Rugby player hunk relishes controversy

DEFIANT Arnold Aninion with girlfriend Mara Yokohama. ALANAH TORRALBA

Philippine Volcanoes member Arnold Aninion clearly relished being portrayed as a bad guy in the just-concluded GMA 7 reality show “Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Showdown.”

Undaunted by intrigues that pitted him against the other hunks on the island, the competitive athlete said that he’s willing to join the reality show again, should it come up with an “All-Stars” or “Heroes versus Villains” edition.

“That would be exciting,” he asserted.

Some female castaways boxed him as a flirt, while the male contestants felt threatened because he was unstoppable in the challenges.

Would Arnold be cast as a hero or a villain in the follow-up show?

His girlfriend, Mara Yokohama, said, “He’s a good guy. He stood by me till the end when he voted for me in the finale, in spite of pressure to do otherwise from the other jury members.”

Although there was tension between him and the other contestants including fellow rugby player John Odulio, Arnold stuck to his guns.

On March 15, Mara and Arnold (or Arnie to friends) topped the Great Davao Amazing Race Celebrity Edition. They were dubbed Team Marnie in the contest, held in conjunction with the Davao Summerfest.

But as far as the other castaways were concerned, however, he was a heel.

He didn’t score “Mr. Amity” points for being aggressive, particularly in one full-contact challenge in which he practically bulldozed over and trampled on another hunk in the mud.

Despite ruffling a few feathers on the island, he remains unrepentant. “I’m not a jerk,” he insisted. “I’m quite friendly in real life.”

He conceded, however, that the nature of the game demanded a certain level of wiliness and guile. He describes himself as a “villain with hero-like tendencies.”

Combative Arnold

“I can’t help being a villain,” he admitted. He insisted that it would have been difficult to win the game if one remained a good guy throughout, despite the contrary example set by Albert “Betong” Sumaya, the eventual winner and the island’s resident clown and gofer during the show.

He tried to justify his attitude by explaining that if he had rubbed fellow contestants the wrong way, especially the guys, it was only his competitive streak kicking in. “I looked at it as a battle of alpha males,” he said defensively.

A fan of the show’s US edition, he admires the strategic games played by past contestants Boston Rob Mariano and Russell Huntz.

“I look up to guys who speak their mind and are unafraid. I don’t believe nice wins this game,” he persisted.

“I haven’t missed a single episode of ‘Survivor [US]’ for the past 24 seasons,” said Arnold, who is based in New Zealand.

In spite of doing his homework, the local edition still caught him by surprise. “It was challenging, a life-changing experience. It enhanced my ability to zone out,” he continued. “I hope people understand that it’s just a game. I don’t hold any grudges.”

Man of many talents?

Surprisingly, the rough-and-tumble sportsman also runs an IT company and has dabbled in classical and musical theater in Auckland.

“I would like to join show business. I appeared in plays like ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ and ‘Godspell’ when I was younger.”

Who would have known?