Heat is on for Extra Challenge Milyonaryo

After two successful, to a point phenomenal, years of being local television's leading reality show, Extra Challenge gears for yet again another run to bring reality TV's finest hours to its viewers.

Owing its birthright from GMA News and Public Affairs' magazine show "Extra, Extra", Extra Challenge did the almost unthinkable by fearlessly fusing the trend of reality shows abroad into a single program - a series of episodic "challenges," which airs from Monday to Friday, and with themes changing nearly every week.

Apart from being the first to introduce the reality-based program concept to local television, Extra Challenge has also turned itself into being arguably the best of the world's reality shows rolled into one.

And a slot in the much coveted primetime block follows. After having been given the slot after "24 Oras" on September 1, 2003, Extra Challenge almost instantaneously made its presence felt. With EC being one of the primetime players, the landscape of the primetime block was completely changed and competition was never the same.

Consistently winning the numbers game, Extra Challenge toppled more than ten shows pitted by the rival network and has even set new personal heights in ratings.

With the program's Asian Invasion last 2004, a totally new concept for local television was presented to the viewers. Gambling on the thought of the richness of different cultures combined with high-flying stunts and challenges being a wonderful treat to the program's loyal viewers, Extra Challenge was able to post its highest rating ever during the Bali, Indonesia episode.

But doing out-of-the-country episodes was never an easy feat. With all the preparations that the production team needs to go through - budget, visa, permits, case studies, and most importantly the safety of each and everyone - it's clearly nowhere near being pleasurable.

Each trip, it seems, is a challenge to every Extra Challenge staff concerned. With the budget constraint, not everybody gets to go so one person is expected to do at least three persons' workload.

But the program's challenges are by no means limited to out-of-the-country episodes, with the program's second anniversary special, the P2M Extra Challenge, as case in point.

Racing across the country, the tandem of Kara David and Jiggy Manicad bested the other P2M challengers - Dennis Trillo and Bianca King, Joanne Quintas and Jackie Forster, Maui Taylor and Joyce Jimenez, Ralph and Renz Fernandez, and IC Mendoza and Inday Garutay, to win for themselves TWO MILLION PESOS!

With all of Extra Challenge's production teams involved, the whole anniversary special was turned into a no-nonsense, no-holds-barred race. Apart from simply being the program's anniversary special, it has turned into one of Extra Challenge's most memorable extra challenges.

But then again, there's no stopping the leading reality show from reinventing itself.

Enter Extra Challenge Milyonaryo - Extra Challenge's reloaded version which offers not only a thousand and one new twists and challenges, but the chance to win ONE MILLION PESOS monthly!

For its first month-long challenge, Extra Challenge Milyonaryo exiles ten showbiz and non-showbiz personalities to an island to outdo each other for the chance to win the ultimate prize of ONE MILLION PESOS!

Not to be taken lightly are the celebrity challengers - Polo Ravales, Marvin Agustin, Nikki Valdez, Gwen Garci and Jean Garcia, but there is also no denying the non-showbiz challengers bannered by commercial model Andrew Wolf, model Kenji Mabasa, beauty titlist Wendy Valdez, models Ruru Friedhof and Mariko Davis.

Tempers are expected to rise as the challengers face what Extra Challenge Milyonaryo has to offer. And the ultimate challenge - know who the "kasabwat" is! Unknown to the challengers, one of them is actually conniving with the Extra Challenge Milyonaryo staff to jeopardize their plans to win the million!

Drama arises early in the elimination because the challengers need to vote who they think the "kasabwat" is! And the one who gets the votes also gets his or her ticket out of the island.

Extra Challenge Milyonaryo airs weekdays, right after 24 Oras, on GMA-7.