From being a simple barrio lad wanting to experience the “luxurious” life inside the Pinoy Big Brother house, William “Yamyam” Gucong has indeed already come a long way. This is because his ambition in giving his family a better life is now within reach, after being hailed as the Batch 2 winner and an eventual part of the Ultm8 Big Otso housemates vying for the Big Winner title.
WATCH: Yamyam, itinanghal na Batch Winner ng PBB Otso Batch 2
It can be recalled that in his Star Hunt interview, he revealed that apart from being a means of helping his family, he also considered joining the reality as a way for him to find out how it feels like to live in luxury.
“Gusto ko pong maging housemate ni Kuya kasi gusto ko pong maka-experience sa loob ng bahay ni Kuya kung ano’ng buhay mayaman. Kasi sa bahay ni Kuya is aircon, may ref sila do’n, tapos dito walang ref. Sobrang saya siguro kaya gusto kong mag-adventure,” he enthusiastically related.
Thus, he took the big leap of faith of participating in the Star Hunt auditions in his hometown in Bohol, where he got discovered due to his unmistakable quirkiness and remarkable personality. Despite failing to keep pace with his fellow auditionees in the talent portion, it was still him who captured the attention of the Star Hunters and moved on to the next level of the auditions.
The positive disposition he brandished during the audition might have made us assume that he’s living happy-go-lucky, but the truth is, the “Iskulit Bai of Bohol” has gone through a lot of setbacks and hardships in life. Since their patriarch’s income weren’t enough to suffice the needs of their huge family, and at the same time to support their studies, he had to delay his education in order to help.
Being a firm believer that education is the key to success, he didn’t feel any embarrassment going back to school at the age of 24. Instead, he takes pride on it as he proudly shared during his Star Hunt audition that it was his greatest achievement yet.
Bringing with him the inspiration provided by his family, as well as his vibrant personality, Yamyam’s aspiration of gaining entrance to the house came true after being picked as one of the first set of official housemates among the 16 Star Dreamers introduced.
During his unforgettable yet challenging journey as a housemate, he was able to captivate everyone’s heart inside and outside the house through his incredible humor and good heart. Besides, his admirable bond with his new-found best friend-turned-“Pogi Spiritual Brother” Fumiya Sankai also enthrall us despite the language barrier and differences in their background, making them among the fan favorites.
Aside from that, the other highlights of his sojourn was when Kuya allowed him to continue his studies while inside the house through homeschooling and eventually graduated last April, and when he was able to meet his favorite celebrities – Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil – in person and even had the chance to act opposite them when the two dropped by to critic the housemates in an acting challenge.
More than the laughter he brought to us, what makes Yamyam loved by many is because of the inspiration he inculcated to us that poverty will never be a hindrance in achieving our far-flung ambitions as long as we have the faith, courage, mindset, and drive to reach them regardless if those are too high to be attained. Besides, there wasn’t also a single time when he got shy to display his genuine self and how proud he is of his roots.
WATCH: Meet the Ultm8 Big Otso housemates of Kuya
As we anticipate if Yamyam will be announced as this season’s Big Winner on the forthcoming Big Night, let’s reminisce the fantastic journey he had during his remarkable Pinoy Big Brother Otso stint.