The prize within reach

MALAYSIA'S Rachel Lee, a make-up artist by profession, has made it to the finale of competition reality series The Apartment: Passion For Design, going head-to-head with the 'nasty' Stephanie Dods, a fashion designer from the Philippines.
The two managed to oust initial frontrunners – interior designer Eugene del Rosario and interior decorator Jesy Cruz, both from the Philippines – for a chance at the top prize, which includes a luxurious condominium unit.
Lee and Dods will be battling it out in the finale episode this Thursday at 9pm on Sony Channel (unifi TV channel 457).
In a recent interview, Lee explained what made her enter this high-pressure competition, where contestants have a limited time to design and execute an assigned room as per a brief, and also have to work with others in situations that lead to a lot of drama.
"It was something I stumbled upon," she said. "I have a friend, Clarissa Rae (from Singapore), who was in the second season.
"Artistic careers have been something that I have been drawn to, but interior design is something I haven't tapped into before. So I was just curious as to how I would do in a competition."
Though she seemed to have a natural affinity for interior design, Lee admitted she has never done it before. She does, however, have an eye for colours and painting.
She is a gifted artist, and her work, especially her murals on the walls, made her stand out from the other competitors.
"If people were to approach me to paint a mural on this and that, I would be more than keen to do so. In terms of learning the basics and theory behind interior design, that would be a different matter. Even on the show, the artsy stuff was more my passion."
As such, she intends to continue working as a make-up artist after the show.
"I don't think you can be an interior designer by just being in a competition, and then joining a big company. I do think you need to go to design school."
Lee, however, has no plans to do so. She feels that by the time she finishes with the show, no one would remember how she performed on it.
Her competitor Dods is known for having a mean streak on the show.
However, Lee defended her: "I would say that there are certain people in the competition who have very strong personalities. They know what they want.
"As the competition went on and the judges started asking us what we did to contribute to a particular challenge during the elimination round, people started to step on each other."
Lee admits she is not a person who likes drama or confrontation.
"I prefer to compromise, and so it was more peaceful. We didn't have many hours in each challenge, which was already very stressful. Arguing with my team mates was something I tried to avoid."
Though Dods has been portrayed as a villain by some of the other contestants, Lee said she herself got along fine with Dods, who was her roommate throughout the competition.
"She is the type of character we see on shows that you either love or hate. The same goes for (previously eliminated contestant) Vladimir (Musson).
"We were being recorded the whole day. What you saw on TV was not even an hour. It is hard to judge a person that way.
"To me, she is just a passionate person. I have never seen the [mean] side that people [claimed to] see, because I have never worked with her."
Looking back, Lee admits that she would have liked to have done some things differently.
"This competition pushes you physically, emotionally and mentally. You always feel pressured by the time, lack of sleep and missing home. Sharing a room with four people and one toilet is never easy."
She added that her lack of knowledge about interior design, and then being put on a team with those who did have some experience, was also stressful.
She said that during the first elimination when contestants had to explain their concept, she had no clue of what to say.
"But, at the same time, I [didn't] want to look stupid, if you know what I mean."
So she opted to give simple explanations, instead of cooking up some ridiculous concept.
She said: "For me, I choose things because they look nice. The entire thing was a learning process for me. With every single challenge, I was learning something."