The Filipino as Survivor

Game and challenge shows on TV have little to do with real life or, do they? Comparisons, both fair and unfair, may be perceived in the new “Survivor Philippines” program, which debuted last Monday, Sept. 15, on GMA-7, with Paolo Bediones hosting.

It fields a varied mix of generally young Pinoys in a 39-day test of strength, guts, will power and survival instinct set on an island in Thailand.

The mix of contestants is what invites comparisons to the challenges Pinoys face in real life. Many of the 18 contenders have joined the competition to win the big money they need to turn their and their families’ dire prospects around.

This “very Pinoy” emotional investment or baggage is generally absent from the original American version of the show. But, true to local TV’s melodramatic and tearjerker bent, even the adventure-endurance format has been soggily tweaked to include the subjective human factor, which is so excessively favored in these parts.

Real-life ordeals

Even the tests thought up for the show’s contestants can similarly be tweaked to relate to some Filipinos’ real-life ordeals:

At the start of the first episode, the contestants were required to jump off a boat and swim for the island that would be their “home” for more than a month. Some contenders weren’t good swimmers and thus had a tough time coping with this first challenge. So, what did they do? They held on to each other and one gallant swimmer helped another, weaker thrasher make it to the island’s shore. Very Pinoy!

On the island itself, the 18 survivors were forced to spend the night out in the open and, in the rain. They all survived that chilling ordeal again, in true “tiis Pinoy” fashion!

The following day, they were subjected to different tests of strength, agility and will, where teamwork was key to achieving victory for the two “tribes” that the contestants were made to form.

Now, teamwork isn’t exactly a strong Pinoy suit (what with regionalism, kanya-kanya, inggit and “crab mentality” going against us). But, lo and behold, the members of the two tribes managed to rise above the expected cattiness and buaya tendencies, and they generally worked well together to boost their respective tribes’ (male vs. female) chances.

Right motivation

Not very Pinoy, that. But, it was a good indication of what, given the right motivation, the Filipino could become.

Of course, aside from the physical tests, the 18 survivors will have to contend with the tilt’s psychological component and, this is where the tests could become even more challenging. After all, true to “Survivor” tradition, contestants will sequentially be voted off by their own peers.

So, aside from being physically and mentally superior, the winning Sole Pinoy Survivor should be the contender who is best able to psych the competition, and will himself or herself to victory.

How will the Pinoy survivors fare in this key regard? The show’s second telecast provided some negative indications, as quite a number of contestants wasted a lot of time arguing about leadership, work assignment, “class” and other issues. Enough of the enervating gabfest, please instead, focus on the rigorous tests at hand!