Akihiro Sato: Mr. Nice guy

CEBU, Philippines - His limited command of the English language left him struggling how to best articulate his feelings and argue his case during Tribal Council. All he could do was shake his head, still smiling, but with apparent disappointment at the discovery that lies and betrayal were in fact part of the game.

Survivor celebrity castaway Akihiro Sato has always said in interviews that he joined the reality show to enjoy the experience and not entirely for the P3 million prize money. But the island's Mr. Nice Guy was most disenchanted with the game when fellow castaway Ervic Vijandre did not keep his word during the conclusion of their final immunity challenge.

The challenge was to stand on two uneven poles and keep one hand on a totem for as long as they can. Last competitor standing would get the chance to either gain immunity or win a brand-new Honda car. Ervic was able to hold on to the totem for a record-setting 10 hours and 53 minutes.

Before that, Akihiro negotiated with Ervic that he would give up the challenge in exchange for the immunity necklace. Believing that they had a gentleman's deal, Akihiro let go of his hand and slumped down on the ground. When Ervic was asked to choose between immunity and the car, he opted for the latter. And when told to choose a castaway who would wear the immunity, Ervic picked Aubrey Miles instead of fulfilling his promise to Akihiro.

Judging by the jury's open dislike for Aubrey and Ervic, and their impression that Solenn Heusaff doesn't really need the money, our guy Akihiro has a strong shot of becoming this season's Ultimate Survivor-to be voted and announced live this Friday night, Dec. 3. Even other castaways who didn't make it to the jury are rooting for him to win.

"When I joined, I didn't know how 'Survivor' was. I just thought I had to be near to those who were strongest," said Akihiro when asked by The FREEMAN if he went into the game with a strategy in mind. The half-breed model was with fellow castaways Ervic, Solenn, Ahron Villena and Aira Bermudez for a last promo stop in Cebu at the SM City Cebu Event Centre. We then moved to Waterfront Hotel Lahug's Madeleine Cafe to continue our interrupted backstage conversation, where Akihiro talked about his family and hometown, his discovery as a model and how he eventually landed in our shores, his reunion with a childhood love and career plans in the Philippines.

Aki, as he is commonly called by friends, had the worst insect bites in the island. In fact, he said he couldn't walk for three days because of the infections. Despite that inconvenience, he was most at home on the "Survivor" set because the small village he grew up in São Paulo, Brazil was close to the waters. "It's a beachside village. Most of the people living there are surfers. It's a tourist spot, just like Boracay. That's why when I'm somewhere near a beach, I feel like I'm near to my family."

His mom is Brazilian-Italian and his dad is pure Japanese. Although he doesn't speak Japanese, he is fluent in Portuguese and speaks a little Spanish.

"When I was 15 years old, I brought my sister to join a model competition. The guy doing the screening asked me if I wanted to join. I was actually just there because I wanted to protect my sister and take care of her. My sister had to travel around the world for the competition. So that I can look after her, I joined myself and won," was how he recalled his introduction to the world of modeling. "After I won, I stopped modeling because my mother did not allow me to continue. They want me to just study."

Aki took up a course in Physical Therapy while working at his father's seafood restaurant by the beach. He was into his second year of studies when modeling totally took over his life. After participating in fashion shows in his hometown, he moved on to become a hit in Asia's ramp and commercial modeling scene, especially in Thailand and Singapore, because of his Asian mestizo looks and surfer bod.

Someone in the Philippines saw photos of him online and invited him over for a modeling, TV and possibly, a movie career. "They said that my face could pass for a half-Filipino," said Aki. He joined the wave of Brazilian models that invaded the country, including Fabio Ide and Daniel Matsunaga who both currently appear in GMA 7 shows.

Nevertheless, Aki said what he misses most about Brazil is his family. "I miss my mom, my dad and my sister. I miss bringing my brother to the beach, taking care of him. Because my younger brother cannot walk and speak. He is paralyzed since he was born. So my mother has to take care of him."

Among the many places he has worked in, he shared that the Philippines has been the most difficult to adjust to. "Each country is different. Here in the Philippines, you have to know how to sing and dance. You have a lot of things you need to learn. I am very interested to learn those things. For me, it's harder here."

His zealous admirers need not worry about him packing his bags anytime soon even if he finds the industry more challenging here. He is not in any hurry anyway, and is willing to learn the ropes to be a better performer.

"I just want to take it step by step. I don't want to rush myself. If I like the job they give me, okay. But sometimes I have to say no because I want to be prepared. It is not easy especially for me, I'm not Filipino and I'm still learning how to speak the language, English and Tagalog at the same time. But I really love to stay in the Philippines. I try to push myself to do my best and every year they give me an opportunity, every year I step up. So step by step. It will take time for sure."

Opportunities for the hunk have been pouring in. Aki said he is set to appear in "Survivor" host Richard Guiterrez's "Captain Barbell" primetime series next year, and has been offered to do an indie movie.

As to affairs of his heart, fans would be dismayed to learn that Aki is already taken. His girlfriend is named Anaue Santos, who is of Brazilian, Japanese, and Indian heritage. "We know each other since bata. We were neighbors before in Brazil, then we grew up together until 15 years old. And then I moved, I went to another city in Brazil. So we haven't seen each other until we met again two years ago."

Anaue is still a student who is currently on a school break, but might be staying here for the long haul to be with Aki. "It depends. Maybe she will stay for good."

Aki is not afraid to conceal to fans that he has a girlfriend. "I'm just like any normal person who has a personal life and work. It would be hard if I hide her. It's unfair because we have an amazing, beautiful life together. So for me, I don't see any problem."

He counted off the things he loves about her: "She is very supportive. When I'm down, she's always beside me and tell me not to give up and just continue what I'm doing. She's a very respectful person. I know her well because we grew up together. She's like the first girl in my life and my first kiss."

Aki is very much committed to his relationship, but he is also vocal of the fact that among the biz's female stars, he admires "Beauty Queen" actress Iza Calzado the most. "For me, the most important in a girl is her personality. Iza has a different personality. She is kind and honest. She is beautiful not only outside, but inside. Models, they are beautiful but most of them they cannot transfer their outer beauty to their inner beauty. When you look at Iza's eyes, you know she is a very good and beautiful person."

As a well-loved guy among his "Survivor" tribemates, we could say the same thing about Akihiro-a beautiful creature both inside and out. (THE FREEMAN)