You're My Foreignoy 2019 is the third edition of Eat Bulaga!'s original talent search for pure foreign men who have become Filipinos at heart after living and working in the Philippines. The segment premiered on 16 September 2019 and concluded on 21 September 2019.
The week-long competition was one of the 15 Tatak Eat Bulaga! segments revived as part of the noontime show's 40th anniversary celebration.[1] The short-lived and rapid-fire revival of the segments aimed to give the new generation of Filipinos and foreigners an opportunity to experience the show's several iconic and original contests. Winners were scheduled to face off in the Tatak Eat Bulaga! Grand Showdown in mid-2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the final competition indefinitely.
John Paul Serrano Gorens, the 19-year-old foreignoy from California, United States, was hailed as the grand winner at the end of the competition.[2] He also received the Dabarkads Choice award after garnering the most number of likes on the official Facebook page of Eat Bulaga!. His near-native fluency in Tagalog as well as his performance of the 2017 rap hit "Nadarang" by Shanti Dope impressed the judges and the viewers.
Overview
Auditions
The contest was open to pure male foreigners who are currently living or working in the Philippines. Contestants must be knowledgeable about the local culture and be able to proficiently pronounce words and phrases of the language. They must also be able to perform a Filipino-inspired performance for the talent portion. Auditions were held at APT Studios.
Daily rounds
The daily rounds occurred from 16 to 20 September 2019. Each round featured two new contestants who competed against one another with their talent, wit, and charm. The contestants first showcased their Filipino-inspired performances in the talent portion. In the interview portion, the hosts asked the contestants to properly pronounce a difficult Filipino word and then challenged them to demonstrate the usage of the word in an acting scene. Bebot 2019 characters Blackylou Blanco (played by Wally Bayola) and Kidney Spears (played by Buboy Villar) accompanied the contestants in the culture-inspired acting portion.
A total of 40 people from the studio audience were invited to judge the contestants. The criteria of judging were as follows:
- 30% – Personality
- 50% – Talent
- 20% – Appeal
Winners received ₱20,000 and advanced to the grand finals of the segment.
Grand finals
You're My Foreignoy 2019 grand finalists
The grand finals took place on Saturday, 21 September 2019. Six grand finalists competed for the prestigious title of the competition.
For the final time, the contestants showcased their Filipino-inspired performances in the talent portion. In the interview portion, the hosts asked them to properly pronounce difficult Tagalog words that refer to different Filipino cultural traits or values. A subsequent acting portion with Blackylou Blanco and Kidney Spears challenged each contestant to demonstrate the trait in an improvised scene.
The panel of judges included comedian Ai-Ai delas Alas, Eat Bulaga! host Maine Mendoza, Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez, fashion designer Avel Bacudio, and singer Lani Misalucha. The criteria of judging were as follows:
- 30% – Personality
- 50% – Talent
- 20% – Appeal
John Paul Serrano Gorens, the 19-year-old foreignoy from California, United States, received the grand prize of ₱100,000 after being named the winner of the competition. He also won the Dabarkads Choice special award after garnering the most number of likes on the official Facebook page of Eat Bulaga!. His near-native fluency in Tagalog and excellent understanding of the Filipino culture contributed to his impressive victory in the segment. After the competition, he was slated to compete against the winners of other revived segments in the Tatak Eat Bulaga! Grand Showdown. However, the final competition was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kuya Sawa of Japan bagged the title of first runner-up and took home ₱30,000, while James Carne of Australia was declared as the second runner-up and received ₱20,000.
Hosts
The following hosts were involved in the presentation of the segment at some point in its week-long run.
Contestants
A total of ten contestants competed in the 2019 edition of You're My Foreignoy. The following table sorts them alphabetically based on their last names.
| Contestant | Age | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Bjorn Camilleri | 23 | Malta |
| James Carne | 24 | Australia |
| Lucas Carson | 17 | United States |
| John Paul Serrano Gorens | 19 | United States |
| Vladimir Grand | 24 | Ukraine |
| Nico Locco | 24 | Italy |
| Julio Monteiro | 21 | Brazil |
| Kuya Sawa | 25 | Japan |
| Adel Serhal | 21 | Ukraine |
| Ciro Tarallo | 19 | Italy |
Results
Daily rounds
The daily rounds occurred from 16 to 20 September 2019. Each round featured two new contestants who competed against one another with their talent, wit, and charm. Winners advanced to the grand finals.
| Date | Contestant | Age | Origin | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 16 September 2019 |
Bjorn Camilleri | 23 | Malta | Eliminated |
| Vladimir Grand | 24 | Ukraine | Advanced | |
| Tuesday 17 September 2019 |
Lucas Carson | 17 | United States | Eliminated |
| Ciro Tarallo | 19 | Italy | Advanced | |
| Wednesday 18 September 2019 |
James Carne | 24 | Australia | Advanced (tied) |
| Kuya Sawa | 25 | Japan | Advanced (tied) | |
| Thursday 19 September 2019 |
Adel Serhal | 21 | Ukraine | Eliminated |
| Nico Locco | 24 | Italy | Advanced | |
| Friday 20 September 2019 |
Julio Monteiro | 21 | Brazil | Eliminated |
| John Paul Serrano Gorens | 19 | United States | Advanced |
Grand finals
The grand finals took place on Saturday, 21 September 2019. It featured six finalists competing in the talent, interview, and acting portions. John Paul Serrano Gorens of the United States emerged as the grand winner at the end of the competition.
Australia James Carne |
United States John Paul Gorens |
Ukraine Vladimir Grand |
Italy Nico Locco |
Japan Kuya Sawa |
Italy Ciro Tarallo |
| Contestant | Age | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Grand | 24 | Ukraine |
| Ciro Tarallo | 19 | Italy |
| James Carne | 24 | Australia |
| Kuya Sawa | 25 | Japan |
| Nico Locco | 24 | Italy |
| John Paul Serrano Gorens | 19 | United States |
| Contestant | Age | Origin | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
John Paul Serrano Gorens | 19 | United States | Grand winner |
|
Kuya Sawa | 25 | Japan | First runner-up |
|
James Carne | 24 | Australia | Second runner-up |
| Special Award | Contestant | Age | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dabarkads Choice | John Paul Serrano Gorens | 19 | United States |
Trivia
- The grand finals of You're My Foreignoy 2019 was re-aired on Wednesday, 25 March 2020. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on live programming, Eat Bulaga! opted to replay episodes of some of its most iconic segments and other special presentations from the past.[3]
Footnotes
- ↑ Wally Bayola reprised his Bebot 2005 character of Blackylou Blanco for You're My Foreignoy 2019. His appearance in the segment is part of the scripted feud between his character and Buboy Villar's Kidney Spears.
- ↑ After winning Bebot 2019, Buboy Villar reprised his character of Kidney Spears and participated as a guest host in the segment to continue the character's scripted feud with Wally Bayola's Blackylou Blanco.
References
- ↑ 40th anniversary celebration ng 'Eat Bulaga,' napuno ng pasasalamat at big announcements, 30 July 2019, GMA News.
- ↑ Get to know 'You're My Foreignoy' winner John Paul Serrano, 30 September 2019, GMA News.
- ↑ GMA suspends production of entertainment shows; to air ‘pre-taped’ episodes, 14 March 2020, Philippine Daily Inquirer.