survivor philippines celebrity showdown to premiere tonight

after two successful seasons, the curtains will open tonight for the third season of the famous reality show. this season, survivor philippines will be dubbed as survivor philippines celebrity showdown where 18 celebrity castaways will vie to be the first celebrity ultimate survivor and for the cash prize of 3 million pesos. the 18 celebrity castaways are:

1. ahron villena - winner of "you're the man!" contest from abs cbn who recently transferred to gma 7

2. aira bermudez - member of the sex bomb dancers

3. akihiro sato - brazilian japanese hunk model

4. aubrey miles - - former sexy actress

5. buwi meneses - drummer of the band parokya ni edgar

6. elma muros posadas - champion track and field athlete

7. ervic vijandre - basketball player, model and ex-boyfriend of marian rivera

8. ferds recio - veterinarian and host of born to be wild with season 1 castaway kiko rustia

9. ian batherson - starstruck finalist

10. john hall - hunk model

11. karen delos reyes - former teen actress and commercial model

12. michelle madrigal - tv and movie actress

13. mico aytona - host of ka-blog of gma 7

14. moi moricampo - personal assistant of piolo pascual, appeared in a movie recently

15. myka flores - mainstay of the comedy show bubble gang

16. pretty trizsha - stand up comedian

17. princess snell - startruck finalist

18. solenn heussaff - model and make up artist

the show will also have a new host, richard gutierrez after paolo bediones moved to tv 5.

pre-launch news says that this is the most difficult season of the show yet. there are several castaways almost called it quits. news also says that there are some body part exposures from ervic, aira and pretty trizsha.

the show will be right after the network's public affairs show 24 oras.

photo is from survivor philippines' facebook fan page.

survivor philippines: palau: why troy lost

troy is a magician, or a mentalists if that's what he prefers to call it. he is a performer and it has been his passion to entertain people. he is a people person, but unfortunately his charms and mind reading skills seems to not work anymore when he was voted off survivor philippines.
so why did troy lose?

first, he was not a strategic player. he made alliances but he was not the one who dictates who should go next. he plans poorly and is too hasty. powerplayers such as louie and tara has been overshadowing his strategic skills in the game.

second, he was overconfident. he was not considering the option that he might be going next. he let his emotions affect his judgement. it was his dislike to tara that let him vote for him but he did not hussle that much to get tara off.

lastly, he was not likeable at all. he was not liked by his tribemates. he annoys everyone. mika hates her and he was one of the most disliked castaways in one reward challenge. in a game of survivor, like almost equates to trust. and when people don't like you, they won't trust you.

but if there would definitely one major factor among the three that led to his downfall, it would definitely be the last one. he was not liked and he was not able to win the trust of his tribe. he was an easy target since everyone wants him out and that was what precisely happened.

image is from: http://blogs.gmanews.tv/survivor-philippines/index.php/the-castaways/4-castaways/13-troy-the-mentalist

survivor philippines: palau: why vlad lost

vlad is definitely is a survivor in his own right. he overcame his insecurities and made it an inspiration to improve himself. he later on made himself look good and even became a model. he was also a former swimming varsity, so he has an edge on water challenges.

but unfortunately, he was voted out in the fourth tribal council by a vote of 5 - 2 from his fellow airai tribemates. but more surprisingly, he gave up before even going into the challenge with justine in isla purgatoryo.

so why did vlad lost?

first, vlad became too focused on playing the game rather than focusing on how to get the hearts of his tribemates. his competitive spirit got the more of him. he was playing the game too hard even though he has not won the trust of his tribemates. in this game, trust of your tribemates is the most critical thing to gain.

second, he is not a strategist at all. yes, he plans on how to go about the voting process and how to get further in the game. but he is too hasty. he is too clumsy. when he approached charles after they lost the immunity challenge, he did not see that mika was on their back. it was the critical point, i think if he got charles' votes, he could have stayed in the game.

third, he was prepared physically but not mentally. he did not anticipate that survivor is a mental a game and it is definitely a hard game to play. he has said this before he left the game, that the game is starting to affect him mentally and he needs to call it quits.

lastly, he did not exploit the fact that the original airai tribe has the advantage in numbers. he could have gathered the original airai tribe first before having talks with louie and charles. they could have voted off an original koror and try to sway the vote and eliminate cris. but the fact that they planned to vote off cris first and align with louie and charles, and he calls to vote off louie lateron; he definitely would look like a traitor rather than an ally.

but what surprised me was when he quits before even challenging justine. knowing his competitiveness, it is very uncharacteristic of him to just say it's over. you can't always have a second chance in everything and he decided to let it go away just like that. that makes him so much less of a survivor...

image is from:
http://blogs.gmanews.tv/survivor-philippines/index.php/the-castaways/4-castaways/15-vlad-the-metrosexual

survivor philippines: palau: fan plug shoot

pinoy reality junkee was there yesterday, 29-aug-09 at gma 7 for the shoot of the new survivor philippines: palau fan plug and had some exfosure (in honor of patani...). had 6 takes though (quite nervous and they said i moved too much!)

watch out for the tv plug (hope my part will be aired...) to be shown soon!

survivor philippines: palau: why carol lost

carol is definitely a survivor, being a noble teacher for a long time and imparting her knowledge to countless kids in her classes through the years. upon joining survivor philippines, it was expected for her to bring into the game her motherly attitude and survival instincts. but she was voted off unanimously on the koror tribe's second tribal council on day 6.

so why did carol lose?

first, she had the motherly attitude but her younger tribemates did not appreciate her. comparing her to season 1's nanay zita, she is no where near her attitude. she was more assertiva nd a disciplinarian at heart, which annoys her tribemates. it was their complaint about her and was even discussed during the first tribal council. despite this, she did not adjust and still annoyed the other tribemates.

second, she is not a physical asset at this point. since koror has been losing in the challenges, the tribe thinks that they must keep the stronger players first to be able to win. with her age, physical condition and performance, carol is definitely a target to be eliminated.

third, she has no clear strategy nor alliance. in a game called survivor, strategy in alliance is crucial. she is the only castaway in the tribe with no clear alliance and she is seldom shown strategizing for the game. she is being overshadowed by the other castaway's strategizing skills. i think she was not ready for that part of the game and she lacks the strategy to last long in the game.

i was really surprised that in her exit interview, it seems that she did not expect that she will be eliminated. was this a complete blindside for the second straight week? with carol now in isla purgatoryo, let's see if she can win her face off with justine to stay alive and still survive.

survivor philippines: palau: week 2 highlights: isla purgatoryo revealed, carol voted off by koror

another twist was revealed last week in survivor philippines. the castoffs will be brought to another island, called the isla purgatoryo. in this island, they will be given limited rations and supplies and will live with a dog and lots of snakes in the forest. only one cast off can stay on the island. when another cast off arrives, the two cast offs will compete in a face off to determine who will stay in the island and who will go home. the one that would win will wear the immunity bracelet, which is the right eye of the idol. the one who lasts the longest will rejoin the other castaways during the merge.

both tribes received a treemail on day 4 that there are 6 chickens on the island and they need to find them. since both tribes liuves on the same island, they fought for the chicken but it was airai who go all 6 chickens.

this week's reward challenge is a mental and balance challenge. from wikipedia, here are the mechanics:

"With letters painted at the front and back and standing on a ledge, tribe members would try to spell the answer to the riddle being given by the host. Each member must traverse the ledge and can only touch one tribemate at a time. The first tribe to form the riddle's answer wins a point. First tribe to three wins the reward."

reward for this week is fishing gear, which they can use to get food. if koror wins, they will get their crate of supplies and is airai wins, they will decide if the crate will be given to koror, just like in week 1. in this challenge, airai decided to sit down cris since they will have difficulty on the balance part. despite this, koror still managed to escape a win with a score of 3-2. it's their first win and they got their crate at last.

at the immunity challenge, another physical challenge was done. here are the mechanics, again from wikipedia:

"Tribes squabble over a coconut placed in the middle of a field take it to their goal at the other side to score a point. The coconut could be passed between members in any way except overhead. The first tribe to score three point wins immunity."

in this challenge, no individual immunity will be awarded. at the start, both tribes scored and was tied at 1-1. goals were made by amanda for airai and marvin for koror. koror then snatched the lead after scoring the next goal. airai then tied it up and eventually won immunity by winning their third goal. koror will again face tribal council for the second straight time.

with no individual immunity at hand, carol is an easy target to be eliminated. louie seems to be the one trying to have the pole position on strategizing in koror. he has talked to almost everyone in the tribe and has been taking too many sides. talks of voying for charles and tara was also heard in the tribe. louie formed an alliance with suzuki and charles to eliminate tara and marvin in the next tribal councils.

at the tribal council, there were talks about louie's frequent swearing and how the tribe thinks about it. and then it was time to vote. and finally, when the votes were counted, carol was voted out unanimously, 6-1 by her tribemates. carol becomes the 2nd castaway voted off the island.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_Philippines_(season_2)

survivor philippines: palau: why justine lost

justine ferrer is a survivor. she has been an entertainer in japan since she was 19 and has been the breadwinner ever since. she has survived descrimination because of her uniqueness and her identity but she never gave up and she always stand after each fall. she is one of the stronger characters in survivor philippines this season.

but unfortunately, she was voted out unanimously (7-1) by her tribe and became the first castways to be voted off.

so why did justine lost?

first, she bacame complacent of her alliance with the girls. before the tribal council, there were so much talks that they would vote out charles. the girls even formed an alliance (echo, tara and justine), sensing the guys had an alliance. they trusted the girls too much that she did not realize that she was also in danger.

second, despite her giving her best in the challenges, her tribemates still viewed her as one of the weakest in the tribe. with carol being safe due to the immunity bracelet that was given to her by airai, the clear ones in danger in the tribe's eyes were charles and justine. among the boys, its clearly charles being the weakest since louie, marvin and suzuki contributes so much in challenges. among the three guirls, echo has been giving the tribe coconuts and tara has a very strong personality. maybe her being in the background and not being able to compete against the 2 girls gave the tribe an impression that she is the weaker one.

third, even if the show denies it, her identity being a transgender affected her. i think the filipino culture is still not ready to accept the fact that there are transgenders here in the coubtry. i am not saying that the vote was a discriminatory vote but i think she does not deserve to go this week. i was predicting a charles boot this week. but i am proud of her, admitting the fact that she was once a man on national television is really a brave thing to do in a conservative culture that we have. and even being in the island is a big accomplishment. and i also think she admitted it too early in the game.

i think she played the game well but just fell short. let's see how she fares in the next week since i think there will be an "outcast" like twist that was used in survivor pearl island. so we are not saying good bye to her but we are still looking forward to see her in the coming weeks.

but ultimately, justine is and will always be a survivor!

survivor philippines: palau: airai reigns supreme, justine voted off

here is a recap of survivor philippines: Palau's first week. the show started off with the castaways being fetched fofrom their homes. they have a limited time to pack and they need to go with the staff to palau immediately. the emotions were high since some of them have not yet said goodbye to their loved ones. this part reminds me so much of the first episode of pinoy fear factor. i think they could have had a special primer where they showed this just like last season where the castaways were introduced during a special sunday show rather than during the first episode.

upon arrival at the island, they were greeted by paolo bediones. he then asked the two oldest castaways to step forward. it was cris and carol. cris was assigned in airai and carol was assigned to koror. they will pick tribes. males will pick female members and vice versa. so the final tribes were:

airai: cris, amanda,mika, jef, vlad, troy, shaun, maya
koror: carol, justine, echo, tara, marvin, louie, suzuki, charles

then they were off to the first challenge. they were asked to navigate the island using a map. they should follow the marked path and avaoid going to the areas marked with red exclamation points. they will carry with them 2 heavy crates containing their supplies. the first tribe to get to the other side of the island wins and will take home to their camp the supplies. the losing tribe will take only the bolo. the race was pretty much even at the start with airai working as a team a little better. but it was obvious in the end that airai had better communication skills than koror, giving them the edge and eventually winning the race. so airai takes the supplies and koror settles for the bolo.

at camp, both tribes made shelter upon their arrival at the area. airai had ann easy time makinbg their shelter since they divided the labor among themselves and they easily agreed on the area. on the other hand, koror had strong personalities that they had a hard time finishing their shelter. both tribes also found their water supply and their tree mail. that night, both teams attempted to make fire but bothe were unsuccessful. they settled for body heat to warm them up. charles went down with a fever and was helped by his koror tribemates to keep warm.

there was another reward challenge in day 2. here is the mechanics lifted from wikipedia:

The members of each tribe are divided into two: one group of six puzzle seekers and another group of two puzzle solvers. The puzzle seekers, harnessed to each other, enter a partially-submerged maze to retrieve twelve bundles of puzzle pieces and exit through the opposing tribe's entrance. The puzzle pieces are passed to the puzzle solvers, who would untie the pieces and solve the puzzle. First tribe to solve their puzzle wins the second reward.

the reward is a flint so they can make fire.it was a see saw battle in the beginning, with both tribes retrieving the puzzle pieces in the maze. they even tually collected all 12 but it was koror who got out of the maze first, with airai not far behind. it is now up to the puzzle solvers. and in the end, airai's puzzle solvers were better than koror's. so it was airai again winning reward.
at camp, both tribes are now strategizing on who to vote out, despite the fact that the immunity challenge has not taken place. at koror, the guys and the girls are planning for a gender based vote. since the tribe is split into 4 - 4, the guys are planning to get jef to their side while the girls are planning to get cris to their side. in airai, carol's attitude is getting into the castaways nerves and talks of voting her off in the tribal council is intensifying.

then came the immunity challenge. here is the mechanics again from wikipedia:

Each tribe would dig out a stone monolith weighing 250 kg (550 lb) and carry it between two balance beams and over a wall before placing it on its new portal. Once that is done, two tribe members would jump into a sand pit and search for the immunity idol. First person to find the idol wins immunity for their tribe.

if koror wins immunity, they will get their supplies. if airai wins, they will decide if the supplies will be given to koror. at the start of the race, it was koror leading since they got the monolith out of the sand first. airai followed soon and caught up in the balance beam. it was the good teamwork of airai that enabled them to take over the lead. the wall was really a challenge to both teams. but airai proved to be stronger. airai was first to the pit and never looked back. it was shaun who found the immunity idol, giving airai the first immunity. koror did not even passed the wall.

the airai tribe decided not to give the supplies to koror. and their is another twist. the eye of the idol when pulled out turns into a bracelet. this is an immunity bracelet. the winning tribe will decide to whom they will give the bracelet among the losing tribe and that castaway will be safe from the vote. without second thoughts, they decided to give it to carol, who they think is the weakest among the tribe. the second eye of the idol also is an immunity bracelet. paolo got it and said that will come into play in the later part of the game.

back at camp, koror was really disappointed on their loss and they were still talking about the challenge. realizing that they were up for the vote and they cannot vote out carol, two names comes up in the chopping block. first, it was charles for being too relaxed in the challenge and having no "mind power". another name was justine since they were worried if she can still cope up in the next challenges. it was clear that louie, suzuki and marvin has an alliance. the girls (justine, tara and echo) also formed theirs. there was also some drama when charles said to tara's face that he is considering voting her off. tara was so angry that he swore at charles. the macias sisters really speaks their minds out.

at tribal council, justine's identity was revealed. justine is a transgender, a man who underwent operation to become a woman. it was revealed to the koror tribe in day 2 when the suzuki told louie that he thinks justine is gay. louie then told tara and tara told echo. echo was the one who asked justine and she confirmed it. she said that it was a complement that they did not notice it at first.

then came the votes. here are the votes:

charles
justine
justine
justine
justine
justine

5 is enough so justine is the first castway to be voted off this season. the final score is 7 - 1, only justine voted for charles. it was a complete backstab at week 1. justine never saw it coming. she though that everyone was voting for charles.

in the primer for next week, it was shown that justine is not eliminated yet. she was brought to a new island and will live there. and she might be able to join the game again. this is the same concept used in survivor pearl islands where the outcasts (the third tribe) competed in week 7 against the 2 tribes. if they placed first, 2 of them will come back to the game. if they placed 2nd, only 1 can come back. it was burton and lil who rejoined the castaways after the challenge. so

let's see how the philippine version works.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_Philippines_(season_2)

survivor philippines palau: premieres in philippine tv on august 17

last year breakthrough hit in philippine reality television, survivor philippines will launch its second season, survivor philippines palau on monday, august 17 in gma 7. this season, survivor will go to palau, the same location where the us version's 10th (survivor palau) and 16th (survivor micronesia) was filmed.

the new set of 16 castaways are:

> louie ang (24, pasig) - an IT professional and is dubbed as "the chickboy"
> mika batchelor (25, palawan) - "the sexy chef" who is a chef and restaurateur in palawan
> cris bolado (39, quezon) - dubbed as the "gentle giant;" the oldest among the men but definitely the most recognizable one, a former basketball player who has played in the PBA
> echo caceres (20, bicol) - "the spicy bicolana," a call center agent and her family's breadwinner from albay
> amanda coolley van cooll (25, mindoro) – “probinsyanang tisay,”
> charles fernandez (21, dagupan) – a general labor construction worker in alaska
> justine ferrer (29, caloocan) – “the beauty queen,” worked as a singer in Japan before but now owns a buy and sell business and managed a baby ultrsound company
> jef gaitan (22, laguna) – “the girl next door,” a model who stopped school since 18 to focus on her career
> carol gementiza (45, iloilo) – “istriktong guro,” the oldest among the castaways, and a public school teacher for more than 20 years
> marvin keifer (18, cagayan de oro) – “the ultimate crush,” the youngest among the castaways; he is swiss – filipino and is a backpacker and environmentalist; had tv exposure before through qtv 11’s hired where he won to be a model of a designer jeans company
> tara jane macias (19, cebu) – “taray queen,” an english tutor and is said to be the sister of season 1 castaway, chev macias
> vlad nesas (24, las pinas) – “the metrosexual,” an industrial design major, varsity swimmer and model
> troy perez (27, manila) – “the mentalist,” a biology major, works ina bank and is a magician
> shaun rodriguez (31, zambales) – “the hot dad,” a PR staff in Manila’s city council office, has experienced bankruptcy when his investment was lost due to the closure of a mining company he invested in
> maya segovia (32, batangas) – “the lady pilot,” a military officer and a pilot of the philippine air force; considers herself a man trapped in a woman’s body
> sadatsugu suzuki (21, tondo) – “japinoy hunk,” grew up in japan for 18 years but stayed pinoy and now studies criminology in emilio aguinaldo college

the castaways will be divided into 2 tribes namely, koror and airai which are also tribe names in the us versions that were shot in the same location (koror in survivor palau and airai in survivor micronesia). more twists will definitely be introduced this season.

so, who will be the second pinoy sole survivor? watch so you will know.

source: http://blogs.gmanews.tv/survivor-philippines/

survivor philippines: kiko rustia will co-host born to be wild

survivor philippines castaway kiko rustia will be hosting born to be wild, a late night adventure shown every thursday night at gma 7. he will be replacing romi garduce, the first filipino to climb the summit of mt. everest.

kiko became popular after finishing 9th in the maiden season of survivor philippines. he became the unofficial leader of the naak tribe but was blindsided on the 8th tribal council. many fans reacted on his elimination since he was considered as one of the favorites to win the reality show during the early stages of the game. after the show, this restaurant owner and single father guested in several shows in gma 7. this will be his first regular assignment.

on his first episode on march 25, he will explore the caves in the northern part of the philippines while doc ferds will explore bears found in ho chi minh city in vietnam and the market of bear bile in manila.

source: http://www.pep.ph/guide/3602/Kiko-Rustia-will-co-host-Born-to-Be-Wild-starting-March-25

survivor philippines: season 2 audition dates and venues announced

after a successful first season, gma 7 has announced the auditions for the second season of the hit reality show survivor philippines. who will become the next sole survivor after baketball heartthrob jc tiuseco in season 1?

the audition is open to all individuals 18 to 39 years old, physically and mentally fit and can last in an unfamiliar terrain for 39 days. audition dates and venues are as follows:

feb 26 - 27 - csi, the city mall lucao in dagupan
mar 3 - 4 - sm city baguio
mar 9 - 10 - lcc mall - naga
mar 12 - 13 - sm iloilo
mar 15 - 16 - sm city cebu
mar 18 - 19 - sm davao
mar 23 - 24 - sm lipa
mar 27 - 28 - sm north edsa
mar 29 - 30 - sm mall of asia

source: http://www.pep.ph/guide/3400/Survivor-Philippines-Season-2-will-begin-nationwide-auditions

local reality shows announces new seasons for 2009

several local reality shows has announced that they will stage new seasons this year. at least 3 local shows have announced their plans through the teasers that is shown in their respective networks.

first on the list is the original reality artista search on tv, starstruck. after leaving the air for three years, the show that produced mark herras, jennelyn mercado, marky cielo, ryza cennon, yasmin kurdi, aljur abrenica, mike tan, lj reyes, mart escudero and jris bernal among others will stage a comeback this year. also rumored to host the show is the original host, nancy jane and drew arellano. as a prelude to the show's comeback, they will stage a reunion of the show's alumni and auditions will commence sometime in 3Q 2009. the show is rumored to be dubbed as starstruck: the elite comeback.

next on the list is the most successful reality show from abs cbn, pinoy big brother. teasers has been shown in almost all shows of abs cbn, alerting all housemates wannabees to be ready for the auditions are coming soon. after season 1's nene tamayo and season 2's beatriz saw, another set of housemates will battle it out to be declared the season's big winner.

last on the list is last year's reality show to beat, survivor philippines. gma 7 has been showing teasers on the show's forthcoming second season. after season 1's jc tiuseco, another set of castaways will set foot on yet another 39 days of challenges and triumphs in a remote island in a nother country.

survivor philippines: cast off john lopez to star in daisy siete's new season

survivor philippines' resident mechanic is the second castoff to have a drama show. after jace's inclusion in luna mystika, john lopez will be starring in daisy siete's 21st season. titled tarzariray, amazonang kikay, john will be the love in=terest of the show's lead and sexbomb group leader rochelle pangilinan.

here is an excerpt from the seen scene column of pilipino star ngayon last 11-jan-09:

Scene : Tarzariray, Amasonang Kikay ang pamagat ng Season 21 ng Daisy Siete. Bida si Rochelle Pangilinan at leading man niya si John Lopez, ang cast-away ng Survivor Philippines.

john was the 6th person voted out of survivor philippines and was a jarakay member. he was pulled out in day 8 of the show due to low level of potassium. he never recovered from that incidence and this led to his ouster in day 15.

link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=430811&publicationSubCategoryId=96

survivor philippines: season 2 auditions will be on march

after a successful first season of the reality show survivor philippines, gma 7 will hold auditions for the second season by march, as a local newspaper revealed. the seen scene article in the entertainment wrote on its january 7 issue the following:

Scene : Magkakaroon ng Season 2 ang Survivor Philippines dahil naging matagumpay ito sa telebisyon. Magsisimula ang kanilang audition sa March 2009.

i think the great ratings and huge fanbase prompted gma 7 to have a second season. for sure, thousands of fans and challenge seakers would again flock to the audition venues and try their luck in the show. we wuill wait for the formal announcement from gma 7 regarding the audition schedules.

link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=429686&publicationSubCategoryId=96

2008 pinoy reality junkee reality awards

a year has again ended and reality tv is very much alive here in the philippines. i have decided to give away some awards of my own of the best and most unforgettable personalities, events and shows in philippine reality tv. this blog will be updated as my mind remembers some other awards that needs to be given out.

without further ado, here are the awards:

most unforgettable reality moment of the year

winner: alex's circumcision in pinoy big brother teen edition plus - who would forget the first circumcision that happened in a big brother house, and to make it more interesting, it was performed by a doctor and a nurse that is also in the house(guradians doc boy - robi's father and nurse carina - beauty's mother) in front of the male housemates and the whole world!
runner up: marcus indecent exposure in survivor gabon - this gained some critics for the show for poor editing and indecent exposure... but guys, they are running a challenge and it was an accident, can't we understand?
honorable mention: dallas losing their passport in russia at the amazing race season 13 - also a first in amazing race history, losing all their money and passport by leaving the bag in a taxi at a roadblock, eventually leading to their elimination.

most unforgettable elimination in a reality show

winner: kiko rustia in survivor philippines - after forming a strong alliance with his former tribemates in naak, kiko was blindsided by her allies kaye and cris after the ex-jarakay members convinced the 2 to vote against him. he was eliminated with a 5 - 4 vote and became the 2nd jury member. the elimination led to some nasty comments in the internet forums from kiko's fans.
runner up: jon avila's forced eviction in pinoy big brother season 2 - after admiting that he implied that they would give one vote to each other, which manipulated the outcome of the last nomination, jon was given a forced eviction and failed to make it to the big four despite being popular among the fans and texters

fight of the year

winner: terri and henry in amazing race asia season 2 - terri's uncontrolled emotion was no match to henry' macho image. these couple fought their way to 6th place and lasted 8 legs, fighting in each of the leg with terri screaming on top of her lungs each time. poor henry. well, that is true love...
runner up: marlon versus zita in survivor philippines - marlon's fight with zita was the most controversial fight in survivor philippines. whether it was strategy or not, marlon surely got several nasty comments from fans after the episode was aired
honorable mention: laarni lozala versus scholars in pinoy dream academy season 2 - laarni was the most emotionally unstable scholar in pda season 2 and she has several breakdowns in the course of the show. despite this, she still manage to get the top prize and sing her way to the recording contract
honorable mention: veejay floresca versus eli gonzales in project runway philippines - a fight over a tank top used as an accessory, eli talked to the producers about it and spoke in behalf of the other designers. it was the constant parinigan that made the fight intersting, but eventually led to veejay being allowed to use the tank top and the show being stricter in allowing the use of accessories.
honorable mention: john versus anna in pinoy big brother teen edition plus - the fight between josef's and kevin's guardians even led to the misunderstanding inside the house among the housemates. it was quite a show when john even fought with josef in the house's kitchen.

medical emergency of the year

winner: chivas malunda in pinoy dream academy season 2 - chivas is one of the front runners in pda season 2 and his attacks were really bad that he had to be pulled out a couple of times from the academy. he is losing conciousness which has been happening years before when he is stressed. he was given an automatic expulsion after he did not show signs of improvement and his health was more important. despite this, he got to sing the theme song of another reality show, pinoy fear factor.
runner up: john's attack in survivor philippines - despite his good built and strong personality, camp life was never easy for john. at day 8, he was pulled out of the jarakay camp and was rushed to the hospital after he lost conciousness. he returned the day after and revealed that his potassium level dipped down and was the cause of the attack.
honorable mention: jose sarasola's snake bites in pinoy fear factor - not once but twice, jose was bitten twie by snakes in the second stunt of the quarta ronda de eliminacion titled tanque con serpientes . the bites were not poisonous but was painful which affected his performance in the 3rd stunt and led to his elimination in the show.

villain of the year

winner: marlon carmen of survivor philippines - no contest, marlon is definitely the villain of the year in philippine reality tv. dubbed as the bad boy of prime time television, he made his mark after having a fight with almost all of the naak tribe members. but don't get me wrong, i don't hate him and i really liked the way he played the game.

underdog of the year / upset of the year

winner: david cook of american idol season 7 - everyone was expecting david archuletta to win the title for he was so adorable and the fans love him. he was the most downloaded contestant and seems to be on his way to stardom. but david cook came from behind and stole the title from him and eventually became the 7th american idol.
runner up: laarni lozala of pinoy dream academy season 2 - same scenario, everyone was expecting bugoy bugayong to get the top prize but her great voice and mass appeal gave laarni the title and became the 2nd grand star dreamer of the show after yeng constantino.
runner up: adrian & collin in the amazing race asia season 2 - marc & rovilson was a favorite to win the second season of the amazing race asia season two, after topping 8 legs out of the 11 legs (and finishing second in the other 3 legs) before the finale. these two never gave up and what determined the winner was the last roadblock where rovilson fumbled and led to the win of the singapore gym buddies.
honorable mention: bob crowley of survivor gabon - who would have thought that a 57 year old man can still win survivor? with his superb outdorr skills, great mind and strategy, this man won survivor with 5 consecutive individual challenge wins under his belt and eventually winning the ultimate survivor title.

most promising reality star of the year

winner: robi domingo - pinoy big brother teen edition plus - despite losing the title to ejay falcon and placing only 2nd, he went on to be the hottest star among his batch and eventually won a vj search in a music station.
runner up: nikki dacullo of survivor philippines - undoubtedly the most beautiful face among the bunch, nikki is a face to watch out if given the right breaks in showbusiness. she can sing, dance, host and her first acting stint in dear friend was also not bad.
honorable mention: paula taylor of the amazing race asia season 2 - now a vj and a commercial endorser, she is ready for stardom. with a good life and a new found love (marc nelson, as the rumors as saying), she is bound for stardom.

reality twist of the year

winner: double elimination twist in survivor philippines - this has been done in the us version of survivor, but this time, the twist had no sign that it is coming what so ever. this led to the elimination of patani, the most popular castaway then. fans shouted foul on this twist that earned so much criticism for weeks.
runner up: guardians twist of pinoy big brother teen edition plus - the addition of the guardians in the big brother house was a big surprise to the teens but helped us know the housemates better.
honorable mention: the 13th look / male outfit twist of project runway philippines - just as the final 3 designers thought it was over, a twist was revealed that they need to make a 13th look for their collection and surprise, it should be a male outfit.

fan favorite of the year

winner: bugoy bogayan of pinoy dream academy season 2 - who did not fell in love with the story of this young singer from camarines sur? he has no formal voice training, he was poor, he was a working student and is rumored gay, what more can you ask for? but what really struck the fans is the fact that he has a very good voice that can capture your heart.
runner up: zita ortiga of survivor philippines - she is the most popular among the castaways. her great story, never stay die attitude and being amother figure for the castaways was an inspiration for most of the fans of the show.

reality love team of the year

winner: nicole and josef of pinoy big brother teen edition plus - everyone was captivated with the blossoming love they had inside the big brother house, complete with the parents who are against their relationship. and they thanks to the great music of colbie calliat's realize, which is always the music when their moments were shown
runner up: chivas and bunny malunda of pinoy dream academy season 2 - a tale of young lovers that held on to each other for better or for worse. the whole nation witnessed their love for each other inside the academy
honorable mention: veronica and jace of survivor philippines - the love team that stuck together till the end, but unfortunately, it did not extend out of the game. vern is now dating survivor philippines runner up rob sy

blunder of the year

winner: erik giving natalie individual immunity at tribal council in survivor micronesia - erik gave natalie a free pass to the final 4 by giving the immunity necklace to her at the tribal council, believing that he will not be voted out. but the all girls alliance blindsided him and voted him out.
runner up: dallas losing their passport and money in the amazing race - coming in first the previous leg, after dallas lost their passports and all their money, they came in last and was eliminated just before the finale.
honorable mention: rovilson in the final roadblock in amazing race asia season 2 - marc & rovilson was a sure favorite to win the race, but rovilson struggled with the last roadblock which involves arranging the flags of the countries they visited in order which allowed the other teams to overtake them. they finished third.

comeback of the year

winner: parvati shallow of survivor micronesia - she placed 6th in survivor cook islands but came back in survivor micronesia fan versus favorites. she had a great strategy and was the brains behind the all girl alliance and went on to beat amanda in the finale.
runner up: gab valenciano and jasmin abelgas of shall we dance: the search for the next dance superstar - they were eliminated just before the finale, but was invited to compete in a wild carp phase and was able to enter the finals. in the finals, their great partnership and superb skills led them to win the title.

most deserving winner

winner: jc tiuseco of survivor philippines - despite the criticism at the start of the season and the spoilers that got out in the net and the news, i think jc really deserved the prize as the sole survivor of the first season of survivor philippines. with his great social skills and strategy, jc played the game well despite stepping on some toes on the way
runner up: luis palaganas, jr. of my mvp - the most consistent among the bunch of basketball hopefuls in the show. works hard and is very well liked by the other competitors, he really deserves the prize and the title.
honorable mention: ejay falcon of pinoy big brother teen edition plus - this young lad from mindoro won the heart of the pbb fans with the love he showed to his family and to his loveteam valerie. his hardwork and perseverance paid off and he won the top plum and is currently doing some modeling stints
honorable mention: gab valenciano and jasmin abelgas of shall we dance: search for the next dance superstar - great pair and they can really dance. great partnering and really works hard. they were eliminated but entered the finals through a wildcard competition and eventually moved on and won the title.

most unexpected winner

winner: gretchen espina of pinoy idol - yes, this girl can sing and she is from the same school as i am (though different campus). but so many of her competitotrs is way better than her. and where is she now? aside from her sunday stint at sop, i don't hear anything about her anymore.

best reality host of the year

winner: jeff probst of survivor - yes, i still think jeff probst is still the best reality show host there is. he has the balance of seriousness and fun that a host should have, and i still do think that the original is still the best.
runner up: paolo bediones of survivor philippines - he had a rough start in survivor philippines but did well towards the end of the show. his hosting skill is very good and his blogs at the official site made fans understand the show better plus the fact that he participated in several live chat sessions with the cast offs.
honorable mention: terasa herrera of project runway philippines - the right combination of wit and poise, she hosted the maiden season of project runway philippines with ease. she seems so kind and carries herself well. she seems to be comfortable with the show despite the fact that this is her first television show.best reality host of the year.
honorable mention: allan wu of amazing race asia - the most improved among the bunch. i think he is now more comnfortable compared to the first season and now builds raport with the contestants.

reality host that needs improvement

winner: billy crawford of pinoy dream academy season 2- he has to improve his tagalog if he wants to host a tagalog reality show. the king of stutter, it is very obvious when he forgets his lines and he usually rely on cue cards and idiot boards, its quite distracting, needs to be more spontaneous
runner up: jon avila and victor basa of shall we dance: the search for the next dance superstar - actually they are okay in front of the camera but jon needs to improve his diction since he is incomprehesible most of the times. victor is too focused on his lines that he lacks spontaneity.

survivor philippines: jc tiuseco is the new segment host of unang hirit

first pinoy soile survivor jc tiuseco now has his first regular tv asignment in gma 7. after winning the premiere season of survivor philippines, jc will be a segment host of the station's morning show unang hirit. this was announced during his guesting today (january 1, 2009) at the said show. after modeling one of jc buendia's (reality show reference: celebrity duets season 2) all white suit creation. he will be handling a youth realted segment starting on monday, january 5, 2009.

jc will be the 4th survivor to co-host the show. earlier castaways that appeared on the show as co-hosts are patani, nikki, jace and zita.

image is from: http://www.igma.tv/photo/1904/Laughs-all-around-pagkatapos-magpakita-ni-JC-ng-abs

survivor philippines: why jc won

basketball hunk jc tiuseco was declared the first pinoy sole survivor via a 7-2 vote. he even won the philippines' vote with a whopping 93% versus rob sy's 7%. he was hated at the start of the show, having given up on thye first immunity challenge which led to the loss of the naak tribe. he was viewed as a traitor and backstabber by some of the jury members.

so why did jc win survivor philippines?

first, he remained true to his allies. he stuck it out with rob and kiko despite everything that is happening at camp. kiko was very much satisfied by how jc played the game. they were on the same page. it was his loyalty to rob that prompted him to be in the final two. so his 2 main allies played a big factor on his win.

second, he was impressive in challenges. as an athlete, he is very competitive and focused. he does not give up on challenges. he does his best everytime he goes to the game and give it his all. he shared the rewards he won with almost everyone in the tribe and it was very much appreciated by most of the castoffs.

third, he was reserved. he does not blurt out his frustrations and throw out tantrums. he was the opposite of rob. rob dishes out cuss words and harsh actions at camp everytime something bad happens at tribal council. this shows how jc handles his problems and i think this made the jury feel that he is stronger emotionally than rob.

fourth, he is very likeable and has the charms that really works. with his boyish feature, jc was the hearthrob of the show. he can use his charms and his looks so you can feel that you can trust him easily. that was one of the keys why most of the castaways trusted him.

fifth, he transformed in the game. at the start, he was viewed as a schoolboy. he cant eat raw fish, he does not know anything at camplife. he gave up on the first challenge. everything was going against him at the start of the season. but he aligned with the right persons that brought him far in the game. he transformed from being a kid to a young man, winning challenge after challenge and dictating who goes next. he was an underdog at the start of the season, and filipinos really love underdogs.

if i were to chose the main reason why jc won, it would probably his loyalty and his transformation. he grew in the show, he was likeable and almost all the castoffs like him. even though he stepped on some toes during the game, he never lost the respect of those person and he really played the game well.

survivor philippines: why rob lost

rob sy won the last and the most important immunity challenge of the game. he gained the advantage of choosing who he will be up to in the final 2. he chose jc, his long time ally to join him in the final 2. despite having the advantage, rob still lost with a wide margin of 7 - 2, 7 votes going to jc's favor. even the text votes was against him.

so why did rob lose?

first, rob lost the trust of his allies. kiko hated his attitude when he was thinking more of the prize and not taking it one step at a time. most of them noticed how he threw tantrums every time something bad happens at tribal council. marlon also told them how he sealed a deal with him regarding the prize money. he never recovered from the distrust that was accorded to him.

second, there is still an impression that he is not strong despite his body built. being called "ampaw" by the former jarakay tribe, he was not a big factor in challenges and even gave up early on most individual challenges. the jury members might see this as a sign of giving up and not giving your best in challenges. he has not earned the respect of the jury in terms of his physical capabilities.

third, he won the last immunity challenge but chose to stick with his ally in the final 2. i think he could have a better chance of winning if he chose charisse over jc. jc is a difficult man to beat and most of the jury members like jc better than him. jc won more challenges and has proven himself in challenges. charisse has been riding the currents since the merge and has been a non-factor in challenges. charisse betrayed several persons and has not comp[letely gained the trust of the naak members. charisse could have been beaten by rob, but jc would be a difficult person to be with in the final 2.

fourth, rob's exposure in the show was more negative rather than positive. he was shown having tantrums after kiko gave him the black pearl. he was shown swearing at kiko after charisse was voted off. he had several fights with other cast offs. he took advantage of vern at the thai pillow challenge. he gave up at most challenges faster than the female castaways. is this the character that the sole survivor should have? i think this is the reason why rob lost badly in the text votes (93% vs 7%). it could have been an extra vote for him if he was projected positively on tv.

if i were to chose the main reason why he lost, it would definitely be the wrong choice of person to bring to the final 2. yes, rob build relationships in the show and he did his best, but jc is definitely not in his league. he definitely cannot beat a person so likeable and trustworthy as jc. rob simply cannot beat jc in a head to head match, and his decision simply lost him 3 million pesos and the title of being the first sole survivor.

survivor philippines: jc tiuseco is the first pinoy sole survivor

the first pinoy sole survivor is finally revealed, and it is basketbal hunk jc tiuseco, beating 17 other castaways for the title.

after 39 grueling days in thailand, jc tiuseco is named the sole survivor after a 6 - 2 votes of the jury and 1 additional votes from the philippines vote, which was determined via text voting. jc beat fellow castaway loverboy rob sy after gaining the votes from jace, kiko, marlon, kaye, cris and charisse. only zita and veronica, who is rumored to be dating rob, voted for the runner up.

jc also won in the text votes, garnering 93% of the total text votes versus the 7% gained by rob sy.

jc is from manila and a former basketball varsity player from the san sebastian college. he was viewed as more trustworthy as compared to rob and has gained the respect of the jury. he initially had an alliance with jace when the tribe was split by gender. when the tribes were mixed, he joined the alliance of kiko and rob, dictating the voting order in naak.

at the merge, naak had the advanatage in numbers and immediately voted off jace, his former ally and is a big physical threat. after that, kiko was voted out and he was really affected. from there on, rob & jc took charge of the game and voted off the jury members one by one. when there were only 5 left, jc decided to have an alliance with charisse over zita and cris. they evntually became the final three. in the last challenge, it was rob who won immunity and he chose jc to be the other person in the final 2.

jc won 2 individual reward challenges and 2 individual immunity challenge. he has previously won a car in a challenge and added 3 million pesos for being the sole survivor.

a spoiler has been released at the start of the season which said that jc is the sole survivor. the staff of the show denied the spoiler and said that 99% of the spoilers is false. incidentally, the 1% true spoiler includes the name of the sole survivor.

rob sy won 300 thousand pesos for being the runner up.

survivor philippines: new twist revealed; philippines is a jury member

a new twist in survivor philippines has been revealed. the philippines will be the 9th jury member in the last tribal council, and this will be done through text voting. having 8 jury members already, there is a possibility of having a tie if 4 votes for rob and 4 votes for jc. the philippine vote will be the tie breaker vote.

here is the article from philippine enmtertainment portal ( link: http://www.pep.ph/guide/3064/Viewers-can-choose-between-Rob-and-JC-in-Survivor-Philippines )

will this change the outcome of the game? has survivor turned into a popularity contest? i like the idea of having the fan vote for the sole survivor but it would be better if only the jury will vote since the fans only see about 1/3 of what is happening in the island. the jury is in a better position to judge who really deserves to win.

but still, my guess is still the same, jc will win as the sole survivor.