| Genre: | Interactive reality television talent show |
| Runtime: | 1 hour (Gala night) 15 minutes (Inside Protege) |
| Creator: | GMA Entertainment TV Group Rommel Gacho Real Florido |
| Executive Producer: | Wilma Galvante |
| Starring: | Hosts: Dingdong Dantes Ogie Alcasid Jennylyn Mercado Judges: Bert de Leon Joey de Leon Louie Ocampo Eula Valdez |
| Country: | Philippines |
| Network: | GMA Network |
| Num Episodes: | 106 |
| Protégé: The Battle For The Big Break (with dates of elimination) | |||
| Season 1 Top 10 | |||
| Krizza Neri | Winner | ||
| Lirah Bermudez | December 18, 2011 | ||
| Lovely Embuscado | December 18, 2011 | ||
| Jensen Teñoso | December 11, 2011 | ||
| Nomer Limatog, Jr. | December 11, 2011 | ||
| Kenneth Monico | December 4, 2011 | ||
| So Wat? | December 4, 2011 | ||
| Denise Barbacena | November 6, 2011 | ||
| Samantha Felizco | October 30, 2011 | ||
| Rosalyn Navarro | October 23, 2011 | ||
Protégé: The Battle for the Big Break is a 2011 reality-based singing talent show created by Real Florido for GMA Network.[1] It is hosted by Ogie Alcasid, as the journey host, Dingdong Dantes as gala presenter, and Jennylyn Mercado, the show's reality host.[2] It is the first season of GMA's reality talent program, Protégé.
The show was first intended to be a "talent search"[3] similar to StarStruck and Protégé might have been the replacement of the said show.
This show is stapled the timeslot between the two talent shows from other rival shows with ABS-CBN's Pilipinas Got Talent and TV5's Talentadong Pinoy.
The result reveals right after the performance. The first two results nights were shown one hour after the performance of the finalists. The judges, on the other hand are happy that their opinions matter in this contest, since the results will not depend solely on text votes.[4]
In Protégé: The Battle for the Big Break, 10 legendary music icons groom their own bets to be music's biggest phenomenon. As the competition open its doors to a wide array of talent, performances are bound to be spectacular and exciting. But this is not only a battle for the aspirants.
With revered and lauded mentors who have established their names in the music industry also vying for the same prize, drama and tension will sure arise. Their reputation and credibility at stake, their mentoring techniques will also be scrutinized.
Dubbed in the show as The Hunt, the mentors were tasked to roam around the country and scour different provinces and cities to find the best music acts that may become their bets for the competition.[5]
This is the first level of the competition wherein the mentors will invade their assigned audition sites.
The mentors will be the guide of the protégés. They will groom and help the contestants to stay in the competition. A mentor's role is make his or her protégé shine.
They will be aided by two Audition Masters in searching for their protégés. These two audition masters are renowned starmaker Jojie Dingcong and GMA Artist Center Head Arsi Baltazar.
Aspiring protégés will come from two sources. First is the pre-screening done by the Audition Masters before the Regionals Proper. Second are the aspirants personally invited by the mentors based on the research that the staff conducted.
When faced with the mentors, the aspiring protégés will hear Yes if they are to be considered for the next round or No if they are not. Those who got a Yes will be pooled and the mentors will choose only three each that they will take with them to Manila.[6]
| Casting dates | Venues | City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 15, 2011 | Naga | ||
| July 17, 2011 | Cebu | ||
| July 22, 2011 | Iloilo | ||
| July 24, 2011 | Batangas | ||
| July 29, 2011 | Cabanatuan | ||
| July 31, 2011 | San Fernando | ||
| August 5, 2011 | Davao | ||
| August 7, 2011 | Dagupan | ||
| August 10, 2011 | Cagayan de Oro | ||
| August 12–13, 2011 | Pasay |
After the provincial auditions in The Hunt round, the mentors are left with three protégés each, completing the Top 30 protégés. This is considered to be the semi-final round.
These Top 30 protégés competes with each other in the face-off round where individual acts performs in front of the three judges. The judges then tell the mentors which of the three should be their protégé that they will pit against the other mentors' protégés.
Thus, at the end of the face-off round, every mentor will only have one protégé each. Only ten protégés will compete in the next round.[7]
| Location | Mentor | Top 3 protégés | Song choice | Original artist | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dagupan | Joey Generoso | Wilson Peñaflor Aubrey Cabanlig Samantha Felizco | Original song "Kahit Isang Saglit" "Rolling in the Deep" | Wilson Peñaflor Martin Nievera Adele | Eliminated Eliminated Advanced | |
| Cabanatuan | Jay-R | "On Bended Knee" "Show Me How You Burlesque" "Ikaw" | Advanced Eliminated Eliminated | |||
| Pampanga | Rey Valera | Jethro Adriano Renwick Benito Gabriel Bolden Julie Mae Barrios Si Pilyo So Wat? | "Hey Jude" "I'll Be There" "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | The Beatles The Jackson 5 Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell | Eliminated Eliminated Advanced | |
| Batangas | Claire Dela Fuente | Via Samantha Mojado Jensen Teñoso M.O.S.T. (Men of Soul & Talent) | Eliminated Advanced Eliminated | |||
| Naga | Imelda Papin | VIP Singers Jobert Nosidal Rosalyn Navarro | "Habang May Buhay" "May Bukas Pa" "I Will Always Love You" | Afterimage Rico J. Puno Dolly Parton | Eliminated Eliminated Advanced | |
| Manila | Gloc-9 | Derf Cabael Denise Barbacena Kristina Laguitan | "All in Love is Fair" "Pag-ibig Ko'y Pansinin" "Dangerously in Love 2" | Eliminated Advanced Eliminated | ||
| Iloilo | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez Ricky Deloviar Alejandro | "I Will Survive" / "Hush Hush" "Straight from the Heart" "Broken Vow" | Advanced Eliminated Eliminated | ||
| Cebu | Rachelle Ann Go | Blasians Nomer Limatog Jr. Rhey "Regina" Otic | "Lady Marmalade" "Don't Stop Believin'" "What Kind of Fool Am I?" | Labelle Journey Anthony Newley | Eliminated Advanced Eliminated | |
| Cagayan de Oro | Aiza Seguerra | Mark Gregory King Zibrille Pepito Krizza Neri | "Ordinary People" "Decode" "No One" | John Legend Paramore Alicia Keys | Eliminated Eliminated Advanced | |
| Davao | Jaya | Archimedes Udaundo Joshua Fresco Lovely Embuscado | "Hanggang" "Grenade" "Hurt" | Wency Cornejo Bruno Mars Christina Aguilera | Eliminated Eliminated Advanced |
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rachelle Ann Go | Nomer Limatog, Jr. | "Rolling in the Deep" (Adele) | Safe | |
| 2 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "Get Here" (Oleta Adams) | Safe | |
| 3 | Claire de la Fuente | Jensen Teñoso | "I Believe" (Fantasia Barrino) | Safe | |
| 4 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "The Climb" (Miley Cyrus) | Safe | |
| 5 | Imelda Papin | Rosalyn Navarro | "No Matter What Happens" (Barbra Streisand) | Safe | |
| 6 | Joey Genoroso | Samantha Felizco | "Everytime You Lie" (Demi Lovato) | Safe | |
| 7 | Jay-R | Kenneth Monico | "Go the Distance" (Roger Bart) | Safe | |
| 8 | Gloc-9 | Denise Barbacena | "Skyscraper" (Demi Lovato) | Safe | |
| 9 | Rey Valera | So Wat? | "I'm with You" (Avril Lavigne) | Safe | |
| 10 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "Out Here on My Own" (Irene Cara) | Safe |
The protégés' kababayan (town-mate) chose the song for their favorite via Facebook poll.
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jay-R | Kenneth Monico | "Grenade" (Bruno Mars) | Bottom 4 | |
| 2 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler) | Safe | |
| 3 | Joey Genoroso | Samantha Felizco | "Someone Like You" (Adele) | Safe | |
| 4 | Gloc-9 | Denise Barbacena | "Man Down" (Rihanna) | Bottom 4 | |
| 5 | Claire de la Fuente | Jensen Teñoso | "Footprints in the Sand" (Leona Lewis) | Safe | |
| 6 | Rey Valera | So Wat? | "My Immortal" (Evanescence) | Safe | |
| 7 | Imelda Papin | Rosalyn Navarro | "Listen" (Beyoncé Knowles) | Eliminated | |
| 8 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "Super Bass" (Nicki Minaj) | Bottom 2 | |
| 9 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "Price Tag" (Jessie J) | Safe | |
| 10 | Rachelle Ann Go | Nomer Limatog, Jr. | "You Give Love a Bad Name" (Bon Jovi) | Safe |
A mentor chooses a competition piece for a rival protégé.[11]
Guest Judge: Cherie Gil
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Chosen by | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Genoroso | "Decode" (Paramore) | Aiza Seguerra | Eliminated | |
| 2 | Gloc-9 | Denise Barbacena | "Thank You" (Dido) | Jay-R | Bottom 2 |
| 3 | Rachelle Ann Go | Nomer Limatog, Jr. | "If I Had You" (Adam Lambert) | Janno Gibbs | Safe |
| 4 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "Could've Been" (Tiffany) | Gloc-9 | Safe |
| 5 | Jensen Teñoso | "You and I" (Lady Gaga) | Jaya | Safe | |
| 6 | Jay-R | Kenneth Monico | Joey Genoroso | Bottom 3 | |
| 7 | Rey Valera | So Wat? | "Every Breath You Take" (The Police) | Rachelle Ann Go | Safe |
| 8 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "Don't Speak" (No Doubt) | Safe | |
| 9 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "Beautiful" (Christina Aguilera) | Rey Valera | Safe |
The Protégé-Mentor tandems should outshine their opponents with their chosen live gala piece.[12]
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "Pangarap na Bituin" (Sharon Cuneta) | Bottom 4 | |
| 2 | Jay-R | Kenneth Monico | "Open Arms" (Journey) | Safe | |
| 3 | Rachelle Ann Go | Nomer Limatog, Jr. | "Baby, I Love Your Way" (Peter Frampton) | Safe | |
| 4 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "Bring Me to Life" (Evanescence) | Safe | |
| 5 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "If I Ain't Got You" (Alicia Keys) | Bottom 2 | |
| 6 | Gloc-9 | Denise Barbacena | "Sparks Fly" (Taylor Swift) | Eliminated | |
| 7 | Claire de la Fuente | Jensen Teñoso | "All in Love Is Fair" (Stevie Wonder) | Bottom 4 | |
| 8 | Rey Valera | So Wat? | "Faithfully" (Journey) | Safe |
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "Tatsulok" (Bamboo) / "Nosi ba Lasi" (Sampaguita) | Safe |
| 2 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "Sino ang Baliw" (Basil Valdez) | Safe |
| 3 | Claire de la Fuente | Jensen Teñoso | "Colors of the Wind" (Vanessa Williams) | Safe |
| 4 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "If I Could" (Celine Dion) / "Wind Beneath My Wings" (Roger Whittaker) | Safe |
| 5 | Rachelle Ann Go | Nomer Limatog, Jr. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen) | Eliminated |
| 6 | Rey Valera | So Wat? | "Malayo pa ang Umaga" (Rey Valera) | Safe |
| 7 | Jay-R | Kenneth Monico | "Lately" (Stevie Wonder) | Bottom 2 |
Original Pilipino Music (OPM) songs with a twist.
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rey Valera | So Wat? | Safe | ||
| 2 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "Narda" (Kamikazee) | Safe | |
| 3 | Jay-R | Kenneth Monico | "Bakit Pa Ba" (Jay-R) | Safe | |
| 4 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "Bulong" (Kitchie Nadal) / "Ang Huling El Bimbo" (Eraserheads) | Bottom 2 | |
| 5 | Jaya | "Halik" (Aegis) | Eliminated | ||
| 6 | Jensen Teñoso | "Anak" (Freddie Aguilar) | Safe |
The 5 ex-Protégés battle to regain a spot in the contest.
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "I Believe I Can Fly" (R. Kelly) | Advanced | |
| 2 | Rachelle Ann Go | Nomer Limatog, Jr. | "Sweet Child o' Mine" (Guns N' Roses) | Advanced | |
| 3 | Gloc-9 | Denise Barbacena | "Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka" (Basil Valdez) | Eliminated | |
| 4 | Joey Genoroso | Samantha Felizco | "How to Touch a Girl" (JoJo) | Eliminated | |
| 5 | Imelda Papin | Rosalyn Navarro | "The Power of Love" (Jennifer Rush) | Eliminated |
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "Like a Prayer" (Madonna) / "Beautiful Life" (Ace of Base) | Safe | |
| 2 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "Disturbia" (Rihanna) / "Sweet Dreams" (Beyoncé Knowles) | Safe | |
| 3 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "One Night Only" (Jennifer Holliday) | Safe | |
| 4 | Rachelle Ann Go | Nomer Limatog, Jr. | "I Kissed a Girl" (Katy Perry) | Safe | |
| 5 | Jay-R | Kenneth Monico | "The Edge of Glory" (Lady Gaga) | Eliminated | |
| 6 | Claire de la Fuente | Jensen Teñoso | "Tearin' Up My Heart" ('N Sync) | Safe | |
| 7 | Rey Valera | So Wat? | "Firework" (Katy Perry) | Eliminated |
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rachelle Ann Go | "Angels Brought Me Here" (Guy Sebastian) | Eliminated | ||
| 2 | Jensen Teñoso | "Imagine" (John Lennon) | Eliminated | ||
| 3 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | (Cliff Edwards) / | Safe | |
| 4 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "Iduyan Mo" (Basil Valdez) | Safe | |
| 5 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "Paglisan" (Color It Red) / "Habang May Buhay" (AfterImage) | Safe |
| Order | Mentor | Protégé | Song (original artist) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "There You'll Be" (Faith Hill) / "I'll Be There (For You)" (Martin Nievera) | Winner | |
| 2 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "Handog" (Florante) / "Minsan ang Minahal ay Ako" (Celeste Legaspi) | Runner-up | |
| 3 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "I'm with You" (Avril Lavigne) / "Iris" (Goo Goo Dolls) | Runner-up | |
| 4 | Aiza Seguerra | Krizza Neri | "Grown-Up Christmas List" (David Foster & Natalie Cole) | Winner | |
| 5 | Jaya | Lovely Embuscado | "Nais Ko" (Basil Valdez) / "Kayganda ng Ating Musika" (Hajji Alejandro) | Runner-up | |
| 6 | Janno Gibbs | Lirah Bermudez | "Bakit Pa" (Jessa Zaragosa) / "Nakapagtataka" (APO Hiking Society) | Runner-up |
Color key:
| + Results per public and council votes | Stage | Face-off round | Finals | |||||||||||||
| Week | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | bgcolor=pink | Krizza Neri | Aiza Seguerra | Did not perform | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | Protégé Battle Champ | |||
| 2–3 | bgcolor=pink align="center" | Janno Gibbs | Did not perform | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | ||||
| bgcolor=pink | Jaya | Did not perform | Top 10 | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom 4 | Safe | Eliminated | Wild Card | Safe | Safe | |||
| 4–5 | bgcolor=cyan | Rachelle Ann Go | Top 10 | Did not perform | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Wild Card | Safe | Eliminated | Finalist | ||
| bgcolor=pink | Jensen Teñoso | Did not perform | Top 10 | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom 4 | Safe | Safe | Did not perform | Safe | ||||
| 6–7 | bgcolor=cyan | Kenneth Monico | Jay-R | Top 10 | Did not perform | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | Safe | Did not perform | Eliminated | |||||
| So Wat? | Rey Valera | Did not perform | Did not perform | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Did not perform | ||||||
| 8 | bgcolor=pink | Denise Barbacena | Gloc 9 | Did not perform | Did not perform | Top 10 | Safe | Bottom 4 | Bottom 2 | Eliminated | Eliminated | |||||
| 9 | bgcolor=pink | Samantha Felizco | Joey Generoso | Did not perform | Did not perform | Top 10 | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | |||||||
| 10 | bgcolor=pink | Rosalyn Navarro | Imelda Papin | Did not perform | Top 10 | Did not perform | Safe | Eliminated | ||||||||
| 11–30 | bgcolor=cyan | Derf Cabael | Gloc-9 | Did not perform | Did not perform | Eliminated | Semi-finalist | |||||||||
| bgcolor=pink | Kristina Laguitan | Did not perform | Did not perform | |||||||||||||
| bgcolor=pink | Aubrey Cabanlig | Joey Generoso | Did not perform | Did not perform | ||||||||||||
| bgcolor=cyan | Wilson Peñaflor | Did not perform | Did not perform | |||||||||||||
| Isaw | Rey Valera | Did not perform | Did not perform | |||||||||||||
| Si Pilyo | Did not perform | Did not perform | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=cyan | Mark Gregory | Aiza Seguerra | Did not perform | Eliminated | ||||||||||||
| bgcolor=pink | Zibrille Pepito | Did not perform | ||||||||||||||
| M.O.S.T. | Claire de la Fuente | Did not perform | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=pink | Via Samantha Mojado | Did not perform | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=cyan | Jobert Nasidal | Imelda Papin | Did not perform | |||||||||||||
| VIP Singers | Did not perform | |||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=cyan | Archimedes Udaundo | Jaya | Did not perform | |||||||||||||
| bgcolor=cyan | Joshua Fresco | Did not perform | ||||||||||||||
| Alejandro | Janno Gibbs | Eliminated | ||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=cyan | Ricky Deloviar | |||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=pink | Allen Sta. Maria | Jay-R | ||||||||||||||
| Cercado Sisters | ||||||||||||||||
| Blasians | Rachelle Ann Go | |||||||||||||||
| bgcolor=cyan | Rhey "Regina" Otic | |||||||||||||||
In the finale episode aired live on December 18, 2011, on GMA Network and on some feeds of GMA Pinoy TV, on other feeds the program was aired as "recorded" although it did not say so but instead the Protégé logo was replaced where the "LIVE" would usually be on the original airing, all of the top three were given a 4-year STI Education for Real Life Scholarship and a 5-year contract with GMA Artist Center. Lovely Embuscado was the Texter's Choice Awardee given PhP50,000 and an exclusive Fanatxt contract from GMA New Media, Inc. and she also received the Sky Flakes Biggest Break Award which composed of PhP100,000. The winner was Krizza Nerri, the RNB Sistah. She received a PhP3,000,000 2-Bedroom Condo Unit from Suntrust Properties, Inc. and PhP1,000,000 from GMA as well as a five-year contract that the other two also received. On GMA Pinoy TV, several parts were unaired or edited out, such as Arnel Pineda's performance and the third round of the top three's performance which featured the song "Perfect" by Pink. As in past, it may have been with copyright issues with the songs featured and performed that caused those parts to be edited out and unaired internationally. But other non-copyright parts were unaired/edited out as well such as the judges final words on the three protégés and Krizza and Aiza's words after winning.