Karen Bordador, Kristel Fulgar upload vlogs; organizer speaks up over Seo In Guk fan meet hosting issue
MANILA, Philippines — All sides have come forward to relay the events that led to the last-minute replacement of actress-vlogger Kristel Fulgar by host and former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate Karen Bordador at last Saturday's first-ever Asian fan meeting of Korean actor-singer Seo In-guk in New Frontier Theater, Quezon City.
Fans were surprised to see Karen taking on the hosting duties for In-guk's first stop for his fan meet last August 12. They were expecting that Kristel will take the stage as previously announced.
Kristel tells her side
Kristel uploaded her vlog on August 15 titled, "What happened at the Seo In Guk Fan Meeting in Manila," where she was seen driving to the Araneta City as early as 7 a.m.
It started with her driving and progressed to the rehearsals where she was seen saying her spiels and doing the blocking for the fan meet that was to happen on the same day at around 6 p.m.
In the middle of the vlog with the time stamp of 4:30 p.m., Kristel shared that she was no longer hosting the event.
"First time ko naka-experience ng ganitong scenario sa 20 years ko sa industry ng entertainment. Nandito ako ng 7 a.m. and then eventually sinabihan ako ng director (*Korean technical director from HY Official) na hindi na raw ako ang magho-host. Parang, huh? Sandali lang naman, anong nangyari? Ang tagal kong pinrepare sarili ko rito, Wala akong ibang tinanggap na hosting kung hindi ito lang event na ito kasi nga dahil para kay Seo In-guk.
"Alam kong hindi ako super expert sa hosting. Pero alam kong kaya kong kumonek sa mga kapwa kong fans ni Seo In-guk kaya 'yun talaga ang pinakagusto ko. Eleven years akong fan ni Seo In-guk kaya kahit 'di ko forte ang hosting ay tinanggap ko ito kasi tinitingnan ako as representative ng mga fans ni Seo In-guk. So hindi lang basta magiging host sa stage kung hindi magiging fan ako," Kristel said.
She explained why she performed that way during the rehearsal.
"Since rehearsal 'yon, hindi ako sanay na ibigay 'yung 100% energy ko. So kung nakulangan sila sa energy sa rehearsal, sabi ko po, I would do my best. Nage-expect ako na ipapaakyat ako ulit sa stage para maipakita ko 'yung 100% na sinasabi ko pero hindi raw...
"And currently, nagko-contact na sila ng ibang host. Kung sinasabi nila na gusto lang namin ng magiging magandang event, hindi man lang ako binigyan ng second chance para mapatunayan ko ang sarili ko. At nahihiya ako sa mga taong nag-expect na ako yung haharap sa kanila.
"I'm so sorry, guys. Alam ko may fans ako and supporters na bumili ng ticket para mapanood ako sa stage, para makita niyo 'yung kilig ko kapag nasa stage na ako with Seo In-guk, pero hindi ko 'yon maibibigay," Kristel said.
Later after the fan meeting, Kristel uploaded her selfie and her signed In-guk poster on her Instagram.
"Nevertheless... I have accomplished it," writes Kristel in Korean.
Last-minute challenge accepted
Karen, meanwhile, received several hate messages from some fans after replacing Kristel.
The former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate aired her side on Twitter and released her vlog on August 16.
"After receiving mean and baseless IRRATIONAL hate I didn’t deserve… now what? So easy to point fingers but naturally no accountability taken. Damage is done! Karma comes in many forms.Hope you learned something. God bless!" she wrote on Twitter last August 15.
After receiving mean and baseless IRRATIONAL hate I didn’t deserve…now what?
— Karen Bordador (@Karen_Bordador) August 15, 2023
So easy to point fingers but naturally no accountability taken.
Damage is done!
Karma comes in many forms.
Hope you learned something.
God bless!
Karen also shared how her impromptu hosting gig happened on her vlog uploaded on August 16.
She said she had a packed schedule on August 12 but, for some reason, she said yes to the sudden hosting gig.
"I didn't know I was actually going to host it... Normally if I'm asked a day before or on the day itself, I would say no. But for some reason, I don't know, my instincts said go for it. And also a lot of people messaged me to be a part of this only on the day itself. A few hours before the event.
"I was thinking it was going to be a huge privilege to even be part of Seo In-guk's first ever fan meet. That's one. I'm gonna meet a K-pop star. That's the second reason and third, because my sisters are such huge K-pop stars," Karen said.
She disclosed that prior to last Saturday's hosting, she also hosted the event featuring Park Bom of 2NE1 last June.
She shared how "extremely detailed" Koreans are when it comes to staging productions.
In the case of her hosting with Park Bom's event, she had several rehearsals a day and even on the day of the event itself.
"When I did Park Bom's event, it was like, I don't know, how many rehearsals in a day. I had a script reading rehearsal the night before and it was super strict on the dot. The next day during her concert, we had like six rehearsals, a couple of it with the artist and there were some technical rehearsal and also rehearsals with just the co-host. For the Korean team, it was extremely detailed.
"For this one (Seo In-guk fan meet) though, I was wondering how it was gonna be considering I was hosting on the spot. Also I was a bit hesitant because to host a huge event, you have to consider a couple of things. The outfit. I didn't have stylist. I didn't have a makeup artist. I haven't even seen the script. As the MC, you wanna make sure that the star is gonna be so comfortable with you," she said.
Karen revealed that she started getting calls around lunch time on August 12. She really did not give the calls much attention, but she noticed several people calling her and telling her that she is needed for an event.
She was given until 2:30 p.m. to decide. She also revealed screenshots of her messages with her management.
"I had an hour to decide. I had to fix my entire schedule. Cancel a lot of things. Also I didn't have anything. I didn't have clothes. I didn't have a makeup artist. I didn't have an assistant," Karen said.
Her road manager was in another audition and she was left to herself.
"I said, give me an hour to think about it. They gave me until 2:30 p.m. They asked me to come at 2:30 p.m. And then I said yes," she added.
Organizer releases statement
Epic Events called Kristel a class act and commended her professionalism amid the issue on its Facebook page on August 16. It also said that it has "exhausted" all efforts to have Kristel in the program.
"We would like to thank Kristel Fulgar for her professionalism and being a class act all throughout! She was one of the earliest to arrive and was already at the rehearsals at 7AM and gave positive energy to everyone!
"We exhausted all efforts to have her part of the program; even to just have one song number/duet with Seo In-guk for the fans but as mentioned in the vlog, the decision to have her no longer host was not from our end. We again would like to thank Kristel and her family for being the nicest people and showing nothing but love and respect even on what transpired," the statement read. — Video from Kristel Fulgar, Karen Bordador YouTube channels
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