BILLY CRAWFORD feels so blessed. Aside from hosting the daily show, “Lunch Out Loud”, he’s now hosting another show, “The Wall”, produced by Viva TV for TV5 and Cignal.
“It’s the most exciting game show I’ve seen kasi you can win up to P12 million,” says Billy in its zoom presscon. “It’s very challenging for the contestants, which will play in pairs.
"If ever I’d join, I’d like to be paired with my wife. Kasi it’s a game of trust. One of you will be staying sa isolation room at walang maririnig, walang makikita ang taong papasok sa loob noon.
"They will just answer questions and find out kung tama ang mga ginawa nila at the end of the game.”
Billy says that if the pair would make the right decisions, “The Wall” can change their lives for ever. “It’s a franchise from the U.S. and I’m happy that we are given the chance to do it in our country. Lebron James is one of the producers and founders of ‘The Wall’.”
How different is this from other game shows?
“For me, the most exciting part about this is that lahat ng emosyon pagdaraanan mo rito, dahil it’s not just a physical game, but also of knowledge, lahat ng exciting elements, nandito na.
"There are no changes from the US version. It’s exactly the same. We use a 50 foot wall plus high tech electronics. Very intimidating ang set. Ginastusan talaga."
Have they started taping?
"Yes, we’ve already taped a few episodes. May mag-ina. Magtatay. Magkapatid. Marami at iba-iba ang dynamics ng show.
:Sa simula, akala mo walang nangyayari, pero yun pala milyon na ang puede nyong makuha, but puede ring mauwi sa wala kundi kayo magkakasundo sa decisions nyo ng partner mo. We follow the usual health protocols for me and the contestants.”
At this point, his baby boy, Amari, shows up and he cuddles him for a while. How is it being a dad?
“He’s such a blessing to us and it’s so nice to wake up in the morning with him. Si Baby Amari, napaka-cute, mabait, bungisngis, di masyadong umiiyak. Kahit di ko siya kamukha, but my wife.”
He says 2020 is a truly memorable year for him and wife Coleen Garcia.
“Nawalan kami ng trabaho when ABS-CBN lost its franchise, but this is also the year na pinanganak ang anak namin. At first, we asked: what will we do? Do we sell everything we have here and just move to another country.
"Those are important life decisions. It’s not easy to think positive sa dami ng negative na nangyayari sa paligid natin.”
So what did they do?
“Nagdasal kami ng todo todo at nagtiwala kami sa Panginoon. Kumapit kami sa kanya. I’m now just thankful to TV5 and Brightlight Entertainment dahil nabigyan uli ako ng trabaho.
"I remember what my father told me, lahat ng problems, may solution, tinanim ko yun sa puso't isip ko. Basta the important things is we do the right things for our family.”
He’s now very happy.
“I’m thankful hindi ko iniisip ngayon kung anong gagawin ko bukas, o next week. Sa paggising ko sa umaga, grateful akong may schedule na ako ng trabaho, I’m busy, and our son gives us the needed push para lalong magpursigi sa buhay. Maraming nagbago since Baby Amari came, including our perspectives sa buhay.”
He and his wife are hands on with their son. “I don’t mind waking up in the middle of the night for my son. Bigayan kami ni Coleen in devoting time and attention to him.
"Mawawala ang pagod mo sa isang ngiti lang ng anak mo. I’m really blessed doing many shows with TV5, and with my wife na maganda at sexy, and our adorable baby boy.”
What is his difference as a host from others?
“Maraming magagaling na host sa Pilipinas like Edu Manzano, Boy Abunda, Martin Nievera, Luis Manzano. Ako, very high energy ako sa hosting ko. Kung mataas ang energy ng kausap ko, dapat tapatan ko yun.
"But I remember Tito Boy’s one advice na nagmarka sa’kin. More than anything else, you should listen sa kausap mo, kailangang makinig at humugot ka doon. Enjoy the people you are with on camera and it will translate on stage.
"Dito sa ‘The Wall’, I always make the contestants feel na kakampi ko sila. Hindi ko sila kakalabanin. Gusto ko, tulungan silang maiuwi nila ang P12 milyon grand prize.”
“The Wall” is like a giant pachinko game with a twist. The mechanics are simple: get a correct answer to get a GREEN ball, miss a question and get a RED ball; green adds to the total pot money while red deducts.
The game is played by two players with a close familiarity, with the first episodes featuring blood-related contestants. The pair works as a team to bank as much money they can by answering a series of questions.
After the third round is a decision round, where drama and hilarity ensues. It starts airing on Saturday, March 13, 6 PM.
