Former child wonder Marco Masa and Tawag ng Tanghalan School Showdown Grand Champion Carmelle Collado have just been revealed as the 7th and 8th housemates of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0, the last to be announced before the full lineup reveal on October 25.
Both are familiar faces to Kapamilya viewers, having been introduced to the public at a young age — Marco as a child actor and Carmelle as a young finalist in a singing reality competition.
In an interview in 24 Oras newscast, Marco, who is now a Sparkle artist, shared how he sees this chance to really show who he is behind the iconic roles he portrayed.
“I would take each day inside as an opportunity to show who I am, to show my best self, to explore myself, to get to know myself better, and of course, yung mga housemates, yung mga kasama ko inside. And, I'm just, I'm just really excited, I'm just really immersed sa idea of self-improvement, and yun nga po, this is gonna be a detox for me. So, I'm just, I'm just so curious about what's to come,” he shared.
The Nathaniel star himself also added how he also owes this opportunity to God.
“I've been in the industry for like, since I was like four. Hindi ko po naisip na nabibigan ako ng opportunity para sa another PBB. And guess what? Lagi ko po sinasabi sa parents ko na nung nag-start na yung audition, parang wow, nabigyan pa rin pala ako ng chance na mag-PBB. It's God's way, God's move and inaalay ko lang po ito sa kanya,” he said.
Marco admitted that growing up in the public eye had been overwhelming and sees this as a refresher.
“Nag-start po ako sa showbiz and wala po yung tigil. So basically, I grew up in the public eye. I grew up with expectations from people. I grew up with pressure. I grew up being challenged every time. And even yung mga responsibilities ko sa school and all that, at some point, naging overwhelming po siya,” he revealed.
Now bearing the moniker “Wonder Brother ng Antipolo,” Marco turned emotional as he spoke about dedicating his PBB journey to his family.
“Mommy, Daddy, Kuya, I know, napapanood nyo lang ako ngayon. Wala, hindi nyo ako katabi physically. But my heart, my mind, my soul is always praying para sa ikabubuti nyo po. And ginagawa ko po ito lahat para sa pinakamadaling panahon, masuklian ko po lahat ng support na binigay niyo sa akin ever since I was a kid,” he expressed.
Meanwhile, “The Riles Diva ng Camarines Sur” Carmelle admitted how this new venture is totally different from her past showbiz stints.
“Uung mga competitions po na sinalihan ko, mga singing competitions, yun po talaga yung mga usual na competition. But ito pong PBB, ibang-iba po talaga siya sa mga competitions. Talagang matetest po kung sino ka man po, mas makikilala ka pa po. Hindi lang bilang artist, kundi bilang isang tao po. Because of course, sa loob ng bahay ni Kuya, mararamdaman mo yung mga different emotions. And aside from that, may mga makikilala kang iba-ibang tao po talaga,” she shared.
The Star Magic artist admitted she had initial hesitations, describing herself as a private person.
“I'm a private person po talaga. Like gusto ko po may privacy ako, may time na gusto kong ipakita. Siyempre sa work po namin, mapapakita yung itsura ko. Pero this time po, talagang, alam niyo, 24-7 po talagang makikita ko. So very challenging. So I think this is another chapter po sa career na meron po ako. And I'm really hoping po na sana yung mga makakasama ko po sa loob. Talagang magba-bond kami, magbi-build kami ng good and positive relationship sa loob po ng bahay ni Kuya,” she said.
With this new journey, the champion singer made sure to bring her faith with her, being a deeply religious person.
“Ito, yung bracelet ko po. hindi ko pa nasuot yung necklace. Bigay po ito ng pari din po. Actually, ito po, bago lang po ito. Kasi binigay po ito noong birthday ko po. And then, may mga matagal na po talaga akong ginagamit. Actually, may dala din po akong holy water. Dapat po pala dinala ko para meron po kong proweba. Yun po talaga yung feeling kong baon-baon ko po talaga na alam mo yun na ako lang ang meron kasi kahit po kapag kagaya po kayo, parang nagulat din po kayo na meron po kong dala-dalang holy water po,” Carmelle shared.
Carmelle and Marco join Joaquin Arce, Sofia Pablo, Miguel Vergara, Princess Aliyah, Heath Jornales, and Krystal Mejes as new housemates ahead of the full PBB: Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0 lineup announcement.
Catch Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0 this Saturday at 6:05 p.m. After its premiere, the show will air on weeknights at 9:40 p.m., Saturdays at 6:15 p.m., and Sundays at 10:05 p.m. on GMA Network and via the network’s streaming platforms, including Kapuso Stream, GMANetwork.com, and GMA Pinoy TV.
It will also be available for streaming online via ABS-CBN platforms, including Kapamilya Online Live and iWantTFC.