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| allen ansay, kim de leon, lexi gonzales, shayne sava |
THE FOUR REMAINING Starstruck 7 finalists were formally presented to the press: Allen Ansay, Kim de Leon, Lexi Gonzales and Shayne Sava. They all express optimisim that they’ll win when the two Ultimate Survivors are proclaimed tomorrow night.
Allen admits he had difficulty at the start of the show. “Mahirap kasi wala akong experience at all, so I had to study hard all my assigned tasks. Tapos, ako pang youngest sa lahat ng contestants at 16 so I really had to adjust. I gew up in Camarines Sur and now, sinamahan ako ng dad ko rito sa Manila at umuupa kami ng isang room sa may Cubao. Sa finals, luluwas dito ang mom ko na teacher sa Bicol at apat kong mga kapatid na mas bata sa’kin so they’ll cheer for me sa finals.”
Imelda Papin is vice governor of their province. Is she in anyway supporting him in Starstruck 7? “Ay, wala po. Pero yung mga kababayan ko, nagte-text para sa’kin.”
Lexi Gonzales is from Sampaloc, Manila and she’s lucky that their mayor, Isko Moreno, is somehow helping her in Starstruck 7. Lexi’s parents are separated but through Starstruck, she got reunited with her dad. Didn’t her mom object? “Hindi naman po. She knows I’m longing for his love. Sabi niya, kahit ano mangyari, ama mo pa rin naman siya.”
She didn’t expect to be one of the remaining two finalists. “Ang gagaling kasi lahat ng mga kasama ko at laging mas matataas ang points nila sa acting test kaysa sa akin. But I’m thankful na ako ang isa sa dalawang natira sa’min.”
Kim de Leon admits he comes from a poor family in Balayan, Batangas. His dad is a tricycle driver and his mom is a vendor. He started helping financially when he was discovered as a model for TV commercials like AMA, Jollibee and other products. “Yung experience ko roon helped me a lot sa Starstruck kasi mas comfortable na ako sa harap ng camera and I learned how to act kaya madalas, nasa top spot ako ng acting tests namin.”
What can he say to criticism that he lacks height as he’s only about 5’6” compared to Allen who’s 5’10”? “Wala naman po sa height yan, nasa talent yan na ipapakita mo.”
He now rents a room in a dorm near GMA-7 and he just walks from his place to the studio. His family will be coming to Manila on finals night to support him.
Shayne Sava is from Binangonan and she now stays in a dorm on Panay Avenue with her grandma. “Nagta-tricycle na lang po kami papuntang GMA.”
Her parents are also separated and she has nine half-siblings, all in all. “Mahirap maging galing from a broken home. Sa school activities, mama ko lang ang uma-attend. Ang dad ko, nagpapadala naman ng allowance at sumasagot sa tuition fee ko. My mom also remarried at mabait naman yung stepdad kong graphic designer. Wala akong experience sa showbiz kaya nung umpisa, hirap na hirap ako. Lagi akong kulelat sa acting tests, but I really pushed myself and it helped that all the judges kasi they were all helpful, lalo na si Ms. Cherie Gil na napakabait dahil nung maka-eksena namin siya, she taught us kung paano ang tamang acting, lakad, pati kung paano manampal.”
You can watch the Final Four as they face their last few challenges tonight. And tomorrow, Starstruck 7 will have its finals to be shown live and you can vote for your favorite candidate via texting. Kapus viewers abroad can also watch the finale on GMA Pinoy TV, MGA LIfe TV and GMA News TV International or online on gmapinoyTV.com.
