''Philippine Idol'' is the first version of the

Idol series ''Idol'' (also known as ''SuperStar'' in some countries) is a reality television singing competition format created by British television producer Simon Fuller and developed by Fremantle. The format began in 2001 with the British television se ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, the 35th country in the world to air a local ''Idol'' adaptation and the sixth in Asia broadcast by ABC (now TV5). Similar to the premise of original show ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'', ''Philippine Idol'' aims to find the best singer in the country who can be defined as the "national" singer. Local television personality

Ryan Agoncillo Kristoffer Lou Gonzales Agoncillo (, born April 10, 1979), known professionally as Ryan Agoncillo, is a Filipino actor, model, photographer, recording artist and TV host. Career Agoncillo started as a model at the age of fifteen, beginning as ...

hosted the program.

Ryan Cayabyab Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab (born ; May 4, 1954), known professionally as Ryan Cayabyab, is a Filipino musician, composer and conductor. He was the Executive and Artistic Director for several years for the defunct San Miguel Foundation ...

(musical composer),

Pilita Corrales Pilar Garrido Corrales (born August 22, 1937) is a Filipino pop singer, songwriter, actress, comedian and television presenter. She is dubbed as "Asia's Queen of Songs" and is widely known for her rendition of "Kapantay ay Langit" which eventu ...

(singer, known as Asia's Queen of Songs) and

Francis Magalona Francis Michael Durango Magalona (October 4, 1964 – March 6, 2009), also known by the moniker Francis M, was a Filipino rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor, and television personality. Born in Manila, He became a significant influ ...

(rapper and producer) were also judges of the show. Agoncillo, Corrales and Magalona auditioned to be part of the program, while Cayabyab was chosen by the program's producers. Meanwhile, actress

Heart Evangelista Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco (born February 14, 1985), known professionally as Heart Evangelista (, alternately ), is a Filipino actress, artist, businesswoman, and socialite. Early life Heart Evangelista was born as Love Marie Payawal Ongpau ...

hosted the daily updates program ''I ♥ Philippine Idol: Exclusive''. Composer

Mel Villena Mel Villena is a Filipino musician, composer and musical director who has worked with various artists such as Sharon Cuneta, Pops Fernandez, Martin Nievera, Lea Salonga, The Company, and Mitch Valdez. He was also the musical director of Associate ...

was the show's musical director.

Mau Marcelo Maureen "Mau" Flores Marcelo (born May 13, 1980)
Philippine Idol website features section is a

Lucena City Lucena, officially the City of Lucena ( fil, Lungsod ng Lucena), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. It is the capital city of the province of Quezon where it is geographically situated but, in t ...

, defeated two other contenders on the show's finale to become the first Philippine Idol.

FremantleMedia Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television i ...

subsequently awarded the franchise to GMA Network and their version of the program was named ''

Pinoy Idol ''Pinoy'' ( ) is a common informal self-reference used by Filipinos to refer to citizens of the Philippines and their culture as well as to overseas Filipinos in the Filipino diaspora. A Pinoy who has any non-Filipino foreign ancestry is often ...

'', which does not recognize the results of ABC's franchise.

Production

ABC started negotiating with FremantleMedia in order to acquire a Philippine franchise of ''Idol'' in 2004, when

Filipino-American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New ...

Jasmine Trias Jasmine Trias (born November 3, 1986) is an American singer-entertainer who was the third place finalist on the third season of ''American Idol''. She has released one album to date, '' Jasmine Trias''. Biography Trias was born in Honolulu, Haw ...

placed third in ''American Idols third season. It reportedly cost millions of

dollars Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, U ...

. During the program's

development stage A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help impro ...

, notable personalities in music and recording industries tried out to become ''Idol'' judges, including former

Eraserheads Eraserheads (sometimes stylized as ERASƎRHEADS or ƎRASƎRHƎADS) are a Filipino alternative rock band formed in 1989. With a line-up comprising Ely Buendia, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro, and Raimund Marasigan, the band became one of the most ...

vocalist

Ely Buendia Ely Eleandre Basiño Buendia (born November 2, 1970), popularly known as Ely Buendia, is a Filipino musician, singer, songwriter, author and film director who gained fame as the guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the famed Fil ...

, singer-actress Pinky Marquez, and talent manager Wyngard Tracy. The chosen judges were addressed according to their agreed-upon nicknames: Cayabyab was called "Mr. C", Corrales called "Mamita", and Magalona, "Kiko". Before it was launched, there was skepticism among the local entertainment press about ''Philippine Idol'' as singing contests are common in local television, with recent ones branded as ''Idol'' knockoffs. The

Filipino culture The culture of the Philippines is characterized by cultural diversity. Although the multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipino national identity, their cultures were all shaped by the ...

of "westernized conservatism" was also noted, as Pinoys tend to shy away from direct criticism especially in front of cameras. Promotion began during the Finale of ''American Idol'' season 5. One of its

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, s ...

s reads, "Hindi lang STAR, hindi lang SUPERSTAR, kundi PHILIPPINE IDOL" (Not just a STAR, not just a SUPERSTAR, but a PHILIPPINE IDOL). This was in reference to two singing contests being held during that time—'' Search for the Star in a Million'' on ABS-CBN and '' Pinoy Pop Superstar'' on GMA Network. Initially, the program was scheduled to begin on July 29, 2006, but ABC moved it to July 30, 2006.''Philippine Idol'' advertisement, featuring the original premiere date of July 29, 2006.
/ref> On its premiere, ''Philippine Idol'' registered a 7.7% rating according to an independent survey, in contrast to GMA Network's ''

Mel and Joey ''Mel & Joey'' is a Philippine television lifestyle talk show broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted Mel Tiangco and Joey de Leon, it premiered on August 1, 2004, replacing '' Partners with Mel Tiangco''. The show concluded on July 17, 2011, with a t ...

'' at 21% and ABS-CBN's ''

Rated K ''Rated Korina'' (formerly known as ''Rated K'') is a Philippine television newscast lifestyle and Magazine show produced by Brightlight Productions and associated by ABS-CBN, hosted by Korina Sanchez. It currently broadcast via Cignal TV's On ...

'' at 26.7%. ABC officials, however, were overwhelmed at the results, considering they were up against "giant networks". They also noted that ratings for ''Philippine Idol'' increased to as much as 12% towards the final 30 minutes of first episode. Early reviews compared the show with ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'', which was shown locally on ABC. Entertainment writers said that the local ''Idol'' franchise was not as glossy as its American counterpart, but it was able to succeed because of promising elements such as human interest, talent, and proper casting of judges and host. Meanwhile, reviews during the Finale were mixed, with Nestor Torre of the ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded br ...

'' commenting that the Performance Show was

phlegmatic The four temperament theory is a proto-psychological theory which suggests that there are four fundamental personality types: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Most formulations include the possibility of mixtures among the types w ...

and anticlimactic as the Final Three failed to rise up to the challenge and instead played safe, while Results Show was stretched out with one unspectacular number after another. He also noticed sound glitches, which he blamed on faulty equipment and lax personnel. In contrast,

Billy Balbastro Filemon R. Balbastro Jr. (November 13, 1940 – February 2, 2008), better known as Billy Balbastro, was a Philippines, Filipino lawyer and entertainment columnist. Early life Balbastro was born in Oton, Iloilo. By the age of fifteen, Balb ...

of ''Abante Tonite'' wrote that he was impressed with the show's "flow", song choices, pacing, and camera shots. He also noted that the Finale did not have melodrama and lingering shots for the sake of effects.

Auditions

The main auditions were held in three cities, each representing a major island group:

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location j ...

(advertised as

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

) for

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

, on June 3, 2006, in

Philippine International Convention Center The Philippine International Convention Center ( fil, Sentrong Pangkumbensyong Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas, or PICC) is a convention center located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. The facility ha ...

; Davao for

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

, on June 23, 2006, in Waterfront Insular Hotel; and

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

for

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...

, on July 4, 2006, in Bigfoot Entertainment's International Academy of Film and Television. Meanwhile, Fast-Track Screenings were also held in

SM Supermalls SM Supermalls, also simply known as SM, owned by SM Prime, is a chain of shopping malls in the Philippines that as of November 18, 2022 has 82 malls located across the country and 20 more scheduled to be opened for an eventual total of 102 ma ...

located in

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

Lucena Lucena, officially the City of Lucena ( fil, Lungsod ng Lucena), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. It is the capital city of the Provinces of the ...

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...

Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...

, and Cagayan de Oro between May and June 2006. Screenings were also held in cities without an SM Mall such as

Dagupan Dagupan, officially the City of Dagupan ( pag, Siyudad na Dagupan, ilo, Siudad ti Dagupan, fil, Lungsod ng Dagupan), is a 2nd class independent component city in the Ilocos Region, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populati ...

, Ilagan in Isabela,

Tacloban Tacloban ( ; ), officially the City of Tacloban ( war, Syudad han Tacloban; fil, Lungsod ng Tacloban), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. The city is autonomous from the province of Leyte, ...

, and Zamboanga. Applicants were asked to fill out necessary forms and perform two songs before a set of judges, usually from local radio and music industries. Successful applicants were given a pass for the Main Auditions. ABC and its media partners

Radio Mindanao Network Radio Mindanao Network, Inc. (RMN), d.b.a. RMN Networks or RMN Network, is a Filipino media company based in Makati, Philippines. It is primarily involved is one of the largest radio networks. Its corporate office is located at the 4th Floor ...

and

Manila Broadcasting Company Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) is a radio and television network in the Philippines. MBC is currently owned by the FJE Group of Companies of Fred J. Elizalde, which also operates hotels and Pasay-based amusement park Star City. Its AM fl ...

provided free transportation, food and lodging to those who were eligible for Theater Eliminations. The Luzon Main Auditions and Fast-Tracks yielded over 10,000 registrants,About ''Philippine Idol''
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, About section with Contestant no. 0001 arriving at the audition venue at 1:00 a.m., auditions starting at 9:00 a.m. The Main Auditions were composed of three stages—passing the first two stages gave the participant a blue form, allowing them to face the ''Idol'' judges about a week later. The ''Idol'' judges were so overwhelmed with the amount of talent presented to them that it was difficult for them to say "no" to hopefuls who did not pass their standards. Cayabyab exasperatedly stated during the Luzon Main Auditions, He admitted becoming angry at times and felt like he was the

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform action ...

because of intense reactions from rejects who viewed the competition as a ticket out of poverty. The judges even allowed candidates to sing up to five "redemption songs" after saying "no" for the first time. After seeing the auditions, FremantleMedia supervising producer Sheldon Bailey said that she was amazed at the abundance of musical talent in the Philippines as well as the amount of touching human stories.

Theater round

The Theater Round was held between August 1 and August 3, 2006, at the

Cultural Center of the Philippines The Cultural Center of the Philippines ( fil, Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, or CCP) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines.Presidential Decree No. ...

. A total of 169 competitors received the Gold Pass from the three main judges, 119 from Luzon and Metro Manila, 17 from Davao, and 33 from Cebu. However, only 157 showed up for the Theater Round as other Gold Passers either backed out or were allegedly "pirated" to join rival talent search '' Pinoy Dream Academy''. They were billeted at the Bayview Park Hotel, where Gold Passers from outside Luzon arrived after a first-class trip in

Super Ferry A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while oth ...

, while the Luzon contenders were picked up in selected SM Malls. The contestants were divided into 11 groups with 15 members. Each contestant performed an a cappella, after which the judges selected who would go home and advance to the next round. From 157 contestants, 84 were chosen to proceed to the group performance, with each group having three members. The list was trimmed down further to 40 contestants, each of which sang solo with a

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

accompaniment. Eventually the judges selected the 24 contestants who would compete in the Semi-Final Round. The Top 24 was officially announced on August 27, 2006.

Semifinal round

The Semi-Finalists were then divided by gender, with the two groups performing alternately at SM Megamall Cinema 3 on a stage built specifically for the live shows. The viewers voted for their favorites by dialing a

toll-free telephone number A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number from a landline is free of charge. A toll-free number is identified by a dialing pre ...

or sending an

SMS Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...

as often as possible from the end of the show until 8:30 p.m. the following day. The four contestants of each group who received the highest number of votes entered the Finals. Ten of the remaining 16 semi-finalists then performed in a Wildcard round, with four contestants with the highest number of votes completing the Top 12 Finalists. Candidates for the Wildcard were announced after the second Semi-Finals Results Show, although it was shown on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

a day later in ''Philippine Idol: Exclusive''.

Final round

The Final Round started on September 30, 2006, in which each finalist sang one to three songs within a specified theme and received comments from each of the judges. The viewers continued to vote for their favorites until 8:30 p.m. the following day, which was shortened to two hours from the Fifth Finals Week. The finalist with the lowest number of votes was eliminated during the Results Show every week. However, there were special circumstances that did not result in eliminations during the Results Show, but then the votes were carried over the week after and eventually eliminated two finalists.Episode 15– Finals: OPM Sunday Results Show
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Recaps section
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Recaps section The 12 Finalists also recorded a compilation album entitled '' Philippine Idol: The Final 12'', consisting of

Original Pilipino Music The music of the Philippines ( fil, Musika ng Pilipinas) includes the musical performance arts in the Philippines and the music of Filipinos composed in various local and international genres and styles. Philippine musical compositions are ofte ...

songs they have performed during the first Finals Week.Album page of "''Philippine Idol'': The Final 12"
Titikpilipino.com The remaining three contenders, namely Gian Magdangal, Jan Nieto, and Mau Marcelo, competed in the Finale, instead of the usual two contestants in most ''Idol'' shows, held on December 9 and December 10, 2006, at the

Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the Big Do ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...

.Episode 31– Finals: Big Band Results Show
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Recaps sectionPangilinan, Jen M

''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Features section

Weekly themes

*September 30 – OPM songs dedicated to a special someone *October 7 –

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

/ R&B *October 14 – Songs from the

Metropop Song Festival The Metro Manila Popular Music Festival (also known as Metropop) was launched by the Popular Music Foundation of the Philippines in 1977 and held annually from 1978 to 1985. It was "the country’s pioneering and once foremost songwriting competit ...

*October 21 – Contemporary

Filipino rock Pinoy rock, or Filipino rock, is the brand of rock music produced in the Philippines or by Filipinos. It has become as diverse as the rock music genre itself, and bands adopting this style are now further classified under more specific genres or c ...

*October 29 – Personal theme songs *November 5 –

Dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

*November 12 –

Radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

hits *November 19 – Movie themes, and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

show tunes A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. T ...

*November 26 –

Big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

*December 9 – Personal choice, Judges' and Musical director's choice, and Record company's choice

Guest judges

A guest judge was enlisted each week for five weeks beginning on October 14 while resident judge Magalona was away on a tour in Europe. Additionally, a sixth guest judge supplemented the panel on the week of Magalona's return. Each guest judge generally had expertise relating to that week's theme. * October 14 –

Hajji Alejandro Angelito Toledo "Hajji" Alejandro (born December 26, 1954) is a Filipino singer and actor Alaminos, Pangasinan, who was a major pop star in the 1970s and 1980s. Just like another OPM legend Basil Valdez, he came from the group Circus Band. H ...

(interpreter of the first winning song of the Metropop Song Festival) * October 21 –

Wency Cornejo AfterImage is a Filipino rock band formed in 1986, best known for their songs "Habang May Buhay", "Next in Line", and "Mangarap Ka". They disbanded in 1997 and became active again in 2008 after they reunited and released their fourth studio album ...

(songwriter and front man of

AfterImage AfterImage is a Filipino rock band formed in 1986, best known for their songs "Habang May Buhay", "Next in Line", and "Mangarap Ka". They disbanded in 1997 and became active again in 2008 after they reunited and released their fourth studio alb ...

) * October 29 – Luke Mejares (solo artist and former vocalist of

South Border South Border is a Filipino pop and R&B band formed in the early 1990s who gained widespread recognition in the music scene in the mid 1990s to the 2000s. Origins and early years Originally formed in 1993, the band whose name is a tribute to ...

) * November 5 – Regine Tolentino (professional dancer, former

MTV VJ This is a list of people who have been VJs on MTV, the music video channel in the U.S. and around the world. Originally hired to represent a wide array of musical tastes and personal ethnicities, VJs eventually became famous in their own rig ...

and TV personality)Episode 24 – Finals: Club Night on Philippine Idol
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Recaps section * November 12 –

Mo Twister Mohan Gumatay (born October 19, 1977), known professionally as Mo Twister, is a Filipino American radio and television presenter. He is best known for his ''Good Times'' programs, which started as a radio show and later spun off to the televisi ...

(radio DJ and talk show host) * November 19 – Lea Salonga (

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning singer and musical theatre performer)

Notable events

On the first Finals Week, no contestants were eliminated due to disrupted telephone and mobile phone services in many areas of Luzon, caused by

Typhoon Xangsane Typhoon Xangsane, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Milenyo, was a typhoon that affected the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand during the 2006 Pacific typhoon season. The name Xangsane was submitted by Laos and means elephant. Xangsane made l ...

. In the results show, finalists still went through a familiar elimination routine. Agoncillo called three contestants to an area dubbed the "Hot Spot" before revealing that no one would be eliminated and the votes would be carried over to the succeeding week. This was done because there were no official results to be announced. According to sources from the network, the votes were not yet counted at the time. ABC-5 Director for Creative and Entertainment Production Perci Intalan stated that the three finalists who were put in the "Hot Spot" (Marcelo, Armarie Cruz and Jelli Mateo) were not necessarily the Bottom Three. Intalan said, "We were not allowed to announce who the Bottom Three were because the votes will be carried over next week and it might affect the voting if people knew who the Bottom Three were." As a result, two contenders—Stef Lazaro and Drae Ybañez—were eliminated the following week. Another non-elimination occurred on the fourth Finals Week due to reports of disrupted voting (among Sun Cellular and

Smart Smart or SMART may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Smart'' (Hey! Say! JUMP album), 2014 * Smart (Hotels.com), former mascot of Hotels.com * ''Smart'' (Sleeper album), 1995 debut album by Sleeper * '' SMart'', a children's television se ...

subscribers). The votes amassed for this week were carried over to Week 5. Through the rest of the results night, each of the judges picked one finalist to give an encore performance: Cornejo picked Cruz, Corrales chose Marcelo, and Cayabyab picked Magdangal. Schedules were changed starting the Fifth Finals Week, with performances held on Sundays while elimination nights were on Mondays, as opposed to the previous arrangement of Saturday performances and Sunday eliminations. The voting time was also shortened from 21 to 2 hours. Agoncillo explained that this change was adopted (partly due to public clamor) from the voting period of ''American Idol''. Mateo and Cruz were eliminated because of the non-elimination on the previous week.Episode 23– Finals: Monday Results Night
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Recaps section On the Seventh Finals Week, each finalist sang a song chosen for them by a fellow Idol based on these assigned pairings: Magdangal and Nieto, Marcelo and Mendoza, Chavez and Dingle. After the night's performances, guest judge Mo Twister confidently said that Dingle would be eliminated the next night and even wagered that he would go to work in a dress for a week if his prediction proved wrong. Dingle was indeed eliminated the following night. The Big Band Week became a "mini-concert", as each of the remaining four finalists performed two song numbers with a short spiel to the audience in between. The following week featured special segments about the final three contenders: Marcelo, Magdangal, and Nieto.

Finale

''Philippine Idol'' held its Performance Night Finale on December 9, 2006, at the Araneta Coliseum, which was dubbed ''The Big 3 at the Big Dome''. Each of the three remaining contenders performed three songs, one personally chosen by the contestant, one by the judges and one by Sony BMG Music Philippines. Agoncillo hosted the performance night alone; he was joined the next night by Heart Evangelista. Each song was performed with Villena's "mega band" and the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra. The next night at the same venue, the star-studded results show was held, headlined by Magdangal, Marcelo, and Nieto together with the rest of the Final 12. The show also included performances from

Cueshé Cueshé is a Filipino pop rock band from Cebu, Philippines, currently based in Manila. The band was formed in 1998 and hit mainstream in 2005. Background Formed in 1998 in Cebu by Fritz Labrado, Jovan Mabini and Mike Manaloto, the word Cueshé i ...

, Aiza Seguerra, the

SexBomb Girls The SexBomb Girls (also known as SB Girls, SBG, SexBomb Dancers, and now SB NewGen) is an all-female singing and dancing group in the Philippines. They were initially only dancers for ''Eat Bulaga!'', the midday variety show in the Philippines ...

, G Toengi, Hajji Alejandro, and Gary Valenciano, as well as resident judges Francis Magalona and Pilita Corrales. Ryan Cayabyab also performed his compositions by joining the finalists through his piano accompaniment. In what can be regarded as the climax of the show, the Final 12 and resident judges Corrales and Cayabyab performed a medley of songs composed by Cayabyab, including an original one which he made with finalist Miguel Mendoza entitled "Here I Am". Marcelo was voted as the first Philippine Idol, amassing about 35.26% of the vote. The vote was a hotly contested one with the runners-up earning about 33.84% and 30.90% of the votes. It was not revealed, however, which runner-up garnered which percentage, but they each received ₱250,000. Aside from the title, Marcelo also earned a contract with Sony BMG Music Philippines, a management contract with an agency of FremantleMedia's choice, a ₱1,000,000 non-exclusive contract with ABC, and ₱1,000,000 cash prize.

Elimination chart

¹ Due to the power interruptions and network problems, no elimination was held on October 1. All votes cast for the week were carried over to the following week.
² Two contestants were eliminated this week in lieu of the non-elimination the week before.
³ Due to network problems, no contestant was eliminated. All votes cast for the week were carried over to the following week. This serves as Philippine Idol's Second Non-elimination week.
⁴ Two contestants were eliminated this week in lieu of the non=elimination the week before. This also marks the first Monday elimination, as performance nights were moved to Sundays, with eliminations moved to Mondays.

''Kakaibang Idol''

''Kakaibang Idol'' was a special episode of ''Philippine Idol'' held on September 23, 2006, a week after the Top 12 Finalists have been named. It was an interactive

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

singing competition consisting of notable auditionees who either did not pass or failed to make it through Semifinals. The program was named ''Kakaibang Idol'' (A Different Kind of Idol) because the seven contestants made an impact among viewers. The twelve finalists were present that night, but only performed at the beginning and end of the show. Likewise, Magalona, Corrales, and Cayabyab took a back seat, appearing in clips taking their "times off". Taking over jury duties that night were comedic performers

Ethel Booba Ethyl Gabison-Salazar (born December 17, 1976), also known by her stage name Ethel Booba, is a Filipina TV personality, author, singer, and comedienne. She has also worked in the recording industry. She was the first been crowned as the celebr ...

Arnell Ignacio Arnaldo Arevalo Ignacio (born March 4, 1964), known professionally as Arnell Ignacio, is a Filipino Television Presenter, game show host, comedian, actor, news anchor, singer-songwriter, and public official. Ignacio has hosted several shows, ...

, and Tuesday Vargas.Episode 12 – Kakaibang Idol
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Recaps section Although the event served as a breather, voting was still active, involving viewers picking the performer who should be proclaimed ''Kakaibang Idol''. The next night, with finalists and judges present, Kenneth Paul "Yova" Alonzo—a

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

call center agent from Cebu City—was chosen by viewers as Kakaibang Idol.Episode 13 – Kakaibang Idol Results
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Recaps section

''I ♥ Philippine Idol: Exclusive''

''I ♥ Philippine Idol: Exclusive'', originally ''Philippine Idol: Exclusive'', is a thirty-minute daily program that features updates, news and behind-the-scene footages of the show. Since its premiere on August 14, 2006, a male voice talent (who also voices the plugs for ABC programs) has been facilitating the program, with appearances by Jmie Mempin who is also a production associate of ''Philippine Idol''. Actress Heart Evangelista took over on September 4, 2006. Accordingly, ''Philippine Idol: Exclusive'' was renamed ''I Love Philippine Idol: Exclusive'' with a heart shape reflecting the new host.

Controversies

Auditions

A Fast-Track audition that was to be held at SM City Sta. Mesa was canceled, leading to complaints from hopefuls and their parents. After hours of waiting, a representative of ABC arrived and relocated each of the 160 frustrated applicants to other scheduled screening. Meanwhile, Filipinos living in Mindanao reacted negatively to what ''Philippine Idol'' judges said after a low Gold Pass turnout at the Davao Main Auditions, with Corrales (a Cebuana herself) saying that "Davao is not the place to look for an Idol" and "all the good ones are in Cebu". Corrales later clarified in the Wildcard Round that she said such a statement because of the low turnout in the Davao auditions and the even lower Gold Pass output. She added that "Davao's best talents" might have probably auditioned earlier in Manila.

Talent piracy

ABC confirmed that a Gold Passer (later identified in the show's official website as Czarina Rose Rosales) was pirated by ABS-CBN's ''Pinoy Dream Academy'', the Philippine franchise of ''

Star Academy ''Star Academy'', called ''Operación Triunfo'' ("Operation Triumph") in Spanish-speaking countries, is a highly successful television pop music talent contest with viewer voting and reality show elements. Format There are many versions of t ...

''.''Philippine Idol'', The Journey Has Just Begun
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Features section Sources said that representatives of ABS-CBN even approached a judge to "just let (some of) the contestants go". This came after news that ABS-CBN wanted to co-produce ''Philippine Idol'' with ABC, but was denied. ABS-CBN sent a letter to the ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'', which published the said report denying the allegations. The network added that they successfully staged competitions without taking contestants from other contests and would fully respect a contestant's choice as to which competition they would join. Auditions for ''Pinoy Dream Academy'' were being held before the Theater eliminations. ABC then sent a formal letter of complaint to ABS-CBN, alleging that three Gold Passers of ''Philippine Idol'' became contestants of ''Pinoy Dream Academy''. The latter did not comment on the letter, as neither of the three talents questioned became a finalist of that show.

Vote padding

Upon the announcement of the first four male finalists, there were viewers of the show who had negative reactions regarding its format. They were shocked, disappointed, and were left complaining as two of the contestants that were favored by the judges based on their performances failed to make the cut. Instead, two others who had rather bad reviews from the jurors took the spots. Viewers critical to the program concluded that it was just another "popularity contest" rather than a singing competition. Cayabyab mentioned that people should not be complacent regarding the contestants' status on the show, and advised them to keep on voting for their favorites because of the show's uncertainty.
''Philippine Idol'' Official Website, Features section This criticism was also reflected during the Women's Semi-finals, as talent critics believed two contenders that failed to make the cut should have become finalists. Critics also noted that viewers did not take heed to the judges' remarks about performance. Torre stated in his article that the results of ''Philippine Idol'' Semi-finals revealed that viewers were not yet knowledgeable or objective enough to pick the first Idol, and pointed to the compromised voting based on "subjective campaigns" from some of the semi-finalists' backers. He later commented that the show did not affirm a contestant's popularity but "the determination and deep pockets of his supporters." This was supported on a report published by the ''

Manila Bulletin The ''Manila Bulletin'' (), (also known as the ''Bulletin'' and previously known as the ''Manila Daily Bulletin'' from 1906 to September 23, 1972, and the ''Bulletin Today'' from November 22, 1972, to March 10, 1986) is the Philippines' largest ...

'' about contestants who "buy their way to the top". Cayabyab divulged that he did not expect the way people voted and would see if that trend would continue in the coming weeks. However, he admitted that such campaigns were part of the game.

Looks over talent

During the Results Show of the Wildcard Round, Marcelo jokingly said that ''Philippine Idol'' is not a singing contest but a "pagandahan" (beauty contest), which received a thunderous applause and laughter (especially from Cayabyab). Her statement was interpreted in two ways: as a way of venting out her frustrations in the voting process or as a means of sarcasm. She later made it to the Finals. In a later interview in ''I ♥ Philippine Idol: Exclusive'', she said that she did not mean anything. Marcelo later apologized for her remarks during the Finale's post-results show press conference.Cruz; Mallari, Delfin J
Lucena singer chosen first "Philippine Idol"
Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 11, 2006. The judges were also scored by viewers for their constant comments about contestants who should lose weight, especially Marcelo. Marcelo admitted getting hurt by comments on so-called physical flaws, adding that she entered a "singing contest" not a "dancing competition". Cayabyab said that he avoids commenting on the singer's physical attributes.

Cayabyab losing cool

Cayabyab had shown signs of frustration during Results Shows where the best performers of the previous night got eliminated. He finally expressed his disgust over the results after Sajor's elimination, calling it "dreadful". He also appeared to have surrendered the prospect of finding the best singer in the contest, predicting that it would be a "lightweight competition" with contestants singing nursery rhymes.

Fate of ''Idol'' in the Philippines

Transition to ''Pinoy Idol''

Although it had previously announced that it would, ABC did not produce a second season of ''Philippine Idol Sources stated that ABC had incurred large losses producing the first season due to lower than expected advertising revenue. On September 16, 2007, FremantleMedia officially announced that the ''Idol'' franchise would be given to GMA Network under the name ''Pinoy Idol''. FremantleMedia representative Geraldine Bravo said that it was "very fortunate" to find a new partner, while GMA Network's Senior Vice President for Entertainment Wilma Galvante added that both parties agreed that the network "has the experience, the resources, and the people to mount talent-search programs". Reports said that GMA was planning to treat ''Pinoy Idol'' as a completely different show, without referring to ''Philippine Idol'' as its "first season" and not recognizing Marcelo as the "first winner". Agoncillo and Cayabyab would not reprise their roles in the new ''Idol'' show as they appeared in the second season of ''Pinoy Dream Academy''. In an article published before ''Pinoy Idols premiere, Torre gave the lapses in ''Philippine Idol'' which he hoped ''Pinoy Idol'' should not replicate, such as Agoncillo's less than effective hosting style and the somewhat scripted and less wise comments of Magalona and Corrales.

''Idol Philippines'' telecast

The second season of ''

Idol Philippines ''Idol Philippines'' (known as ''Search for the Idol Philippines'' in the first season or better known as ''Philippine Ido''l) is a Philippine reality singing television competition broadcast by Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, and TV5. As part of t ...

,'' the iteration produced by

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

was broadcast on TV5, along with

Kapamilya Channel Kapamilya Channel (stylized as Kapamilya channel) is a 24-hour Philippine pay television network formerly known as ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under Lopez Holdings Corporation owned by the López family. The network is headquartered at th ...

and A2Z. This marks the return of an iteration of the ''Idol'' franchise on the network since ''Philippine Idol''.

External links

''Philippine Idol'' official website
*

References

{{Good article Idols (franchise) Philippine reality television series Philippine television series based on British television series 2006 Philippine television series debuts 2006 Philippine television series endings TV5 (Philippine TV network) original programming Television series by Fremantle (company) Filipino-language television shows

Production

Auditions

Theater round

Semifinal round

Final round

Weekly themes

Guest judges

Notable events

Finale

Elimination chart

''Kakaibang Idol''

''I ♥ Philippine Idol: Exclusive''

Controversies

Auditions

Talent piracy

Vote padding

Looks over talent

Cayabyab losing cool

Fate of ''Idol'' in the Philippines

Transition to ''Pinoy Idol''

''Idol Philippines'' telecast

See also

External links

References