After declaring a non-elimination night for the Sensational Six two weeks ago, reality singing competition Celebrity Duets 2 opted for another week of suspense, this time with the remaining Top 5 celebrity contenders.
The tension mounts for comedian Joey Marquez, beauty queen Carlene Aguilar, fashion designer JC Buendia, football player Phil Younghusband, and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando who will all have to campaign for more text votes this week.
There is no doubt that the Top 5 will always have to outperform one another, as each contestant comes up week after week with his or her very own gimmicks to impress not only the audiences at home, but also the celebrity judges. This season's panel of judges—musical director Danny Tan, stage director Freddie Santos, and season one grand winner Tessa Prieto-Valdes—all agree that the performances need to be a total package comprised of an equal mix of good vocals as well as a grand production number.
And true enough, the contestants came up with total performances last week along with their singing partners. First on the spotlight was host and comedian Joey Marquez, who opted for a guitar duet with child star Aiza Seguerra. They sang "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens.
But before the judges' comments were given, Joey was given a surprise birthday cake courtesy of the show. He was also warmly greeted by the panel.
"Joey, lumabas ang bass baoritone mo," noticed Danny. "Ang pa-birthday ko sa 'yo ay ito: this is your best performance so far."
"Talagang best," Tessa agreed. "I was so touched. Parang naluluha na ako. I love the combination."
Direk Freddie summed up the praises. "Alam mo sineryoso mo na yung music," he said. "Buti naman para sa aming lahat. Ang ganda ng pagka-awit mo nyan."
Next was beauty queen Carlene Aguilar and partner Katrina Halili, who both wore pink evening gowns matched with elbow-length white gloves. Carlene was even in a blonde wig reminiscent of Madonna, as she and her partner sang "Material Girl" popularized by the '80s diva.
Tessa said, "I love the production—the gown, the wig. This is television, so dapat pure entertainment. That was so enjoyable," she praised the beauty queen.
"Ang lakas na ng boses ni Carlene," observed Freddie Santos. "Labas na labas na. Usually kasi yung mga singers natin, they're not as good as their professional ka-duet. Pero Carlene, umangat ka dito. Very good. Lakas ng boses. Alam mo yung ginagawa mo. Enjoy ka. Good for you, girl."
"Inubos na ni Freddie, ‘e," joked Danny. "Ano pang sasabihin ko?" he mused. "Ang ganda ng smile mo. Confident ka sa performance mo. Lumalabas sa facial expression. Moves mo napaka-sexy. Ang ganda ng performance mo tonight," he told the Bb. Pilipinas World titlist.
The stage then welcomed MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando who went next with his vintage-inspired production number, singing "Hello Dolly" with partner Bituin Escalante. Bayani was in a black-and-red tuxedo while Bituin donner a light brown dress with a feathered headdress as accessory.
Unlike his past performances, Bayani wasn't given as much praise this time.
"Malubak ang paglalakbay ngayon," commented Freddie. "Hindi masyadong smooth. Pero [okay] na wala masyadong maraming gimmick, kasi Celebrity Duets, ‘e. Hindi naman Celebrity Costume, Dance or whatever. Finally nariring natin yung boses ninyo. Finally hindi na masyadong marami yung gimmick. At finally, kailangan i-memorize niyo pa yung lyrics, kasi ngayon, litaw na litaw na tuloy," he observed, noting his need to memorize lyrics of the songs.
"Pero he relates to Bituin, which is a terrific thing," he added. "And I love the fact that I can hear their voices. Wala na masyadong maraming borloloy."
Danny seemed to agree with Freddie. "Parang nag-overspeeding kayo ngayon. Nag-o-overshoot yung mga notes. Sumosobra. Pero what's good in this performance is yung harmony niyo ni Bituin," he countered. "Nag-match yung boses niyo, so walang natabunan. Pantay na pantay ang powers. You were able to match the power of Bituin's voice. And that's good."
"I enjoyed this better than last week. Your timing was better. And ako, I like frills and costumes and everything. Bituin was excellent and nag-blend kayo ng really, really nice," Tessa agreed with Danny. "And you look good in a tux."
Next was soccer heartthrob Phil Younghusband, who was in a collared lilac polo shirt hidden in a black coat that matched partner Eula Valdez's sexy lilac top. They sang "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli.
"I think you're the most improved performer in the competition," threw in Danny Tan. "The first part was mostly in tune. And it shows...the effort that you put into this. So kudos to you for giving it all always."
Tessa was in her usual perky self. "I can't take my eyes off of you!" she exclaimed. "He's not only cute, but he can sing. I wanna take you home. Please Freddie, be nice to him. Please, please," she urged her co-judge.
"Phil, I had a nickname for you already," said Direk Freddie. "I was calling you Kenneth...Kenneth [cannot] sing, Kenneth, dance, Kenneth do whatever. And you know, tonight you've proven me wrong," he happily told Phil.
This prompted Ogie to joke, "You're now Ken," he told the young hearrthrob. "And I'm Barbie," he joked.
Last on stage was fashion designer JC Buendia, who went for an Asian-inspired production number, singing "Turning Japanese" with comedian Allan K. The fashion expert even had Kimono-wearing back-up dancers who complemented the duet's black kimono costumes as well as their matching samurai swords and wigs tied in a bun.
"I enjoyed that so much," announced Tessa. "This is really, really fun. Really nice production."
"Production number, hanep," seconded Freddie Santos. "So far, sa lahat ng mga kantang napili mo before, this has worked the best for you in terms of singing. Higit sa lahat, you're not trying to fake anything here. You're just being yourself, you're having fun, and this is the kind of song that works for you. Ito yung groove mo."
Danny gave the fashion guru his advice. "Yung pagkanta mo, ‘wag masyadong mag-push. Pero performance-wise, okay lang kasi maganda yung energy, and punong-puno ka ng energy. Mag-focus ako sa performance mo and singing. For me, it was very choppy, in the sense that after you finish one line, you stop, and you're doing nothing." He continued, "Kailangan fluidity sa performance. Tapos nung part ni Allan K, nakatayo ka dun, parang di mo alam gagawin mo. Even if you're not singing, there has to be body tension and dapat in character pa rin," he said.
But despite the grand performances, Celebrity Duets 2 hosts—songwriter Ogie Alcasid and songbird Regine Velasquez—declared another non-elimination night which meant that text votes from last week will be carried over to next week's eliminations.
Three contestants have already said goodbye on this reality singing show. Who will stay and who will go? Find out next Saturday, October 11, on Celebrity Duets 2, airing after Pinoy Records on GMA-7.