PBB Collab to get Season 2

AZVer finishes 4th, BreKa crowned Big Winner

CEBU, Philippines — The AZVer duo of Cebuana housemate AZ Martinez and her Kapamilya partner River Joseph, along with their supporters, pulled out all the stops to become the first Big Winner Duo of ABS-CBN and GMA Network’s “Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition.” Yet, they were content with their placement as the Fourth Big Placer duo during the Big Night, held July 5 at the New Frontier Theater.

“When we were called, I wanted to scream and run outside because I was so excited to see what was happening onstage and the people there. I am so grateful and content that I have reached the Big Four and everything that comes with it,” said Martinez, the “Ang Miss Sunuring Daughter ng Cebu,” in an interview posted on GMA Network’s TikTok.

AZ, known for her transparency inside the house, earned her fair share of fans and critics.

River, dubbed “Ang Sporty Business Bro ng Muntinlupa City,” said of their placement: “Ever since we became part of the Big Four, I was already happy. I keep saying that we are already winners, and all of the duos we were with are also winners. Any placement we get tonight, we are winners. Even at fourth place, I am so happy that we got to be on this stage tonight.”

Also content with their placement as the Third Big Placer was the CharEs duo of Charlie Fleming and Esnyr, bannering themselves as young Bisdak breadwinners from Mindanao trying to make it big in tinseltown.

“I am so grateful that we are part of the Big Four, and that we were the first choice of housemates and ex-housemates [for Big Winner Duo]. It’s a huge miracle for us to be part of the Big Four, and we are happy to represent the youth, the breadwinners, and the gays,” said Esnyr, dubbed “Ang Son-sational Viral Bestie ng Davao del Sur,” in a separate interview with the Kapuso online team.

“And probinsyana breadwinner too,” added Fleming, dubbed “Ang Bubbly Bread Teener ng Cagayan de Oro.” “To be part of the Big Four, we are so grateful. It’s an amazing, big miracle that God could give us. We are happy to be here, whatever place we landed, and whatever happens next, I am just happy we are here together.”

But the ranking of CharEs, who were hailed the deserving Big Winner Duo by a near-unanimous pick from fellow housemates, shocked the public, including the remaining two finalist duos: RaWi, composed of Ralph De Leon and Will Ashley, who were named Second Big Placer; and BreKa, composed of Brent Manalo and Mika Salamanca, who were eventually crowned the Big Winner Duo.

RaWi, who both represented Cavite, were just one spot shy of securing the top title, which would have made for a good storyline in this Kapuso-Kapamilya edition of the reality show.

Ralph and Will had a rough start, with the “Ang Dutiful Judo-Son ng Cavite” constantly nominated before getting evicted and returning through a public wildcard with a more strategic gameplay.

Meanwhile, Will, “Ang Mama’s Dreambae ng Cavite” took a while to break out of his shell before viewers were eventually charmed by his personality.

BreKa’s journey, for their part, was nothing short of amazing. From Mika being labeled a “red flag” by her fellow housemates to Brent often isolating himself at the start, it made sense for these underdogs to unite and conquer the top spot, thanks to their gameplay and their equally strong supporters.

Viewers took notice of Mika, reflecting on how, just a few months ago, she was the first housemate to be heavily criticized due to a quarantine violation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inside the house, however, there was nothing that justified the “controversial” part of her moniker, “Ang Controversial Ca-Babe-Len ng Pampanga.” But she certainly earned the “ca-babe-len” (a pun on the Kapampangan word cabalen, meaning friend), with her lovable personality and unapologetic affection toward her fellow housemates.

The BreKa duo won P1 million in cash each, as they lead the final tally with 33.03% of the votes, combining votes on the Maya app and additional votes won in their final “One Million Votes” challenge tasks.

Second placer RaWi received P500,000 each with 25.88% of the votes, followed by CharEs with P300,000 each and 22.91%, while AZVer went home with P200,000 each after garnering 8.77% of the total votes.

Some housemates have already secured projects following the conclusion of PBB Collab.

Mika and Shuvee Etrata appear in “Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’gre” as Anaca and Veshdita, allies to the series’ antagonist Mitena, played by Rhian Ramos. AZ and Vince Maristela also portray characters in the fantasy show’s “Mundo ng Mga Tao.”

While Will was still inside the house, it was announced that the Kapuso actor had been cast in the “Bar Boys” sequel starring Kean Cipriano, Enzo Pineda, and Rocco Nacino. He will play Arvin, a struggling law student. The film’s Facebook page revealed that Will auditioned for the role two weeks before entering the PBB house.

River and Emilio Daez both appear in the ongoing iWantTFC online series “Love at First Spike,” which began airing while River was still inside the house.

In addition, a fan concert featuring all of the housemates, dubbed “The Big Collove,” will take place at the Araneta Coliseum on August 10.

Worth the collab

From “It’s Showtime” taking over the Kapuso noontime slot to “Hello, Love Again” earning billions at the box office, it shouldn’t be a surprise that ABS-CBN and GMA would collaborate again through a special season of PBB.

What was a surprise, however, was how widely popular the Collab Edition became. From a mere curiosity about how the dynamics of Star Magic and Sparkle talents would play out inside the house, the show sparked constant conversation on social media since its premiere on March 9, luring casual viewers in ways not seen in recent editions.

There’s no doubt that this season was carried by its vibrant cast of Kapamilyas and Kapusos, who truly highlighted the show’s goal of collaboration while making names for themselves on national TV.

Unlike in civilian editions of PBB, the housemates had already experienced the public spotlight. No longer camera-shy and having undergone personality development training, they were able to showcase who they are from the pilot week.

Adding to the dynamic was the duo system. The concept initially received mixed reactions, with concerns that a well-liked housemate might be evicted due to a controversial partner, as seen with the ACLey duo of AC Bonifacio and Ashley Ortega in the first eviction round.

But the format also allowed strong pairs to form, most notably the ShuKla duo of Shuvee and Klarisse de Guzman, and the MiLi duo of Michael Sager and Emilio Daez. It also sparked countless loveteams, such as KiSh of Kira Balinger and Josh Ford, and placed Bianca De Vera at the center of a mutual triangle between Will and Dustin Yu, prompting WilCa and DusBi “shippers” to take sides.

With these factors contributing to the season’s popularity, it’s no surprise that the Kapamilya-Kapuso collaboration will continue with a second season slated to air later this year, as announced at the end of the Big Night.

The continued partnership is vital for both companies. GMA is seeking to rebound after a 49 percent profit loss in the first half of last year due to declining sales and rising production costs, according to The Philippine STAR. Meanwhile, ABS-CBN is maximizing efforts to achieve profitability within 18 months.

While it remains to be seen whether ABS-CBN will lend a PBB season again to TV5 through its blocktime agreement on primetime, the Kapatid network’s boss Manny Pangilinan still gets a slice of the Kapuso-Kapamilya pie, as his telco company, Smart Communications, owns PBB’s voting partner app, Maya, through Voyager Innovations.

In essence, this season of PBB marks a new era in the Philippine media industry, where ratings are no longer a source of friction between rival networks. As viewers shift from traditional TV to online platforms, this edition proved that the industry can evolve through collaboration, and not through intense competition of the past.