Being a small-town girl doesn’t stop “The Kwelang Fangirl of Sarangani” from achieving her big dreams. In the previous week of reality TV show PBB Connect, we have seen how great Jie-Ann Armero has grown as she achieved the sweet spot as the second person to be included in the Big Four finalists.
Many are here to see her through her journey so while we await the imminent Big Night, let’s look back on Jie-Ann’s memorable PBB moments that not only made us smile, but convinced us of her strength as a contender.
Do you still remember the first time the energetic 16-year-old made us laugh? It was exactly when the housemates spent their first night in Bahay ni Kuya. Out of excitement and nervousness while exploring the house for the very first time, Jie-Ann fell out of the chair by the swimming pool. Don’t worry, she wasn’t hurt at all, but it sure broke the awkwardness among the housemates as they had a good laugh.
As the days went on, we and the housemates got to know Jie-Ann a little more. During a bonding session in the house, the others found it particularly amusing that Jie-Ann pronounces “memes” as “me-mis”, but it’s ultimately because that is how she and her friends in Sarangani say it. The young probinsyana proved that she’s willing to grow and quickly picked up on the proper pronunciation from her housemates.
Although we have a lot more happy memories with Jie-Ann around, we surely can’t forget the time she went through a very emotional and sensitive challenge.
During the filming of the housemates’ digital short film featuring Jie-Ann’s life story entitled “Ponytail”, Jie-Ann had to act a scene where she would show her hair, something she is very insecure about. Fortunately, her close friends and fellow housemates Alyssa and Andrea were there to provide her comfort and support to get through it.
When Kuya interviewed Jie-Ann about her experience, she opened up that she was able to let down her walls because she had trusted friends among her. Kuya and the rest of the housemates gave her credit for her courage to share her story as well.
We also discover a humble leader in Jie-Ann. Being selected as one of the bosses in the #PBBStartUp challenge, Jie-Ann was tasked to create a company and formulate a team with some housemates in order to sell a product she would conceptualize.
After presenting their company and product to the business mentors, Boss Jie-Ann failed to get the vote of a mentor in order to proceed with launching and selling their product, which resulted in the dissolution of their team’s company. This shortcoming not only led to the loss of their team, but it also meant she would receive the punishment of two automatic votes for the next eviction nomination.
Like Kuya, we know Jie-Ann as a fun and happy girl but in this challenge we saw that she truly experienced sadness and struggle. Jie-Ann confessed that the source of it all were her self-doubts as a leader. Kuya lets her see the bigger picture where she was able to achieve many things including starting a company and gaining people that believed in her product concept. Before she left the confession room, Kuya reminded her, “Sa kada ilang beses na tayo ay madapa, ganun din kung ilan beses tayo dapat bumangon.”
Jie-Ann respectfully accepted her penalty and expressed her apologies to her teammates, but they refused to let her believe that it was her fault. They know their team did amazingly under Jie-Ann’s leadership and showered her with love and motivation.
Jie-Ann, of course, doesn’t fail to convey her care for her fellow housemates turned close friends. Around the week before Valentine’s Day, Filipino-Australian housemate Alyssa Exala shared with Kuya how she deeply misses her Australian boyfriend of 6 years, Taylor.
As a surprise, the other housemates prepared a date for her with Jie-Ann taking on the role of impersonating Taylor for fun. Jie-Ann even sported a wig, wore a bit of manly make-up, and did her best to talk in an Australian accent. We could definitely see the struggle in her eyes, but she shockingly did really well in pulling through the whole act. What really matters is that it brought so much joy and laughter to Alyssa, almost making her forget about her longing for Taylor.
Now we know that Jie-Ann can act, can she dance? It’s a big YES. During P-Pop girl group BINI’s dance-along challenge led by former PBB Otso housemate Sheena, Jie-Ann was the first to take on the task. She had a few hits and misses, but right after her second go at the dance routine, the aspiring star was able to successfully copy their quick and preppy moves.
Although Jie-Ann has always been a brave soul that doesn’t shy away from a challenge, the beginning of the Karapatdapat Challenges really tested her. After Kuya asked her if she is willing to take on his challenge without knowing the reward or consequence, Jie-Ann replied she was ready to accept it. But Kuya could see the indecisiveness in her eyes and asked if she was really ready to risk it all. This teen from Sarangani recalled her dreams and her hopes for her family and with that pressure on her shoulders she said, “’Di ko na lang po tatanggapin ‘yung hamon po, Kuya”, which prompted Kuya to give her some more time to think about her decision.
Eventually, Jie-Ann found her strength and remembered why she entered PBB Connect in the first place — to accept the challenge and give everything she’s got. We can definitely say she made the right decision because come the second Karapatdapat Challenge, Jie-Ann won the game and seized the second seat in the Big Four finalists.
Jie-Ann has been through some major ups and downs throughout PBB Connect so we are excited to see how she will fare in the Big Night. Will you be rooting for her?
Watch the PBB Connect Big Night on March 14 (Sunday), 9 pm on Kapamilya Channel for cable and digital TV, Kapamilya Online Live on Facebook and YouTube, A2Z Channel 11, TV5, iWantTFC, and TFC. To be part of the virtual audience, tickets are now on sale via KTX.ph for only P199. Proceeds will go to charity.