Kokoy quips: “Parang ayaw talaga nila akong mabuhay”
The new season of “Running Man Philippines” ramps up the competition with a more extreme set of challenges—making one of its runners, Kokoy De Santos, almost quit from the race.
The “most-watched” reality game show of 2022 in the Philippines is back for a sophomore season—kickstarting the months-long thrill with an exclusive viewing party and media conference held on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
As the game promised extra-challenging games, Kokoy De Santos bares that he almost quit for one particular reason—and that’s because of a horror challenge!
As he puts it, “Actually, dalawa po yung kinakatakutan ko talaga: rides and horror. Yung rides nilagay nila ng season 1 and yung horror, nilagay nila ng season two.” He further quips, “So, parang ayaw talaga nila akong mabuhay.”
When asked if there ever was a time when he was already on the verge of giving up, Kokoy presses: “Yung horror po talaga!”
Drawing laughter from other runners, Kokoy expounds: “Pero hindi naman po para bumalik ng [Pilipinas]. Para lang mag-back out dun sa race.
He also reveals that while weighing his options, he realized that it was early to do so. He says, “E, kaso parang bungad pa lang po yun—pang-ilang race pa lang po namin yun.
“Kinausap lang din talaga ako nung interpreter na parang hindi pwedeng mag-back out. Parang pinaka-sabi ko lang talaga, ‘Baka pwedeng may kasama ako?’ At least kasama, hindi daw talaga pwede.”
“Yun lang naman po, mababaw lang para sa kanila pero sa akin, hindi. Matatakutin po ako, e,” he adds.
Just as much, Kokoy still treats the experience as one of a kind. With such a big realization, Kokoy gets the motivation he needed to continue his journey in the competition.
He says, “Sabi ko nga, kung hindi dahil sa ‘Running Man,’ hindi ko rin mae-experience yung ganung klaseng production number. Talagang iba yung production design na nilalagay ko sa kokote ko, paulit-ulit, nung mag-start yung race na yun, ‘setup lang ‘to, trabaho lang ‘to.’
“Pero hindi, parang ayaw ko rin talaga ituloy e, pero sabi nga ni Boss G [Glaiza De Castro] sa lyrics ng kanta namin, ‘Go lang nang go! Yun, rock and roll.”
READ ALSO: “Running Man” Sets Full Feature Of Manny Pacquiao’s House
Who does Kokoy De Santos treat as his ultimate rival in the show?
Not only does the second season of “Running Man Philippines” promise tighter challenges, it also elevates the difficulty of winning by adding one more runner—Miguel Tanfelix.
Now, it has Mikael Daez, Glaiza De Castro, Lexi Gonzales, Buboy Villar, Angel Guardian, Miguel, and Kokoy vying towards becoming the last runner standing.
For Kokoy, Buboy gave him a hard time going through the challenges. As he puts it, “Si Buboy, kasi madalas kaming mag-abot talaga, e. Hindi rin namin alam kung bakit.
“Bukod sa amin ni Angel, si Angel kasi pag nagtatapat kami, parang ang hirap hindian. Alam mo yun? Kami ni Buboy talaga pag nag-aabot kami, parang ‘Ano ba yan?’
“Parang gusto namin lagi, parang chill lang ganyan. Pero pag kami nag-abot, ‘Hindi, e. Minsan lang ‘to mangyari, e. Bigay natin ‘to.’ Pero kalmado. Pero bigay natin kung ano yung deserve ng mga manonood.”
Glaiza De Castro, Mikael Daez, Lexi Gonzales, Buboy Villar
“Running Man Philippines” season 2 will rev its engine every weekend, starting May 10, 2024 on GMA Network. A lot of twists are up along the way, including exciting celebrity guests, such as Sandara Park, Nancy McDonnie, and Haha of the original “Running Man” series of South Korea.
Banner Art Paulo Correa
