A few days before the Big Night, “Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0” ex-housemates return to grill the Ultimate 8 and put them under the microscope to analyze who is being "totoo" and who isn’t, testing their convictions and right to be hailed as the Big Winner.
The Ultimate 8 members are called one by one into a room where they face hosts Bianca Gonzalez and Luis Manzano, who act as messengers of questions from the public. While the Ultimate 8 member answers, the ex-housemates watch and judge whether the statement they heard is “truth” or “lie.” This is followed by personal, face-to-face questions from some of the evictees.
Ashley Sarmiento’s “paninindigan” is put to the test as she reiterates that she believes all of them in the Ultimate 8 are being real. The same goes for her answer to Reich Alim's question of who among the Ultimate 8 she thinks is non-deserving and which evictee she would replace that person with. Ashley initially says, “Pwede bang sumagot na wala?” But when pushes her further, saying, “Ashley, final week. No more playing safe,” Ashley names Joaquin Arce as non-deserving and says she would replace him with John Clifford.
“Maraming times sa task na naririnig ko na maraming strategies [si Joaquin] na hindi tama, kaya naisip ko na mas ipalit si Clifford dahil laging nananaig 'yung kabutihan sa kan'ya pagdating sa bawat hamon na binibigay ni Kuya," explains Ashley, emphasizing that she's speaking truthfully from the heart. However, Reich judges her statement as “lie,” noting, “Everyone's actors. It's hard to not to notice the cameras and be yourself. Obviously, there's still a mask.”
Meanwhile, Ashley also wears her heart on her sleeves when confronted about her feelings for Rave Victoria, the housemate she grew close to in Bahay ni Kuya and whom she shared what many fans would describe as something “special.” However, during the "tapatan," Ashley clarifies that while she admires Rave as a person and an artist, her feelings did not deepen beyond that.
“Sa tingin ko po nu'ng umalis po siya, marami po akong na-realize, na, okay lang po pala na kahit wala po siya sa tabi ko. Nanatili lang po 'yung admiration pero hindi po lumalim...'”
Ashley is surprised when Rave comes in the room and asks her, “Akala ko ba ako Big Winner mo?” which sounds like a contradiction to what she just said about bringing Clifford back into the game if she had to replace Joaquin, when inside the house, she and Rave once declared that they were one another’s Big Winner.
Rave presses, “Sure ka pa ba? Nagbago ba 'yun dahil lumabas lang ako?” referring to the special admiration Ashley once expressed for him. She responds, “Siguro madami lang akong na-realize sa sarili ko at sa atin nu'ng lumabas ka... Sa ngayon, hindi na.”
Catch the other Ultimate 8 members as they take the hot seat in the “Ultimate Tapatan” of “PBB Collab 2.0," available online via livestream on the PBB YouTube Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), and iWant.