Napakahilig ng former Pinoy Big Brother housemate na si Will Devaughn sa iba't ibang sports tulad ng wall climbing, taekwondo, yoga and swimming. Kaya naman hindi nakapagtatakang si Will ang napili na mag-host ng UFX (United Fighting Extreme) in Mixed Martial Arts produced by Jumpstarts Inc & Fahrenheit FX.
This is a TV reality-based tournament na magtatagal ng 13 weeks simula April 19. Open ito sa lahat ng mga amateur fighters sa mixed martial arts. Gaganapin ang competition sa Victory Central Mall, Caloocan. So far, ongoing ang negotiations with Solar Sports-CS9 for blocktime.
Bukod kay Will, makakasama rin niya ang ABS-CBN star na si Princess Ryan as co-host ng show.
"For me, this is like a dream come true," nakangiting pahayag ni Will. "Ever since noong bata ako, I always watched Bruce Lee, Jean Claude Van Damme, I'm very fond of martial arts. And now, it's blessing in disguise for me because I'll be able to learn also from the Masters. And mixed martial arts will make you well-rounded, not just one martial arts."
Nakalagay sa profile niya na naglalaro siya ng taekwondo, pero ayon kay Will, medyo matagal na raw niyang hindi ginagawa yun.
"Now, I do arnis. Actually, taekwondo rin, but taekwondo is mostly legs and I just underwent knee surgery about a month and a half ago kaya nga nag-switch ako sa arnis."
Nakuha naman daw niya ang problema niya sa tuhod dahil sa isang basketball injury. At kahit host daw siya sa UFX, he's wishing na sana, makapag-perform din siya.
"I'm wishing, sana sa last season or sa last fight, like a special episode that I can participate in the fighting. Kahit one round lang, yun ang gusto ko."
IT TOOK A LONG WHILE. Sa Kapamilya network ay magiging busy naman siya sa taping ng bagong show na Precious Hearts, under Direk Lauren Dyogi, pero hindi pa raw siya sure kung sino ang makakapareha niya rito.
Bukod dito ay ang teleserye na kasama niya sina Judy Ann Santos at Derek Ramsay, Humiling Ka Sa Langit.
"It took a long time, matagal, e, so I'm waiting on that also."
Disappointed ba siya na inaabot na nga ito nang matagal?
"Hindi naman disappointed, I'm anxious, e. More than a year na rin. Hindi ako disappointed, it's more on I'm excited about the show. Alam nila what they are doing. They are probably doing all the things to make it perfect, to make it right."
Dugtong pa niya, "Nagte-taping pa rin kami, but our last taping was a month and a half ago."
Kumusta naman si Judy Ann na katrabaho niya?
"Oh, she's the best person to work with. As a person, as a co-actor, she's [the] greatest! She's very mabait, matalino, hospitable. She makes me feel comfortable...siyempre at first, nahiya ako. Si Juday naman, I see her everywhere, I respect her as an actress. At first, it was for me to work with her, kinda uncomfortable at the beginning. But she made me feel right at home."
Since Derek is also sporty like him, posible kaya na magkaroon sila ng competition sa kanilang dalawa?
"Hindi naman. Well, for me, people say we look similar, I guess it's because we're both kalbo and he's dark also, yun lang. We have different personalities, we're very, very different in many ways. I know, he's a friend of mine."
Dugtong pa niya, "We've been friends, ever since, modelo pa lang ako, siya rin. I know him din. It's nice to see him escalate and I'm sure, he feels the same way."
NOT MEANT FOR SHOWBIZ. Kinumusta rin namin kay Will si Riza Santos na alam naman ng lahat na na-link sa kanya at pinaniniwalaan din ng karamihan na nagkaroon sila ng relasyon. Nasa Canada na raw ang former beauty queen pero may communication pa rin ba sila?
"Nasa Canada siya, nag-aaral siya, so it's a bit difficult," pag-amin niya. "The memories are always there. I mean, you'll never know what could happen. I'm definitely optimistic."
May communication pa rin sila?
"Every so often. She's working a lot, e. She's doing many things. I can't speak about anything, I'll let her decide about that. Siyempre, umalis na siya, I'm sure, she wants privacy na."
Yung relationship nilang dalawa tuloy pa rin ba?
"Hmmm...it's kinda hard to say," nakangiti niyang sabi. "It's kinda hard to say..."
Napailing si Will when we asked if absence makes the heart grow fonder. "It's hard, sobrang mahirap."
Pero may ibang girl na ba siyang dine-date sa ngayon?
"No, you'll never hear about it. Good boy na ako, e. I've learned a lot from her. And from her family also, so I mean it's hard because she left and she's a big part of my life here, I can say that. You'll never know. I'm optimistic naman."
Aminado si Will na kahit paano, na-disappoint siya nang mag-decide ngang bumalik sa Canada si Riza.
"Siyempre, I was disappointed, I was sad. It struck me as a surprise. Although, kahit noong sa loob ng Bahay ni Kuya, nasabi ko kay Ruben [Gonzaga, his fellow PBB housemate], 'I don't know, pare, hindi ko alam how to pursue her, feeling ko, she'll gonna go back to Canada.' I even said that, sa loob ng Bahay ni Kuya, so..."
Maraming naging isyu kay Riza bago ito umalis, anong masasabi niya sa mga yun?
"For me, it's all a blessing in disguise. I believe that's a blessing in disguise for her, lahat ng mga negative issues that she had. I mean, she's studying now. She's getting her life together. Maybe, showbiz wasn't her thing, not her calling. For me, that's what I believe in."
Naniniwala raw siyang Riza's attitude may not meant for showbiz talaga.
"She's raised differently also. Parang she's alienated when she was here. It's hard for her to relate I guess. In showbiz, in going out, in gimmicks. You know, it's different world here, same in Canada as how her family raised her."
Ang huling tanong namin sa kanya: does he still love Riza?
Halatang nagulat si Will dito. "Ano ba yun?" ang natatawang reaction nito. "I love her as a person."