Meet the Protégé male and female battle champs

MANILA, Philippines - After weeks of live performances and nerve-wracking elimination nights, GMA 7’s Protégé: The Battle for the Big Artista Break crowned Kilig Cutie Jeric Gonzales and Super Sweetheart Thea Tolentino as male and female battle champs during the spectacular finale held last Sunday.

Jeric and Thea were the protégés of Jolina Magdangal and Gina Alajar, respectively. The two protégés, who both hailed from Laguna, received the highest number of votes from the judges and the viewers.

Both Jeric and Thea came home with the incredible grand prize worth P12M which includes P1M each from SM Supermalls, a two-bedroom unit from Suntrust Properties, Inc. and a five-year management contract with GMA Artist Center. They were also awarded with a four-year scholarship grant from STI College together with the four other protégés Ruru Madrid, Elle Ramirez, Mikoy Morales and Zandra Summer.

Jeric received the Texter’s Choice Award with P20,000 cash from GMA New Media, Inc. Mentors Gina and Jolina each received P500,000 cash.

Gala presenter Dingdong Dantes announced that Jeric and Thea will be part of GMA 7’s upcoming youth-oriented series, T.G.I.S.

Making the finals night even grander were the special performances of the Top 20 protégés with Inside Protégé host Jennylyn Mercado. The five celebrity mentors also invaded the dance floor as they moved to the beat of the Protégé Dance Craze, Cupid Shuffle.

During the finale, the Final 6 protégés faced their last test in their ticket to stardom — The Drama Challenge where they acted alongside GMA’s talents like Heart Evangelista, Kris Bernal, Barbie Forteza, Andrea Torres and Ryan Eigenmann. Photos by Ver Paulino