He is an in-demand commercial model and endorser, the Philippine entertainment’s “Ultimate Leading Man,” and also the captain of the country’s national ultimate Frisbee team.But these days, Derek Ramsay is focused on one thing, and that is his role as game master in the top-rating reality program “The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition.”
Derek joins program host Sharon Cuneta and trainers Jim Saret and Chinggay Andrada as the only people from outside the Biggest Loser camp that get to interact regularly with the 11 remaining contestants of the show.
Whenever he surfaces on camp, bigating Pinoys Alan, Angela, Art, Eboy, Joy, Hazel, Larry, Raffy, Ryan, Winwin, and last week’s Biggest Loser Eric know they are up for a tough task as they continue their journey to healthier and better lives.
Derek said he does a lot of work before facing the contestants. As a natural athlete, he is always ready physically but he needs to be mentally and emotionally prepared before getting them in action.
“Since I get to see their capabilities, I try to analyze who to push more in a particular challenge. So I analyze the challenge. I take into consideration who’s quick to adapt and who’s more likely to have a difficult time. I also plan out which contestant to specifically motivate and push in a particular challenge,” explained the hunk actor.
As game master, he said he does his best to stay in the middle and show no partiality among the contestants.
“I try to maintain a certain distance from the contestants, even off cam, so I can prevent developing any bias. Since I already know their strengths and weaknesses based on the previous challenges, I know the right motivation each one of them needs,” he said.
Nonetheless, he admitted that he has made a connection with the whole group, and even gets inspiration from them when dealing with his own problems.
“It’s just so inspiring to see them realize the need to change and actually do something about it. They get to face a lot here, a lot of physical and emotional experiences, but they face it no matter what. So, whenever I have a problem, I think about what they do here, how they continue to strive even when things are hard or tough. That inspires me a lot,” he shared.
As a break from the usual grueling challenges, Derek joined the contestants this Monday (July 4) in a fun game of Frisbee. Team captains Raffy and Alan picked their former group mates in Red Team and Blue Team, respectively.
After a tiring yet fun game, the former Reds finally get to beat the Blue Team with a score of 4-3.
This week, the contestants begin competing against each other after their groups were dissolved as part of a twist in the previous weigh-in.
In the coming “water weight challenge,” each of them will have to transfer 50 sacks of marbles from one end of the pool to the other. Hazel will have one less sack to transport as part of her reward as the Frisbee MVP.
The first three to finish the challenge get to pick one from these three rewards: immunity, a 2 lbs. advantage at the weigh-in, or a video message from home. On the other hand, the two last placers get to do the laundry for the whole group for a week.
ABS-CBN Business Unit Head Laurenti Dyogi, meanwhile, is very happy about the performance of the show, which continues to top its timeslot.
“More than the ratings, what I am happy about the program is the way it has changed the lives of the contestants so far. There are still a lot of heartwarming and exciting moments in the show that will bring wonder to the public because of the amazing weight loss of these bigating Pinoy,” he said.
Find out who are the big winners and the big losers in the upcoming challenge and first competitive weigh-in of the contestants as individuals or singles. Don’t miss “The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition,” from Monday to Friday, after “Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin” on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.
