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The parade of talents from all over the country in Showtime has finally concluded after nine months. XB Gensan, the dance group from General Santos City claimed the Grand Champion crown and the Php 1 million prize in the season finale of ABS-CBN’s pre-noontime variety show.
Garnering an average score of 9.875 from 40 celebrity judges which included Gladys Reyes, Dennis Padilla, Joebert Sucaldito, Priscilla Mereilles, Andrew E., Alessandra de Rossi, Alfie Lorenzo, Jon Avila, Gab Valenciano and resident judge Vice-Ganda, the group also gained mostly tens from the score cards of audiences in the jam-packed Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Notably absent among the judges was Rosanna Roces, whose controversial comment against school teachers in the show’s January 7 episode resulted to a clash between the network and the Movie and Television Review Classification Board (MTRCB). The Board slapped the talent show with a 20-day preventive suspension to which ABS-CBN responded with an appeal filed in the Court of Appeals for a temporary restraining order.
Hosted by Kim Atienza, Anne Curtis and Vhong Navarro, the show opened with a prayer led by child actor Nash Aguas, and the singing of the national anthem led by Robert Sena.
Clad in warrior-inspired costumes, XB Gensan performed a dance routine in which the Filipino soldiers’ march was incorporated. The dance crew is led by Bing Carino, artistic director of Teatro Ambahanon who combined the group's mastery of ballet, jazz and hip-hop in their routine.
What made the victory even sweeter for the only finalist from Mindanao was that they earlier lost the competition and just received a second chance thru the Wild Card Round.
“Akala namin hindi na kami makakabalik. Kaya nung tinawagan kami para mag-Wild Card, pwede pa pala kami maghiganti,” the group’s representative shared prior to their performance.
“Maraming salamat po sa second chance na ibinigay nyo sa amin… Mabuhay ang Gensan!,” said another member.
And indeed, it was a break well-deserved as the Gensan dancers ended the competition with a bang, giving their heart and soul in what would be hailed as their best performance in the entire season.
“Galing sa puso,” was how judge Jhong Hilario described the group’s energetic and emotional performance. “Mahirap humakot ng fans dahil napakalayo ng pinanggalingan ninyo. Pero nakita ninyo ang response sa inyo ng tao...Pinaalam nyo sa buong mundo na kayo ang dapat manalo ngayong araw na ito.”
“Sobrang ipinagmamalaki ko kayo, dahil ito pong grupong ito ay natalo na, pinabalik, pinagpursigihan, nanalo ulit, at eto na sila ngayon, “ Vice Ganda proudly said.
The comedian further noted that the group’s rise from the ashes of loss will serve as an inspiration to people who may be experiencing disappointments as well. “Isang malaking pagpapaalala sa ating lahat - never use your failures yesterday as an excuse for you not to do better and strive more today… You [have been] too strong, too powerful, too fierce. You’re like declaring war.”
Host Anne Curtis was moved by the overwhelmingly enthusiastic vibe of the competitors and the audience that she could not help shedding tears. “Grabe yung passion ng madlang people at ng mga contestants dito… Mahal na mahal namin kayo,” Curtis said.
In second place is Philippine Island Assassin with an average score of 9.7. Also tagged as the Pinoy Ninja Kids, the group dazzled the crowd with a repertoire of martial arts, breakdancing and head spins. "Sobrang galing ng performance nila, ang linis!," a fan in the audience exclaimed.
The group's fans on the internet were just as impressed that they were able to make Philippine Islands one of trending topics in the microblogging site, Twitter.
It was removed from the trending list just before midnight, however, as spammers used the topic to promote contests and dating sites.
Coming in third place is another Wild Card round finalist, Boyz Unlimited from Pangasinan, whose dance act they labelled as "Dance for Peace, Love for God." "Mensahe namin sa kabataan na naliligaw ng landas...[at] para hindi natin nakakalimutan si Lord dahil siya ang nagbigay ng talent sa atin," one of the members explained.
Finalists Kasibulan and Enlightened Black Theater Group wowed the crowd with a black light hand mime presentation. Dance numbers combined with stunts were performed by Perlas ng Silangan, Mortal Combat and the Show Gays, Beat Guys and Sensei. E-Crew from Paete, Laguna spiced up their dance routine with ice-carving and drawing of caricatures. Ballroom dancing was showcased by the youngest finalists, The Savannah Kids.
XB or Extreme Boyz Gensan immediately posted a message of thanks to their fans in their Facebook page.
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