Who will be the next Ramiele of American Idol?

American Idol (AI) returns to Q-11 this month with a new set of Idol hopefuls to love (or hate, as the case may be.) And as always, the questions foremost on most Pinoy viewers’ minds are: Will another Fil-Am hopeful make it to the Top 12? Will the new season delight Pinoy viewers with another Ramiele Malubay, who made it all the way to Top 9? Will there be another Reynaldo Lapuz — last season’s William Hung — to entertain viewers with his antics?

AI, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, will kick off its eighth season on Q-11 with a four-hour, two-episode premiere which will air on Jan. 14 and 15, 6 p.m.

The show will also introduce new judge Kara DioGuardi, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, who will join the loud, opinionated trio of Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Simon Cowell.

Ramiele wowed viewers and judges last year with her big voice. She is the seventh Fil-Am in American Idol history to make it to the Top 24. Others are Brad Estrin from Season 1; Jordan Segundo from Season 2; Jasmine Trias and Camille Velasco from Season 3; Jose “Sway” Peñala from Season 5; and AJ Tablado from Season 6. Trias went as far as third place, the highest ever for a Fil-Am.

Over the course of last year’s competition, Ramiele — who considers Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Lani Misalucha, and Regine Velasquez her influences — slowly gained popularity. When she sang Dusty Springfield’s You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, she received raves across the board. Jackson dubbed the performance “classy, almost like a pro. Abdul told Ramiele she was “a force to be reckoned with,” and Cowell told her, “Tonight, you out-sang every single person.”

Reynaldo, on the other hand, made his mark via his signature song We’re Brothers Forever.