anthony bourdain almost went to the philippines!

the travel channel had launched a contest for fans of "anthony bourdain's no reservations" ("FAN-atic special") where they would send in videos of themselves suggesting where tony should go next.

augusto elefanio, a filipino-american from long island, new york, made it to the final four who got to visit new york city for a personal interview with mr. bourdain. that interview would help him decide the winner who will be his personal tour guide to the chosen destination.

augusto's video entry was a clever slide-show presentation of his vacation photos from manila and cebu with him narrating what to eat and what the local places had to offer. what caught tony's eye? the shiny hunk of lechon! watch the video below to see his entry that was picked from among 1,300 hopefuls. or if by some reason the clip doesn't show below, click on this link instead.



augusto looked nervous and timid when he faced mr. bourdain in the "interrogation room", where they were secretly viewed from behind a one-way mirror. when asked how long he's been in the philippines, he said "a week" and that his trip was from two years ago. that didn't impress mr. bourdain, for that didn't qualify him as a knowledgeable enough tour guide.

and the deal-breaker? augusto declared that the movie "apocalypse now" was filmed in the philippines. mr. bourdain simply asked, "have you seen apocalypse now"? then, augusto looked down and replied, "no."

mr. bourdain deliberated from behind the one-way mirror, saying, "do i really want to go to the philippines with this boy?...and he hasn't seen "apocalypse now"--that's just wrong."

this little piece of film trivia was probably the result of googling, but it proved to be the apocalyptic demise of augusto's chance to show tony around the philippines. he offered information that he wasn't even privy to, so it just came out sounding like hearsay. but augusto's efforts should be applauded, nonetheless. so, congrats anyway on making it to the final four!

danya alhamrani was the lucky winner who convinced tony to feature saudi arabia, shown in last night's episode. she deserved to win, as she knew her country well and seemed the smartest among the finalists. she was the only female, too. saudi also was the "most challenging" choice for tony. see her video here.