Extra Challenge

Extra Challenge is a Philippine television reality show broadcast by GMA Network. Originally hosted by Karen Davila and Paolo Bediones, it premiered on February 15, 1999 as a lifestyle show titled as Extra, Extra. In 2003, it was retitled as Extra Challenge and became a reality show. The show concluded in 2013.

The show features celebrities pitted against each other in several challenges. It is patterned after American reality show such as Survivor, The Amazing Race, America's Next Top Model, Fear Factor, The Simple Life, The Bachelor and The Real Housewives.

Overview
On February 15, 1999, Extra Extra premiered as a weekday lifestyle show with Paolo Bediones and Karen Davila as hosts. Miriam Quiambao replaced Davila as a co-host when she left the show in 2000.

In October 2003, to coinciding with the premiere of StarStruck, it was reformatted as a reality show and renamed as Extra Challenge. It featured participants to the edge of personal endurance amid never-before-experienced challenges and presented spur-of-the-moment and spontaneous scenes. When Quiambao left by January 2004, Mariel Rodriguez, Phoemela Baranda and Ethel Booba became hosts. In 2006, Extra Challenge was renamed to Extra Challenge Milyonaryo, with a top prize of 1 million pesos monthly. Extra Challenge Milyonaryo aired its last episode on May 26, 2006.

In 2012, the show returned as Extra Challenge Extreme with Richard Gutierrez, Marian Rivera & Boobay as the hosts. Contrary to the previous seasons, it aired on weekends.

Hosts
When the show started as the lifestyle tele-magazine show Extra Extra, Paolo Bediones and Karen Davila hosted the show. After Davila left the show, she was replaced by the 1st runner-up of Miss Universe 1999, Miriam Quiambao in August 2000. In 2003, the show became a reality show with the title being changed to Extra Challenge.

In December 2003, when Quiambao got married and left the show. The show came up with episodes to search for her replacement. The episodes Ang Kapalit () featured five contestants. Model Phoemela Baranda, television host Reema Chanco, comedian Ethel Booba and beauty queens Joanna Penalosa and Josephine Canonizado competed in a series of challenges to be the new host. Baranda won the contest, while Booba won the "Viewer's Choice" award. Eventually both Baranda and Booba hosted the show as the replacements of Quiambao. Later that year, MTV Philippines VJ Mariel Rodriguez replaced Barranda, co-hosting for one season. After Rodriguez left the show, Bediones and Booba continued to host the show until its final episode. In 2006, Quiambao returned to host during the last few episodes of the show.

Several guest hosts appeared in the show when the main hosts were unavailable. Among them are the following: Pops Fernandez, Jolina Magdangal, BJ Forbes, Nikki Gil, K Brosas, Ate Gay, Teri Onor and Angel Locsin.

In 2012, Richard Gutierrez, Marian Rivera and Boobay were hired as host of Extra Challenge Extreme.

Timeline

Notable challenges 
In September 2004, during the bungee jumping challenge of Ethel Booba, Willie Revillame, Andrew E., Francine Prieto and Michelle Bayle in Bali, Indonesia, Extra Challenge garnered 47.1% rating according to AGB - the highest rating for the show.

The second highest rating for the show was the "Road Trip to Sagada episode" in August 2004, garnering 43% rating according to AGB. In this episode, the show challenged the contestants to travel from Manila to Sagada using a 1973 Volkswagen combi van. The episode won 3rd place in the 38th US International Film and Video Festival Entertainment Category.

The P2M challenge, the celebration of Extra Challenge's second anniversary, was aired on September 2005. Paolo and Ethel took the celebrity challengers to race from Luzon, Visayas to Mindanao on an adventure similar to The Amazing Race. The celebrities faced challenges along the way and compete for the 2,000,000 million pesos jackpot prize.

In November 2005, American Idol's Jasmine Trias participated in the Promdi episode of Extra Challenge, which she competed against MTV Asia VJ Donita Rose and former Miss World 2nd Princess Ruffa Gutierrez.

In December 2005, the show rated 45% when Jameson Ching was challenged by host Paolo Bediones to eat raw egg while having sex with a duck.

Criticisms 
In June 2005, the program was criticized and condemned by a Filipino Muslim community following their "Mga Pasaway sa Dubai" episode, wherein they allegedly disgraced the virtues of Islam. According to the Islamic organization, Billah Islah, the show offended Muslims because the challengers, Ara Mina, Aubrey Miles, and Rufa Mae Quinto, who are non-Muslims recited the Al-Fatiha, the first chapter in the Qur'an, while being in a Land Cruiser and not wearing proper Muslim attire.

For this instance, Philippines' MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board) has issued the program a stern warning to screen its episodes very carefully before airing it. The incident also caused some of them who rallied to burn the names of the women contestants involved in that certain challenge done at Dubai.

After hearing the complaint, Extra Challenge wrote an apology to the Office on Muslim Affairs Undersecretary Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan. They also clarified that their tour operator requested permission to the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing for using the Qu'ran verse in the challenge.

Extra challenge also issued a public apology, which read:

in Tagalog: 

translated in English: 

Despite the apology, MTRCB issued a one-day suspension for the show and it is unclear whether the Muslim organization had accepted the apology.

Ratings
According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the season premiere of Extra Challenge Extreme on October 27, 2012 earned a 24.6% rating.

References

External links
 

Category:Philippine reality television series
Category:GMA Network shows
Category:1999 Philippine television series debuts
Category:2013 Philippine television series endings
Category:Filipino-language television programs