Let's all help bring back "Battle of the Brains;" sustain, promote "Modern Pythian Games!" https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/notes-and-essays/bring-back-battle-of-the-brains-a00289-20210215-lfrm https://www.facebook.com/groups/1935359103456962/permalink/3260002514325941/ Bring back "Battle of the Brains" by Paul John Cana If you grew up in the 1990s, you probably know about Battle of the Brains. The television quiz show program was the closest the Philippines had to the long-running Jeopardy in the US. The show featured students competing in three levels—grade school, high school and college—and answering questions in five subject areas: Science, Mathematics, History, General Information and Arts/ Literature. As TV quiz shows went, it was in a class of its own. Legacy of Battle of the Brains Unlike other game shows, the entertainment value in Battle of the Brains wasn’t in making fun of people trying to answer ridiculously easy questions; it lay in the attempt of trying to answer the questions ourselves as viewers and measuring our own smarts against the contestants. The questions were mostly academic or things you would normally learn from school at whatever level you were at and were vetted by a panel of experts from reputable institutions of learning in the country. The format was pretty straightforward—there were no gyrating half-naked dancers, the host wasn’t a loudmouth comedian who mocked contestants for giving the wrong answer and the objective wasn’t so much winning the prize money as bringing honor and pride to their school. Battle of the Brains ran initially for seven years—from 1992 to 1999—on RPN Channel 9 before moving to PTV Channel 4 during its final season from 2000 to 2001. Throughout its entire run, it was hosted almost exclusively by David Celdran (except in a few cases when he was unavailable and guest hosts would take over). It’s become a cultural touchstone that it was parodied by a gag show (Battle of the Brainless on Tropang Trumpo) and has become something of a modern Filipino TV classic. Although it inspired a few other similar shows in later years, there hasn’t been another quiz game show quite like it since it went off the air. In fact, game shows in the caliber of Battle of the Brains have all but disappeared from local TV. There are game segments on noontime variety shows, but there aren’t a whole lot of dedicated game shows being produced on TV these days and certainly not in the same format and quality of Battle of the Brains. More variety Is it a reflection of the TV viewing tastes of Filipino households? A cursory look at the local television landscape today reveals that our penchant for local soaps and imported drama programs is showing no signs of waning. There are some talk shows, live variety shows, animated programs for kids and a handful of educational and magazine-type programs. That’s about it. For anyone looking for more “variety” that’s not packaged as a noontime song-and-dance show, they’d basically have to go on cable, YouTube or streaming sites like Netflix or Amazon Prime. Local free TV is a wasteland of sameness when you take a long, hard look. (It doesn’t help that one of the top two broadcast free-TV networks is no longer airing but that’s another story). There’s a reason for that, of course. As private enterprises, broadcast networks invest in programs that more people watch because those attract the most advertisers which then bring in the revenues. It’s business. Understandably, it’s tough to bet on something untested when it involves production budgets that run into the millions of pesos. There are over 100 million Filipinos today and yes, odds are that a vast majority of them prefer their TV shows simple and uncomplicated—soaps and drama series where the characters are either relatable enough that they could see themselves or someone they know in them or fantastic enough that they offer an escape from the mundanity of everyday life. But I can’t help but long for the days when the powers-that-be in local broadcasting believed that there were TV viewers who would be willing to tune in to a program that uses just a few more brain cells than it takes to lift the remote control and turn the TV on. Surely, there is a segment of the population who could appreciate something other than your everyday, run-of-the-mill teleserye. No, this isn’t a put-down on teleseryes but a desperate plea for something more in local TV programming. Why we should bring back Battle of the Brains If we’re looking for more variety, why not a game show like Battle of the Brains? The arguments for such a format seem solid enough: school spirit is alive and well (see: NCAA and UAAP) so there's a sure audience for it. I mean, you can bet currently enrolled and alumni of competing schools in a new version of the game show are going to be tuning in. Production should be easy enough: you just need a studio, a competent host and dedicated writers and researchers to formulate the questions. And just like how the original Battle of the Brains was almost 100-percent sponsored by a single advertiser (Uniwide Sales Inc. in the original run and AMA Computer College in its revamped version), perhaps that model could be adopted in the reboot. True, it doesn’t even have to be on a major network. An enterprising producer could choose to air it as a web series or even shop it around local and international streaming sites. There are multiple avenues for broadcast content these days. But the point is to make it as accessible to free TV audiences—many of whom probably do not have regular access to digital streaming services or even internet—as possible. Which is why it would be a big deal if a new version of a show like Battle of the Brains would be broadcast on a free TV network. In the interest of full disclosure, perhaps the reason I feel strongly about this is because I was a contestant myself on Battle of the Brains in the 1990s. Along with a teammate, I represented my high school and managed to win the Weekly round before going down to another team in the Monthly round. I don’t have the best memory about my experience there but I do remember some of the questions I managed to answer: something about an ancient Incan method of record-keeping (answer: quipu); the author behind the classic Hardy Boys mystery series (answer: Franklin W. Dixon which I have since discovered is actually the pen name used by many different authors); and being asked to complete a line of a Robert Frost poem (answer: And miles to go before I sleep), just to name a few. I may not remember much about being on the show but what I do remember is how much I enjoyed the thrill of competing and how it instilled in me a love of learning that I’ve since carried well into adulthood. I’ve become a fixture at local bar quizzes (pre-pandemic), I binge-watch Jeopardy on Netflix and basically live for little pieces of trivia and pockets of knowledge. Battle of the Brains started it for me and I imagine I’m not the only one it has managed to influence and inspire over the years. Today’s generation of young people are missing out on experiencing a similar thrill because there’s hardly anything on free TV these days that would challenge them mentally. It’s for that reason that I think it’s time Battle of the Brains (or something like it) is brought back. Meanwhile, all concerned and responsible fellow Filipinos, we must completely be aware, let's perfectly learn and generously share, spread, disseminate all information, the history and significance of the Modern Pythian Games through/ via Parthita Dutta, Bijender Goel with Pythian Game Philippine Club Inc. president Rodel A. Pasion, VP His Majesty داتو موداراسول الهاشمية (HM Sultan Mudarasul Muhammad), secretary general Tirso Nieva Paglicawan Jr. and officers Aran P Yuson, Delfin Sumilong, Snfrmg Jay Mata, Dante Dean Barola, Emma Marquez and several others! Modern Pythian Games https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167338157369972/permalink/1168033960633725/ #pythianmovement #pythiangames I invite all respectable members to know about the Pythian Games and the prospects! Thank you for joining the family. Have a look at the website� www.pythiangames.org HISTORY OF PYTHIAN GAMES Pythian Games are known to be part of the four Pan-Hellenic Games in Delphi in ancient times. There are evidences of the competitions took place every four years in athletics, theatre, music, poetry, and painting to praise the god Apollo in the year 394 A.D. before Theodosius, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire banned all Pan-Hellenic Games. The competition of the arts was a symbol of peace and took place in ancient Greece around 582 BC and each year before the Olympic Games. These games have similar importance in the society and the organizers declare Delphi Peace accord before the beginning of the games for six months. Delphi became the meeting place on neutral place for networking and resolving conflicts and a place of contributions in the field of art, culture, cultural heritage and education over many years. PYTHAIN GAMES PARA PYTHIAN GAMES JUNIOR PYTHIAN GAMES REGIONAL PYTHIAN GAMES NATIONAL PYTHIAN GAMES PARA NATIONAL PYTHIAN GAMES JUNIOR NATIONAL PYTHIAN GAMES MUSICAL, VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL ARTS PERFORMING AND THEATRE ARTS VISUAL, HERITAGE AND ARTISAN ARTS MARTIAL, ENTERTAINMENT AND TRADITIONAL ARTS ROBOTIC, VIRTUAL AND DIGITAL ARTS LANGUAGE, LITERARY, ORATORY ARTS SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ARTS ARCHITECTONICS AND ECO ARTS Pythian Awards Social Design Traditional Eco-friendly Entertainment Unique Global Forum Events Exhibitions Conclaves Workshops Ceremonies Competitions Educational Programs Accreditation Programs Ideology (Health, Life, Joy, Peace, Happiness, Hope) To Reflect To Present To Express To Observe To Envision To Preserve To Develop Craft To Engage and Persist To Stretch and Explore To Understand the Art World Vision: Expression | Experience | Evolution Advantages: ➤A unique sense of national honour for artists and cultural practitioners. ➤A unique forum to perform, exhibit and present. ➤A unique Multicultural and multidisciplinary artistic Global platform. ➤A unique forum of Energetic and Credible commitment ➤A unique global marketing, investment, branding and Sponsorship forum. ➤A unique forum for cultural diplomacy and education. Insight ➤To promote and expand exhibition opportunities. ➤To participate in international artistic exchanges. ➤To build bridges and enhance cultural awareness. ➤To use art to discover and exchange ideas and experiences. ➤To act as global mentor for educational institutions and students. ➤To feature and promote Arts and artisans through all accessible channels. Development ➤Creative abilities in the arts ➤Communication, speaking and listening skills ➤Cross-cultural communication and collaborations. ➤Dynamic learning accompanied by creative and critical thinking. ➤Cultural awareness and ability to empathize across global cultures. ➤Revenue-generating and rehabilitative programmes for artisans. Values ➤Empathy: To understand and share the feelings of another. ➤Cultural awareness: To learn about cultural differences among societies. ➤Collaboration: To work together to help one another and gain new perspectives. ➤Creativity: To encourage innovation and unconventional thinking in art and life. ➤Global citizenship: To believe everyone is part of our larger global community. Delphic India Trust, 3310-B/2, Old Pusa Gate, Ranjit Nagar, South Patel Nagar, New Delhi-110008, India. info@pythiangames.org pythiangames22@gmail.com