Survivor celebrity castaway Ian Batherson says reality show helped him treat showbiz seriously!

Ian Batherson did not hesitate when he was asked to join Survivor Philippines Celebrity Showdown. StarStruck V had just finished then and he was happy to do another primetime project in GMA-7.

"This was right when natapos pa lang yung StarStruck. Tapos nagtanong sa akin kung gusto kong mag-join. Hindi ako nag-hesitate. I joned right away. Yeah, I'm gonna do it," Ian told PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) last night, August 23, at the press launch of Survivor Philippines Celebrity Showdown at GMA-7's Studio 5.



As a newcomer in showbiz, 21-year-old Ian thinks Survivor will help his budding showbiz career.

"Para sa akin this is a career-launcher," he said in broken Tagalog. "Career-booster. Especially for me, kasi bago pa lang ako. I really need the exposure, pero I just came from a hit show, yung StarStruck. So, para sa akin, it's like a double blow to the crowd. So, para sa akin, it's only gonna help me. It's not gonna hurt me, it's gonna help me. And it's primetime!"

Ian, who admitted being a fan of the U.S. reality show franchise, also thought Survivor will help him decide if showbiz is really for him. The German-Filipino young actor said he actually planned to just go back to the U.S. after StarStruck V.

"Pero after this awesome opportunity and blessing, para sa akin, I need to stay. I think I'm really meant to do showbiz. Nag-e-enjoy din ako dito sa Pilipinas, so yun ang gusto ko," he said.

Ian added, "Alam ko talaga kung hindi ko tanggapin yung offer 'to, parang magsisi ako. And ganun, like parang nahihirapan pag-decide, pero I think I made the best decision."

Ian is eager to learn acting and even dreams of becoming a "matinee idol."

"Gusto ko talaga mag-act. Alam ko talaga hindi ako perfect for acting. Pero alam ko talaga kung ayusin ko talaga yung Tagalog ko, at saka I try really hard and I focus, parang kaya ko. I wanna be a matinee idol," he said.

Because he was raised abroad, one of his obvious obstacles to this goal is his Tagalog, Ian said .

"May accent pa so inaayos ko pa ng kaunti," he said. "Nagkaklase din ako sa Tagalog. It takes time naman. Kailangan mong maging pasyente [patient] dito sa Pilipinas. So, para sa akin okay naman yung Tagalog ko for one year, di ba? Pero yung accent ko, parang ayos lang."