MANILA, Philippines – Only five couples remain in ABS-CBN’s realiserye “I Do” after having gone through several challenges and addressing financial emotional, family, and trust issues that tested their respective relationships.
How did the program change the couples’ lives? And what’s their advice to couples who want to tie the knot?
Considered underdog contestants are Christian and Chelsea, who have been together for three months. Despite this, they are prepared to prove that the strength of a relationship doesn’t depend on how long a couple has been together.
“To begin with, I and Chelsea didn’t believe that the other couples took us seriously. Even the council said we’re on a honeymoon stage and that we still needed to know more about each other. That really affected me and Chelsea, so in the end we want to prove them wrong,” shared Christian.
“It’s an advantage because we don’t have as much history to fight about. But at the same time it’s a disadvantage because we’re still getting to know each other. People have been saying that we have the best chemistry among all the other couples,” Chelsea said.
Korean Jimmy and Filipino Kring, on the other hand, are still learning to overcome their differences to foster their three-year relationship. Kring, who loves K-pop and Korean movies, said her fascination with Korean culture is not enough when one is in a relationship with a Korean.
“Our strength and weakness is that our relationship is intercultural. We can’t deny our cultural differences, but at the same time, it’s our strength because we get to show that love transcends language and culture,” Kring remarked.
“I read somewhere that if you love a person, treat her like a foreigner. For a foreigner you have to explain so much more and talk to her directly, tell her what you feel, what you like and don’t like. We communicate a lot,” said Jimmy, who recently reunited with his mom after a decade through the program.
Business partners Emil and Honey have proven time and again the depth of their five-year relationship, but in “I Do,” their seemingly naïve fight over a jar of strawberry jam only exposed what their relationship was lacking – communication.
“That (communication) is the most important thing I learned from ‘I Do.’ Emil and I have been together for many years, but I have a lot more to learn about him, and how we should talk to each other in a better way to resolve problems,” Honey shared.
Emil recognized this, saying, “I didn’t expect that I appeared tough, that I seemed to have put up walls and I wasn’t open. I didn’t know, until I was told about it. I have since learned to focus on our common ground instead of our differences.”
Neighbors turned lovers Chad and Sheela, on the other hand, acknowledged the role of the show in the growth of their seven-year relationship.
“Before, I just wanted to be a seaman. During my stay in the village, I realized that there were many opportunities for me, that my real passion is cooking. There was a moment when I almost cried because I finally knew what I wanted to do in life,” Chad said.
The couple went through an emotional week after learning that they are not yet financially ready for marriage. However, they are determined to prove that they deserve to win the show.
“We should win because we believe that we inspire a lot of people. We represent couples who are just starting out. We also want to share with people the importance of having God at the center of a relationship,” said Sheela.
Meanwhile, Chris and Karen, who have a two-decade age gap, remarked how their relationship has become more mature since joining the show. Drawing from all he’s learned from “I Do,” Chris has a piece of advice for couples who want to settle down.
“The first thing they must be is as individuals, standing alone, loving themselves. When you have enough love for yourself and you’re strong enough for yourself, that’s the time when you can be together. You help each other grow better. If you bring each other down or you become worse people, don’t do it. If you are getting better and improving, that’s the time you should get married,” he said.
The council, composed of host Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, life coach Pia Acevedo, and psychologist and marriage counselor Dr. Julian Montano have so far sent home four couples. Who will be next to exit the village? What challenges await the remaining couples?
And which couple will be voted the winner by viewing public votes and will get their dream grand wedding, P1 million, house and lot, and a negosyo package?
Meanwhile, stay up-to-date with the couples by watching “I Do” mobisodes, which are exclusively available on the iWanTV app on ABS-CBNmobile. Get your daily dose of the program and catch a new mobisode at 12NN from Mondays to Fridays.
Don’t miss “I Do” after “MMK” on Saturdays and after “Rated K” on Sundays on ABS-CBN. For updates, visit ido.abs-cbn.com, likewww.facebook.com/ido.ph or follow @IDo_ph on Twitter.