The reality show-competition Pinoy Fear Factor premiered on ABS-CBN last night, November 10. Host Ryan Agoncillo will be seen weeknights as he guides 12 participantes(7 men and 5 women) on their journey to test their physical strength and mental tenacity in a series of challenges and Hollywood-like large-scale stunts in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Pinoy Fear Factor host was first seen by viewers as he prepared to ride a motorbike, reminding everyone that this is one his hobbies. Despite the hazards of this hobby, Ryan continues to be passionate about riding. He himself narrated that he was down for two weeks because of an injury he incurred while riding a motorbike seven years ago.
Ryan then revealed that the participantes had to travel two continents or a total of 19,196 kilometers away from the Philippines to face their fears and get the chance to win the grand prize of P2 million and a house & lot.
Pinoy Fear Factor then gives viewers some drama as the participantes narrate the story of their lives. From Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City, the viewers are shown how the other participantes were secured and whisked away to the airport.
The viewers are first introduced to 20-year old RJ Calipus Jr., a kargador and father of 2 from Tondo, who is hoping to give his kids a better future should he win the contest. On the opposite spectrum is Phoemela Baranda, 27, TV host and model from BF Homes, Parañaque. She is hoping to show her other side, apart from the image that the public sees when she reports on entertainment news.
Jose Sarasola, 22, an aspiring chef, who works in a Makati hotel feels that joining the show will give him something different. This is not the first time Jose has joined a contest. He also joined in Studio 23's Wazzup Wazzup Zupistar TV host search two years ago. Another young participante is 21-year old Marion Angelo dela Cruz, a balikbayan from Austria but resides in Valenzuela. He said that he would not be able to eat the exotic food that the show will offer.
The participantes take a four-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On the plane, the youngest participante, Janna Dominguez of Malabon shows off "Bonbon," a lion stuffed toy that represents her family. She shows her playful side by playing with a kid passenger. Elmer Felix is a 25-year old Kapampangan and veterinarian. He challenges his fellow participantes by saying that he has a lot to offer.
At the Kuala Lumpur stopover, 25-year old Gail Nicolas of
Quezon City surprised viewers with the fact that she has been working already
since she was 17 years old. She got her biggest break when she was hailed as
the winner of the 2007 Mossimo Bikini Summit. Right now, Gail is one of the
five cover girls of FHM's November issue.
Collegiate basketball player Ram Sagad had some encouraging words from
his brother. The 23-year old hopes that his athletic skills will give him an
advantage during the competition.
Struggling businessman Manuel Chua, 21, from Cabanatuan City wishes to be a good provider for his daughter. Savannah Lamsen, 23, a ledge dancer from Quezon, dreams of entering showbiz so that she can give her family a comfortable life.
The group made a stopover at Johannesburg, South Africa and then had a two-hour flight to Cape Town also in South Africa.
Jommy Teotico then makes a funny revelation that the group hadn't taken a bath yet for nearly 48 hours. The 24-year old model is a former playboy who hopes that winning the show will ultimately change his life. LJ Moreno, 27, a pre-school teacher chose to change her life as well when she decided to quit showbiz and get a college degree.
After the 12 participantes introduced themselves, Ryan welcomed them at El Campo Miedo in Buenos Aires. This also starts the confusion of translating everything from Spanish to English that you would see for the rest of the show.
The participantes were then escorted to their quarters to deal with jet lag and the coldness of the Argentinian winter.
A couple of the contestants wake early the next day, not knowing what time it was. The participantes did some early morning exercises and had some fun as well. The girls tested Savannah by blindfolding her and letting her guess whose abs she was touching.
MECHANICS. Pinoy Fear Factor host Ryan emphasized that the stunts were designed by trained professionals and not to be copied at home. The participantes stride confidently to the venue where the challenges will take place.
There are three elimination rounds where the participantes are given challenges they must survive. The bottom six participantes of the first round will go on to the next round of eliminations. The bottom three of the second round will go on to the third elimination round. The participante who performs with the longest time, does not finish the task, or does not do the stunt gets eliminated and goes back home to the Philippines.
On the other hand, the top six of the elimination round get to participate in another round of stunts where only the best participante gets the top prize. And at the end of the show only one shall be hailed as the El Ultimo Participante of Pinoy Fear Factor.
The Philippines is the 30th
country to do a local version of Fear Factor in Argentina and the third country to use the Fear Factor Extreme format
following South Africa and India.
Argentina was chosen among
the four existing Fear Factor
hubs in the world that include the United States, Malaysia and South Africa,
because stunt experts, and resources are readily available in the said
country.
Pinoy Fear
Factor: Argentina,South America,
hosted by Ryan Agoncillo, airs weekdays after I Love Betty La Fea on
ABS-CBN.