?ANYTHING GOES? on the set of the ABS-CBN game show ?Twist and Shout? ? a sado-masochistic combination of ?Pinoy Fear Factor? and ?The Singing Bee.?

Or as hosts Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano would rather put it: ?Anything can happen.?

Nievera, however, would never dare try one of the show?s ?challenges.?

?I know there?s a market for near-death reality shows,? Nievera quipped. ?It?s not because I?m scared of ruining my career. It?s not because of my ego... but week in and week out, I can see how hard the challenges are.?

If Nievera were to choose one test, or ?weapon of mass distraction? as he has lovingly dubbed it, he?d try the Running Machine. ?But only because I go on the treadmill... But then again, I?ve been never on a machine that goes this way and that.?

Upon seeing the new distraction called Thai Massage, Nievera had an instant change of heart. ?That?s what I want.?

Valenciano would choose the Running Machine, too, and the Volcano. ?I don?t do the treadmill. I bike, which exercises a different muscle group. I like the Volcano because a wind machine is part of my performances. But then again, the blowers in my shows are not as strong, cold and wet as the Volcano.?

The bigger hurdle for the two is speaking in Filipino, they confessed. ?No one would believe me anyway, if I start speaking fluent Tagalog,? said Nievera.

?I can speak Tagalog, but I need to get really comfortable on the set, which, I think, is happening now,? Valenciano pointed out.

The entire staff keeps them on their toes, said Valenciano. ?They coach us on the set, which I appreciate because I still have a lot to learn.?

The new show?s format is worlds away from Nievera?s old talk show ?Martin After Dark.? It?s also quite a departure from Nievera and Valenciano?s current variety show ?ASAP.?

?I was trained to talk lengthily with guests, but now I have to keep the pace snappy and the energy level high,? said Nievera.

?People call me Mr. Pure Energy, but Martin?s energy is amazing, even after taping two shows back-to-back,? Valenciano related.

An even bigger challenge is keeping the contestants safe.

?That?s why we can?t go live. We have to tape, so we can check the distractions and the contestants before and after each take,? Valenciano said.

There?s a bunch of pros on the set, including a stunt coordinator (Badge Santos) and a medical team and safety marshals (led by Dr. Catherine Sabili).

When the Philippine Daily Inquirer photographer tried the Running Machine, his blood pressure, pulse rate and medical history were taken before the stunt. After the challenge, the doctor also gave the photographer a pain reliever.

The same tests were administered on the show?s celebrity and non-celebrity contestants.

?It?s a cross between a Japanese game show and a singing contest,? explained executive producer Rancy Recato. ?It?s a franchise from Zodiac Entertainment. The original show is from the United Kingdom.?

?We take lots of precautions,? said associate producer Rose Casala. ?The mic in the Ice Dip is hanging from the ceiling... so it won?t get wet and the contestant won?t get electrocuted.?

?Actually, our local version is a lot tamer,? Nievera insisted. ?Our time slot is family-friendly.?

?We have to take Pinoy culture into consideration. We just want the show to be fun,? said Valenciano. ?We don?t want the kids at home to imitate anything too dangerous.?