THE doors of the iconic yellow and blue “Pinoy Big Brother (PBB)” house have finally opened to welcome a new batch of housemates, composed of Kamilya and Kapuso artists.
A total of 15 celebrity housemates—from actors to content creators—were introduced to the public on Sunday, March 9, for the historic “PBB Celebrity Edition Collab.”
While having celebrities as housemates is nothing new in the hit reality show, this is the first time in the “PBB” history that celebrities from media giants ABS-CBN and GMA Network will live under one roof and collaborate to fulfill certain tasks given by Big Brother or Kuya.
Of the said 15 housemates, eight are from Kapuso Network’s Sparkle: Ashley Ortega, the “Independent Tis-Ice Princess San Juan;” AZ Martinez, the “Miss Sunuring Daughter ng Cebu;” Will Ashley, the “Mama’s Dreambae ng Cavite;” Josh Ford, the “Survivor Lad ng United Kingdom;” Charlie Fleming, the “Bubbly Bread Teener ng Cagayan de Oro;” Dustin Yu, the “Chinito Boss-Sikap ng Quezon City;” Mika Salamanca, the “Controversial Ca-Babe-Len ng Pampanga;” and Michael Sager, the “Diligent Wonder Son ng Marinduque.”
Meanwhile, ABS-CBN’s Star Magic is represented by AC Bonifacio, the “Dedicated Showstopper ng Canada;” Esnyr, the “Son-sational Viral Beshie ng Davao del Sur;” Klarisse De Guzman, the “Kuwela Soul Diva ng Antipolo;” Brent Manalo, the “Gentle-Linong Heartthrob ng Tarlac;” River Joseph, the “Sporty Business Bro ng Muntinlupa City;” Ralph De Leon, the “Dutiful Judo-son ng Cavite;” and Kira Balinger, the “Hopeful Belle ng Cavite.”
More celebrity housemates will be revealed soon.
This historic collaboration between the two networks marks the reality show’s 20th anniversary.
Aside from the housemates, the hosts for “PBB Celebrity Edition Collab” are a fusion of Kapamilya and Kapuso artists. They are Robi Domingo, Bianca Gonzalez, Melai Cantiveros, Kim Chiu, Enchong Dee, Alexa Ilacad, Gabbi Garcia, and Mavy Legaspi.
First task, house guest
The pilot episode of “PBB Celebrity Edition Collab” showed how housemates were introduced to each other.
The twist this season was Kapuso and Kapamilya stars had to find one another inside the GMA Network Center and ABS-CBN Compound, respectively, using clues describing their backgrounds and personalities.
The two camps assembled before meeting each other inside Bahay Ni Kuya, where they were welcomed by Ilacad and Legaspi, Ortega’s real-life boyfriend.
While the housemates and the two hosts were interacting, Kuya welcomed a mysterious guest clad in a gold cloak. She later took it off to reveal her identity: actress and content creator Ivana Alawi, the first celebrity house guest for “PBB Celebrity Edition Collab.”
Alawi is not there for no reason. She has been tasked to convince other housemates that she is also one of Kuya’s boarders. She earned the moniker, the “Phenomenal Content Queen ng Quezon City,” to help her with the task.
In addition, she has to give gifts to three housemates. How is she going to do that? Kuya said Alawi will find out at the right time.
Many netizens continue to talk about the pilot episode of “PBB Celebrity Edition Collab” on social media, making the hashtag “PBB The Big Collab” trend on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, March 10.
“PBB Celebrity Edition Collab” airs on weekdays at 10 p.m. and weekends at 6:15 p.m. on GMA Prime. The show is also available via live streams on “PBB’s” YouTube page, Kapamilya Online Live, and iWantTFC.
‘Sikat Ang Pinoy’ theme song
Meanwhile, Star Music dropped the theme song for “PBB Celebrity Edition Collab.”
“Sikat Ang Pinoy” is performed by Julie Anne San Jose and Darren Espanto. It was composed and produced by Jonathan Manalo.
The song is about being proud as Filipinos who are known to be talented, reliable, and resilient. A part of the track goes: “Sikat na sikat ang Pinoy / Kahit sa’n mapunta / Kitang-kita mo naman ang kagalingan, oh / Iba ang galing ng Pinoy / Malayo’ng mararating / Ipagmalaki mo na kaya natin.”
Espanto and San Jose performed the song during the opening episode of “PBB Celebrity Edition Collab,” where they were joined by “PBB Gen 11’s” “Big Four” Fyang Smith, Rain Celmar, Kolette Madelo, and Kai Montinola.
“Sikat Ang Pinoy” is now available on digital music platforms, with a lyric video on ABS-CBN Star Music’s YouTube channel.
