Andy & Laura

Andy Lawson and Laura Kluk are an Engaged team on The Amazing Race Asia 1.

Andy & Laura langured towards the back of the pack in the first four legs which included Laura sustaining a cramp on the way to the Roadblock location on the fourth leg. This lead to Andy using shady tactics in order to finally get ahead. They finally gained some momentum when they finished first on the fifth leg, but they hit trouble in the sixth leg as they got a penalty for speeding, the issuing of their penalty being controversial as not only did it not effect their placement, but it was issued at the start of the next leg instead of directly at the Pit Stop, likely saving them from elimination over Melody & Sharon. They continued to dominate in the second half of the race winning Leg 7 and finishing 2nd in leg 8. On the later leg in India, the other teams had animosity towards them due to Andy's shady tactics. Their social position was exasperated when they stole Sandy & Francesca's taxi. This lead the other teams forming a pact against them both due to Andy's tactics and their dominance in the later legs to be yielded. Sandy & Francesca used the Yield on them, though it didn't make a difference to where they caught up with the other teams on the detour, leaving second and while they finished the roadblock ahead of Joe Jer & Zabrina, a pair of problems that included trouble hailing a taxi which Joe Jer & Zabrina end up getting one before them and Andy leaving their fanny pack at the roadblock, lost them time, sealing their fate and eliminating them in 5th place.

Profile[]

Retrieved from axn.asia.com^[1]

Andy[]

Age: 28
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Hometown: Koh Samui, Thailand

Laura[]

Age: 37
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Hometown: Koh Samui, Thailand

Working together and living together is the ideal preparation for the twenty-four-seven exposure of The Amazing Race Asia - at least that's the theory that Andy and Laura from Thailand are working on. They plan to use their experience working together on their business to help them be the strongest Amazing Race contenders yet.

Seven years on, and Laura and Andy from Thailand are still going strong. This couple have been together for seven years now, and not only do they live together in their perfect tropical island paradise, they also work together. And the feelings they have for one another are just as strong as they were in the beginning.

Their routine revolves around their home, because they run a business together from their place in Koh Samui. Running your own home business can be a little all encompassing, and for Andy and Laura, work is not a nine-to-five job, it's something that can keep them busy all day and all night long.

That's the attraction of The Amazing Race Asia, because it will finally get them out of the house and on the road. What others see as a drawback, the twosome see as a strength, because they already live and work together, so being stuck together all the time for the entire duration of the race is nothing new for them.

Like any couple, they have had to find ways to cope with each other's foibles. By now they consider that they have mastered the art of communication, so any hiccups are quickly and efficiently overcome.

In terms of their personalities, both of them have different outlooks on life. For example, Andy is gregarious, and outgoing, while Laura is somewhat more reserved. People used to think it was because of the age difference.

"You're more mature," Andy says, looking at Laura. "So I bring a bit of youth into the equation."

The eight year age difference between the two of them hardly seems significant at all, these days, although it's still true that each of them brings something different to the relationship.

"It's better that we're different, than to have us both the same," Laura says. "That way, we can make up for each other, and contribute different things."

According to them, Laura keeps Andy grounded, while Andy keeps her on her toes. Their different personality traits balance out each other, the way Laura likes to have things planned to the last detail while Andy enjoys the element of surprise. This is something that they think will stand them in good stead during the Race itself.

"We have to be good together as a team, because we already work together as a team," says Laura, a quite convincing bit of circular-sounding logic. The explanation makes it all clear.

To succeed in The Amazing Race Asia, what's needed is a perfect blend, of brains, brawn and teamwork, which, coincidentally, is what Laura and Andy already have in spades, and which is what keeps their business running.

The other positive traits are adaptability, and a quite outrageous spark of creativity, and Laura points to Andy squarely for those. Andy is the more creative of the two, capable of being resourceful and thinking out of the box if that's what it takes to get things done.

Functionally, the two of them have experience working under stress, so they've already stress-proofed their relationship even before beginning the Race.

"We both know why and how we react to stress," says Laura, "We can, as Andy says, see beyond the packaging."

"Our relationship has been tested on so many levels before," says Andy, "It's just the ability to work through it, to understand each other that makes it work."

The couple has been to fourteen countries between them, so they have a lot of travel experience. Nothing will baulk the team. This experience has led to their strategy for the race - Andy and Laura plan to react, in real time, to the situations that develop as they go along.

With the strength of their relationship, and their openness to new experiences, Andy and Laura are ready for any challenge that the Race can throw at them. They plan to still be laughing even at the elimination mat.

The Amazing Race Asia 1[]

Race History[]

Andy & Laura's Race History
Episode	Leg	Destination(s)	Detour Choice (underlined)	Roadblock Performer	Placement	Notes
1	1	Malaysia	Paint / Pot	No Roadblock	7 of 10
2	2	Malaysia → Indonesia	Push / Sell	Laura	7 of 10
3	3	Indonesia	Wet / Dry	Andy	7 of 9	^[1]
4	4	Indonesia → Australia	Elevation / Crustacean	Andy	7 of 8	^[2]
5	5	Australia → New Zealand	Rugby / Rigging	Andy	1 of 8
6	6	New Zealand	Ledge / Luge	Laura	2 of 7	^[3]
7	7	New Zealand → Singapore → Thailand	Bacon / Eggs	Andy	1 of 6
8	8	Thailand	Smash / Grab	Andy	2 of 6
9	9	Thailand → India	Carry / Count	Laura	1 of 5	^[4]
10	9	Thailand → India	Deliver / Donkey	Laura	5 of 5<	^[4]
				Average	4.33
Legend: The team finished in first place The team finished in last place and was eliminated from the race The team finished in last place in a non-elimination leg The team that won The Amazing Race The team that crossed the Finish Line second The team that crossed the Finish Line third ► The team used the Fast Forward pass > The team used the Yield < Recipient of the Yield
Notes: 1: Andy & Laura initially checked in 5th, but recieved a 4-hour penalty because Andy quit the Roadblock. Two teams without penalties checked in, dropping them to 7th. 2: Laura suffered an injury to her left Leg on the way to Oceanworld in Sydney, Australia. After the tests were done, she was allowed to continue the next Leg of the race. 3: Andy & Laura were caught speeding at 146 km/h while the speed limit was 100 km/h. The penalty was 2 minutes times the number of km/h by which they had exceeded the speed limit. They were issued a 92-minute penalty to be assessed at the start of the following Leg, therefore departing at the pit-start last. 4: Leg 9 is a double-length Leg with two Detours and two Roadblocks, shown over two episodes. The placement listed in the top row reflect the order teams arrived at the leg's halfway point.

Post-Race[]

Trivia[]

Franchise[]

Andy & Laura are the first team of racers from Thailand.
First people (along with Howard Bicknell and Francesca von Etzdorf) from the United Kingdom to participate on the race.
Highest finish of a team of racers from Thailand, at 5th place (tied with Natasha & Paula).