“Wow, I can’t believe it, but I finally met someone who talks more than you,” my boyfriend Anton said when I introduced him to Oli Pettigrew last year. I won the Sony Lifestyle Co-host Search and the crew flew in from Singapore to shoot the Manila episodes in October.
I confidently held the throne for being the biggest and fastest talker in my family and circle of friends, but I was quickly put in my place when I met the funny and witty Oli, who hosts a number of Asian cable TV shows. Now I know why his name comes on top of producers’ minds when looking for an adventurous, multi-tasking, and eloquent TV presenter for cable TV shows such as Cash Cab Asia, the reality game show on wheels that has been taking Asia by storm.
Oli was on his nth trip to Manila a few weeks ago when he accommodated an interview with yours truly for Spot.ph’s “On the Spot” section.
Click here to read my article, which includes a gallery of personal photos from Oli and a video of him greeting the readers of Spot.ph.
I also managed to squeeze in a few questions from Oli’s Twitter followers. The night before the interview, we asked the Twitterverse if they had any questions they’ve been dying to ask Oli, and a number of fans tweeted back. Here are Oli’s answers:
From @VinVinJacla: What’s your take/reaction on having becky/gay fans/admirers across Asia?
Oli: I’m in Manila because of my gay fans. They’re the ones that contact me the most. I love all my gay fans! They are so nice. They just can’t wait to meet you. I’ve never had a problem with that. I always tell people I’ve got the pink vote in Philippines.
From @yoursassygirl06: Do you think you have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse?
Oli: Funny enough, when my son was born, one of my good friends, my director from Technomax days, got me this book, which is The Zombie Survival Guide. The guy there wrote World War Z. I have that at home and I’ve read that from cover to cover. And in the event of a zombie apocalypse, I will try and find my mother-in-law. Because she grew up in the jungles, she can start a fire out of nothing. She can track food, kill it, and she’s great with the machete. So yeah, in the event of the end of the world, my mother-in-law—that’s where I’m gonna go stay.
From @wanderingdakini: Who is your celebrity crush (male/female) in the Philippines?
Oli: Ding Dong Dantes because he looks just like me. LOL. Haha! Joke! Wink, wink. I don’t know. All the hot famous Filipinas I know are actually my friends. I can’t really have crushes on them. It’s very hard for me to say, “Oh they’re beautiful but, uh, they’re my friends.”
From @wanderingdakini: What’s your favorite bar in Manila, and why?
Oli: I don’t know your bars well enough yet. I quite like Draft at The Fort, and the Skye Lounge as well. That was nice. I’m too busy working, and I don’t really have that much time for drinking.
From @jkmmaleza: What’s your favorite Filipino dish?
Oli: I can always go back to chicken adobo.
From @reellygood: Have you considered doing a movie?
Oli: I’ve had people approach me and I’ve been in cast in a few movies. In the Philippines, I’m completely open to something like that just because it keeps life interesting.
Props goes to @yoursassygirl06 for sending the craziest question. To everyone else, thanks for tweeting your questions! Oli’s fans will be happy to know that he’ll be back in Manila this April. Watch this space!