Love and "Pinoy Big Brother"

Let me just state categorically that I do not care who wins in the current season of Pinoy Big Brother. I watched it at the beginning and failed to follow through, and the only contestants that  made an impression, for obvious reasons, were Rica, Jason, and Melai.

On Monday night, I found myself glued to the television again, alternately chatting up my niece’s yaya to get some PBB updates. The next episode’s preview had me rushing home on Tuesday night, to catch what Jason had to say to Big Brother about Melai. And that night, I found myself alternately smiling and cringing as Jason finally asked Big Brother if he could court Melai—and smiling and cringing some more as what I now think is the sweetest local television moment I have seen since I first watched Eat Bulaga was shown on prime time television.

I would later relay the scene to my best friend over Yahoo messenger. I would also say that there is nothing more sappy and yet overwhelmingly convincing than a smitten small-time Pinoy. And she would reply, “So that’s why the other girls are squealing downstairs.”

To those who missed it, here’s a quick recap of what happened. Jason finally asked Big Brother (BB) if he could court Melai. BB reminded Jason that Melai has a boyfriend in the province that she didn’t have a formal break-up with. Would Jason agree, BB asked, to have Melai and The Ex talk for one last time, just to make sure she no longer has feelings for him? Jason agreed. The price: He has to walk around the pool for 17 hours, the time it would take to walk the 1,055 kilometers that separated Melai from The Ex.

“Bro, I am ready to fight for the challenge of my life; I’m doing this for the sake of love and everything goes,” he declared, and off he went.

During a break, Melai and Jason hung out by the pool. They had their version of sweet-nothings (read: Jason speaks sincerely; Melai deflects his approaches; they end up teasing each other). But this here, recaptured to the best of my memory, is my favorite part:

Jason: Kumanta ka naman!

Melai: Ng ano?

Jason: “Pangako”

Melai: Pangako, di kita...(Makes a face).

Jason: Ayusin mo naman! Pagod ako eh!

Melai: (Struggling) Pangako, di kita iiwan. Pangako, di kita pababayaan. Pangako, di ka mag-iisa... pangakong magmula ngayon, tayong dalawa... ang magkasama...

Then...

Melai: O, bakit ka umiiyak?

Jason: Hindi ako umiiyak. (Wipes his eyes.)

Melai: Umiiyak ka eh!

Jason: Hindi. (Wipes his eyes with his shirt.)

Potent formula: Cute Bad Boy falls for doubting Plain Jane and proceeds to win her heart. Ah, Jason and Melai. This is the kind of stuff you can’t make up.

PBB will declare a new winner in a few days. And then, many of them will go back to reality or, better yet, a reality altered by their fifteen minutes of fame. Many of them will have a shot at show business. Many of them will not. Frankly, I’ve seen too many wannabes and also-rans to care so much.

But now I find myself wondering what will happen to Jason and Melai after their stint in Bahay ni Kuya. Will their love make it? Will it not be enough? Was it a product of a controlled environment? Or, are we really witnessing true love unfold between two young people who dared join a reality TV show?

As they say, abangan, as the rest of the real-life soap opera unfolds.

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