"Whaaaaat?" was the readers' initial reaction when PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) first announced that Shalani Soledad would be Willie Revillame's co-host in his primetime show on TV5.
A few people even thought the news was a joke. They found it hard to believe that the lady who was initially introduced publicly as PNoy's girlfriend was now known as "the heart of Willing Willie."
So, how did she fare on her first day?
Out of the 509 voters, 41.65% said the Valenzuela councilor "needs more improvement." PEPsters described her hosting as "malamya" and "kulang" compared to the energey level of the show's main host.
But they're willing to give her time to get used to the demands of her newfound calling.
Remember Lucy Torres-Gomez when she was just starting? She was both beautiful and brainy—not to mention, articulate—but, painfully shy.
Who would have thought that a few years later, her Shall We Dance show would become one of the Kapatid station's top raters? And to date, she's one of the main hosts of the variety show PO5.
About 8.45% clicked "Pasado," and took her "not-so-showbiz" personality into consideration. Some said that for a first-timer, her performance was "not so bad." Some comments pointed out that her voice was too soft, but she knew what to say.
The biggest portion of the pie, which was 49.90%, voted, "Di ko napanood, e." One of the top reasons: "bad signal."
Despite the technical glitch, Shalani's entrance had the viewers (especially those from Mega Manila) giving Willie's show a second glance.
The November 8 data given by AGB Mega Manila individual ratings indicated that Willing Willie got 11.6%, which tied with GMA-7's 24 Oras. ABS-CBN's TV Patrol landed on third place with its 10.7% rating.
Will Shalani be able to sustain public interest in Willing Willie? That's another story.
In the meantime, the PULSE wants a more bubbly Shalani in the coming days.