Television host and actor Ryan Agoncillo is shifting gears literally and figuratively. The 37-year-old father of two is busy hosting and acting. On the side, he’s also indulging in various hobbies like photography and his sport of choice, racecar drifting.
And all these helped Ryan prepare for his new role – a taxi driver.
“To be honest, it’s hard. Considering the traffic congestion and meeting different people and passengers, driving a taxicab is a test of patience. But having two children as backseat drivers, you know, the chaos, and dealing with other motorists on the road prepared me for this,” Ryan said smiling.
The actor will assume the role of a taxi cab driver and show host in the 13-episode series Cash Cab Philippines, the first local show produced by AXN. Adam Wood devised the show that originated in the United Kingdom and has been licensed to television networks in numerous other countries.
“Cash Cab Philippines is the first locally produced show for AXN in this market and we are very excited for its debut just in time for Christmas. Our viewers are really going to love watching this show filmed against recognizable landmarks in Manila,” said an AXN Networks Philippines official during the program’s media launch last week.
The game show on wheels is based on the Emmy –award winning format but created especially for local audience. In this show, Ryan will drive passengers to their destination while quizzing them on trivia questions and general knowledge. Questions asked during the ride will start easy and become trickier with contestants winning cash prizes for every correct answer.
“This show is perfect for Metro Manila traffic. Traffic becomes another factor in the game. It works both ways for the show producers and contestants,” Ryan told the press.
He explained that the longer the passengers are inside the cab the higher the chances that they would bring home big cash, but the twist of the game – the longer the ride the higher the possibility that the passengers would lose the winnings if they’d give incorrect answers.
Ryan furthered that the Cash Cab will appear as a regular taxi, however, upon entering the vehicle passengers will find themselves as contestants on the mobile game show. Passengers get 15 seconds to answer. They will be entitled to two shout outs or call-a-friend. Three wrong answers and passengers get booted out of the cab and return whatever they’ve won until that point of the ride.
“Our passenger contestants are very random. At one time, there were two professionals; probably they came from a night out. They had to ask for a selfie with me. They said they will use the picture to show their wives why they came home late,” Ryan shared.
Cash Cab Philippines premieres on Dec. 22 at 8:50 p.m. with an encore on Dec. 24 at 9:15 p.m. AXN is seen on SkyCable Ch 49, Cable Link Ch 38, Cignal TV Ch 61, Destiny Cable Ch 61, Dream Ch 20 and GSAT Ch 51.