MANILA, Philippines—For Jommy Teotico, winner of the ABS-CBN reality show “Pinoy Fear Factor,” the toughest challenge came after the competition.

For five months, since his return from Argentina in September, he had to keep his victory a secret from family and friends.

“I didn’t tell my family. My friends kept pestering me, especially after I made it to the final four,” he said. But he kept mum. “I didn’t have P5 million for the fine.”

He has earmarked his P2-million cash prize for a business venture. “First, I wanted a food franchise,” he said in an exclusive interview. “Now, I’m considering a used car business.”

Meanwhile, he has to treat the other participants to a beach outing and buy Chuck Taylors for them, as they all previously agreed. “I’ll also invite them to the blessing of the house I won,” he said.

On Friday, after watching the finale show together in the “Pinoy Big Brother” house, Jommy’s fellow contestants made sure to give him their respective shoe sizes.

Ecstatic

His family was ecstatic, and neighbors on Dimasalang St. in Manila trooped to their house after the show. “It was like a New Year’s party,” Jommy related.

He reported that his family understands him better now.

As a kid, he frequently got into trouble. He recounted: “My mom often spanked me and I always got sent to the principal’s office. I had a hard time getting a certification of ‘Good Moral Character’ when I graduated from elementary.”

He wasn’t a bad boy, he insisted; he was just a little unruly and “wanted to have fun.”

That’s still true, and it proved to be his winning strategy, he said. “By teasing and trash-talking others, they got distracted from the game. But I remained focused all throughout.”

Final challenge

The 25-year-old Business Management graduate from Lyceum admitted that there were several instances during the show when he almost gave up.

The final challenge was a car stunt. “I got nervous because I learned how to drive only before leaving for Argentina.” The cockroach episode also daunted him. “I turned pale.”

But the show taught him that quitters don’t win.

For the “Bad Boy of Dimasalang,” fear was definitely not a factor.