• Nickname :Sanne or Roxie
• Birthday :Feb. 14, 1986
• Zodiac Sign :Aquarius
• Parents :Bernardo and Ana Ginoo
• Height :5’4"
• Weight :110 lbs.
• School :AB Psychology (freshman), La Salle Dasmariñas
• Hobbies :Playing volleyball, texting, bowling and watching movies
• Favorite Stars :Claudine Barretto, Kristine Hermosa and Jericho Rosales
• Favorite Song :Mellow music
• Favorite Singer :Regine Velasquez
• Favorite Food :Pizza, pasta and chocolates
• Expression :Yikes! Yuck!
• Motto :No harm in trying.
• Full Name :John Ross Gamboa
• Nickname :Joross
• Birthday :Nov. 28, 1984
• Zodiac Sign :Sagittarius
• Parents :Renato Gamboa / Ramona Sanchez
• Height :5’8"
• Weight :132 lbs.
• School :Global City Innovative College School of Nursing
• Hobbies :Playing basketball and hanging out with friends
• Favorite Stars :Brad Pitt, Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales and Edu Manzano
• Favorite Singer :Regine Velasquez
• Favorite Food :Sisig
• Favorite Movies :Comedy, action and those with visual/special effects
• Expression :Jajajajajamby!
• Motto :Trust yourself and others will trust you.
• Full Name :Sandara Park
• Nickname :Sandy
• Birthday :Nov. 12, 1984
• Zodiac Sign :Scorpio
• Parents :Iksu Park / Kyong Ran Kim
• Height :5’4"
• Weight :90 lbs.
• School :High school graduate
• Hobbies :Singing, listening to music and surfing the Net
• Favorite Star : Patrick Garcia (forever!)
• Favorite Singers :Regine Velasquez, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera
• Favorite Food :Sinigang and tapsilog
• Favorite Movies :Romantic-comedies
• Expression :I don’t know!
• Motto :I can do it!
• Full Name :Hero Angeles
• Nickname :Hero
• Birthday :Dec. 8, 1984
• Zodiac Sign :Sagittarius
• Parents :Francisco Angeles / Maria Elena Hervacio
• Height :5’8"
• Weight :120 lbs.
• School :UP (Diliman)
• Hobbies :Texting, chatting and Net-surfing
• Favorite Stars :Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales and Heart Evangelista
• Favorite Singers :Linkin Park and Incubus
• Favorite Food :Cinnamon Rolls
• Favorite Movies :Harry Potter series and Matrix
• Expression :Astig!
• Motto :Always do your best!
• Full Name :Melissa Marie Ricks
• Nickname :Mel or Nene
• Birthday :Jan. 9, 1990
• Zodiac Sign :Capricorn
• Parents :Carey Ricks / Josefina Ramos
• Height :5’6"
• Weight :100 lbs.
• School :OB Montessori
• Hobbies :Texting and watching TV/movies
• Favorite Stars :Heart Evangelista and Carlos Agassi
• Favorite Singer :Britney Spears
• Favorite Food :Steaks, burgers and junk food
• Favorite Movies :I Know What You Did Last Summer and Final Destination
• Expression :Whatever! and Evil!
• Motto :Treat others as you would like to be treated.
And then there was one.
By this time, you should know who’s The Lucky One, chosen last night at the SRO Araneta Coliseum by the same three-man panel of jurors composed of Boy Abunda, Gloria Diaz and director Laurenti Dyogi who must have incurred the ire of thousands of televiewers (especially relatives of "voted out" aspirants) with their no-holds-barred, no-nonsense and often cutting comments on the contestants’ talent (or lack of it).
ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Quest (SCQ) is over. What a relief! To the five lucky finalists in each category (one for grown-ups and the other for kids), it must be. All 10 of them were virtual winners, each already richer by P1 million in cash and contracts (and double that plum for the two winners).
It was fun while it lasted. More than 5,500 showed up for the auditions conducted by a committee composed of producers and directors of ABS-CBN and representatives from the station’s Talent Center. The number was winnowed down to 200 star-struck hopefuls "grilled" on national television by the three ogres (that must have been how Boy and Gloria and Laurenti looked to many people), sometimes helped along by "guest" judges. The public logged in their votes by texting.
From 200, the number was trimmed further to 50, then to 25, then to 15, then to 10, with one contestant unceremoniously (relentlessly?) dropped during the elimination rounds.
And then there were five: Roxanne Ginoo, John Ross "Joross" Gamboa, Sandara Park (a pure Korean), Hero Angeles and Melissa Ricks.
Conversations sat down with the Fab 5 a few days before last night’s grand finals. Here’s how they assessed each other’s chances:
Are you ready for showbiz with all the pressures and intrigues?
Roxanne: I’m ready even if it hurts sometimes. Tinatatagan ko ang loob ko.
Melissa: I’m preparing myself for anything. I know that showbiz is full not only of pressures but also of intrigues. Now that we are in it, we must be ready to face anything.
Sandara: I’m ready but I still can’t stop crying. Among us, I’ve faced the most number of intrigues. Someday, I’ll get used to them.
Hero: I’m also preparing myself. Hindi maiwasan, e! I always remind myself, "Be true to yourself!"
Joross: Ready, willing and able! Huwag lang madadamay ang pamilya ko.
How did you get into Star Circle Quest?
Roxanne: My sister saw Bayani (Agbayani) plug the search on MTB, so she encouraged me to audition. I auditioned at SM Bicutan.
Melissa: My cousins told me, "Mag-artista ka – dahil maarte ka!" So I auditioned for the SCQ after I attended a workshop at ABS-CBN.
Sandara: I always asked my friends to inform me if they’d hear about a contest like SCQ. During the audition, I danced the Otso-Otso and I made the (screening committee) laugh.
Hero: I started in modelling. My friends told me, "You be an actor. Sayang ang opportunity. You’re not getting any younger." I heard about the audition on TV.
Joross: Marami ang nagsasabi sa akin na makapal daw ang mukha ko. I love to entertain, too, and people told me na puede akong artista. At first, I wasn’t really interested in showbiz. But now, I’m learning to love it.
Any acting experience before SCQ?
Roxanne: I had auditioned for teatros. I passed but my parents stopped me from joining the teatro. My first real acting experience was in SCQ.
Melissa: I started as print-ad commercial model. I also did TV commercials (Wendy’s, Bayfresh, etc.), pero second lead lang.
Sandara: None whatsoever. The SCQ audition was my first time to act – that’s why my acting was like that.
Hero: In school, I did a little mime acting. I learned a lot about acting only at SCQ and during our workshops.
Joross: I did one school play but I didn’t really enjoy the experience because my character died in the beginning. But I’m a practical joker. I’m making jokes all the time.
What kind of family did you come from?
Roxanne: A happy family. Religious and conservative.
Melissa: Also a happy family. Our parents raised us very well.
Sandara: Our family is okay but sometimes lonely because we don’t have relatives here. I was born and grew up in Pusan (South Korea).
Hero: Masaya kahit puro problema. Yes, I admit na nag-stowaway ako. I was affected kasi by my parents’ problems. They almost broke up. Noong nag-rebelde ako, natauhan sila.
Joross: A typical family – mga komedyante! Vivo lahat. We’re open to one another. If any of us has a problem, we try to bond and solve it. Pinalaki kaming matitino.
Do you have any grudge against the SCQ judges?
Roxanne: None. It’s their job.
Melissa: Wala rin. I even laughed at some of their punchlines, lalo na ’yung kay Tito Boy. Sometimes, para siyang lasing!
Sandara: Grudge? What does it mean? (You know, hinanakit. – RFL). Ah, grudge! None. When they told me, "Sandara, you’re the weakest!" I got mad for one second and then I forgot all about it. I loved them!
Hero: I enjoyed their comments, pero kinakabahan ako kapag si Tito Boy na ang nagsasalita. He told me that I was "parang iced tea na walang ice." For a while, I didn’t want to drink iced tea. Pero nang binawi ni Tito Boy, I started taking iced tea again.
Joross: Actually, their criticisms helped us improve ourselves. I thank the judges for that.
What’s your most embarrassing moment on the show?
Roxanne: During the audition, they asked us to do drama and then comedy. My comic line was, "Magpapalaki ako ng boobs!" I thought it was embarrassing especially after they began teasing me about it.
Melissa: Not really embarrassing but somewhat scary. While we were recording, I imagined that somebody invisible was at my back. It turned out to be a cockroach na pumasok sa likod ko!
Sandara: I was embarrassed everytime they told me, "Sandara, you’re the weakest!"
Hero: I’d be embarrassed everytime Joross and I committed mistakes during our dance numbers. Dinaan na lang namin sa adlib para ma-cover-up.
Joross: When that happened on ASAP Fanatic, sa sobrang kaba namin, we committed so many mistakes that Hero and I decided to do many adlibs. Hayun, nakalusot!
What’s the best lesson that you learned from the SCQ experience?
Roxanne: Patience. Dapat habaan ang pasensya. Also, tatagan ang sarili sa criticism at intriga.
Melissa: Hard work. When you watch TV, you think that what they’re doing is easy. But once you yourself are doing it, you realize that it’s hard pala. Easy to watch but hard to do.
Sandara: Always try hard and do your best. Don’t give up!
Hero: Learn to trust yourself; always be confident. Don’t forget to call on The Lord. He’s the source of our strength.
Joross: In everything you do, make a career of it. It’s true: You can’t have the best of both worlds. Also, criticisms help make better persons out of us.
What do you think are your chances in the finals – on a scale of 1 to 10?
Roxanne: Eight.
Melissa: Seven and a half.
Sandara: One. I’m just excited about my solo number.
Hero: Eight.
Joross: Eight.
If you were a judge, who do you think should win?
Roxanne: Joross. Magaling sa acting; kaya mag-drama, mag-action, mag-comedy.
Melissa: Joross...Kasi, since the audition nakita ko na makapal na ang mukha niya.
Sandara: Joross. Makapal ang mukha!
Hero: Kung hindi ako, si Roxanne.
Joross: Roxanne. Besides being promising, kumapal na rin ang mukha niya!
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph)