May the good spirit protect the castaways

RANONG, Thailand — Bumraksa. May the good spirit protect you.

This is what anyone could utter when the new castaways plucked from the klieg lights for GMA 7’s Survivor Philippines Celebrity Showdown spent their first day in the island located at the southern part of Thailand and off the coast of Myanmar (then called Burma).

Their journey kicked off in Manila, where they waited for the vans bound for the airport at GMA 7’s main lobby. The 18 castaways were unusually quiet and tried not to engage anyone in small talk. This quiet atmosphere remained until everybody reached Bangkok. They loosened up a bit but held back to speak about the Survivor Philippines trip.

The Survivor Celebrity edition, which airs after 24 Oras, flew in everyone to Bangkok for three hours and another two hours to Phuket plus the five-hour long drive to Tinidee Hotel in Ranong which was the castaways’ temporary shelter. You could not even marvel at the scenic landscape of Phuket as the night enveloped the entire place. Survivor Philippines seemed to start ala Jerry Bruckheimer globe-trotting show.

The long travel allowed the castaways to recharge and set their mind on surviving the next 36 days. It should have been clear to them that they will not only make alliances on the island but, in Survivor parlance, to outwit, outplay, outlast and outshine each other. Each castaway is determined to bring home the P3-M cash prize, tax free.

But there was no Richard Gutierrez welcoming them on this side of Thailand where people hardly speak English. Thais who are based in Bangkok will also find time to break the language barrier.

“It was a long discussion,” said Richard about bringing up the idea of hosting the reality TV show to his family. “I accepted it right away and never had second thoughts about it. I’m happy that they agreed. I wanted to do it. I consider Survivor an important project for this year.”

Richard arrived in Ranong ahead of everyone. He stayed in the campsite where he and the production people converged for Survivor. The place is an hour and a half away from the hotel. The first few days of Richard were spent “acclimatizing” to the place. That’s where he learned everything about the island.

“I wanted to absorb anything from culture, food to people,” shares Richard.

On his second week, Richard missed his family and friends. We can also imagine the homesickness the castaways experience because they are put in a place devoid of modern amenities. They have to find food and put up a makeshift shelter to protect themselves from the heavy rain and scorching sun.

Another challenge for Richard is to detach himself from the rest of the celebrity castaways whom he knows personally and has worked with in some projects. The only time Richard can see the castaways is when they meet for the tribal council and tackle challenges. It’s all work and no play.

Pia Guanio revealed the identity of the castaways in a small program held at the hotel’s ballroom. In the middle of the interviews, locals barged in the hotel and whisked the castaways to the jeepneys (songthaew) outside. Most of them were delighted more than surprised. It was clear to them that the game has just begun.

The jeepneys brought them to the island. As they traversed the road, the castaways had to bear the smell and the presence of chickens, buckets of fish and vegetables. Richard met them in the mango forest. Their luggage, including their material possessions, was burned. The castaways trekked along the mangrove area in gowns and suits and looked for their name tags.

The game has officially begun on the island — and the first castaway to be sent home will soon be revealed.