Spiral pole dancer’s inspiring story

Kristel de Catalina’s story as a single mom is inspiring and her world-class act in Pilipinas Got Talent: The Greatest Showdown Saturday night at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center won the hearts and votes of Pilipinas Got Talent (PGT) judges and Filipino viewers, who made her the grand winner of PGT Season 6.

Known for her signature spiral pole dance routine, Kristel leveled it up with an aerial stunt that kept audiences on the edge of their seats. Her grand finals performance earned a score of 99.67 percent covering the text and online votes of viewers and the scores of judges Angel Locsin, Robin Padilla and Vice Ganda.

“I am overwhelmed. I have mixed emotions and I still can’t believe it,” said Kristel in an interview after the PGT grand finals. She won P2M cash prize and a luxurious vacation package.

Kristel, who made history as the first solo female act to win in PGT since it started six seasons ago, said she will use her winnings to ensure a brighter future for her child.

“I’ll save it for my son’s education. He is only seven years old, so the P2M will go a long way,” she said.

During the PGT auditions, Kristel impressed Vice Ganda who immediately sent her to the semis by choosing her as his Golden Buzzer act. Kristel then topped the public’s votes in her semi-finals round and earned her a slot in the PGT grand finals.

PGT judge Vice Ganda said he was proud of Kristel, “I felt like I was a mother witnessing the graduation of my daughter, who was awarded summa cum laude. That was what I felt. Congratulations!”

Vice added, “We were like the managers of our golden buzzers and the grand finals was the battle of our mentees. So, it was a different feeling when our Golden Buzzer acts were called. And when Kristel was announced as the grand winner, I felt like I also won.”

Meanwhile, Kristel felt happy because she was able to prove to Vice that she was deserving of the golden buzzer.

“I proved that I could overcome any challenges,” she said. “But I will not settle. I will still try to improve my craft.”

Since its launch, Pilipinas Got Talent has showcased the best of Filipino talent and highlight their determination, perseverance, and sacrifice to achieve their dreams.Joining Kristel in the Top 3 acts were para dance sports athletes Julius and Rhea who garnered 84.6 percent of the combined votes and judges’ scores and Joven Olvido with 79.05 percent.

PGT Season 6 grand finals enjoyed high TV ratings by topping all shows last weekend with 37.5 percent national TV ratings last Saturday and 39.7 percent last Sunday when the grand winner was announced. 

It is also the first Kapamilya show awarded with the YouTube Gold Creator Award for having a million-strong community on the video sharing website. It also has a million followers on its official Facebook page.

In the online world, PGT Season 6 has the highest combined views on Facebook and YouTube compared to its past seasons.

Pilipinas Got Talent was hosted by Billy Crawford and Toni Gonzaga with judges Freddie “FMG” Garcia, Angel Locsin, Robin Padilla and Vice Ganda.