Being the biggest and most successful reality program in the country, thousands of our kababayans (even non-Pinoys!) from different parts of the Philippines and of the world have tried their luck in joining Pinoy Big Brother in the past 15 years.

While more than a hundred were able to pass the different levels of audition, score a slot inside the famous yellow house, and be hailed as housemates, there are definitely thousands of aspirants who weren’t able to make the cut. Among them are some of the brightest stars we have in the industry at present, such as the following:

Vice Ganda

As PBB is expected to once again open its doors soon for its highly anticipated ninth season, Vice Ganda disclosed in a recent episode of It’s Showtime that he actually used to audition for its inaugural Celebrity Edition.

When quizzed by his co-hosts regarding the process he had to go through, he recalled being asked to tell something about himself and his family, how his father died, and to describe who is God for him. Jhong Hilario tried mimicking the iconic voice of Kuya and eventually telling him that even though he didn’t make it to his house, he still succeeded in coming inside the madlang people’s hearts.

He may not have passed, but the Unkabogable Star was still grateful for the fun and memorable experience he had during his audition.

Ivana Alawi

Prior to captivating us with her beauty and sexiness both on television and online, Ivana actually used to get rejected numerous times in the auditions and contests she joined in the past, including PBB.

In her Magandang Buhay interview last March, she reminisced already being among the 10,000th auditionees and being shortlisted afterwards. She may not be included in the callback, but she still considered herself successful.

Now, she’s one of the most popular personalities in the local entertainment scene as she already appeared in two ABS-CBN teleseryes, namely, Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Araw Gabi and Sino Ang Maysala? Mea Culpa, and runs her own YouTube channel with millions of subscribers.

Nadine Lustre

Another superstar who gave PBB a shot was Nadine, who was revealed to audition in the PBB Teen Clash Edition that produced her eventual on-and-off-screen partner James Reid as its Big Winner. The video clip of her initial audition was retrieved, wherein she was seen wearing the number “18101” on her red checkered blouse and introducing herself in her sweet yet enthusiastic voice.

In her guesting in Tonight With Boy Abunda in 2018, she disclosed, “I really lined up talaga diyan sa may PBB house. I have a friend na gustong mag-audition talaga e taga-Pampanga siya. So sabi ko, ‘Okay, fine. Para lang mag-hangout tayo, sasamahan kita.’ Nag-audition na rin ako para lang magkausap kami.”

She was actually included in the callback, but wasn’t able to appear since she was already a contract artist for a talent agency and a member of a pop girl group then.

Nadine is now hailed as the Multimedia Princess as she conquers not just the television and the big screen, but the music scene as well! She’s also among the most influential personalities and most seasoned thespians of her generation.

Jerome Ponce

Before becoming one of the most bankable heartthrobs of his generation, Jerome Ponce also tried his luck in PBB. In his Magandang Buhay interview, he revealed to the momshie-hosts that he auditioned twice – first was in the Teen Clash of 2010 wherein he lined up from 3am to 12 midnight, and next was in the Teen Edition 4.

“Talagang umasa din po ako kasi nag-pictorial na ako. Na-frustrate ako, pero nasanay na rin ako. That’s life,” he stated.

He may have failed to make it to PBB, but Jerome was still able to break into showbiz by taking part in the well-loved and long-running daytime series Be Careful With My Heart, which became his stepping stone to stardom.

These stars only proved that even though our original plans fail, we should not be easily disheartened because the universe surely has better plans for us. Just like what Direk Laurenti Dyogi said in his first-ever blog regarding Nadine and Maine Mendoza’s failed auditions, “That's a bad call on my part. But then again, gano'n talaga. Siguro hindi ako ang kanilang kapalaran."

"Siyempre, isang tao lang ako. Marami pang ibang opportunities o avenues para sumikat. Marami na akong misses in the past. Maraming nag-audition sa akin na hindi ko napansin, pero sikat na sila ngayon,” he also commented.

Jackque Gonzaga

As Jackque Gonzaga engaged in hilarious banter with co-hosts Vice Ganda and Vhong Navarro during the “Walang Tunugan” segment of It’s Showtime, they discussed the possibility of having Jackque getting a call-up to become a celebrity housemate in Pinoy Big Brother.

During the course of the live conversation, Jackque was asked if she ever auditioned for PBB, and she said yes. Unknown to the Madlang People, Jackque said she braved the long lines to audition to become an official housemate of Kuya, together with Hashtags members on It’s Showtime.

She said it was just a spur of the moment thing and was tagged along to join.

But when she was eventually asked if she could really join PBB soon, she said she was ready anytime.

Keep on following the social media pages of ABS-CBN Entertainment and PBB for the latest updates about the much-awaited re-opening of Bahay Ni Kuya!