Challenges energize ‘Pinoy Explorer’

Aga Muhlach in “Pinoy Explorer”

After  a number of tepid and unexciting telecasts, it was a real treat to catch Aga Muhlach’s “Pinoy Explorer” show last weekend because he finally got excited and pushed himself to the limit by way of his enthusiastic participation in a series of physical tests designed for astronauts, daredevils and such.

Truth to tell, the “Explorer” part of his show’s title remained minimal, but Aga’s successful accomplishment of the difficult and sometimes grueling physical tests was both exciting and instructive.

Most pertinently of all, he got excited and his raised adrenaline level got viewers all charged up as well—and a truly diverting, entertaining time was had by all.

A real treat

So, that’s the ticket: To make “Pinoy Explorer” a real treat from week to week, the show’s production team should line up exciting tasks and adventures for its host to surmount and feel genuinely invested in.

Enough of those little forays to the province to taste the weird local cuisine—instead, get the famous TV-film star charged up with challenge that can literally “stretch” his estimation of his strength and endurance—and enable him to come into a deeper knowledge of his capabilities—and himself.

Flying feat

The exercises that Aga participated in last week at an advanced training and research facility in the States included feats of “flying” by way of giant blowers that suspended the star in mid-air, as well as an actual free-fall from a plane that Aga accomplished with the help of a more experienced assistant.

Aga was visibly thrilled after they hit terra firma, and his enthusiasm energized viewers as well.

View-worthy

We’ve caught other interesting telecasts of the show, like its Batanes feature that benefited from Aga’s fervent appreciation of the northernmost island group’s unique and pristine landscape and lifestyles. But last week’s show was even more view-worthy, due to its host’s enthusiastic involvement in its unusual challenges, which would daunt some other on-cam personalities.

Lover of life

The fact that Aga measured up to and even embraced those daunting tests made viewers see him in a new light—not just as a dapper, charming star and leading man, but also as a passionate lover of life and its many challenges and adventures.

So, enough of reedited and reconfigured documentaries about dinosaurs and other antediluvian creatures—the way to go now is to focus on Aga himself, exposing himself to new adventures and challenges—and in the process enabling many viewers to “learn” how to take risks and energize their own lives by opening themselves up to the many unusual experiences that our planet has to offer.

Get in shape

We also hope that, in becoming physically active to come up with new adventures and challenges for his TV show, Aga will slowly but surely lose weight, and get into “fighting” trim to face the movie camera and gift us with a new starrer on the big screen.

We miss seeing him creating a new and vital character for the movies, and it’ll be a real thrill to see him back in full thespic harness again.—Before the end of 2012, if that’s at all possible?