Idol Philippines season 2

Idol Philippines
Season 2
Hosted by	Robi Domingo
Judges	Regine Velasquez Moira Dela Torre Gary Valenciano Chito Miranda
Winner	Khimo Gumatay
Runner-up	Ryssi Avila
Companion show	The Next Idol PH (Digital)
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	Kapamilya Channel[a]
Original release	June 25 (2022-06-25) – September 18, 2022 (2022-09-18)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 1

The second season of the reality singing television competition Idol Philippines aired on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, and TV5 from June 25 to September 18, 2022. It replaced My Papa Pi and Pinoy Big Brother: Kumunity Season 10 and was succeeded by the second season of Everybody, Sing!. This was the first season not to air on ABS-CBN after the network was ordered by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and Solicitor General Jose Calida to cease its free-to-air television and radio broadcast operations on May 5, 2020, following the expiration of its congressional franchise.^[1][2]

The season was hosted by Robi Domingo, who replaced Billy Crawford after his departure from the network. Regine Velasquez and Moira Dela Torre returned to the judging panel, joined by new judges Gary Valenciano and Chito Miranda.^[3][4]

Khimo Gumatay of Makati emerged as the winner, securing an exclusive recording contract with ABS-CBN Music and a ₱1,000,000 cash prize. Ryssi Avila of Bacoor, Cavite finished as the runner-up, with Kice placing third.^[5]

The second season was first confirmed during the final episode of the first season, although its fate remained uncertain after the National Telecommunications Commission and Solicitor General Jose Calida issued a cease-and-desist order to ABS-CBN amid the Enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, which was implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. This order effectively halted the network's free-to-air broadcasting operations. In the aftermath, including the denial of the franchise, layoffs, and the loss of frequencies, host Billy Crawford and director Bobet Vidanes transferred to blocktimer shows aired on TV5. However, it was announced on April 25, 2022, that the show would return.^[6] Auditions for the season opened the following day.^[7]

The second season aired on Kapamilya Channel and A2Z at 7:00 p.m. every weekend, taking over the timeslot previously occupied by the tenth season of the reality show Pinoy Big Brother, which aired its last post-season special on June 19, 2022. Additionally, TV5 also aired the season, marking the first time the network has broadcast an iteration of the Idol franchise since Philippine Idol in 2006. TV5 aired the season at 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:00 p.m. on Sundays, taking over the timeslot previously held by the second season of the reality singing competition Masked Singer Pilipinas, which aired its finale on June 18, 2022.^[8]

An online show titled The Next Idol PH aired on the show's UpLive account and on Kapamilya Online Live during commercial breaks. Hosted by former contestants Anji Salvacion, Matty Juniosa, Enzo Almario, Lucas Garcia, Gello Marquez, Fana, and Shanaia Gomez,^[b] the show is broadcast live via Zoom from the hosts' respective locations during the show's broadcast (prior to the live gala) or from the Idol Philippines studio (during the live gala). The show typically features interviews with the season's contestants following their performances on the main broadcast.^{[citation needed]}

The show partnered with the video social media platform UpLive, which hosted the online auditions.^[9] The platform also aired the show's online companion show, The Next Idol PH, which is hosted by former contestants.^[10]

The winner of the season received an exclusive recording contract from ABS-CBN Music, as well as a ₱1,000,000 cash prize. They also received a franchise from Dermacare and a house and lot from Camella Homes valued at ₱2,500,000.^[5]

Idol Philippines launched its own non-fungible token (NFT) collection featuring the show's logo, tickets, and the likeness of the contestants as part of a promotion. It became the first Philippine television program to launch its own NFT collection.^[11][12]

Judges and host of Idol Philippines season 2

Moira Dela Torre

Gary Valenciano

Regine Velasquez

Chito Miranda

Robi Domingo

On May 20, 2022, during a broadcast of the news program TV Patrol, the roster of judges for the season was revealed. Of the four judges from the previous season, only Regine Velasquez and Moira Dela Torre returned, with James Reid and Vice Ganda departing from the judging panel. They were replaced by singer-songwriter Gary Valenciano and Parokya ni Edgar frontman Chito Miranda.^[13] Two days later, at a launch party on ASAP Natin 'To!, it was announced that Robi Domingo would be the new host, replacing Billy Crawford, who left for blocktimer shows on other networks.^[14]

Comedian Ogie Diaz later revealed that Vice Ganda backed out of the show after learning that Sarah Geronimo was initially slated to be a judge but withdrew due to personal responsibilities. Meanwhile, James Reid was unable to return for the season as he was residing abroad to pursue an international career.^[15]

The initial auditions for the season opened on April 25, 2022, for Idol hopefuls aged 16 to 28 years old. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in the Philippines, all initial auditions were held online, eliminating the open-call audition process used in the previous season.^[7] Those selected by the producers to audition in front of the judges performed at the ABS-CBN Studio in Quezon City. To advance and receive a golden ticket to Idol City, an auditionee needed to receive at least three "yes" votes from the judges. Occasionally, a judge might award a platinum ticket instead of a golden ticket.^[16][17]

At the start of the season premiere, former contestants Anji Salvacion, Gello Marquez, Shanaia Gomez, Fana, iDolls members Matty Juniosa, Enzo Almario, and season 1 runner-up Lucas Garcia^[b] performed a rendition of Andra Day's "Rise Up". Throughout the course of the auditions, a total of 72 Idol hopefuls received a ticket to Idol City, with four of them receiving a platinum ticket. However, some auditions were not aired due to undisclosed reasons.^{[citation needed]} .

This season introduced the Platinum Ticket, derived from the platinum ticket first introduced in the twentieth season of American Idol. A platinum ticket allows its recipient to advance directly to the solo round of the Middle Rounds. The judges are given one opportunity to award a platinum ticket to a contestant of their choice. Only one judge is allowed to award a ticket per audition.^[16]

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The middle rounds were held at the ABS-CBN studios in Quezon City and consisted of three stages: the Group, Do or Die, and Solo rounds. At the end of these rounds, twelve contestants remained to compete for the title of Idol Philippines.^[26]

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The golden ticket holders were divided into fourteen groups named after their respective members. Each group selected a song to perform from a wall containing several song titles. After a group's performance, the judges chose an indefinite number of contestants to advance to the next round. The first performances of the Group round were aired in the latter half of Episode 12, which aired on July 31, 2022.^[27] At the end of the group rounds, forty-four contestants remained.

The remaining contestants were grouped by the judges and assigned a song to perform as a group. As in the previous round, the judges selected an indefinite number of contestants to advance to the next round at the end of each performance. This round aired on August 7, 2022. At the end of this round, twenty contestants remained.

The remaining twenty contestants, including the four platinum ticket holders, performed individually with a song of their choice. This round aired on August 13 and 14, 2022. The judges selected twelve contestants to advance to the next round, with three of the four platinum ticket holders being eliminated.

The Top 12 performed live on air each week. At the end of the performances, viewers could vote for their favorite contestant. For this season, voting was only allowed via UpLive.^[28] In a unique mechanism for Idol Philippines, the judges determined half of each contestant's overall score. The contestant with the highest tally for each component received a score of 50% for that component, with the remaining contestants' scores being proportional to the highest vote-getter's tally. These component scores were then combined to form the contestant's final score. At the end of each week, one or two contestants were eliminated following the reveal of the bottom three or bottom two.^[29]

The theme for the week was "hugot," so the Top 12 performed ballads. The contestants were mentored by former ASAP Sessionistas members Nina and Ice Seguerra. Moira Dela Torre was absent from the episode because she tested positive for COVID-19.^[30]

This week, the Top 10 performed songs sung or written by Ogie Alcasid, who also served as their mentor. Moira Dela Torre returned after recovering from COVID-19, which caused her to miss the previous week’s episodes.

The Top 8 performed theme songs from Philippine television drama series and movies. This week featured Angeline Quinto as the guest mentor.

The Top 6 hopefuls performed "showstopping" songs of their choice. The contestants were mentored by musical directors Louie Ocampo and Ria Osorio.^[33]

The Top 5 finalists performed live on September 17, 2022. Two contestants were eliminated that night, leaving the remaining three finalists to compete the following night.

The Top 3 performed live on September 18, 2022. Each contestant performed two songs: a song of their choosing that reflected their journey throughout the competition, and an original song written for them.

Voting for the winner opened after all six performances and closed shortly thereafter. Khimo Gumatay was named the winner, with Ryssi Avila and Kice finishing in second and third, respectively. The scores were revealed at the end of the episode.

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