Image courtesy of The Amazing Race Philippines Official Facebook Page
TV5’s The Amazing Race Philippines, the latest addition to the local franchises, recently ended its first season. Compared to the other shows that were discussed earlier, The Amazing Race Philippines was amazing for several reasons. Just like Survivor, I had high hopes for this but was preparing myself for the worse considering what happened to Philippine Idol.
The secret lies in sticking to the format
But it seemed that the recent overhaul of the network proved effective. TAR Philippines was a success. Its magic is not in its grandeur but in its simplicity. It stuck to the format of the original series and that appealed to local fans.
Yes, it did not take the racers to different parts of the world, which is a little disappointing but completely understandable because it’s only in its first season and racing around the Philippines alone costs so much money, but it had a lot of good points worth mentioning:
It showcased the country’s scenic spots. It’s a great way to tour the Philippines without leaving the couch. And since most of us are guilty of having been to other countries more than to local spots, the show provided an opportunity for viewers to see just how many beautiful places we still need to go to.
The show’s format is plain and simple. There are times when simplicity really is the best way to do things. Production did not attempt to come up with grandiose twists and complex rules that would make the average viewer, especially those who are new to TAR, easily follow the show. Because of that, we’re able to soak in the challenges, sceneries, conflicts and triumphs the racers went through.
Pamela and Vanessa offer comic relief in tough, serious legs of TAR reality show
Image courtesy of The Amazing Race Philippines Official Facebook Page
It had a diverse and interesting cast. Yes, there were a few celebrities but they were all great to watch. There were hilarious and absurd moments and fighting and scheming and even a little flirting. It’s great to watch how the contestants interacted with other teams. It was fun to watch the charming Alabang Housewives make every leg they’ve been in funny and how Dani whines, bitches, and smack a sledgehammer into her team mate’s finger much to the annoyance and delight of viewers.
Whiny and impatient Dani, accidentally hits Mish’s fingers with a hammer during a detour in TAR Philippines.
Image courtesy of TodoEntertainment.com
Derek was Derek. The host did a good job because he was a natural. He didn’t attempt to be Phil Keoghan and that made his performance un-forced and believable.
Surprisingly, Derek did a very good job hosting the show. He was unpretentious, natural, and relaxed–a far cry from Survivor Philippines’ Paolo Bediones
Image courtesy of pinoypopbiz.com
Overall, I can’t and won’t say that production butchered this amazing reality show. It was executed perfectly well. And I hope that it gives birth to a second season where racers actually get to race around the world.
What other networks can learn from TAR Philippines
Surprisingly, the new network, the underdog, is the one that has done a great job in producing a local version of a hit US reality show. It’s nice to know that we have the potential to reproduce great reality shows that we’ve grown to love watching.
If only the other networks exert more effort in producing local versions of these reality shows, then maybe, more people would be happy and excited to watch, which would lead to higher ratings and more ads, and, most importantly, people like me won’t have to hate watching them.
I’ve had enough of butchered reality shows and until they’re done right, I won’t stop talking about how awful they’ve been especially when I don’t have anything good to do When In Manila.
Writer. Social media coordinator. Survivor junkie. Couch potato. Book-lover. Not-so-frustrated-traveler-anymore. Follow him on IG: @_wowowie and his blog https://www.wowielagman.wordpress.com/
Who Butchered My Fave Reality Show?
An amazing race so far
Image courtesy of The Amazing Race Philippines Official Facebook Page
TV5’s The Amazing Race Philippines, the latest addition to the local franchises, recently ended its first season. Compared to the other shows that were discussed earlier, The Amazing Race Philippines was amazing for several reasons. Just like Survivor, I had high hopes for this but was preparing myself for the worse considering what happened to Philippine Idol.
The secret lies in sticking to the format
But it seemed that the recent overhaul of the network proved effective. TAR Philippines was a success. Its magic is not in its grandeur but in its simplicity. It stuck to the format of the original series and that appealed to local fans.
Yes, it did not take the racers to different parts of the world, which is a little disappointing but completely understandable because it’s only in its first season and racing around the Philippines alone costs so much money, but it had a lot of good points worth mentioning:
It showcased the country’s scenic spots. It’s a great way to tour the Philippines without leaving the couch. And since most of us are guilty of having been to other countries more than to local spots, the show provided an opportunity for viewers to see just how many beautiful places we still need to go to.
The show’s format is plain and simple. There are times when simplicity really is the best way to do things. Production did not attempt to come up with grandiose twists and complex rules that would make the average viewer, especially those who are new to TAR, easily follow the show. Because of that, we’re able to soak in the challenges, sceneries, conflicts and triumphs the racers went through.
It had a diverse and interesting cast. Yes, there were a few celebrities but they were all great to watch. There were hilarious and absurd moments and fighting and scheming and even a little flirting. It’s great to watch how the contestants interacted with other teams. It was fun to watch the charming Alabang Housewives make every leg they’ve been in funny and how Dani whines, bitches, and smack a sledgehammer into her team mate’s finger much to the annoyance and delight of viewers.
Whiny and impatient Dani, accidentally hits Mish’s fingers with a hammer during a detour in TAR Philippines.
Image courtesy of TodoEntertainment.com
Derek was Derek. The host did a good job because he was a natural. He didn’t attempt to be Phil Keoghan and that made his performance un-forced and believable.
Surprisingly, Derek did a very good job hosting the show. He was unpretentious, natural, and relaxed–a far cry from Survivor Philippines’ Paolo Bediones
Image courtesy of pinoypopbiz.com
Overall, I can’t and won’t say that production butchered this amazing reality show. It was executed perfectly well. And I hope that it gives birth to a second season where racers actually get to race around the world.
What other networks can learn from TAR Philippines
Surprisingly, the new network, the underdog, is the one that has done a great job in producing a local version of a hit US reality show. It’s nice to know that we have the potential to reproduce great reality shows that we’ve grown to love watching.
If only the other networks exert more effort in producing local versions of these reality shows, then maybe, more people would be happy and excited to watch, which would lead to higher ratings and more ads, and, most importantly, people like me won’t have to hate watching them.
I’ve had enough of butchered reality shows and until they’re done right, I won’t stop talking about how awful they’ve been especially when I don’t have anything good to do When In Manila.
Who Butchered My Fave Reality Show?
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About The Author
Writer. Social media coordinator. Survivor junkie. Couch potato. Book-lover. Not-so-frustrated-traveler-anymore. Follow him on IG: @_wowowie and his blog https://www.wowielagman.wordpress.com/