As host of ABS-CBN’s first realiserye I Dare You, Jericho Rosales admits he feels honored to be part of such a project, which is a collaboration between the News and Current Affairs division and the TV Entertainment Group. “This is a different kind of reality show. Talagang makabuluhan. Direkta sa puso yung mga tama at it’s just not a show na parang dadaan lang sa palad ko. Actually nagdagdag siya sakin, nag-enhance siya ng character ko. Isa siyang bagong reality show na ang goal ay ilapit ang mga artista sa normal na tao at gawing bida ang mga tunay na bidang Kapamilya natin. Mga normal na Pilipino ang bida sa show naming na ito. May mga hamon kami pero ang goal ng show ay mailabas ang tunay na karakter ng mga artista at idang kapamilya,” he shares during the presscon for I Dare You held last July. In every episode of I Dare You, Echo along with co-hosts Iya Villania and Melai Cantiveros, guide different celebrity challengers as they enter a different world and experience the ways of life ouside showbiz. They will also help win a reward for them by beating the other participants in the challenge. Echo admits that each taping day they have had so far has been a big challenge for both the hosts and their celebrity guests. “Every taping day naming feeling ko parang first day of school. Every time. Ang calltime naming minsan 4:30am, 5:30am. Physically tiring, emotionally tiring din siya. Mentally stimulating. Ibang klaseng show. Kinakabahan ko,” he admits.
In one of the most memorable shoots they’ve had so far, Echo admits is a two-day shoot in Isla Pulo, a severely depressed area. “Yung first ever taping namin sa Isla Pulo.ibang klase yung nakikita mo yung condition dun. Depressed area kasi yung pinuntahan naming and hindi lang siya depressed area, talagang isa siyang lumulutang na isla ng basura na walang kuryente, na karamihan ng mga bata walang edukasyon, ang kabuhayan nila uling ang. Mabaho, madumi, emosyonal pero marami kaming napulot na aral,” he recalls.
Echo says that one of the striking memories he had from that shoot was that he had to handle human waste. “Nakahawak ako ng dumi ng tao dun. Kasi nagkalat yung dumi ng tao kung saan-saan. Eh wala pa sa isla yun ah, dun pa lang sa pangpang yun so yung kondisyon nila dun mahirap. So isa yun sa hindi ko makakalimutan kasi binigyan ako ng pagkakataon makita yung ganung side ng Pilipinas, yun yung mga nakikita mo pag lumilipad ka sa eroplano,” he explains.
In the first episode of I Dare You which premieres this Monday, July 11 at 5:15pm on ABS-CBN, popular dancer and theater actor Gab Valenciano and multi-awarded actress Alessandra De Rossi will join Jericho as he returns to his roots in Marikina where he used to sell fish and carry loads in a wet market. Viewers will hear Echo’s inspiring rags-to-riches story, as told and demonstrated by the actor himself. “Ito yung episode na hindi ko na kinailangan ng motivation kasi kahit nakapikit ako alam ko na eh, although madami akong napulot dun like test of patience, ganyan. Binalik niya sakin yung pagiging malapit ko dun sa masa, kung saan ako galing. It’s always good to have that kind of experience every once in a while. Masarap yung pakiramdam,” he says.
The 31-year-old actor also shared that even though showbiz has taken him to different places all over the world, he will always have a soft spot for Marikina city. “Marikina will always be Marikina for me. One time nag-bisikleta ako dun kasama yung kapatid ko, meron akong P70 tapos wala akong cellphone kasi yun lang dala ko. Nag-bisikleta kami mula Quezon City hanggang Marikina. Tapos umuwi ako madaling araw na. Nag-basketball kami, nakita ko yung mga dati kong tropa, umikot kami. Yun yung isang lugar na kapag na-cross ko yung boundaries sumisigaw na ako kasi ang daming alaala ang bumabalik. Para sa akin, Marikina ang siyudad ko dito sa Maynila,” he says.
