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Published on February 23, 2008

Getting stuck at a traffic intersection in Prague for five hours got the Thai team - model Paula Taylor and her pal Natasha Monks, a brand consultant - bumped off the latest Asian series of television's "The Amazing Race".

But not only did Paula not burst into tears, as is often the case among losers on the reality show, she's thrilled that the folks back home got to see her plough through four rounds of riddles and risks.

Over the past six years English-Thai model Paula seems to have been everywhere we looked. As well as the fashion shoots for magazine ads, she's been in more than 30 TV commercials, assuring us that Lay's are irresistible potato chips, and that she'll smile for anyone with a Canon camera.

We listen to her cute accented Thai while she's presenting music videos on Channel V and, ladies, she may well be on your guy's secret top-10 list of dream girlfriends. She's got the alluring mix of sexiness and girl-next-door charm.

The latter attribute in particular is what's kept Paula at the top of the popularity surveys - she's the best friend everyone would love to have.

"Every time I get another advertising deal I'm pretty surprised," she says. "I'm like, 'You want me again? Okay!' But I'm not complaining - I love it!"

"The Amazing Race Asia 2" on cable TV, though, was a chance to show her adventurous, gutsy side.

"People see me as this real girlie-girlie girl. They don't really look outside the box. I just want to say, 'I am what you see, but there's more of me.' Now, when people watch 'The Amazing Race', they're like, 'You can do that!'

"I've always been able to do that - you just never asked!"

As further compensation for finishing in fifth place, Paula has garnered notice in Singapore that should bring her some work, and in Japan, where she's been hired for a magazine shoot. "Every day is new, every project is different from the last one," she says. "You're always stimulated and entertained. If you can get bored in this job, you must be, like, 'Wow!' It's the most non-boring job there is!"

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

The Nation