Ryan Agoncillo gets a hot kiss from Argentina’s hot host Valeria

Just when everybody thought that only the Participantes will have their share of challenges, Ryan Agoncillo also found himself facing a big surprise. The PFF host was about to take the Participantes to learn tango when he bumped into Argentinean model and TV host Valeria. She greeted Ryan by kissing him straight on the lips which made him speechless for a few seconds.

Ryan first met Valeria the day he arrived in Buenos Aires. At the airport, Ryan was greeted by Valeria, who was wearing a very skimpy outfit despite the cold weather. The Argentine lady accompanied him on the ride to his quarters, and during the drive, the two tried to make a nice conversation despite the language barrier.

In the apartment, Ryan and Valeria shared a glass of wine as a bienvenido or ‘welcome’ celebration. In the Tough Ten segment of The Buzz, Ryan revealed that Valeria was just a part of the prank that the Pinoy Fear Factor staff created. “Pinag-tripan ako nina Direk Lauren (Dyogi). They warned me bago kami tumulak sa Argentina na ‘Ryan, be ready because there will be a little ‘something, something’ pagdating mo dun. ‘Yun na nga, pagdating ko isang napakagandang babae ang sumalubong sa akin. Sabi ko, ‘naku, heto na ‘to.’ ‘

Yung babaeng ‘yun, naka-skirt na napaka-ikli. Sa airport, halos magbanggaan na ‘yung mga kotse dahil lahat nakatitig sa ganda niya. Si Valeria, she’s a model and an actress in Argentina. The whole time she was talking to me in Spanish, nang-aakit siya, pero hindi ko naman siya maintindihan.

Ako, being the little boy that I am, inenjoy ko na lang (laughs).”

'Pinoy Fear Factor' gracefully kicks off Monday

As expected, "Pinoy Fear Factor: Argentina, South America" (PFF) had its successful debut episode last Monday.

The 12 fit and strong-willed "participantes" finally faced their first-ever challenging stunt dubbed Caminando Sobre Barriles Giratorios as part of PFF's una ronda eliminacion (first round elimination).

They have to traverse a long rolling beam while grabbing every flags stick to it, in a consecutive manner. This stunt will test the participantes' agility and poise for them to grab a safe spot to proceed to the next challenge.

The first one who performed the stunt was Promdi Veterinarian Elmer Felix. Carrying the pressure of being first, he only got one flag before he fell into the freezing river.

A preview of Tuesday's episode meanwhile showed that Ms. Body beautiful Gail Nicolas seemed to get hurt as her face hit the beam when she falls.

Before the challenge, all the 12 participantes had their own individual stretches showing their personal background.

They may have different sad stories and sentiments but one thing common to all of them is their gorgeous and hunky bodies.

First stunt proved to be breath taking and totally challenging - even more difficult than from the US Fear Factor as per PFF host Ryan Agoncillo. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

"Pinoy Fear Factor" promises at least 60 stunts that the participantes have to hurdle.

Unlike the original Fear Factor, which only has three stunts and a winner per episode, PFF will have three stunts and three weakest participantes in every elimination round. The bottom three will face the elimination challenge and whoever loses bids goodbye.

The last person standing will be proclaimed the first El Ultimo Participante or "Pinoy Fear Factor Champion," bringing home the grand prize of P2 million and a house and lot from Avida.

Here are their brief identities of the 12 participantes:

Phoemela Barranda "The Glam Goddess" - Popularly known as "Phem" in the entertainment industry. She is a model and widely-recognized as TV Patrol's entertainment news anchor. She is the oldest among the 12 participantes. She joined PFF to prove that she is more than just a pretty face and glam. Greatest fears: snakes, insects.

Bernabe 'RJ' Calipus Jr. "Ang Kargador Tondo Dad" - A young father of two from Parola Tondo. He married at the age of 17 and already has two daughters. He is a son of Filipino woman and a French man but sadly he never met his biological parents. He has not finished his schooling and works as a wharf porter to provide for his family. Greatest fear: heights.

Manuel Chua Jr. "The Struggling Businessman" - Runs an appliance store business, which he inherited from his father. They used to have 36 stores but when his father died, only three stores were left. He is an unwed father of a four-year-old girl. His focus now is to revive his family business and help the mother (lawyer) of her child in providing a better future for their daughter. Greatest fears: crocodile, failure.

Marion dela Cruz "The Austrian Balikbayan" - Born and raised in Vienna, Austria but kept his Filipino values. He was a victim of racism back in Austria, which usually caused him to get into fights. He was then sent here in the Philippines by his parents and now stays with his lola and adjusting to his new environment. Greatest fear: heights.

Janna Domiguez "Ang Flawless Girl ng Dagat-Dagatan" - A loving daughter who dreams to provide the best for her family especially her father who is a construction worker in Japan. He appears in some television shows like Wowowee and Banana Split and willing to take any opportunity to earn and prepare for his father's retirement. Greatest fears: spiders, closed spaces.

Elmer Felix "Ang Promdi Veterinarian" - A two-time professional board exam flanker. Determined to get what he wants in his life as he passed the board exam in his third take. This Kapampangan hunk has a competitive and persistent spirit. He is a man who does everything just to get what he wants. Greatest fears: drowning, deep water, unusual and exotic edibles.

Savanah Lamsen "The Ledge Dancer" - A ledge dancer cum model who hopes to have a name in showbiz. She used to have a wealthy lifestyle but was forced to adjust to a simple life when their business collapsed. Describing herself as clumsy and super funny, Savanah is ready to face every challenge and take home the million no matter how hard it takes. Greatest fear: cats

LJ Moreno "The Daredevil Chick" -- Former actress turned preschool teacher. LJ was known for gracing several TV commercials, magazine, and TV shows. She decided to stay away from the limelight and continue her studies. She finished a degree in early childhood education and now teaching kids. She is an extreme sports enthusiast and fond of car racing and wakeboarding. Greatest fears: deep water, cockroach.

Gail Nicolas "Ms. Body Beautiful" - She was hailed as Bikini Summit '07 winner. She is a model and also graces some TV shows and commercials. Since her father died, she became the provider of her family. Greatest fears: dark places, heights

Ram Sagad "The Basketball Hunk" - A former NCAA player. He quit basketball thinking he is not getting enough recognition he deserves. Fond of hanging out with friends in bars and playing video games, he decided to try a different kind of adventure by joining PFF. Greatest fears: Heights, unusual and exotic edibles.

Jose Sarasola "The Aspiring Chef" - Only child of a Spaniard father and a Filipina mother, Jose was used to an all exclusive kind of living. He lives in an exclusive subdivision and studied in an exclusive all boys' school. He is an aspiring chef working as an intern in one of the most luxurious hotels in Manila. He is obviously a rich kid, but entering PFF is a platform for Jose to prove that he is definitely not a "conio." Greatest fear: deep water

Jommy Teotico "Ang Alaskador Model" - A certified playboy, but changed after being beaten up by the family of a married woman he slept with. He is a happy-go-lucky person and loves making people laugh. Greatest fears: cockroaches, feeding insects

Pinoy Fear Factor: Argentina, South America, airs weeknights after "I Love Betty La Fea" on ABS-CBN Channel 2.

Survivor Philippines host Paolo commends Ryan's hosting in Pinoy Fear Factor

Survivor Philippines (SP) host Paolo Bediones welcomed the introduction of Pinoy Fear Factor (PFF) in the ABS-CBN Primetime block this coming Monday.

Paolo said comparison of the two shows is inevitable because they both focus on physical and mental challenges. Ratings might be shaken and viewers may also be divided yet SP's front man still believes in healthy competition.

"Like what I always say, my focus is on my show. I've always been that way. I never focus on what the other side might come out with or whatever. Never. I believe in healthy competition," he said.

"More than anything I believe in being the innovator, in trail-blazing rather than reacting. That's my philosophy," he added.

Aside from the show, Paolo also has high regards for PFF host Ryan Agoncillo, who is one of his friends in showbiz.

"I am really glad that they got Ryan. I'm proud of the guy; I have nothing but respect for the man. When I found out nga na magkakaroon ng Fear Factor sabi ko that has to be Ryan no one else. No one else can do it," he said.

According to Paolo, there are only few people in showbiz who can be considered as efficient host and Ryan is one of them. "I wish more people like him get into showbiz. I am happy for his success and I believe in his talent in hosting."

Peerless and fearless in Pinoy Fear Factor

Laurenti Dyogi, ABS-CBN Business Unit head, admits that he wouldn’t be able to do any stunt that involves being suspended in mid-air.

“I’m afraid of heights,” the producer tells Inquirer Entertainment at the launch of the new Kapamilya reality series “Pinoy Fear Factor” which was shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“We had a stunt that was set 20 meters up in the air, on a moving structure,” he recounts.

The Argentinean crew was awed with the Pinoys, he explains. “They broke existing ‘Fear Factor’ records. For example, for one stunt, the best time was two minutes, but the Pinoys did it for only 30 seconds.”

For that very reason, he is impressed by the show’s 12 “participantes,” as the five female and seven male contestants are called.

“They’re a good mix of characters. They have different strengths and weaknesses,” he explains. “It’s great to know that Pinoys can also do the same stunts that we see regularly in the US edition of ‘Fear Factor.’”

Among the daring dozen, only three are celebrities, model Phoemela Barranda, sexy star Janna Dominguez and actress LJ Moreno, he relates. The rest are fresh faces. (Celebrity or not, all the participantes were insured and underwent medical and psychological exams prior to the South American trip.)

Dyogi recalls that the girls were full of fight. “The celebrities were fearless,” Dyogi says.

Host Ryan Agoncillo looks back: “Even if they were limping and injured, the participantes still pushed themselves. In the end, they were competing not just for the P2-million cash prize and house-and-lot (from Avida), they were also doing it for the prestige factor, for the bragging rights of being the first El Ultimo Participante.”

Agoncillo also performed his owns stunts, Dyogi points out.

“He had to deliver some of his spiels while hanging from a crane and a helicopter,” Dyogi notes. “For one shot, he was buried six feet under.”

Agoncillo recalls: “I never thought I was claustrophobic until I did that episode.”

Recorded with a night-vision camera, Agoncillo spent 10 minutes underground.

“I was surrounded by total darkness and I could feel the ground closing in on me,” he describes the experience.

It helped that Agoncillo felt totally at ease with the 60 Argentinean crew and 8 Filipino staffers.

“It’s a lean crew, but they’re on top of their game,” Agoncillo says. “Our director Pablo Zubizarreta made a documentary on the plane crash that inspired the film ‘Alive.’ They’re a topnotch team.”

Dyogi agrees: “I felt secure because they were experts.”

Dyogi says that 30 “Fear Factor” versions have been shot in Argentina—the latest being Finland and the Philippines. All in all, the Endemol franchise has been produced in 120 countries and counting.

“There was no fear even though we had to step out of our comfort zones,” Agoncillo says.

The show premieres Nov. 10 and will run for 15 weeks until February 2009.

Ryan Agoncillo almost finished taping “Pinoy Fear Factor”

In a few days time, Ryan Agoncillo will be arriving from Argentina after shooting ABS- CBN’s extreme reality show Pinoy Fear Factor: South America.

Soon, viewers will be able to know the identities of the 12 contestants who have a chance to win the P2 million cash prize plus a house and lot amounting to P2.5 million courtesy of Ayala Land.

These fearless individuals are:

1. The Basketball Hunk - a man who stopped playing the game because of frustration; has fear of heights (batophobia)
2. The Lover Boy - a man who almost died for being a womanizer; has fear of gross food
3. Struggling Tondo Dad - a market porter who is struggling to provide for his family; has fear of heights
4. Funny Australian - a jolly man who experienced discrimination in Australia; he has a fear of roaches (entomophobia)
5. Papalicious Chef - a wealthy man who wants to conquer his fears
6. Promding Veterinarian - a man who is willing to do anything to fulfill his dreams
7. Glam Goddess - a popular host and model; has fear of roaches and rodents
8. Hot Momma - a young mom; has fear of water (hydrophobia)
9. New Miss Body Beautiful - young head of the family; has fear of snakes (ophidiophobia)
10. Party Bombshell - the life of the party; has fear of water
11. Daredevil Chick - a woman who gave up her career in showbiz to finish her studies; has fear of the unknown
12. Flawless of Dagat- Dagatan - a woman who belongs to a poor family; has fear of snakes.

Ryan is Back for ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Fear Factor

Ryan Agoncillo of the Philippines returns to his first love, hosting, with two new big TV shows.

After a string of acting assignments with fiancée Judy Ann Santos (most notably, the movie Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo and the TV soap Ysabella), Ryan has been tapped to host TV5’s Talentadong Pinoy (Talented Filipino) and ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Fear Factor (South America), Philippine Daily Inquirer learned from different sources from the two networks.

His last hosting gig, ABC 5’s Philippine Idol, wrapped up almost two years ago.

Going back to hosting, Ryan noted, is both “nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time”.

“My hosting skills are a bit rusty,” admitted Ryan, who has won hosting trophies from the KBP Golden Dove and Aliw Awards.

He said he was nervous when he auditioned for PFF. “I thought I did terribly.”
"It’s designed to increase your heart rate in 10 minutes. At the end, I felt as if my heart was in my throat. I was cursing myself after two sessions."

He, however, believes that the vacation from the biz worked wonders on him.

Professionally, he said he was in “limbo”, but personally, he was having the time of his life.

His time away from work, he explained, allowed him to take stock of “what’s truly important.”

ABS-CBN.com exclusive: Pinoy Fear Factor upgraded

Get ready to face your greatest fears as "Pinoy Fear Factor" debuts soon on ABS-CBN. The worldwide franchised show will finally have a version tailored made for Filipino viewers. But shying away from the typical weekly stunt show, Pinoy Fear Factor stretches as a full reality series which will be entirely shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Executive Producer Junjun Santiago reveals to ABS-CBN.com during an exclusive interview the new elements to watch out for in Pinoy Fear Factor. "Since this will be a series that will be shown everyday makikita natin dito lahat. We will see what happens to the contestants not just while they are doing the stunts but also before and after the stunts. Malalaman natin yung mga takot nila and televiewers will be able to relate to them." says Direk Junjun.

In PFF, six men and six women will be flown to Argentina where they will stay in a ‘boot camp’ environment for 30 days. They will be facing a series of stunts and challenges that will test their fear to the limit. Those who will fail the task will be eliminated, until one winner emerges to take home the P2 million jackpot prize.

As to why PFF will be shot in Argentina, Direk Junjun explains "There are stunt rigs that are readily available there. The crew is waiting for us to begin shooting soon. They are very well versed with the stunts and with the safety issues. Sanay na rin sila pagdating sa coverage ng show."

Fear Factor is owned by Endemol, the same company behind the Big Brother and Dream Academy franchises. After the successful take of ABS-CBN on PBB and PDA, Endemol graciously granted the Kapamilya network the rights to morph Fear Factor into a full-length reality series. Direk Junjun says that Endemol is very supportive of their plans for PFF. "May mga makikita tayong stunts na nagawa na sa Fear Factor na gagawin din sa PFF, Hollywood in style pero Pinoy ang gagawa. May mga stunts naman na galing din sa South America. They are all safe naman. We are going there to ensure the safety of the stunts." he adds.

Contestants for the first PFF were chosen from the auditions held nationwide. Direk Junjun says that they wanted to primarily showcase how contestants will each conquer their fears. "The contestants came from diverse backgrounds. We believe that the viewers will be able to identify with each one of the contestants. Ang mga Pinoy kasi matatapang by nature. Tinignan lang namin ‘yung contestant kung paano siya mag-react sa fear at paano nila io-overcome yung fear na ‘yun."

Finally, Direk Junjun hopes that PFF will change the face of primetime television. "Pinoy Fear Factor will give us an entertainment value of a reality action-packed show. I believe the Filipinos are ready for this kind of show. Ratings wise maganda naman ‘yung pagtanggap ng mga Pilipino sa Fear Factor."

Keep it here on www.ABS-CBN.com for more updates on "Pinoy Fear Factor in South America."

Ryan Agoncillo faced mountain roach, rodents before getting 'Pinoy Fear Factor' hosting gig

Actor-host Ryan Agoncillo has signed in as host for ABS-CBN's upcoming reality show titled "Pinoy Fear Factor: South America", the Filipino franchise of the hit US reality TV show. "Pinoy Fear Factor: South America" will be shot in Argentina.

Agoncillo inked the deal with the show's Business Head Unit Laurenti Dyogi and ABS-CBN Head for TV Production Cory Vidanes on Friday, August 31 at 9501 restaurant.

"It's a contract for hosting 'Pinoy Fear Factor.' Well gusto ko yung show. Noong nabalitaan ko that ABS-CBN is doing Pinoy Fear Factor I really asked for the project and I went through the auditions and I waited for the result nervously, so gustong-gusto ko talagang gawin yung show," the actor told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Agoncillo said that before he got to sign the project contract he underwent hosting auditions and did some of the challenges too.

"Audition talaga: may set up, may hosting audition, may challenges and my audution took about two hours... I'm doing my spiel with this mountain roach and rodents sa katawan ko," he revealed.

He shared that he just learned that he got the job to host the show just two weeks when he got back from the United States.

Agoncillo said it was in a meeting that Vidanes and Dyogi announced the good news.

"It was a very welcome news. Kasi akala ko talaga based on yung feeling ko noong nag-audition ako, feeling ko I didn't do so well. So medyo na-depress ako after the audition. But when they actually told me that I got the job, siyempre ang feeling ko naka-tiyamba," the new host said.

Agoncillo also cleared that hosting 'Pinoy Fear Factor' is not the reason why the issue of him and Santos moving into another network didn't push through.

'You know everything went well at hindi siya (kapalit) para hindi kami lumipat, hindi ganoon. 'Fear Factor' is something that I wanted to do even before the talks with GMA (7) began," he said.

Agoncillo said he doesn't know what started rumors about Santos' supposed plan to transfer to another network. Speaking only for himself however, he said that he just did what he promised to Vidanes--that he won't entertain any offers from the rival network until their talks are over.

"...and it took a long time na makapagsara kami ni Tita Cory...and naging tapat naman ako sa usapan na 'yon at si Tita Cory din ay naging tapat sa usapan," he said.

He said ABS-CBN had been very fair in giving him a chance to audition for 'Fear Factor,' and if he failed to have the show, then it's not just for him.

Agoncillo said that he really feels good to get back to. He recalled that it's been six months since he did a project in front of the cameras.

And when asked on what was the reaction of Santos about his new job, Agoncillo quickly said: "ayun siya yung tumili for me, siyempre. After the initial excitement then she realized I will be gone for more than a month kasi sa South America yan e."

Agoncillo shared that he will be out of the country for almost 37 days--he said that would be the longest for him to be away from Santos since their relationship started. "So when we realized na yun nga, more than a month. Yun na-realize namin na buti na lang nag-quality time kami nang six months this year. Nakapag-pondong quality time kaya we can spare I think 30 days apart," the host said.

He also explained to Santos that he needed to work to save money for their future especially for their future kids.

"I will be gone for more than a month. Kailangan kong mag-OFW para kumita, specifically for the concerns you mentioned, . dahil magiging tatay na ako," he said.