The long wait is finally over as the greatest local TV moment of the year (or even in history!) that we never knew would be possible in this lifetime has already happened on Saturday, April 6 – the highly anticipated pilot episode of It’s Showtime on GMA 7!
And since it’s a historic and huge occasion, ABS-CBN and the It’s Showtime family made sure that they would serve the madlang people and avid Kapamilya and Kapuso fans with nothing but a remarkable episode, which showcased the awesome talents and delightful chemistry of the hosts and provided us with laughter, good vibes, and even kilig.
The much-awaited episode commenced with the hosts offering us a pangmalakasang opening number, in which all of them were cladded in white and/or gold Egyptian-themed costumes. It was kicked off by Anne Curtis and Karylle as they strikingly belted out Little Mix’s “Power,” and was followed by the breathtaking aerial dance of Kim Chiu and the dance break of Amy Perez, Jackie Gonzaga, and Cianne Dominguez that was dripping in finesse. The ladies then joined forces to wrap up their set by singing “Power” altogether.
Commencing the set of the gentlemen were the dynamic duo of Jugs Jugueta and Teddy Corpuz, who unleashed the rockstars in them as they performed Robbie Williams’ “Let Me Entertain You” while playing their respective electric guitars. The pairs of MC and Lassy and of Ryan Bang and Ion Perez busted their moves, while the tandem of Ogie Alcasid and Darren Espanto swooned us with their renditions of the song. Of course, their set wouldn’t be complete without Vhong Navarro and Jhong Hilario serving us with exhilarating, suave routines.
Since the special episode doubled as the belated birthday celebration of the Unkabogable Star Vice Ganda, she, of course, had her solo set. It began with a video presentation of her dressed in a blue ensemble, apparently being lost in a vast desert and running for her life as a sandstorm raged after her. She then started singing “Dreams” by The Cranberries and was then seen prettily nestled on (and blended in) the GMA logo fixed on the highest part of the GMA headquarters in Kamuning. The clip ended with her uttering “This is no longer a dream, this is reality.”
At the studio, Vice mesmerized in a shimmering gold ensemble and enormous headpiece as she began her set with “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons. She then removed the long cape train of her ensemble and was joined by drag queens Precious Paula Nicole, Brigiding, Minty Fresh & Captivating Katkat on the stage as her backup dancers as she sang “Like A Champion” by Selena Gomez. She then shifted to another costume as she performed “Hall of Fame” by The Script.
She concluded his set by delivering an empowering and inspiring monologue directed to the members of the gay community, whom she encouraged to keep on pushing on and fighting for their dreams amidst adversities – just like exactly what she did and continues to do that catapulted him to becoming the Unkabogable Phenomenal Box-office Superstar!
The opening number was sealed off by the It’s Showtime hosts singing “All I Do Is Win,” in which some of them screamed “Happy Birthday, Vice Ganda!” in between. Certainly, not an episode would ever be complete without them performing the show’s ever-popular and LSS-inducing anthem. They didn’t miss to acknowledge the top executives of both ABS-CBN and GMA, as well as greet the madlang Kapuso before the first gap ended.
For the episode’s special edition of “Karaokids,” Vice was joined by her comedian friends MC and Lassy as the hosts. The rest served as players and were paired with Kapuso stars, namely, Sanya Lopez, Gabbi Garcia, Glaiza de Castro, Nadine Samonte, Mark Bautista, Christian Bautista, Chanty Videla, Jhake Vargas, Mikee Quintos, and Jillian Ward. Of course, their guesting wouldn’t be complete without them yelling “What’s up madlang Kapuso?” in unison.
The tandems formed were Amy and Mark, Jugs and Christian, Ogie and Sanya, Anne and Nadine, Vhong and Jhake, Jhong and Mikee, Darren and Jillian, Kim and Chanty, Karylle and Glaiza, and Teddy and Gabbi. Unlike the regular version which only has two rounds, this edition had three as the number of pairs was trimmed down to half in the elimination round.
Making it to the second round were Amy and Mark, Ogie and Sanya, Jhong and Mikee, Darren and Jillian, and Teddy and Gabbi after they were able to correctly guess the titles of the songs that Imogen, Argus, Kulot, Jaze, and Kelsey tried to sing. Ultimately, it was the partnership of Amy and Mark that prevailed and moved on to the final round, wherein they got one song out of the three delivered by Imogen, Argus, and Jaze through Ion, Jackie, and Ryan. They won P20,000 that will be shared to “madlang bumibili ng gulay” by Ryan.
Fervent fans of Darren Espanto were surely thrilled when he serenaded us with Stephen Bishop’s “It Might Be You,” the theme song for this episode of “EXpecially For You”. And viewers were probably more astonished to see that it was the mother-and-daughter tandem of Melanie Marquez and Michelle Dee, who would be the searchers. Being single for quite some time now, the Miss Universe-Philippines 2023 expresses her enthusiasm to meet someone who may possibly become her new partner in life.
During the interview portion with hosts Vice, Anne, Vhong, and Jhong, Michelle opened up a bit about her past experiences in love and the qualities that she and her mom are looking for in the next man that she’s going to fall in love with. Michelle disclosed that she wishes to be with someone who’s hardworking, intelligent, and goal-driven, as well as who will complement, support, and love her throughout.
Out of the three handsome searchers, namely, Kevin, Martin, and Oliver, it was Oliver, the 32-year-old “Sporty Lawyer ng Cebu,” who stood out and was given the greatest number of green flags by Michelle due to his impressive responses to two of her questions. At the same time, Melanie also dropped hints that it was Oliver who she liked the most for her, which Michelle picked up. Thus, it seemed that everyone in the studio (and perhaps even those who were watching at home) was happy that Michelle chose Oliver to be her date.
The pilot episode of It’s Showtime capped off with the hosts singing “All I Do Is Win” and everyone in the studio chanting “Happy Birthday Vice Ganda’ again.