It’s Showtime: 5 years of making madlang people happy

The success of It’s Showtime has always thrived on its viewers and studio audiences, with the show encouraging them to “magpasikat,” a mission statement that has positioned the program as a public stage where they can shine. 

Since it was launched in 2009, the program has also put the spotlight on its hosts in its annual Magpasikat Week competition, where they are expected to pull out all the stops and top each other’s performances every year with still one goal in mind: To make its madlang people happy. 

Now on its fifth year, the competition did exceed expectations, with acts ranging from simply amusing and edgy to unexpected and poignant. 

Billy Crawford, Jugs Jugueta and Teddy Corpuz were declared the champions of this year’s Magpasikat Week with a performance that didn’t seem like a performance at all, but more like a game show that could very well be a segment in It’s Showtime. 

Their skit, called Whatchamacall8, seemed like a tribute to various successful game shows in the past, and employed a member from the studio audience, as well as stars Nadine Lustre and James Reid as contestants. 

The high-energy and unconventional skit promptly impressed judges Jim Paredes, Pops Fernandez and Cherie Gil, who named them the champions. The trio won P300,000, which they will donate to their chosen charity. 

Vhong Navarro and Jhong Hilario, meanwhile, went in the opposite direction and looked to appeal to the emotions. The pair gave a moving performance where in they told the story of their friendship through an interpretative dance. With a little help from Yassi Pressman, the duo danced to tell the story of their friendship. Vhong and Jhong also incorporated art into their performance by painting each other’s faces using glitter and glue during a live painting session.

Anne Curtis, who has always relied on nail-biting routines, also didn’t disappoint, this time with Coleen Garcia. The pair kicked off their act by playing different instruments such as the guitar, piano, xylophone and drums, and then proceeded to carry out a nerve-wracking aerial acrobatic act.

Teams Vhong-Jhong and Anne-Coleen placed second and third, and received P200,000 and P100,000, respectively, for their chosen charities.

Meanwhile, the teams of Vice Ganda and Ryan Bang, as well as Karylle and Kuya Kim Atienza got P50,000 as consolation prizes.

Vice Ganda and Ryan Bang, on the other hand, pulled off a surprise with a socially relevant and heartwarming message. Vice performed a song, which he wrote himself, about equality, acceptance, and tolerance. Singing with That’s My Tomboy grand winner Epey Herher and children with special needs, the performance moved the studio audience to tears.

Karylle and Kuya Kim put on a show that combined music, experiments and a call for environmental awareness that they capped off with an appearance from Mommy Dionisia Pacquiao and the announcement of a mobile app.

Before officially ending the Magpasikat Week last Oct. 25, the hosts gave a tribute to its loyal madlang people for their undying support for the show for the past five years. A VTR showed the journey of the program from its debut in 2009 as a talent competition in the morning until its launch as the Kapamilya network’s noontime show in 2012.

“At noontime, our family bonding has become deeper and happier, and we have widened opportunities for everyone. To all of you who have been part of our family, thank you so much for supporting us, and we hope you will be with us for more years to come so we continue to make you, our madlang people, happy,” Anne said.

But the VTR did not only show the program’s triumphs, notably its consistently high TV ratings and popular segments, but also its struggles along the way, and how the hosts and the staff faced all of them. In the end, the hosts were emotional and thanked its “solid showtimers.”

“You’ve been with us through the successes, through every chapter of our lives, every ordeal. We’ve been with you in prayers. The difficulties have kept coming but as one family, we have always remained on each other’s side,” Vhong said.