Joining a rigorous reality competition like The Amazing Race can no doubt take a toll on a person’s stress levels, and this is exactly what happened to show contestant, Ronald Hsu, who finished the 12th season of the show in second place with daughter, Christina Hsu.
In an interview with The Colombian, Christina explained that her father is a much calmer person in real life, and that the short-tempered man viewers saw on The Amazing Race is the product of sleep deprivation and lack of nourishment.
“If you ask my friends, they will tell you my dad is the most gregarious and hilarious man out there,” Christina said. “But as with any good drama, the show used clips at times when we had only two hours of sleep and no food.”
Ronald acknowledged his not-so-calm behavior on the show, and said that he had difficulty seeing himself all riled up on the small screen.
“I had my moments,” he told The Colombian. “It was difficult to watch on TV.”
Although television often showed the father-daughter team butting heads, they actually get along rather well in real life. Joanne Lafeman, an old neighbor of the Hsus from Vancouver told The Colombian that they “were a very nice family.”
The Hsus had lived in Vancouver for five years before moving to Tacoma. It was there that Ronald bought his first home.
“We still have friends who live there,” he said, adding that Vancouver is also the birthplace of Christina and his other daughter, Stephanie.
In an interview with CBS before The Amazing Race 12 premiered, Ronald Hsu admitted to experiencing difficulty communicating effectively with his family in stressful situations, but pointed out that Christina is his “stabilizing force,” and that together their strengths would propel them far in the race. Despite all the bickering, they did manage to do just that, earning second place in the race-around-the-world competition.
After the show, they teamed up once again, this time auctioning off four of Ronald Hsu’s “Who’s Your Daddy” shirts and other gear they used at the game. The auction was held on January 23 to February 2, with all the proceeds going to an orphanage in Burkina Faso.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The Colombian
(Image Courtesy of CBS)
Staff Columnist, BuddyTV
