It’s been six months since Pinoy Big Brother hailed its latest Big Winner – Maymay Entrata – and gave some of its housemates a push into the entertainment industry. The PBB Lucky Season 7 was the 13th and longest season yet of the reality show which aired from July 11, 2016 to March 5, 2017 and introduced to us 31 housemates with different personalities and from different walks of life, comprised by nine celebrities, 12 teens, and 10 regulars.
Now, let’s see how these lucky housemates are now treading in the outside world.
Celebrities:
Czarina Balba a.k.a. DJ Cha-cha
Having a successful radio show and two best-selling self-help books, everyone got surprised when “Ang Nag-iisang Dyosa sa Balat ng Radyo” joined the reality show. However, her sojourn was short-lived when she decided to voluntarily exit on Day 11 to continue doing radio work and be with her family, especially her daughter. Aside from her late-night radio program ‘Heartbeats’ on MOR 101.9, she also accompanies veteran broadcast journalist Ted Failon in DZMM’s Failon Ngayon every morning.
Elisse Joson
We initially recognized her as the brokenhearted girl in a fast-food chain commercial, and get to know her better upon her entrance in PBB as we see her bubbly side and learn about her story. She may not be lucky enough to be part of the Dream Team Lucky 7, but a lot of opportunities poured on to her as she became one of the brand ambassadors of the fastfood chain where she got well-known and one of Mega Magazine’s #WomenToWatch. Her team-up with co-housemate McCoy de Leon that started inside the house garnered a huge following and caught the attention of the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation, bestowing them the Most Promising Loveteam of the Year recognition during the 48th Box Office Entertainment Awards. McLisse also graces the September issue of the aforementioned publication and headlined their first Maalaala Mo Kaya episode together last June. They are also part of the upcoming teleserye “The Good Son.”
Hideo Muraoka
Although he was saved in his supposed eviction on the day DJ Cha-Cha exited, the Brazilian-Japanese hottie stayed in the house for only 23 days. Browsing through his Instagram account, Hideo is now having the time of his life as he flies around the world with her equally sexy and good-looking wife Fatima and their lovely daughter. Aside from being a certified globetrotter, he is also inclined to fashion, photography, and modelling.
Jinri Park
Despite being a model, radio disc jockey, and magazine columnist, the South Korean beauty is a self-confessed introvert living away from her parents. This pushed her to join PBB for her to develop her interpersonal skills. She became controversial inside the house after she asked for Big Brother’s permission to let her leave due to personal reasons. In the end, she emerged as one of the adult finalists that would have the chance to land a spot in the Dream Team Lucky 7.
Being a dog lover herself, Jinri co-developed Wagtales, an app which aims to create a local community for dog lovers and dog owners alike. She’s also active in jujitsu.
JK Labajo
After his runner-up finish in the first season of The Voice Kids, JK ventured on another reality show as he tried his luck in Bahay Ni Kuya. Although he was the youngest among the celebrity housemates, the 16-year-old crooner proved that he could keep pace with his ates and kuyas in the house. However, he wasn’t able to reach the finish line as he got evicted on Day 23.
He is currently seen in the primetime teleserye A Love To Last as the rebellious Lucas and often performs in the Sunday variety show ASAP.
McCoy De Leon and Nikko Natividad
These Hashtags cuties competed as 2-in-1 housemates and triumphantly finished as 6th Lucky Big Placer. Whereas McCoy found the apple-of-his-eye in Elisse, Nikko found this stint as a chance for him to confess that he has a child out of wedlock, a secret he kept since he was just starting his showbiz career.
Aside from their hosting and performing jobs in the noontime show It’s Showtime, the two also take on other projects as McCoy recently starred in the Cinemalaya entry Instalado while Nikko appears as a recurrent segment host in Umagang Kay Ganda. McCoy is also part of The Good Son which will be shown on ABS-CBN this September.
Nonong Ballinan
The 30-year-old funnyman didn’t only make his housemates laugh with his natural comical talent, but taught them some life lessons and household chores too! But it seemed that those were not enough for him to stay longer as he got evicted immediately after 23 days. He returned to the competition after being chosen by the regulars to be the Third Lucky Star, but got re-evicted days prior to the selection of the Dream Team Lucky 7.
He makes us laugh every Saturday as one of the cast of the sitcom Home Sweetie Home and conducts shows as a part of Comedy Manila’s homegrown talents.
Yassi Pressman
Yassi has been active in showbiz since 2006 and gained more popularity when she starred in the JaDine starrer flicks Diary ng Panget and Talk Back and Your Dead. Although she got evicted on Day 23, she had the chance to return in the PBB house as a wildcard contender and won the fourth lucky star. However, due to prior commitments, she needed to withdraw and passed on the spot to Elisse.
The multi-faceted Filipino-British-Hong Konger artist is currently the leading lady of Coco Martin in the top-rating action drama series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and regularly performs on ASAP. She’s also the brand ambassador of some huge brands in the country.
Teens:
Aizan Perez
This 14-year-old charmer was notable for his strong Batangueño accent and for being the first-ever evictee of the teen edition. What lies upon his baddie image, as he admitted that he’d been expelled twice in school because of being a bully, is a talented teenage boy who can both sing very well and play the guitar.
Tagged as the Old Skulit Boy of Batangas, Aizan continues to showcase his flair in doing guitar covers of several songs, mostly the classic metal ones.
Christian Morones
His strong personality, impatience, and opinionated nature got him into a very heated confrontation with the prankster Marco and created tension among the housemates. His refined and soft-spoken demeanor also made the housemates and audiences alike to question his sexuality, which he dismissed during his guesting at Tonight With Boy Abunda after he got eliminated.
Edward Barber
The Cheerful Charmer of Germany arguably caught the attention of the avid viewers because of his undeniable charm and boy-next-door vibe. Due to his sunny personality and rapport with his fellas, he was able to maintain his ‘never nominated’ streak until he became part of Dream Team’s Lucky 7. He might have an angelic face but he was fearless when it came to tasks and challenges, making him the first-ever teen housemate to snatch a “Lucky Sun” slot for the finale.
After his fourth place finish in PBB, he’s welcomed with tremendous opportunities in showbiz, such as ASAP numbers and his first film with loveteam partner Maymay, Loving in Tandem.
Fenech Veloso
Behind her timid and quiet personality hides an amazing flair in singing and ballroom dancer, thus calling her as the Ballroom Baby ng Bohol. Unlike her close buddies Kisses, Maymay, and Vivoree, the 14-year-old Boholana got eliminated in the game after a few weeks. After her PBB stint, it seems that she went back to her hometown to pursue her education as seen on IG.
Heaven Peralejo
Her sojourn was indeed controversial due to her close friendship with Marco and Edward and the uproar she caused inside and outside the house after uttering offending remarks to Kisses. Kuya also often reprimanded her for consistently complaining about her punishments.
She voluntarily exited to take care of her cancer-stricken mother. After PBB, she appeared in the programs Home Sweetie Home and On the Wings of Love.
Kisses Delavin
The beauty pageant titlist from Masbate arguably won the hearts of many not only because of being pretty, but by showing off her natural sassiness and adorableness. This was proven when she was declared as the second housemate of the Teen Edition to be a finalist through public voting. Her tearful confession to Big Brother and her bestfriend Maymay regarding her intense special feelings for Marco was much-talked about in the outside world. She was hailed as the runner-up to Maymay.
Strings of projects come rushing in after her PBB gig, such as product endorsements, Wansapanataym’s Amazing Ving, the upcoming movie Loving in Tandem, and being listed as one of the #WomenToWatch of a local lifestyle publication. She might had an unrequited love with Marco, but they seem to enjoy each other’s company now as a promising loveteam.
Kristine Hammond
Her photos while selling a health drink and palamig at a public market in Talisay, Batangas made rounds in social media, getting her featured in the current affairs program Mission Possible. The Filipina-British varsity volleyball player was next seen inside the yellow house but got evicted after a few weeks.
She might not be lucky enough in her PBB journey, however, she was crowned as the Miss Nation Queen NCR in the newly-established pageant Miss Nation Queen Philippines last May. Besides, she also bagged other special awards, namely Best in Gown, Miss Dream Girl of the Nation, Miss Fashion Girl of the Nation, Miss Worker Heroes of the Nation, and Best in Costume first runner-up.
Marco Gallo
Just like his best buddy Edward, The 16-year-old Filipino-Italian bello also captivated a lot of attention because of his tall, fair, and handsome feature. Since Italians are known for their endearing personalities, it’s no doubt why Marco got romantic connections with some of the female housemates, particularly Kisses who fell head over heels to him. However, his charm wasn’t enough to let him stay in the house longer because he got evicted on the 95th day.
As he stepped out of the house, he became more visible on TV due to consecutive guestings and landing a role in Wanspanataym Presents Amazing Ving. He also became a brand ambassador of a homegrown clothing brand alongside MayWard and his loveteam Kisses. He’s also one of the cast of the upcoming kilig flick Loving in Tandem.
Maymay Entrata
The Miss Wacky-Go-Lucky of Cagayan de Oro stood by her moniker throughout the whole run of their season because of bringing laughter to the housemates and the audiences alike. Her funny and vibrant personality helped her a lot to get rid of nominations and winning the public votes, making her the Big Winner of the latest PBB season. Aside from being the resident jester, she also stood as a big sister to her housemates since she’s the eldest, giving them pieces of advice and comforting them when in trouble. Moreover, people admired her for funny reactions whenever she’s pranked by Big Brother and her housemates and fangirling over their celebrity guests, especially her idol Enrique Gil.
From being an avid fan, Maymay has now garnered a lot of followers who consistently supports her in her every projects such as her first-ever movie Loving in Tandem, co-headlined by her loveteam Edward. She is also seen in La Luna Sangre as Apple Torralba, Tristan’s (Daniel Padilla) sister,.
Rita Gaviola
Her candid photo taken by a netizen during the Pahiyas Festival in Quezon took went viral on social media and made her an instant celebrity as she even got featured in the magazine show Rated K. Since she’s been aspiring to become a part of show business, she auditioned for PBB and successfully made it. While inside, girl housemates reportedly bullied this “Badjao Girl” but they all denied the claims.
Aside from several commitments, Rita is also busy with her studies and dance workshops.
Vivoree Esclito
She was incessantly reviled for having a light moustache, which she later on removed after her total makeover during their Pak Salern Lucky Task that she led. But Vivoree is someone who impresses anyone with her intelligence and talent. She was also able to showcase her talent in dancing and singing, and even performed her own composition “Kaya Pa” with ex-celebrity housemate JK while inside the PBB house. It was released as her debut song on November 2016 and still up on digital music streaming sites.
Browsing through her IG, the Boholana beauty keeps herself busy with dance and acting workshops and attending various events.
Yong Muhajil
The Pag-a-Son ng Angkan ng Zamboanga came from a very huge family comprised by 17 children in which he is 14th. Thus, living with a bunch of people within a number of days should be easy for him. However, he still had a hard time interacting with the housemates due to a language barrier, since he’s not very fluent with English and Filipino. It was his playful and cheerful personality that made him admired not only by his fellas, but by the viewers as well. Remember his “Hokage Moves” for their Brazilian model house guests during the Miss
Teen Big Brother 2016?
He’s now busy attending to different events and showbiz commitments and honing his acting skills through workshops after his Third Lucky Big Placer finish.
Regulars:
Ali Forbes
Prior to her participation in PBB, Ali has been juggling her jobs as singer, television host, and beauty queen, thus gaining the moniker “Rampa Raketera ng Bulacan”. She was crowned as the first runner-up in the Binibining Pilipinas 2012 and the first local titleholder of Miss Grand International in 2013 where she placed third runner-up. Her sojourn was just short-lived after she got evicted after a few weeks. She resumed to her hosting and event singing duties.
Aura Azarcon
Aura indeed proved that medical practitioners have lighter sides too! She got along well with her housemates and became very close with Baninay. Her special feelings with Wil was also revealed as the show progressed, however she carelessly blurted out her thoughts of Wil being gay when she got sober during their beach-themed party. She was able to reach the Lucky House finals with Tanner and competed against the Celebrities’ Lucky Stars and the Teens’ Lucky Suns. However, due to failure of harvesting enough public votes against fellow nominees Jerome Alecre and Jinri Park, she got evicted.
She’s now part of the surgery/trauma rotation in the emergency room of a city hospital and aspires to become a pediatrician. She chronicles her life as a medical practitioner and shares medical and health-related stuff through her medschool blog and resource site Make My Day.
Baninay Bautista
She might be the youngest among the regulars, but the Bibang Bentangueña had the loudest personality among their clique. However, her being outgoing got her into trouble as Cora and Ali got offended with her remarks in one of their tasks.
Aside from her sideline jobs, Baninay also keeps herself busy with a self-titled vlog where she uploads her travels, adventures, and collaborations with singer Teejay Marquez.
Cora Waddell
If there’s one word that could describe this damsel, it would be “threat”! Her strong personality and extreme competitiveness brought her to the roster of nominees for eviction frequently and was even tagged by her housemates as “Madame Cora” for being too bossy when it comes to their tasks. Her undying fighting spirit helped her win the competition for fourth Lucky House slot and gave her the opportunity to become part of the Dream Team.
Cora recently took on another milestone in her life as YouTube awarded her the Silver Play Button after her vlog surpassed the 100,000 subscribers. She also became part of the cast of Woke Up Like This, a film that starred Vhong Navarro. Cora appeared in Pusong Ligaw as Kayla.
Wil Dasovich
The happy-go-lucky Fil-Am YouTuber and vlogger successfully made it to PBB after auditioning thrice in the past and got reunited with one of his close friends and fellow YouTuber Cora inside the house. However, it seemed that his energetic personality wasn’t enough yet to get his housemates’ favor as he got nominated for eviction a number of times and still managed to survive by conquering every LigTask challenge.
His life after PBB tremendously changed as more people recognized him, according to what he said in one of his vlog entries. But Wil shocked everyone when he recently disclosed on his vlog that he has Stage 3 colon cancer.
Again, we are impressed, astonished, flabbergasted, and amused by these housemates as they came and left the most popular house in the country. Their experience indeed changed their lives forever, and likewise brought inspiration to those who followed their journeys. Now as they live their own lives, whether as prominent celebrities or simple individuals, may their learnings from the show give them more enlightenment and meaning to become the best they can be.