MANILA, Philippines – Actress-comedienne Melai Cantiveros was crowned the first-ever grand winner of top-rating celebrity musical competition “Your Face Sounds Familiar” after garnering 51.93% of public votes in the program’s grand showdown Sunday night (June 7).
Melai bested other Final 4 celebrity perfomers Nyoy Volante, Jay-R, and Edgar Allan Guzman with her impersonation of pop star Miley Cyrus. Melai brought the house down on Saturday’s (June 6) show when she came out wearing a white top and underwear while singing “Wrecking Ball,” and then swinging on a wrecking ball.
“To those who voted for me through text, thank you very much. To all Melason fans, thank you for your support and for voting for me,” said Melai, who dedicates her victory to her husband Jason Francisco and their daughter.
Melai won P2 million, half of which will go to her chosen charity, the Alay Kapwa Desk Social Action Center of the Diocese of Marbel.
Nyoy, who belted out “I Will Always Love You” while copying diva Whitney Houston, placed second by getting 24.51% of the votes. Jay-R, who impersonated Frank Sinantra, and EA, who transformed into Chris Brown, came in third and fourth place, respectively.
The three placers all got P200,000 each, half of which will also be given to their chosen charity.
Melai, who admits she is not a singer, consistently gained high scores throughout the season from jurors Gary Valenciano, Jed Madela, and Sharon Cuneta, and was even named a top scorer for impersonating Elizabeth Ramsey on the show’s ninth week.
Meanwhile, on Sunday’s finale show, the bottom celebrity performers also took the “Your Face” stage, with Jolina Magdangal performing as Karen Carpenter, Maxene Magalona as Nicki Minaj, Tutti Caringal as Bryan Adams, and Karla Estrada as Gloria Gaynor.
Teen stars Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano also opened the show with a song number.
Host Billy Crawford, meanwhile, announced a second season of the top-rating program will be airing soon.
Since it started airing in March this year, “Your Face Sounds Familiar” has consistently topped the list of the country’s most watched TV programs, as well as the trending topics on Twitter.
Viewers nationwide also tuned in to the grand showdown as proven by data from Kantar Media. The finale was the most watched program last weekend when it recorded a national TV rating of 37.6% last Saturday (June 6) and 36.7% last Sunday (June 7), according to data from Kantar Media.
For program updates, like www.facebook.com/yourfaceph, follow @YourFacePH on Twitter and Instagram, or visit yourfacesoundsfamiliar.abs-cbn.com. Use the hashtag #YFSFGrandShowdown when posting your comments online while watching the show.
