But all these differences aside, Drew Arellano, Bianca Gonzalez and Mariel Rodriguez have one thing in common– together, the three represent some of today’s best and brightest at the game of hosting.
Drew, host of GMA 7’s morning show Unang Hirit and the upcoming travel show Balikbayan, is the kapuso of the group. Most of the time, Drew (whose big break was the Sunsilk TV commercial) is not in the studio, since he goes remote almost everyday. For that, he needs to get up at 4 a.m., get dressed and drive to the location so he can be there by 5 a.m. Fortunately for Drew, he happens to be a morning person so it’s no problem. Two to four times a month, those remote broadcasts take him out of town. "It’s tiring, but I enjoy it, because not only do I get to visit a lot of places and travel for free, I also meet a lot of really interesting people," he says.
Drew never thought he’d become a TV host, since he was, by his own admission, "makulit, but never really talkative" when he was younger. "I’m really very grateful for the breaks I’ve gotten, since hosting is not an innate thing with me. A lot of what I know about hosting, I learned on the job and by making a lot of mistakes."
Ateneo graduate Bianca Gonzalez (yes, her last name is spelled with two Z’s) is the other morning-show person in the group. She and Magandang Umaga, Pilipinas (MUP) co-host Ryan Agoncillo are the latest additions to the group.
Bianca is no stranger to the morning show circuit. Before joining MUP, she was hosting Breakfast on Studio 23. Of all of them, she is the one who has to get up the earliest, since she lives all the way in Parañaque. "That means I have to get up at 3 a.m. and be out of the house by 3:30 at the latest, so I can reach the ABS-CBN studios by 4 a.m. for make-up," she says.
For Bianca, the biggest adjustment in moving from Breakfast to a show like MUP has been learning how to speak straight Tagalog. "I’m so used to English and Taglish kasi, but it’s been great. Everyone’s so happy, and it’s like we’re always just playing instead of working when we’re on the set."
Aside from MUP, Bianca–who, like Drew, got her start as a commercial model when she appeared in the Globe G2P commercial and in ads for Pantene, Coca-Cola, Kotex and Nestle Yogurt–can also be seen regularly as host of Y Speak on Studio 23 and Cinevue, which are special mini-features that run on the movie channel Cinema One. Y Speak is particularly close to her heart, since it is a show targeted at the youth market. Bianca even keeps a blog (you can find it at www.superbianca.blogspot.com) so she can keep in touch with her audience. Bianca enjoys receiving messages from her viewers. "I like it, because it means we’re doing something good," she says.
She enjoys hosting, because it allows her to be herself. Although offers to act have been knocking at her door, Bianca doesn’t think she’ll ever give up hosting. "It’s not in my dream to become an artista," she says. "As it is, I’m so fulfilled already being a host. There’s so much more to achieve, but I’m already so happy."
Mariel Rodriguez, the girl known to everyone as the "Kapitbahay ni Kuya" from Pinoy Big Brother Up Late and the game show Big Brother Yes or No is the night owl of the trio. She is the perfect person to host such a show, since her personality is so perky, you find yourself staying awake despite the lateness of the hour. They have a script that tells her what video they’re showing next, or what the next task of the housemates is, but for the most part, the Mariel who hosts Pinoy Big Brother Up Late is the real Mariel. She is as genuine as can be.
The funny thing is that Mariel, who has become known as "mali-maling Mariel" for her spontaneity and her countless on-camera gaffes, is absolutely loved by her audience. They lap it all up, including her supposed affection for housemate Sam Milby, who was chosen to join the housemates when Jenny Suico left voluntarily to tend to her dying father. The truth, says Mariel, is that "mas like ko si JB, pero since nagkaroon siya ng girlfriend, kaya si Sam na lang. Cute naman si Sam, di ba?"
But with her, it never seems like an act. What you see is what you get. "That’s me," she laughs. "Madaldal talaga ako. Enjoy ako magkuwento. I’m a Leo kasi. A self-confessed KSP (kulang sa pansin). Some people find it annoying, but this is really who I am."
In the beginning, Mariel was under tremendous pressure to be letter-perfect in the delivery of her lines. But when she was told she was allowed to make mistakes, she relaxed, and her naturally perky personality came out. This is the Mariel we see every night on Pinoy Big Brother Up Late, and as such, she has practically become a fixture in every Pinoy family’s living room.
Drew, Bianca and Mariel are three of the youngest, best and brightest talents television has to offer, and there’s no doubt audiences would love to keep having them perk up our mornings and evenings, just as they’re doing now.