Challenges Richard has to survive

MANILA, Philippines - Hosting GMA 7’s Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Showdown is no walk in the park. Although one won’t see Richard Gutierrez getting down and dirty often, his job is as tough as the castaways’ challenges.

“It’s not easy being host of Survivor,” recalls Richard of what Julia Dick, head of Development for Castaway Television Production Ltd, shared with him in a conversation. “At one point, you are a sports commentator. At one point, you are a game keeper. At one point, you have to make (the castaways) talk openly. So you’re like a TV host. It’s a mix of everything. For me, the way I attack it is to understand the game of Survivor.”

Before the castaways made the San Vicente, Palawan island their playground, Richard had arrived ahead of them to acclimatize himself to the place and tried the physically and mentally demanding Survivor challenges.

“There were challenges I need not try like the simple endurance challenges,” shares Richard. “But I had to know every single detail about the challenges. I tried most of the challenges to see (how safe they were) and to see how the castaways would play them. The opening (challenge) was already tough because they had to swim. From there, one could tell who were the strongest, madiskarte and the weakest. There was one challenge wherein a castaway fainted.”

Does everything about hosting Survivor thrill Richard?

“Yes,” he replies. “I experienced different levels of being a host. It was my second year, and I was more confident. I was more relaxed. So mas gamay ko na ang pagiging host ng Survivor.”

One of the toughest tasks a Survivor host performs is to hold each Tribal council fairly, on top of pacifying quarrelling castaways.

“I just let them go,” says Richard. “If they wanna argue, I just let them argue. As long as there’s nothing physical going on, that’s fine. (This season) I tried to make them open (up to me). That’s the tricky part of being a host of Survivor because you have to be firm in one level but in another level, the castaways have to be open to you. It’s tough making a balance (between these scenarios). I think I was able to manage it pretty well. The castaways were open. And it was a free-flowing tribal council.”

Richard: I have to understand the Survivor game

For 36 days, the 10 teams of castaways outwitted and outplayed each other on an island. It’s four hours away from Puerto Princesa City by land and about two hours away from Port Barton by sea. The bumpy road trip and dizzying boat ride to the island was a foreboding of the quality of life awaiting the castaways.

“It’s beautiful,” says Richard of Palawan. “It’s a world-class destination we can be proud of. There are many countries that have come here to shoot (their Survivor editions). We decided to bring it home. We know that Palawan is the last frontier in the Philippines. It has the last virgin forests and islands and pristine waters. It is the hub of biodiversity in the country. It’s really a beautiful location. We were there for 40 days. It wasn’t easy being away from the comforts of our lives here. I personally enjoyed Survivor because that’s my thing. I like adventure and different locations. I love nature. I thought I have known Palawan (well) because I’ve been to Coron, Puerto Princesa and El Nido. When I saw this side of Palawan (which I discovered through Survivor), I was like, ‘Wow. There’s still a more beautiful place here in Palawan (than those that I’ve been to).’ It was an amazing experience.”

Richard says this year’s castaways are “beautiful, dramatic, dangerous and unpredictable. The mix of castaways is different (from the previous editions). It really made the show exciting. The castaways knew who, among themselves, worked hard, played (the) Survivor (way), at nagtiyaga.”

Aside from interesting and whining castaways, Richard assures Survivor fans of tough camp life and bigger challenges for the castaways, and intense tribal councils.

“We had true players of Survivor,” Richard ends. “They did research and were zoned in on the Survivor game.”