MANILA, Philippines – TV host Bianca Gonzalez said that she was surprised that the “nude-painting” challenge during the June 4 episode of Pinoy Big Brother All-In became a big deal for many.

“I was actually so surprised that it became a big an issue as it is. We thought yeah, we talked about it na hindi nga naman normal (it’s not normal), nude painting but we had so many other challenges na na-MTRCB na rin,” Bianca told Rappler.

The TV host believes that a lot of people were not aware that the challenge posted to the housemates was a question.

“A lot of people did not know that it was a question, meaning are you willing to pose nude for a painting? Yes or no. I think a lot of people were under the assumption that Kuya said ‘na eto ang task ninyo (this is your task), you have to pose for a nude painting.’ If you put it that way yun yung masama (that’s the one that’s bad),” Bianca said.

She also said had the challenge pushed through, the show would definitely protect the housemates involved. 

In the June 4 episode of the show, housemate Jayme Jalandoni was asked by Kuya (Big Brother) if she was willing to pose nude for a painting for charity. Jayme, a devout Christian, initially said yes and even asked three housemates to accompany her to do the task. However, she later backed out.

The episode caught the attention of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) as well as Senators Pia Cayetano and Nancy Binay, who asked the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to look into the matter.

On June 11, after a mandatory conference, the producers of PBB issued an apology, saying that they never meant to violate any rights of women and that they will be “provide quality and yet gender-and audience-sensitive entertainment.”

Meanwhile, according to a report by ABS-CBN, host Toni Gonzaga defended the show, saying that the producers would not issue any challenges that the housemates cannot do.

“Everything naman na ginagawa sa PBB under the supervision of Endemol, the one in charge sa Big Brother franchise. Hindi naman sila gagawa ng isang bagay na hindi nila kino-konsulta sa isang programa,” Toni said.

(Everything that is done in PBB is under the supervision of Endemol. They would not do anything they did not consult about for the program.) –Rappler.com