I was at the second row from the front as we witnessed the final stretch of this talent search unfold last Sunday at the Araneta Center.
There were 5 left.
And yes the one who won as the Male Ultimate Starstruck champion happened to be the least of them all... Steven.
Im not writing this to cast a personal slur against him. I'm sure he's a great and nice person- and yes probably million miles nicer than me. But I'm coming from a very superficial, shallow and external point of view that ordinary gawkers like me- who doesn't care about personal character when watching television- have.
When we watched the talent portion, he was clearly not the best dancer nor singer ("Average" would have been bearable) and he doesn't even speak fluent filipino (which, of course, historically will not be a big deal in showbizland granted you're "superbly-out of this world- drop dead-gorgeous" which clearly is Not the case). By the looks of it, its hard to imagine how he even managed to be part of the top 5. Apparently, what he has on his side though is tremendous online/text votes. That was enough to squash seemingly better opponents to grab the ultimate prize.
As for the others, how I wish Diva Montelibano would have sung live and had gotten a better choreographer (G-Force caliber). With her sculpted body, exotic bronze skin and sexy dance moves- she can be the country's "Rihanna"- a better localized version compared to Lady Gaga's "Jolie" (I won't go to detail on this one)...
As for Sarah the female winner, yes we saw it coming ;) Her wholesome mestiza-looks reminiscent of a starting Kristine Hermosa with an average singing voice sealed the crown.
On the other hand, Enzo Pineda- the son of influential Eric Pineda- business manager of Manny Paquiao- being the youngest of the male candidates got the best place as 1st prince since losing the top title will devoid him of nasty rumors of power mangling. Being 2nd place will also free him of the high expectations of proving your worth as the ultimate champion- the same high expectation that will now haunt Steven- and yes also Ejay Falcon of PBB Teens- in the face of very obvious stronger runner ups.
Rocco, the most photogenic and seemingly most showbiz ready (and "showbiz hungry" as per the judges- and yes I quoted that with a positive intent) among the candidates fell to third place. Even after tearing his shirt apart in the finale of his production number (a feat that Jake Cuenca has mastered due to incessant practice during his Cover Boys days)- it wasn't enough to clinch him the title. Granted that there were "yabang issues" thrown against him mid throughout he season, this should serve as a humbling experience for him, not just because he lost- but because he lost to a "seemingly" talentless Steven... Come to think of it, in that angle, there might be divine purpose why Steven won...
It was fun watching Starstruck V... But with the recent turn out of winners (which seems to be a product of niche text/online voting) I'm just wondering... Is the popularity of Starstruck waning- in the same rate as Raymond Gutierrez is gaining weight- with each passing year?
Then again we all know that reality shows are always just the start... With the advent of intense and powerful competition from PBB's Melai and Jason who came out just a week before Starstruck... The bigger challenge is who will dream, believe, SURVIVE long after the show.
Now that my friends is the real show ;)
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