Silence is a virtue in TV5 game show

MANILA, Philippines - Hosting a game show is nothing new to actor Richard Gomez. He earlier hosted the local edition of Family Feud on GMA 7 and the Asian counterpart of The Biggest Game Show in the World on TV5.

Richard’s latest TV assignment is the newest game show on local TV, Quiet Please! Bawal ang Maingay, which airs Sunday nights on TV5. The groundbreaking show is a big challenge to Richard because of its new and unique concept, which has never been done before on TV.

Conceptualized with Freemantle Media, the same outfit that gave Killer Karaoke to local viewers, Quiet Please! is the first of its kind when it comes to game shows. Richard acts as the Master Silencer who directs contestants to the challenges, which vary every week.

The program initially fields in celebrity contestants to do the challenges. Eventually, the game show will expectedly utilize ordinary contestants to participate in the challenges.

Contestants are tasked to accomplish the timed challenges — like opening a softdrink in can, eating chicharon, biking through wind chimes, opening a gift, beating an egg, pouring mongo into a wine goblet — without setting off the giant noise meter, a highly sensitive noise-measuring device that triggers an alarm when it reaches a certain noise level.

Hence, contestants need concentration, timing and precision amidst the increasing tension and difficulty while trying to accomplish their goal. There are two teams that go head-to-head in the game challenges.

There are three challenges — Small But Terrible, Major Trouble, Salo Salo Together — and there are noise tests in the challenges. If a team member successfully hurdles the challenge, the team earns chips and corresponding cash for every round. After three rounds, the team with the most number of chips and bigger cash accumulated will get to play the jackpot round.

 Called Panic Room, the jackpot round is a giant maze which has a series of obstacle courses that members of the winning team have to individually go through within 90 seconds, again without making any noise. If the members successfully pull off the challenge, they win a bigger cash prize.

The pilot saw former Palibhasa Lalake stars Joey Marquez and Anjo Yllana with Richard’s former Blusang Itim leading lady Snooky Serna competing with the team of Derek Ramsay, Alice Dixson and Wendell Ramos.

A more recent episode featured Team Bulahaw (Kitkat, Francine Garcia and Michelle O’Bombshell) and Team Bulabog (Kevin Balot, Shalala and Jojo Alejar) going the various challenges.

Comedienne K Brosas joins the show as Richard’s “Silencer,” the ever-animated and witty co-host who spices up the challenges with her funny antics and candid rapport with the players.

Richard, although primarily known as an actor in the drama genre, does not fall short of being a game show host in Quiet Please! He clearly proves that he can successfully pull off an entertaining and fast-paced primetime game show that is right along the line of must-watch programs.

Directed by Mike Tuviera, Quiet Please! boosts the strong primetime Sunday of TV5, preceded by the top-rater which is Who Wants To Be a Millionaire (hosted by Vic Sotto) and followed by another widely-followed program, Wow Mali (hosted by Joey de Leon).