The 3^rd Talentadong Pinoy Battle of the Champions will be held live on May 5 and May 6 at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Ryan Agoncillo hosts this talent search currently airing on TV5.


The eight Hall of Famers competing for the title of Ultimate Talentado are Craig & Samantha, Monica, Ayegee, Melbelline, Dancing is Fun, Astroboy, Sustantino, and Rhyzza.

Serving as talent scouts  are Superstar Nora Aunor, Judy Ann Santos, Ruffa Gutierrez, Joey De Leon, Richard Gomez, Lucy Torres, Audie Gemora, Joey Reyes, Tueday Vargas, John “Sweet” Lapus, K Brosas, and Jed Madela.

New Kapatid talent Sharon Cuneta will also grace the stage for a special performance on May 6.

This will be the third time that Talentadong Pinoy will showcase a showdown of their Hall of Famers. In 2010, the Yoyo Trickster Joshua Davis became the champion while last year’s Ultimate Talentado was Joseph the Artist, who created incredible works of art using sand.

Meet the eight Hall of Famers who are vying for the grand prize package of P1 million cash, a brand new car, and a chance to compete and represent the country in the World Championship of the Performing Arts (WCOPA) to be held in Hollywood, California.

The ballroom dancing siblings, Craig and Samantha Abaya-Campos, hail from New Jersey, USA. Craig is now 16 years old while Samantha is 14 years old. They started dancing when they were seven.

“We are true Filipinos, we come from Filipino blood. Our parents are both Filipino. We watched teleseryes. We are disciplined with Filipino traditions. We pray before we eat. We pray before we go to bed. We have a very Filipino disciplined,” said Craig during the recent presentation of the Hall of Famers of Talentadong Pinoy Season 3.

Craig & Samantha have several achievements as partners in dancing. They won the Junior Champions in America’s Dancing with the Stars in 2008. They also appeared as guests in a show of Tyra Banks.

What can they say about their performance in the finals? “It’s been challenging... I think our performance is gonna be explosive in a sense where you won’t be take your eyes off, every single second of the dance,” Craig explained.

The first Filipina sand and light artist, Monica Regalario, is a student of Joseph the Artist, the Ultimate Talentado of 2011. Monica and Joseph worked in the same museum and when Joseph left, Monica was the one who took charge of the work. At first Monica was afraid of joining Talentadong Pinoy because of the comparisons to her mentor, Joseph the Artist. But when Typhoon Pedring hit their house, Monica decided to join to give her family a better life.   

What makes her performance in the grand finals unique? “Nilagyan namin ng bagong twist yung sand art para hindi siya katulad ng dati na basta sand art lang talaga. Ngayon po may bago siya,” Monica promised.

“Alam ko po sa sarili ko na napakaliit ng chance ko na manalo ngayong taon kasi iisipin ng tao, ulit na naman pero ayun po hindi ko na lang siya pinapansin kasi parang nakakadagdag lang siyang stress, ng pressure sa 'kin,” Monica said.

Ayegee, whose real name is Ivy Grace Paredes, is a powerful belter who is passionate about singing. Ayegee is a 29-year-old Nursing student who joins singing contests in small fiestas as well as nationwide competitions. She previously joined Sing Galing and Philippine Idol. She currently works as a performer in a comedy bar. 

15-year-old singer Melbelline Caluag is a high school student from Bulacan. Melbelline loves to sing kundiman songs rather than pop songs. In fact, she is being compared to the “Queen of Kundiman” Sylvia La Torre who was popular during the 1960s. Even though she had no formal voice lessons, Melbelline is eager to win this competition because she wants to help her family improve their house.

Dancing is Fun is the name of a ballroom dancing group from Catarman, Northern Leyte. The group almost did not make it to the Talentadong Pinoy Hall of Famers since they lost to Melbelline. But the group strived to do better routines and much improved their dancing. They joined Talentadong Pinoy again and their hardships paid off as they were inducted in the Hall of Fame.

How are they preparing for the grand finals this weekend? “Binubugbog po kami sa practice ng choreographer namin, nag-aaral po kami ng new steps na hindi pa po nakikita sa ibang dance,” said one of the members of the Dancing is Fun.

“Ang matinding kalaban namin ay yung expectations ng mga tao. Actually yung mga bad comments na naririnig namin yun yung nagsisilbing stepping stone namen para mas pursigihan pa namin na mag renew ng magrenew ng mga steps, na pagbutihin ng pagbutihin yung every ipapakita naming sayaw.”