Willie Revillame. Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Wil To Win
Willie Revillame warned against crooks preying on “Wil to Win” contestants seeking to join his game show after recognizing a previous participant who turned out to have been victimized by “racketeers” just outside their studio.
“Wil to Win” broadcasts live outside the TV5 headquarters in Mandaluyong City, and usually invites game show contestants to join as live audience.
On its Sept. 2 episode, Revillame recognized an audience member wearing a cap and green t-shirt who previously joined another segment, “Cookie to Win.”
“Hoy, nanood ka na dati ah. Nanood na ‘to dati. Naglaro na ‘to dati at nanalo na ‘yan. Totoo. Umamin ka sa akin (Hey, you were already here. She watched the show in the studio before. She joined a segment and won. Let’s be real here. Tell me the truth),” Revillame said as he helped the contestant to stand beside him.
The contestant narrated that while she won in the game segment, the person who recruited her to join in the studio took her P2,000 winnings, leaving her with nothing but a jacket that was given to her by the hosts.
“Sabi niya sa’kin, sama po ako [para maglaro] (They told me to go inside to join and play),” she shared.
When asked by Revillame if she remembered the person who asked her to join, she admitted that she didn’t remember the person anymore.
“Sabihin nyo sa amin kase, tignan nyo o, hindi binigay yung pera. Marami talagang nanloloko dyan sa labas e. Dapat maayos yan ng security (You have to tell us. Look at her, she did not get her money. There are so many crooks outside. Security here should be tightened),” the TV host said.
“Marami talaga ang walanghiya diyan sa labas ng studio. Niloloko kayo kaya kawawa kayo tulad nito, nanalo siya. Namimigay ang mga tao sa labas. Nagpapasok ho ng mga tao dito [sa studio]. Kapag nananalo, kinukuha ang pera, kaya huwag kayong papayag na dadagdagan ang [grupo] ninyo,” he said.
(There are a lot of unscrupulous people out there. They’re making a fool out of you, which puts you all in danger. Just like her. She already won. They are asked outside the studio to join for a fee, then they would enter the studio. If they win, they will take your money. So never give in to them. Don’t allow their group to multiply.)
Revillame also took issue with vendors selling game show wares outside the studio when he asked another contestant if she bought her elf hat outside.
“Singkwenta pesos ito (hat). Marami talagang racket sa labas, hindi nyo lang alam. Yung inyong uniform pinaparentahan ng P150. Uso ngayon yung mpox ha, baka mahawa kayo kasi hindi nilalabhan. Kaya wag ka yong magrerenta sa labas. Kaya maski uniform sa opisina nyo okay lang (That’s P50. There are so many fraudsters outside, you just don’t know. You rent your uniformed shirts for P150. Just beware of mpox, you might catch it since they dont wash their shirts. So you don’t need to rent, you may just use your office uniforms),” he said, referring to the latest health scare in the country.
Even though he didn’t allow the audience member to join, Revillame said he nonetheless understands where she was coming from, while reminding the public to be aware of such incidents happening outside its studio.
Revillame’s interactions with the game show’s contestants had always caught the attention of netizens, including a time when he withdrew a participant’s chance to win the show’s cash prize due to them being a fan of “Wil To Win’s” rival game show, “Family Feud.”