Cheloo, Gabi Torje, Maurice Munteanu, and Mirela Vaida among the celebrities setting off on the Silk Road in the new season of Asia Express
Season 9 of Asia Express, the toughest reality show in Romania, broadcast by Antena 1, promises from the very beginning a mix of celebrities like never before. Cheloo and Mihai Ban, his partner from Dakar, Maurice Munteanu and his close friend, designer Connie Preda, Mirela Vaida and her friend, folk music singer Oana Tomoiagă, comedian Radu Isac and his friend Eduard Hordilă, footballer Gabi Torje and wrestler Alin Alexuc Ciurariu, former TV assistants Loredana Chivu and Anamaria Mocanu, influencers Valerie Lungu and Alex Gâlcă, Mirela Retegan and her daughter Maya, What’s UP and his wife Miky are the 18 brave contestants who will follow in the footsteps of ancient merchants on a Silk Road filled with dangers and unexpected beauty, through Uzbekistan and China.
They will venture into the unknown without phones and without money, relying only on their own ingenuity and the kindness of locals, plus one euro per day from Irina, in their attempt to reach the final destination of the journey, namely the Pearl of Shanghai.
Cheloo and Mihai Ban: “We have a thousand reasons to participate, but we won’t tell you any of them.”
Loredana Chivu: “I expect an intense experience that will completely take me out of my comfort zone. I know it will be difficult, with many challenges and unpredictable moments, but that’s exactly what motivates me. I want to discover myself in a situation totally different from my everyday life and see how strong I really am. I’m leaving with emotions, but also with a lot of enthusiasm. I’m leaving behind the comfort of home and my loved ones for a unique adventure. I want to enjoy every moment, even the difficult ones, because I know this experience will stay with me for the rest of my life. I feel that such experiences change you as a person. It’s not just a competition, it’s a lesson about courage, adaptation, and how much you can endure when you truly want something.”
Anamaria Mocanu: “I’m sure it will be an experience that will stay in my heart for the rest of my life and be full of unexpected moments. PS: Get ready, because you’re going to laugh a lot! I’m leaving with emotion, curiosity, and the desire to enjoy everything that follows. And most importantly, with the thought that I’m not alone—Loredana is by my side and together we are a team that will make every moment count. I feel this is the challenge of my life and at the same time it will make me see the world differently and completely change me as a person.”
Mirela Vaida and Oana Tomoiagă: “Sometimes, in life, you reach a point where you feel the need to step away from your roles... Asia Express comes to me as a personal challenge and a form of freedom. I want to rediscover myself. I want to see who I am when I’m no longer in control, when I don’t know what will happen in an hour or where I’ll sleep that night. I leave with my family in my heart, but also with the curiosity of a child who wants to discover the world. I believe Asia Express is the experience I’ve been waiting for my whole life. And I’m ready to live it seriously, emotionally, and with the joy of discovering each moment exactly as it comes.”
Radu Isac and Eduard Hordilă: “My expectations are to return home unharmed, untraumatized, and with enough money to buy myself a Logan. I’ve never been to Asia or on a successful TV show, so this solves two things at once. I’m leaving a bit nervous because I don’t think I know what I’m getting into. Otherwise, I’m confident. I know the road to Otopeni well. I’m also happy to spend more time with Eddy. We both run from responsibilities in different directions and don’t get to see each other often.”
Gabi Torje and Alin Alexuc Ciurariu: “The first thing we thought when we accepted Asia Express was: ‘What did we get ourselves into?’ But that’s exactly the beauty of the adventure. We’re leaving with the desire to live the experience to the fullest, without taking ourselves too seriously when things don’t go as planned. Gabi and I have known each other for a long time, and I think that will be one of our advantages in the race. We can rely on each other, even though there will probably be moments when we wonder why we didn’t stay home. We’re leaving with the intention of enjoying every moment, meeting new people and places, and if we’re going all the way there, to win the final.”
Maurice Munteanu: “At this moment, I feel like a character from a Jules Verne novel—somewhere between The Children of Captain Grant and the vertigo of a balloon journey, on the brink of an adventure that is not only about geography, but especially about the inner self. At 48, even if it may sound like a cliché, the truth is I have never truly stepped out of a certain comfort zone. I’ve always liked being in control. That’s why I see this experience, above all, as a personal journey—one that I hope will help me understand and perhaps even heal a form of anxiety that has always accompanied me. The destinations seem absolutely fascinating—Uzbekistan and China, along the legendary Silk Road. There is something almost mythological about this route. Another thing that makes me happy is that I recently overcame my fear of flying. I have great trust in my partner, Connie Preda. We are different, but I believe our strength lies precisely in those differences.”
Connie Preda: “It felt extremely romantic to venture into the unknown like this together with Maurice, as we are old, good friends; but also because I felt the need to escape from a daily life full of responsibilities. I’m leaving without any script. I’ve set out to be as present as possible and to let myself be surprised throughout our journey by people and by the unknown... I expect we will be quite challenged and that it will be difficult at times, but I also believe it will be very funny in Maurice’s company, as he has a remarkable sense of humor. I hope we will both be flexible, spontaneous, and that we’ll overcome some fears along the way... and I hope we’ll win!”
Valerie Lungu and Alex Gîlcă: “We chose to go on Asia Express because we feel it’s time to completely step out of our comfort zone. For us, it’s more than an experience—it’s a personal challenge to overcome our fears and see what we are truly capable of. We want to reset our lifestyle, and by the end of this experience, we hope to become a better version of ourselves—more present, more empathetic, and truly able to enjoy every moment.”
What’s UP and Miky: “For our family, this experience is a dream we have both carried in our hearts for a long time. We’ve been on the same path for five years, and now it seems life is literally taking us on the Silk Road. It will be a unique experience that we will surely tell our grandchildren about. We are a united, strong, and competitive team, and if luck and destiny smile upon us, we hope to reach the final. God willing!”
Mirela Retegan and Maya: “I’m going to Asia Express with the hope that I will live the experience of a lifetime together with Maya. For me, life itself is a reason for joy, and I want to make sure I don’t let anything ruin this celebration. As a mother, I’m going because I owe Maya an experience that belongs just to us. As an entrepreneur, I’m going because I want to confirm that I’ve built something that works even without me. My departure is also a maturity test for the business: I have a prepared team and I trust that Zurli can move forward without my daily involvement. As a person, I’m going to see how other people live, what life is like beyond what I already know.”
Asia Express Season 9 – The Silk Road will bring back to life the idea of a route that, for centuries, connected East and West, showing how commercial, cultural, and technological influences continue to shape the people and spaces they cross. The Silk Road did not just connect continents—it reshaped human travel itself, leaving such a profound legacy that the world has never been the same. This is also what the Asia Express experience promises: a journey that changes perspectives, a journey after which, on a personal level, you are never the same again.
