# Protégé: The Battle for the Big Artista Break

Protégé: The Battle for the Big Artista Break is a 2012 reality TV series created by GMA Network. This show is the second season of Protégé where Krizza Neri won in 2011. Unlike the previous season, the age limit was set from 13 to 21 years old to find new acting talent. The show premiered on July 23, 2012 (Inside Protégé) and hosted by Jennylyn Mercado and under the direction of Albert Langitan, while the Protégé Gala Night premiered on August 5, 2012, and presented by Dingdong Dantes, together with Carla Abellana and Maxene Magalona. The gala nights were directed by Rommel Gacho.

## Overview

According to the show's fan page, there will be a "new kind of battle". Rumor has it that the incoming season will feature the other talent like acting or dancing and eventually will be an artista search like StarStruck did and it turned out to be true.
The show followed the same format as the previous season, except that it was no longer a singing competition but a talent artista search. Aspirants from ages 13 to 21 were filtered until two winners emerge - one male and one female protégé. In this battle, they were looking for a total package - an artist who can sing, dance, act and possess that charismatic appeal over TV. Like the first Protégé competition, this season had judges/mentors who were responsible for training and mentoring the chosen candidates.
Twenty contestants were then selected from thousands of hopefuls. These 20 potential artists lived in the Protégé house complete with amenities including bedrooms for each contestant, a living room, dining area with a 20 seating capacity, a rehearsal area where they could practice dancing, singing and acting, and a confession room where they were asked to explain themselves in case of issues within the house or if a task was to be assigned privately. They also battled it out head to head for audience votes. The Protégé house was blessed and featured over the news of GMA Network long before the contestants resided there.
The winner received a 5-year contract with GMA Network.

## Judges, mentors and coaches
### Judges

* Joey de Leon
* Bert de Leon
* Annette Gozon-Valdez
* Cherie Gil

### Mentors

There were five confirmed mentors for this season with their assigned location.
* Ricky Davao—Northern and Central Luzon
* Roderick Paulate—Mega Manila
* Gina Alajar—Southern Luzon
* Jolina Magdangal—Visayas
* Phillip Salvador—Mindanao

### Coaches

Aside from their respective mentors who served as their guardian all the way through their journey, the protégés had coaches who also helped them improve their chosen craft.
* Voice — Sushi Reyes
* Dancing — Joe Abuda
* Personality development — Floy Quintos
* Acting — Maryo J. de los Reyes and Yanni Yuzon with Pen Medina
* Fitness — Al Galang
* Showbiz values & formation — German Moreno

## Auditions

Auditions took place in the following cities:
| Casting Dates | Venues | City |
| May 19, 2012 | SM City Rosales | Rosales |
| May 19, 2012 | SM City Marikina | Marikina |
| May 26, 2012 | SM City Naga | Naga |
| May 26, 2012 | SM City Baguio | Baguio |
| May 26, 2012 | SM City San Pablo | San Pablo |
| June 1, 2012 | SM City Bacolod | Bacolod |
| June 1, 2012 | SM City Cagayan de Oro | Cagayan de Oro |
| June 2, 2012 | SM City Iloilo | Iloilo |
| June 2, 2012 | SM City Davao | Davao |
| June 7, 2012 | SM City Cebu | Cebu |
| June 9, 2012 | Capitol Grounds | Laoag |
| June 10, 2012 | SM City Sucat | Parañaque |
| June 14, 2012 | SM City Batangas | Batangas |
| June 16, 2012 | SM City Pampanga | San Fernando |
| June 18–20, 2012 | SM Mall of Asia | Pasay |
* ^Note 1 The original schedule of auditions in SM Sucat is May 20, 2012
* ^Note 2 The original schedule of auditions in SM Mall of Asia is June 20–21, 2012
After the city auditions, Protégé also gave the hopefuls an alternative way to audition via online.

## Semifinalists

After a series of auditions, a mentor chose eight hopefuls from the shortlist and those who passed from the online auditions. These eight aspiring protégés, which were composed of four boys and four girls, were called to come back for the final deliberation to determine the official four protégés. The other four protégés who were not chosen were eliminated.
The twenty semifinalists who failed to advance in the finals are as follows:
| Mentor | Location | Male protégés | Hometown | Female protégés | Hometown |
| Gina Alajar | Southern Luzon | Allan Arnold Palma | | Ivana Jane Villanueva | |
| Gina Alajar | Southern Luzon | Evan James Evia | | Shara Jane Chavez | |
| Jolina Magdangal | Visayas | Jhaymes Clark Caracuel | Cebu | Cris An Chavez | Bacolod City |
| Jolina Magdangal | Visayas | Kier Stephen Durano | Danao | Kerchedel Allyssa Concepcion | Bacolod City |
| Phillip Salvador | Mindanao | Archimedes Udaundo | Davao City | Pauline Go | |
| Phillip Salvador | Mindanao | Tomas Monteverde | | Trixia Pearl Ebita | |
| Ricky Davao | Northern & Central Luzon | Isaac Jacob De Leon | | Dale David | |
| Ricky Davao | Northern & Central Luzon | John Cristopher Danan | | Kathryn David | |
| Roderick Paulate | Mega Manila | Jason Salvador | | Nicole Kim Donesa | |
| Roderick Paulate | Mega Manila | Jimmy Noccon | | Xzania Ketz | |

## Finalists

Originally, there were four protégés per mentor for this season, totaling twenty protéges. However, during the first week of Top 10, each mentor chose one of his or her remaining protegés to stay under his or her guidance. The protégés who were not chosen were later picked by other mentors, making a new protégé-mentor tandem.
The twenty finalists were confirmed as follows:
Key:
    – Winner
    – Runner-up
| Mentor | Protégé | Age | Hometown | Note |
| Gina Alajar | Mykel Ong | 20 | Batangas | |
| Gina Alajar | Thea Tolentino | 15 | Calamba | |
| Gina Alajar | Zandra Summer | 18 | Cebu | Originally Jolina Magdangal's protégé |
| Jolina Magdangal |
| Jolina Magdangal | Jeric Gonzales | 19 | Calamba | Originally Gina Alajar's protégé |
| Jolina Magdangal | Mikoy Morales | 18 | Roxas City | |
| Jolina Magdangal | Mitch Capili | 15 | Bohol | |
| Phillip Salvador | Apple Vega | 20 | Dipolog | |
| Phillip Salvador | Arny Ross | 21 | Dasmariñas | Originally Gina Alajar's protégé |
| Phillip Salvador | David John Llanas | 19 | Cagayan de Oro | |
| Phillip Salvador | Ruru Madrid | 14 | Zamboanga | |
| Phillip Salvador | Steffi Pacheco | 16 | Davao | |
| Ricky Davao | Bryan Benedict | 21 | Cebu | Originally Jolina Magdangal's protégé |
| Ricky Davao | Glenn Roy | 18 | Tarlac | |
| Ricky Davao | Reese Tayag | 16 | Tarlac | |
| Ricky Davao | Shelly Hipolito | 16 | Nueva Ecija | |
| Roderick Paulate | Andres Vasquez | 21 | Taguig | |
| Roderick Paulate | Japs De Luna | 20 | Nueva Ecija | Originally Ricky Davao's protégé |
| Roderick Paulate | Elle Ramirez | 18 | Rizal | |
| Roderick Paulate | Kelly D. | 15 | Pasig | |
| Roderick Paulate | Vien Alen King | 19 | Quezon Province | |

## Weekly episodes

| Episode # | Episode title | Original air date |
| 1 | "#ProtegeTop20" | August 5, 2012 (2012-08-05) |
| The final twenty protégés were revealed. |||
| 2 | "#ProtegeBattleNight" | August 12, 2012 (2012-08-12) |
| The finalists were tasked to do a musical. The said performances were the bases of the judges' verdict to determine who would be in the bottom two per region. The bottom ten (2 per region) have to defend their slot in the next gala night in order to stay in the competition. The losing protégé will be sent home. |||
| 3 | "#ProtegeShowdown" | August 19, 2012 (2012-08-19) |
| The bottom ten performed individually. The judges voiced out their opinions about who stood out more but the decision was from the mentors of whom they would save. |||
| 4 | "#ProtegeMaryaSerye" | August 26, 2012 (2012-08-26) |
| The top 15 protégés were featured in five short films with special guest celebrity, Diamond Star Ms. Maricel Soriano. Under the helm of Prix de la mise en scène awardee at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, Brillante Mendoza and written by Palanca awardee Floy Quintos. Special awards were given to outstanding protégés: Maricel Soriano's choice for Best Female Performance—Elle Ramirez Maricel Soriano's choice for Best Male Performance—Andres Vasquez Judges' Choice for Best Ensemble Performance—Team Visayas Direk Brillante Mendoza's choice for Breakthrough Protégé Performance—Andres Vasquez These awards guaranteed them an automatic save from elimination. |||
| 5 | "#ProtegeShock" | September 2, 2012 (2012-09-02) |
| Each protégé was paired to a protégé from another mentor; each pair performed a duo in front of the judges. Arny Ross and Zandra Summer performed a dance number together with the song Burlesque by Christina Aguilera. Jeric Gonzales and David John Llanas sang This Love by the Maroon 5. Japs De Luna and Elle Ramirez did a sensual dance performance of the song Careless Whisper by Kenny G and Bryan McKnight. Mikoy Morales and Thea Tolentino showcased their singing and dancing skills with the tune Teenage Dream by Katy Perry. Bryan Benedict and Andres Vasquez did a dance number of It's Raining Men by The Weather Girls. Shelly Hipolito and Ruru Madrid danced the song I Won't Dance by Frank Sinatra. Vien Alen King and Steffi Pacheco did a duet of Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. The show revealed the first 2 "shocks": First, there will be four protégés who will be eliminated during the night, and second was that the mentors have to choose one of their protégés to stay under their guidance. Because of the unexpected twists, the mentors were not able to decide on who they will choose. |||
| 6 | "#ProtegeAfterShock" | September 9, 2012 (2012-09-09) |
| The mentors finally chose their protégés who will stay under their guidance. Mentor Gina Alajar chose Thea Tolentino while mentor Ricky Davao chose Shelly Hipolito and mentor Jolina Magdangal chose Mikoy Morales. On the other hand, mentors Phillip Salvador and Roderick Paulate have only one protégé left each. As the gala night ends, the mentor chose another protégé from the other mentor's former protégés, signalling that that was the third "shock". The judges' role was to give their opinion to the mentors of who should be with whom. |||
| 7 | "#ProtegeMentorBattle" | September 16, 2012 (2012-09-16) |
| The protégés, together with their mentors, performed on stage. |||
| 8 | "#ProtegeKapusoMatch" | September 23, 2012 (2012-09-23) |
| The protégés showed their hosting skills to their guests, Ms. Lolit Solis and Bea Binene. Ms. Lolit Solis and Bea must portray a rude guest to test the protégés' ability in hosting especially with those kind of interviewees. On the gala night, the protégés performed on stage partnered by a Kapuso star. Elle Ramirez was paired to Mark Herras, Japs De Luna with Wynwyn Marquez, Shelly Hipolito to Rocco Nacino, Bryan Benedict to Kris Bernal, Zandra Summer to Aljur Abrenica, Thea Tolentino to Alden Richards, Mikoy Morales to Julie Anne San Jose, Jeric Gonzales with Louise delos Reyes and Ruru Madrid was partnered to Barbie Forteza. |||
| 9 | "#ProtegeSwitch" | September 30, 2012 (2012-09-30) |
| A mentor has to give a task to the other mentor's protégé. The protégés are generally showed their singing skills. |||
| 10 | "#ProtegeNation" | October 7, 2012 (2012-10-07) |
| The performances of the protégés were based from the requests of their respective fans. The mentors from season 1 (Aiza Seguerra, Claire de la Fuente, Imelda Papin, Jaya, Jay-R and Joey Generoso with Verni Varga) performed with the protégés on the gala night. |||
| 11 | "#ProtegeFinalBattle" | October 14, 2012 (2012-10-14) |
| This week was the first part of The Final Battle. The challenges that were given to the protégés were to be from the judges. Judge Annette Abrogar gave a challenge to Jeric Gonzales and Zandra Summer; judge Cherie Gil assigned the tasks to Thea Tolentino and Mikoy Morales; judge Bert de Leon to Ruru Madrid and judge Joey de Leon to Elle Ramirez. |||
| 12 | "#ProtegeFinalResults" | October 21, 2012 (2012-10-21) |
| The final challenge was an acting challenge for the remaining six finalists. Jeric Gonzales portrayed Errol Ochoa in Coffee Prince, which is portrayed by Benjamin Alves. Zandra Summer, on the other hand, portrayed the lead role as Magdalena Fuentebella-Soriano in Magdalena, which is originally portrayed by Bela Padilla. Mikoy Morales played Mikael Daez's character in Sana ay Ikaw na Nga as Carlos Miguel Altamonte; while Elle Ramirez played Lualhati Salvador in Aso ni San Roque, which is originally portrayed by LJ Reyes. Ruru Madrid played the character of Derrick Monasterio as Iñigo Villamor in Paroa: Ang Kuwento ni Mariposa with Barbie Forteza. Thea Tolentino shared the scene with Heart Evangelista as the latter's younger sister, Luna Sandoval in Luna Blanca, which is originally portrayed by Bianca King. |||

## Elimination chart

Color key:
Mentor Key:
    – Gina Alajar
    – Ricky Davao
    – Jolina Magdangal
    – Roderick Paulate
    – Phillip Salvador
^Note 1 There was no elimination held but the Bottom 2 from each region were chosen. ^Note 2 The bottom two protégés (from each region) competed between each other to defend their slot. ^Note 3 The challenge winners were the protégés who received special awards and were granted an immunity from elimination for that week. ^Note 4 As part of the shock, the mentors had to choose a new protege from the other "mentor less proteges" who performed that night. The gala night was a non-elimination night. ^Note 5 That gala night was already the first part of The Final Battle.

## Awards and nominations

* 10th Golden Screen TV Awards 2013
** Outstanding Original Reality Competition Program Host Winner- Dingdong Dantes
* 27th PMPC Star Awards for Television 2013
** Best Reality Competition Program - Pending
** Best Reality Competition Program Hosts - Pending Nominees: Dingdong Dantes, Jennylyn Mercado, Carla Abellana, Maxene Magalona