In Survivor Philippines there are several things that the Castaways endure that we either don’t show in its entirety or do not show at all.

Whether it’s because of it’s trivial nature or perhaps it’s simply an issue of air-time constraints, admittedly the show doesn’t give full justice to what the Castaways have to go through day in and day out.

The Blindfold



If you ask any of them, one of the things that the Castaways will not miss about Survivor Philippines would be the seemingly endless hours blindfolded.

Koh Tarutao is not a small island and if you look at the map there are some areas accessible only by either dumptruck or long tail boat.

There are times you even have to use both types of vehicles just to get to a challenge location around the island.



As beautiful as the island may be, it was not for them to enjoy or see.



We decided to test the patience of the Castaways and allow thoughts to circle their minds as they ask themselves questions like:

“Where are we going?”
“What are we going to do?”
“How much longer will we be blindfolded?”
“How many vehicles will we hop onto today?”

Questions that will remain unanswered until they hear my voice as I give what for them is the much awaited instruction:

“Survivors, sa aking hudyat, tanggalin ang mga piring!”

After hours of being blindfolded believe me my voice is music to their ears. :)

Incidentally it was this rule of ours which Julia Dick, the consultant from Castaway Productions was surprised at.

She said it wasn’t necessary to have their eyes covered and even said that the US version doesn’t have their Castaways go through that.

We asked if we could keep the innovation since we told her we did not want to make it easy for any of the Castaways and she said yes.

So we kept it.

Hopefully the Castaways will keep their sanity as well.

The Stormy Nights

Although there will be future episodes where we show their camps being battered by the storms at night, we only get to do so for a few minutes.

That is nowhere near the several hours that the Castaways had to suffer as the roofs of their shelters began to leak, leaving nothing dry and nothing warm.

It would be difficult to imagine what it felt like being cold, wet and hungry at night not knowing what time the sun will rise or if it will show itself at all come morning.

Add to all of that the fact that you had either a challenge to do the next day or boot someone out at Tribal Council, then you have a little idea of the kind of stressful life they had on the island.

The Long Challenges

Given the limited airtime that the show has every evening as well as the need to follow a specific schedule of events, we do not get to air the challenges in their entirety.

Challenges like the Thai Pillow Battle which lasted for 4 hours is an example of this. We saw some of the highlights of that great match but not all.

We didn’t get to see how Jace and Kiko fought tooth and nail in the first round using their knowledge of mixed martial arts for nearly an hour before Jace ran off with the pillow.

We didn’t get to see the whole final round where both tribes piled on top of one another consequently immobilizing the whole group and putting the challenge at a standstill for more than half an hour.

We didn’t get to see all the pushing, pulling and twisting that went on as well as all the shouting and screaming.

I wish you were all there to see that challenge as it happened live.

As stressful and as difficult as it was to referee the Castaways as they fought for immunity, it was no doubt a thrill to watch.

It’s Shovel Time!

One of the realities that the Castaways had to deal with on the island, whether they liked it or not, was the fact that there was no bathroom. Which meant they had to find ways to be able to answer the call of Mother Nature by being creative. All they had was a small shovel to help them in this task. Several factors had to be considered before going about this type of “business.”

1. Where to do the deed – Rocks were a favorite hiding place since there were some big enough to hide behind. Thick shrubbery like behind the Jarakay camp was ideal as well, keeping things well covered. The beach was also an option since one can submerge themselves completely while working on the task at hand. The last method is discouraged, however, since Castaways would want to be considerate of others swimming in the beach.

2. Has anyone been here before? – Naturally you wouldn’t want to do your business where someone else had previously been. Which is why Castaways are encouraged to put simple markers where the ground may be ummm… ”hot.”

3. Will my life be in danger as I answer Mother Nature’s call? – It’s hard enough to concentrate on doing the deed in an unconventional environment, what more if the thought that creatures lurk everywhere is on your mind? Snakes hiding in bushes, stingrays at the shallow sandbottom and wild boars in the forest are animals we are totally defenseless from especially while going about our business. As funny as it may seem for some to imagine the scenario, the danger is as real as it gets.

It’s not easy being a Castaway, and in the next few blogs I’ll share with you why.

Thanks again for taking time out to read my blog. Please do leave comments since I do get to read all of them.

Also, you can suggest what you want me to write about next time.
Till then!