Extra Challenge

Extra Challenge
'Di Sapat ang Sakto, Dapat may Extra!
Also known as	'Extra, Extra 1999-2003 Extra Challenge 2003-2006 Extra Challenge Milyonaryo 2006 Extra Challenge Extreme 2012-2013
Created by	GMA Network
Developed by	GMA News and Public Affairs
Starring	Karen Davila Paolo Bediones Miriam Quiambao Phoemela Baranda Mariel Rodriguez Ethel Booba Richard Gutierrez Marian Rivera Boobay
Country of origin	Philippines
No. of episodes	700 episodes
Production
Running time	45 minutes
Release
Original network	GMA Network
Original release	As Extra Extra: 1999 – 2003 As Extra Challenge: 2003 – 2006 As Extra Challenge Extreme: 2012 – 2013

Extra Challenge is a Philippine reality show (formerly lifestyle show) developed by GMA News and Public Affairs which premiered in 1999. As a reality competition, Extra Challenge features celebrities pitted against each other in several challenges. The show is patterned after American reality-based series, such as Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Fear Factor; Extra Challenge, however, offers a distinctly Filipino style to entice and entertain local viewers as it fuses the trends of the reality show into a single program.^[1] Majority of the contestants featured are celebrities, contrasting the standard of their American counterparts. Another deviation is that the hosts themselves initiate or participate in the challenges.

History

In 1999, Extra Challenge began as a weeknight lifestyle show Extra, Extra to compete the ABS-CBN's Balitang K. The first year of the program had a successful run with its hosts Paolo Bediones and Karen Davila but its ratings suffered during the popularity of its timeslot competitor Meteor Garden. Miriam Quiambao replaced Davila as a co-host when she moved to ABS-CBN in 2000. In 2003, it was refurbished as a reality show by the name Extra Challenge, and since then has made remarkable progress in the ratings. Hosted by Paolo Bediones and Miriam Quiambao, the reformatted show offers reality television in a "Pinoy Reality TV" format, taking participants to the edge of personal endurance amid never-before-experienced challenges and presented spur-of-the-moment and spontaneous scenes. When Quiambao left in 2004, Mariel Rodriguez, Phoemela Baranda and Ethel Booba took her spot and received hosting duties. In 2006, Extra Challenge reinvented itself once again with Extra Challenge Milyonaryo, with a top prize of 1 million pesos monthly.^[1]

Extra Challenge aired its last episode on May 26, 2006. Extra Challenge was re-aired on Q (channel) as Extra Challenge Reloaded in August 2006.

In 2012, Extra Challenge was picked by GMA Network for a new season and new hosts – Richard Gutierrez, Marian Rivera & Boobay.^[2] Contrary to the previous seasons, the latest reincarnation aired on weekends.

Hosts

History

Paolo Bediones was in the show since it started. He was first co-hosted by journalist Karen Davila in the lifestyle tele-magazine show Extra Extra. Karen Davila, after she transferred to ABS-CBN, was replaced by beauty queen (1st runner-up, Miss Universe 1999) turned TV host Miriam Quiambao in 2000. Extra Extra still continued its tele-magazine format but when the "chinovelas" (Chinese TV series) topped TV ratings in the Philippines, the format became reality-based. The name was then changed to Extra Challenge.

In 2004, when Quiambao decided to marry her Italian fiance and give up hosting, Extra Challenge came up with an episode to search for her replacement. The episode Ang Kapalit (The Replacement) featured five contestants — model Phoemela Baranda, TV host Reema Chanco, comedian Ethel Booba, and beauty queens Joanna Penalosa and Josephine Canonizado — that competed among themselves in a series of challenges to be the new host. Although Phoemela Baranda won the contest, Ethel Booba was picked by millions of texters and won the "Viewer's Choice" award. After the episode, both Baranda and Booba hosted the show as the replacements of Quiambao. Later that year, MTV Philippines VJ Mariel Rodriguez replaced Barranda, co-hosting for one season. After Rodriguez left the show, Paolo Bediones and Ethel Booba continue to host Extra Challenge up to its last episode. In 2006, Quiambao returned to Extra Challenge during the last few episodes of the show.

Several guest hosts appeared in the show when the main hosts were unavailable. Among them are the following: Pops Fernandez, Jolina Magdangal, BJ "Tolits" Forbes, Nikki Gil, K Brosas, Ate Gay, Teri Onor and Angel Locsin.

In the 2012 version, Richard Gutierrez, Marian Rivera and Boobay have been tapped to host the show.

Cast

Notable challenges

In September 2004, during the bungee jumping challenge of Ethel Booba, Willie Revillame, Andrew E., Francine Prieto and Michelle Bayle in Bali, Indonesia, Extra Challenge garnered 47.1% rating according to AGB - the highest rating yet for the show.

The second highest rating for the show was the "Road Trip to Sagada episode" in August 2004, garnering 43% rating according to AGB. In this episode, the show challenged the contestants to travel from Manila to Sagada using a 1973 Volkswagen combi van. This particular episode of Extra Challenge won 3rd place in the 38th US International Film and Video Festival Entertainment Category.

The P2M challenge, the celebration of Extra Challenge’s second anniversary, was aired on September 2005. Paolo and Ethel took the celebrity challengers to race from Luzon, Visayas to Mindanao on an adventure similar to The Amazing Race. The celebrities faced challenges along the way and compete for the 2,000,000 million pesos jackpot prize.

In November 2005, American Idol's Jasmine Trias participated in the Promdi episode of Extra Challenge, which she competed against MTV Asia VJ Donita Rose and former Miss World 2nd Princess Ruffa Gutierrez.

Criticisms

In June 2005, the program was criticized and condemned by a Filipino Muslim community following their "Mga Pasaway sa Dubai" episode, wherein they allegedly disgraced the virtues of Islam. According to the Islamic organization, Billah Islah, the show offended Muslims because the challengers, Ara Mina, Aubrey Miles, and Rufa Mae Quinto, who are non-Muslims recited the Al-Fatiha, the first chapter in the Qur'an, while being in a Land Cruiser and not wearing proper Muslim attire.

For this instance, Philippines' MTRCB (Movie and Television Classification Board) has issued the program a stern warning to screen its episodes very carefully before airing it. The incident also caused some of them who rallied to burn the names of the women contestants involved in that certain challenge done at Dubai.

After hearing the complaint, Extra Challenge wrote an apology to the Office on Muslim Affairs Undersecretary Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan. They also clarified that their tour operator requested permission to the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing for using the Qu'ran verse in the challenge.

Extra Challenge also issued a public apology, which read:

in Tagalog: Kami po sa Extra Challenge ay humihingi ng paumanhin sa mga kababayan nating Muslim tungkol sa episode na ipinalabas kagabi... Hindi po namin intensiyon na gamitin sa maling paraan ang nasabing dasal. Higit sa lahat nirerespeto po namin ang kultura at relihiyon ng ating mga kapusong Muslim.

translated in English: We at Extra Challenge apologize to all of our fellow Muslim countrymen for the episode aired last night... It was not our intention to use the said prayer in a wrong way. Furthermore, we respect the culture and religion of our fellow Muslims.

Despite the apology, MTRCB issued a one-day suspension for the show and it is unclear whether the Muslim organization had accepted the apology.

Ratings

Saturday

Sunday

See also

• Survivor Philippines
• List of Philippine television shows
• List of shows previously aired by GMA Network

References

External links

• Extra Challenge at the Internet Movie Database