s wacky duo, JJ and Ean who had livened up the atmosphere like their own morning show. Also making a special appearance during the event was the 2011 Asian Face Off champion himself, Mr. Chong Kiat Chi of Singapore. The 42-year-old man took home the Subaru WRX after outlasting the other 399 challengers by having his palm glued on the car for 75 hours and 36 minutes!
Asked about on how he managed to last for such a long period of time, he said that “One must have the mental and physical strength to go through the challenge. And in my case, the first three days was more towards the physical challenge. It was after that when I really needed to keep my mental strength strong, having spent hours exposed to the hot weather and lack of sleep”.
Inspired by Mr. Chong’s amazing feat, the contestants were really pumped up in finishing the challenge, although some just could not take another step further after going through the elimination rounds. The final elimination round saw 18 contestants left standing, where after nine and a half hours of various challenges saw the 10 finalists that will represent Malaysia in the final showdown. They will be going against 310 Singapore local contestants and 80 other challengers from across the region for a chance to win the spanking-new Subaru.
“This is only the beginning. Although my entire body is aching now, I feel that every second spent standing today has made its worth. I can’t wait for Singapore – Bring it on!” said finalist Ganesan Thavasimuthu.
The 10 lucky finalists each received an all-expense paid trip to Singapore from the 26th – 31st October for the finals, a watch worth up to RM 1,600 courtesy of Orient and premium Subaru merchandises.
