Highly acclaimed actress Maja Salvador took on the challenge of winning the ₱1 million jackpot on the Kapamilya game show “Minute to Win It,” hosted by Luis Manzano. The fearlessness and determination she often displayed in her acting roles and dance performances on “ASAP” shone through in every 60-second challenge, helping her complete one task after another.
Maja was among the first celebrity contestants to compete for the show's top prize during its pilot week in 2013. Although she was not in peak condition during the third episode, she couldn't help but feel excited, anxious, and ready all at once. Drawing on her athletic background and competitive spirit, she hoped to make it all the way to the final challenge.
To complete the first challenge, "Dizzy Mummy," Maja had to spin around while wrapping a single roll of toilet paper around her body like a mummy without tearing it. Her strategy of rotating slowly and steadily paid off, as she completed the task with 19 seconds remaining on the clock. The victory advanced her to the next stage, ₱5,000 richer and with all three of her playable lives still intact.
The second stage featured "The Nut Stacker," where the actress had to build a tower of five hexagonal metal nuts using a single chopstick to stack them one on top of another for a chance to win ₱10,000. The challenge put Maja's hand-eye coordination to the test. Despite her shaky hands, she quickly stacked the first three nuts before slowing down to carefully place the final two. She successfully completed the challenge in just 35 seconds.
Advancing to the next game, Maja tested her luck in the ₱25,000 challenge, "Bottoms Up." The mechanics required her to make the most of her lower body movement by shaking her hips to knock over four soda cans arranged around her using a yo-yo ball attached to a string wrapped around her waist. Although Maja initially struggled to find the right height and rhythm to hit the cans, she quickly found her groove and toppled the last one with 15 seconds remaining on the clock.
The fourth game, "Tira Banana," once again had Maja relying on her hip movements. Playing for ₱50,000, she had to guide an orange through a hula hoop placed on the floor by nudging it forward with a banana suspended from a string tied around her waist. She completed the challenge in just 36 seconds, ending the episode as enthusiastic as when she began, with all three of her playable lives still intact for the following day's episode.
Entering Episode 4, Maja appeared more prepared and energized than she had been the previous day. However, her nerves got the better of her as she lost her first life in the fifth game, "Hang Nails." It took her 41 seconds to successfully hang six flathead nails on a suspended string. On her second attempt, she adjusted her strategy by focusing on precise placement and maintaining the right distance, allowing her to clear the safety level and secure ₱75,000.
The ₱100,000 challenge, "Stack Attack," required Maja to build a pyramid out of 36 plastic cups before deconstructing it diagonally to form a single tall stack. On her first attempt, she fell short as the cups repeatedly toppled over, preventing her from finishing before time ran out. Refusing to give up, she redeemed herself on her second try with a steadier and more controlled performance. In a picture-perfect finish, Maja completed the challenge just before the buzzer sounded, narrowly avoiding elimination.
By the time the seventh stage arrived, Maja's adrenaline was still running high as she took on the challenge, "Bucket Head." The game required her to bounce five ping-pong balls off a wall and catch each one in a bucket strapped to her head. Although she successfully caught the first three balls within the opening 30 seconds, she struggled to maintain her momentum. She managed to catch the fourth ball only in the final five seconds, leaving her without enough time to secure the fifth. As a result, she failed to complete the challenge before the clock expired, using up the last of her three playable lives.
With her run ending before she could reach the next safety level, Maja took home a total of ₱75,000, which was donated to Ephesus, her chosen charity.
Catch “Minute to Win It” airing weekdays, 5:45pm on ABS-CBN sa All TV2, Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL).
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