Driven by, yes, the will to win!

The acts were mind-boggling, especially the acrobats who took the crowd’s breath away; one contestant did an amazing magic with the playing cards; another contestant did wonders with the yoyo without missing a beat; while others rendered songs with powerful voices.

And the winners are…oops! hold it! They will be announced on Friday, May 4, during the final episode of the three-part Wowowin special devoted to the grand finals of the show’s popular The Will To Win segment. Airing starts on Wednesday, May 2 (on GMA, 5:30 p.m. before 24 Oras).

The taping was done last Friday (from 2:30 to 10:30 p.m.) at the Kia Theater (at the Araneta Center) which was made up by host-producer Willie Revillame…to the tune of P7M?...who had the stage upgraded to accommodate not just the orchestra but the gigantic props of some of the contestants (the acrobatic acts). Kia looked like a huge studio that night, complete with a camera crane and blinding lights all around.

…with co-hosts (the three to Willie’s right) Sugar Mercado (former Sexbomb and Eat, Bulaga! co-host), Jannie Loudette Alipo-on (2017 Mutya ng Pilipinas International/Miss Tourism International) and Camille Angelica Canlas (Wowowin’s Gandang Filipina second runner-up); and (to Willie’s left) guest co-hosts Paolo Contis, Valeen Montenegro and Chariz Solomon.

Willie was, as always, in total control, true to his reputation as, I should say, “The Pied Piper of Game Shows” leading the Wowowin multitude to wherever he wanted them to, obeying his word diligently (including, that night, “not to use cell phones” to avoid posting any “leaks” that would spoil the suspense).

His booming voice reverberated in the four corners of Kia as he kicked off the show, “Handa na ba kayo?” The SRO audience (filled to the rafters, as they would say) screamed as one equally booming voice, shaking Kia, “Yes!!!” Okay, ordered Willie, “Palakpakan!” The crowd clapped. “Palakpakan na may kasamang hiyawan!” The crowd clapped with accompanying louder screaming, waving and swaying to the beat of the show’s opening song.

And to think that Willie hadn’t yet began throwing jackets to the crowd. The much-awaited “Bigyan ng jacket ‘yan!” (with Cherry Mobile phones thrown in for good measure) had to be dispensed with that night, to give way to the 27 contestants who had been rehearsing for hours until 4 a.m. of the big day.

The acts were mind-boggling, especially the acrobats who took the crowd’s breath away, especially when they swang from here to there, tumbled in the air, stood on their head or their hands, executed “life-threatening” (buwis-buhay) motions that made the crowd gasp, so precise was their performance that could qualify them for, ehem, Cirque du Soleil?

The board of judges, from left: Your Funfarer, director Bert de Leon, GMA executives Joey Abacan and Annette Gozon-Valdes, Ruffa Gutierrez and new Kapuso John Estrada

One contestant did an amazing magic with the playing cards; oh no, not the usual tricks so common in other shows. He made you wonder: where did he get all those cards that kept on flying from his bare hands and from nowhere, covering the stage floor with them? Another contestant did wonders with the yoyo without missing a beat even as he danced a bit, turned around a bit, bent this way and that a bit, throwing the yoyo into the air and catching it with a string.

A few others sang (what powerful voices they had!). There was a saxophonist and a ventriloquist.

True to the competition’s title, all the contestants were ready, willing and able, equipped with “the will to win” at all costs.

All in all, the show presented world-class Filipino talents. Two years ago, I watched the Britain’s Got Talent finals in London, pitting contestants with varied talents (not just singing), and I daresay that what we saw Friday night at Kia was just as awesome (read: with “shock effect”) if not even better.

“The judges are having a hard time making a decision,” said Willie. Yes, “We are,” agreed the six judges in whose hands lay the fate of the 27 contestants. At stake were P2M for the first-prize winner, P300,000 for the second placer and P200,000 for the third placer.

Sorry but as one of the judges (like the contestants who signed a “non-disclosure” agreement), I cannot tell you who the winners are. Just stay tuned to Wowowin.

A ‘good luck’ eight-piece cake from Pinky to LA

To wish LA Santos “good luck” on his first solo (#Petmalu) concert tonight at the Music Museum, Pinky Fernando baked an eight-piece cake, with each piece representing a letter of LA’s name, lit up by LA’s pictures on top of his concert’s title.

Well-loved by showbiz denizens, Pinky bakes specialized cakes for her star friends (including those from media like Lolit Solis) gratis et amore. She is shown leftmost with LA’s mom Flor Santos whom Pinky was meeting for the first time at LA’s presscon at Max’s restaurant.

LA’s eyes widened in excitement when he saw the cake.

“It’s beautiful!” he exclaimed. ”Are all the (small) cakes for me?”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]  For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare  or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)