The first season of Survivor Philippines premiered on September 15, 2008, and ended its run on December 14 of the same year, when John Carlo "JC" Tiuseco, defeating Robert Vincent "Rob" Sy in a vote of 7–2. Auditions for this season were held in six Philippine cities in May 2008. From these auditions, 18 contestants were selected to participate on the show in June 2008. The show was filmed in Ko Tarutao, the same island where Survivor: Thailand took place, from July to August, 2008.