Kapamilya kids speak up
All right, adults rule the world; their opinions matter. But not on the stage of The Kids’ Choice, where Kapamilya young talents speak up and choose their preferred performances. They do it with all honesty and innocence.
“It’s an original concept,” Leilani Gutierrez, the show’s production manager, shared with The STAR. Her unit used to handle talk shows and now does reality shows. Replacing Your Face Sounds Familiar (YFSF) Kids Edition 2, the weekend show continues the network’s tradition of creating original programs (like the talent-reality competition
Star Circle Quest) that have launched the careers of many Star Magic artists.
“Families will perform. Members (should be) related (by blood),” added Leilani. Every episode showcases four groups (that can do) any act. Presentations can range from magic tricks to the usual sing and dance. Actually, it’s “sky’s the limit,” so to speak, performance-wise. At the end though, groups (also called Fam-batos) must get the nod of the kiddie judges, known as The Just Kids League, and win their hearts.
“They are aware that performances should capture kids’ attention,” Leilani. “There’s only one winner from the four (groups) who will take home P50,000 as (cash) prize. Every Saturday, may mananalo. Every Sunday, may mananalo.” Groups that have successfully surpassed the weekly round will face off in the semifinals and battle it out in the grand finals. Again, they have to please the kid jurors Xia Vigor, Onyok Pineda, Carlo Mendoza, Chunsa Jung and Jayden Villegas. Xia, Onyok and Chunsa are graduates of YFSF Kids, while Carlo and Jayden have made a name for themselves through Little Big Shots and Gandang Gabi Vice. They will be joined by hosts Robi Domingo and Eric Nicolas.
Leilani also admitted that sometimes the kids’ choice does not reflect that of the adults’. She could only speculate on the reasons. “Sometimes, kids can sense when the groups (truly) enjoy their performances or feel the love they have for each other,” she said. “(Kapag) nakikita nila na super happy (yung) family na nag-pe-perform (and if there’s family) bond, dun
sila na-ca-capture.” This is how to captivate The Just Kids League. So there’s no specific set of criteria performers should learn by heart to make it.
“Walang eksaktong (criteria),” Leilani said. “(If there’s any, ang) pinaka-criteria ay dapat ma-capture (nila) talaga yung puso ng mga bata.” Before the show goes on air, the kids are given heads-up on the songs and dances the groups will present. After the performances, each of The Just Kids League will rank the groups from 1 to 4 (their top and least choices).
What was the casting process like for The Kids’ Choice?
“When we do casting for judges or cast members for shows, we look for different personalities,” replied Leilani. “Xia is mature the way she thinks. Chunsa is the type who can relate what she has seen to herself and family. Jayden is very strict. He is the skater boy and involved in sports. Kapag mayroon siyang nakikitang di maganda o nakita niya yung trick, he makes a criticism, but constructively. He is very particular with how clean (or well-executed) the act is. Carlo is the baby of the group, kinder pa lang siya. When we discovered him last year, he was like batang kalye. Nakakatawa siyang magsalita at mag-comment. Yung parang iniisip ng tambay sa kanto ay ganuon
siya mag-react. He is street-smart.” With that interesting mix of kids, adults may somehow pause for a while and consider (and reconsider) what they say. They can also learn from The Just Kids League. One cannot deny the fact that kids can come up with ideas that amaze adults. Let’s see where The Just Kids League will bring us through its funny antics and smarts.