THE ATHLETE in Derek can’t give up the adrenaline rush that he gets from extreme sporting activities.
Derek Ramsay has lost count of the number of scars on his body.
He shows off a long one snaking up his left arm, courtesy of a Frisbee mishap. He takes off his shades and tells the story of a rugby game that went awry and resulted in a bloody brow. He recounts that his right kneecap was cracked while playing basketball.
“Too many,” Derek finally gives up counting. “Over 10, I guess.” Still, the athlete in him can’t give up the adrenaline rush that he gets from extreme sporting activities.
He may be scarred, but he’s far from being scared stiff. In his old TV5 program, “Extreme Series: Kaya Mo Ba ’To?,” he went on various thrilling and potentially dangerous adventures.
One episode had him hanging on a speeding, “drifting” car and in another, Derek was on top of a van while a motorbike soared over him. He also dove 6 meters (20 feet) underwater without a scuba gear.
“Some people think I’m crazy,” he says. “I had to sign a waiver before each stunt. The network didn’t insure me, but I have my own personal insurance plan.”
Derek’s dream is to go skydiving solo. “I’ve tried tandem-jumping four times, but never on my own.”
For his latest TV5 show, “Tough X Rough Asia,” which premieres in January 2016, the actor doesn’t just want to host; he wants to join the race, too.
“Tough X Rough Asia” features an Obstacle Course Racing tilt “patterned after military-type commando training programs.”
“This show is so me,” Derek tells the Inquirer. “I love being outdoors and engaging in sports. I lead an active lifestyle, and the network knows this … that’s why my bosses keep giving me shows that fit me to a T.”
He got to meet David Voth, the man behind “Tough X Rough Asia.” “He’s also an athlete. He is into Ultimate Frisbee, too,” Derek recounts. “We talked about how much we love sports and how it develops team spirit and camaraderie among participants. The great thing about ‘Tough X Rough’ is that you can help a competitor if you choose to.”
Derek, who’s into Frisbee, rugby, beach football and basketball, is raring to try Obstacle Course Racing. “There will be an episode where I will get to join the obstacle course race,” he says. “I want to compete in the Elite Athlete category, though not the Fun and Fit [for families and kids] section.”
The guy relishes competition. “I love doing crazy stuff,” he owns up. “I want to keep challenging myself and see how I measure up against the country’s best athletes.”
He concedes that this particular race is serious stuff. “If I am going to compete, I need to totally focus on it,” he says. “I cannot do anything else. This is no joke.”
As for obstacles of the romantic sort, not to mention scars of the heart, he insists that he has grown wiser through the years. “I have learned my lesson. I’m taking things slowly. I don’t want to jinx [my current relationship] by talking about it. After what happened in the past, I’ve become more careful.”
How is his love life? (He is currently seeing model Joanne Villablanca.)
“I am happy,” he quips. “It’s challenging because of our busy schedule, but we make time for each other because it makes us happy.”