Painting Araneta red

By Nickie Wang
Contributor / Manila Standard Today
10 June 2008

The futuristic theme of the PBB Teen Edition Plus at the Big Dome was an apt setting for its big night, especially when ex-housemates came together and welcomed promdi hottie, 18-year-old Ejay Falcon, as this edition’s Teen Big Winner.

Araneta Coliseum was nearly kaleidoscopic with colors as fans and supporters of the Teen Big Four flocked the venue early in the afternoon. Ambulances were situated at every entrance of the venue. Four colors were designated to the supporters of the four teenagers who successfully accomplished Big Brother’s final tasks; green for Beauty, red for Ejay, yellow for Nicole and blue for Robi.

The venue seemed to collapse when the program started at 8 p.m. with video clips showing the highlights of the whole season that premiered on Easter Sunday, March 23. The roaring screams of PBB fanatics got louder when, on the big video screen situated at the middle of the stage, Big Brother’s house was transformed into a space shuttle and went off the outer space.

The program was officially opened by a production number by celebrity ex-housemate John Prats and PBB Season 2 ex-housemate Mickey Perz. The cosmic dance number of the two was followed by energetic appearances of Gerald Anderson, Kim Chiu and resident extra-terrestrial Kokey. All teen evictees and house players sporting red and white clothing graced the stage in an electrifying production number accompanied by the Project One singing Ang Sarap ng Buhay. Teen housemates Valerie and Priscilla, who wore angel wings, were lifted by a harness during their presentation.

Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson delighted their fans when they came back on the stage in a production number with the rest of the My Girl cast. The ABS-CBN proved that it was indeed a big night when Billy Crawford was officially welcomed as a Kapamilya during the teaser of Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2. He made his hoofs and sang his previous hit “Bright Lights” before an ecstatic crowd at the Big Dome.

Red was the color of the night

The ultramodern themed stage was highly applauded. The lighting system was superb, so were hosts Toni Gonzaga, Mariel Rodriguez, and Bianca Gonzalez who were applauded by the crowd at every commercial break.

Luiz Manzano came in riding the space shuttle-like prop at the back of the stage. He sported an astronaut suit that was later taken off by the dancers as soon as he started his spiels.
The show was extraordinary but the crowd kept on stealing the show. The upper and the lower boxes were occupied by supporters in red t-shirts. They didn’t waste time screaming the name of their favorite teen housemate. Although the name of Robi resounded at the blue occupied patron and VIP area, the rest of the Araneta roared Ejay’s name.

The famous recognizable voice of Big Brother made his final talk to the Teen Big Four and reminded them about their goals before they entered his house. He also mentioned the lessons they learned throughout the 77 days of their stay inside the camera-filled residence and advised the four teenagers to remain as inspirations and good examples to the Filipino youths.

The moment that all had been waiting for started when the countdown for the last minute of text voting was announced. The two girls were the ones who first appeared onstage. Beauty with 10.91 percent or 186,523 votes was announced as the PBB Teen 4th Big Placer. Nikki follows suit as PBB Teen 3rd Big Placer, garnering 18.39 percent or 314,582 votes. The two boys remained inside the cubicle where the Teen Big Four stayed during the entire show before the winners were proclaimed. Based on the tally, the two boys were neck-and-neck; they even switched ranks at times. Robi was awarded the PBB Teen 2nd Big Placer, with 34.39 percent or 588,115 votes. Finally, with 36.31 percent or 620,934 votes, Ejay emerged as the PBB Teen Big Winner taking home P1 million, a condominium unit at Château Valenzuela, a business franchise from Crystal Clear drinking water worth P1.5 million and a Sony Bravia plasma TV.

The Teen Big Winner

Ejay Falcon was born on Nov. 21, 1989. Towering at six feet tall, he endeared himself to the followers of the reality TV show with his good looks and down-to-earth attitude. He left his hometown Pola, Oriental Mindoro and went to Manila to find his biological mother. He was disappointed when he found out his mother has another family.

According to his profile in the PBB Teen Edition Plus Web site, this shy rural lad grew up with his stepfather. His biological father is a Frenchman. During his first visit in Manila, he confessed that he had troubles dealing with technological gadgets and even elevators. He is a courageous and determined young adult who would do whatever it takes to free his family from poverty. He regards poverty as the main reason why his parents’ marriage was ruined. He dreams big for his family that even if he is granted one wish, he’d not ask for fame but for his family to be together again.