No character play: Maine Mendoza bares real self in lifestyle-travel show

Scenes from episodes of “Maine Goals”

As she grows older, the more Maine Mendoza realizes just how important it is to “maintain a healthy work-life balance,” especially with the persisting pandemic.

“The pandemic has made me realize a lot of things. And this one I will bring with me in my 27th year and beyond: I have to make time for the important things and people in my life. I have to distribute my time evenly among work, family and friends,” Maine said in a recent virtual conference for the second season of the lifestyle-travel show “Maine Goals.” “I’m striving to have a work-life balance. Nothing is certain amid this pandemic,” added the television host-actress, who turned 27 last March 3. “You have to spend time with the people you love—without taking your career for granted of course. I’m blessed to be surrounded by people who love me unconditionally and support me.”

‘Staying power’

Maine has been in the industry seven years now and the influx of projects and opportunities show no signs of slowing down. She still couldn’t wrap her head around it. Asked what she thinks is the reason behind her “staying power” she surmised that perhaps she’s just “#blessed.”

“To be honest, the things I have been fulfilling right now—a lot of them weren’t actually part of my original dreams. With all the blessings I have been receiving, I can’t help but ask the Lord what I did to deserve all these,” she said. “I’m not aiming for anything in particular to achieve. I’m just grateful for what I have and what comes my way.”

In “Maine Goals,” which airs weeknights on Cignal TV’s 24/7 comedy channel BuKo, Maine—together with cohosts Chichi and Chamy—travels around the Philippines, features new tourist spots and immerses herself with the locals. The three hosts also take part in different challenges that have them trying different jobs or professions.

Discovering skillsIn an upcoming episode, for example, Maine and the gang find out whether or not they have what it takes to be a beauty queen. “I didn’t think we could do it because we’re not beauty queen material. So, that’s something new for the audience. It adds excitement,” she said, adding that the challenges they take on allows her to discover skills she didn’t know she had.

“I realized that I’m capable of doing things I never thought I would be capable of. Before a challenge, I think na ’di ko keri. But I end up pulling it off once I’m already there,” she told the Inquirer. “I believe people relate to that because fear and nerves get the better of some of us. Fear stops us from doing what we want to do and try. I want to show people that if I—who get daunted easily—can do it, they can, too.”

Aside from the challenges, Maine hopes that she, Chamy and Chichi can feature more lesser known travel destinations. “I love island life; I’m a beach girl, so I really loved discovering Isla Verde (in Batangas). We got to know the island and its people. We also got to talk with marine conservationists.” “We’re thankful for another opportunity to take on this new set of goals. Doing this show, we realized that there are a lot of things and places to explore in the Philippines. I hope we can see more of Visayas and Mindanao in the future.”

Maine Mendoza

No filters

What she loves most about hosting the show is that there’s no character to play. “We get to express ourselves and show who we are and how we react to things. Many of the things and adventures we go on are something we haven’t done before, so it’s amusing to see our authentic reactions … no filters.”

Same goes for her relationship and rapport with Chamy and Chichi. “There are no pretensions. On- and off-cam, we get to be ourselves, show our quirks and imperfections. That’s what I appreciate about our friendship,” Maine said. “We know each other well, so we know what to expect from each other while doing our job. We give each other time, we know kung hihirit ’yung isa.”

Meanwhile, asked if vlogging is something she would like to try in the future, Maine said she prefers to connect with her fans the “traditional way”— by writing down her thoughts.

“I limit the things I share because some people tend to scrutinize them. But I have a blog where I write about my experiences in life and share them with my supporters. On Twitter and Facebook, I share about my work-related stuff. But the personal ones, I share through my blog. I’m more into writing,” she said.