Thriller (viral Video) - Aftermath

Aftermath

In late 2007, Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 2 scheduled a visit from some of its celebrities to the provincial jail. The celebrities danced with 1,600 CPDRC inmates to the tune of "Rico Mambo" as part of their weekly task, set by Big Brother. The request had been made by Maria Rowena Benitez, Pinoy Big Brother production manager. The housemates were not informed of their task, but were brought to the prison in blindfolds. They were then subsequently given back their sight, with the inmates surrounding them. Beforehand, it was also announced that the Big Brother celebrity housemates would perform a concert, with the proceeds being donated to CPDRC. The concert, held inside the Pinoy Big Brother house in Manila, was attended by 100 people, who each paid P1,000.

The CPDRC inmates have performed numerous other songs, including Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" and several songs from Sister Act, with prisoners dressing as nuns in habits. 44 female inmates, held in a separate wing from the males, joined the men in a dance to "I Will Follow Him". "Hail Holy Queen", from Sister Act 2, and the Algorithm March were also performed by the convicts and then upload onto YouTube. The inmates dance in order to help pass the time while serving their prison sentences or awaiting a trial. More than 900 of the inmates take part in the routines, with a small group of dancers at the core of each performance. Every prisoner at CPDRC, apart from the old and the infirm, has a part in the routine. Garcia directs and choreographs each of the dances. The inmates' participation is said to be completely voluntary, with no prisoner being forced to dance. "It would be different if they are being forced to dance", declared Rubio. "I've never known any prisoners being forced to dance. It's normal to dance." The inmates have express pride at their performing success, and routinely query the viewing figures for their routines. By August 2007, ten of the prisoners' performances had been viewed over 100,000 times each. In 2007, the prisoners stated that they were to perform to Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby". At the time, they were also practicing Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder's "Together in Electric Dreams", a homage to the inmates' fans.

In January 2008, Garcia requested that the prisoners perform their Thriller routine at the annual Sinulog festival, a popular street-music festival organised by the Catholic Augustinian in celebration of baby Jesus. The nine-day fiesta and party is preceded by a solemn religious procession. The mayor of Cebu, Tomas Osmena, refused to permit the request, stating that the inmates could dance all they wanted in jail. "I will not allow it even if Michael Jackson joins them", he commented. Garcia had hoped that, by allowing the inmates to be a part of the Sinulog celebrations, Cebu would showcase the success of his rehabilitation programme. "By showing these highly disciplined inmates, perhaps we might just be giving hope that Cebu is not just about the mardi gras, but rather, Cebu is about leadership and good governance." The CPDRC inmates were expected to be tough competition for the Lumad Basakonon, a group which has won the free interpretation category of the Sinulog festival for two consecutive years.

As a result of the prisoners' internet fame, many visitors come to CPDRC to view the monthly performances held by the convicts. Their presentations are seen from viewing platforms surrounding the exercise yard. At the jail, visitors can have their pictures taken with the inmates. They can also buy souvenir prison shirts. A research student from The Netherlands, Anne Yzerman, attended one of the two-hour shows and praised the convicts. "They are so good at dancing all the time. I was really impressed." The CPDRC inmates dance numbers include a rendition of Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero". The performance involves the inmates holding portraits of figures such as the Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II and Mahatma Gandhi. After Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, Cebu prison officials announced that the prison inmates would be recreating the Thriller routine on the following Saturday, June 27, 2009. On June 27, 2009, the tribute video was uploaded with a dance routine for "Ben", "I'll Be There", and "We Are the World".

In January 2010, the prisoners performed "The Drill" and "They Don't Care About Us" as another tribute to Jackson, and for the release of the Michael Jackson's This Is It DVD and Blu-ray disc.

In 2011, in the Glee episode "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle", Glee club director Will Schuester made a reference about the "Thriller" viral video to motivate the children to do a "Thriller" performance much like from the Philippine prison.