Beau Belga's other side: Happy host of “Extra Rice” on “The Score”

Beau Belga has gone from being the other half of Philippine basketball’s “Extra Rice Brothers” to hosting his own segment on TV called “Extra Rice” on ABS-CBN S+A’s flagship sports show “The Score.”

Viewers have been seeing Beau share his insights on basketball topics as a resident analyst in the program, but now they get to see another side of him in “Extra Rice.” Here he takes fellow cagers to a new place to eat, getting to know them further as they enjoy great food.

Some of the notable guests he has had include PBA legends Allan Caidic and Jerry Codiñera, and rising stars Rey Nambatac and Javee Mocon.

The big man was apprehensive at first when ABS-CBN Integrated Sports head for digital and “The Score’s” main anchor Mico Halili, and the program’s former executive producer Oxy Del Rosario broached the idea of him hosting his own segment within the program.

“Wala akong experience sa pagho-host, baka mamaya pinagtri-tripan ako, eh nung kinukulit ako, sabi ko seryoso ‘ata‘tong mga‘to (First of all, I have no experience, and they may just be playing a prank on me. But they kept on nagging me so I thought that maybe hey, they must be serious),” Belga said laughing.

As a burly 6’6” center, who’s known for his toughness being his team’s lead enforcer, no one was prepared to see “Big Beau the segment host.”

The former national team member even comes up with his own ideas to spice up the script that they have prepared that day. “Binabagay ko sa kausap. Pag hiniritan mo ng ‘di maganda, maoffend. Papakiramdaman mo sa unang tanong ta’s saka mo hihiritan ng mga adlib para mapasaya din at dagdag gana sa nanonood. Kung may nakikita ako sa set, tinitignan ko pwede kong maitulong o macontribute para maayos ‘yung episode na ginagawa (I try to make it work to whoever our guest is, so as not to offend them. Once we’re all comfortable, that’s when we take out the funny sidecomments. Sometimes I also look around the set to see if there’s something I can add to make the episode better),” he said.

As for getting used to being in front of a camera, consciously this time as opposed to being on the court as a player, Beau admitted that this has made him more open to doing more TV work but his focus remains to be basketball. “Maglaro ng lang siguro, basketball pa rin. Pasundot-sundot, pero hindi mo pwede sabihin na full-time job o eksperto. Sa “The Score” eh experience mo lang din ang sinasabi mo, at hindi ka pinipigilan sa gusto mo sabihin. Dun ako nag-eenjoy (I still prefer playing basketball more than TV work. I can’t say it’s a full-time job, or am already expert. From my experience with “The Score,” I just share my experience, and we are at liberty with what we share. That’s what I enjoy the most),” shared Belga. 

While he gets to show his other side as the host of “Extra Rice,” Beau is also able to help bring out the other side of his guests, who are athletes like him.

“Marami ka matutunan sa kanila na pwede mo i-apply lalo na kung nag-aspire ka maging basketball player. May lesson at the same time, may makukuha kang lugar kung sa’n ka pwede kumain. Isa pa doon ‘yung makikita mo totoong ugali ng player na guest sa every episode. May iba kasi nakita mo sa personal, tahimik, tas pagharap sa camera, medyo jolly, nailalabas nila ‘yung totoong sila na hindi mo makita pag nakikita mo sa mall (You will learn a lot from the inputs of our guests, especially if you want to be a basketball player or aspire to be one in the near future. There’s a lesson, there’s a new place to discover to eat. Another is you get to discover how the players are in real life, their real selves, which most fans would not be able to see when they see them in malls or other places),” shared Belga.

Don’t miss “Extra Rice” hosted by Big Beau Belga on “The Score” on ABS-CBN Sports’ platforms on TV on ABS-CBN S+A and on digital on the ABS-CBN Sports YouTube channel and iWant.

For more stories and news on “The Score” and “Extra Rice,” follow @ABSCBNSports on Twitter and Facebook or visit sports.abs-cbn.com. For updates, follow @ABSCBNPR on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or visit www.abscbnpr.com.