The Apprentice Asia Meet-Up

Okay, so while everyone is still contemplating on what will happen on the next episode of The Apprentice Asia where two of our "kababayans" are vying for the title, I was lucky enough to meet them last week for a night of sweet talks and revelations that, personally, saddened our hearts...

Last Wednesday at Dillingers 1903 Steak & Brew, Greenbelt 3, I was invited by the team of Air Asia Philippines and Tune Hotels to have a sumptuous dinner over some talks with our two "kababayans" Jonathan Allen Yabut and Celina Le Neindre.

I've been watching the show since it started airing, and having met Mr. Tony Fernandes when I visited Kuala Lumpur before, I know that there's a huge prize at stake here aside from being named the first winner of the first-ever The Apprentice Asia. And with that, I know that the tasks that will challenge the contestants will be as exciting as expected.

That night, representing Mr. Fernandes, was one of his Advisors, Mr. Mark Lankester who shed some support to the Filipino Team. With his expertise, since he is the Group CEO of Tune Hotels, guests were able to get a glimpse of what basically brought up the show and how the tasks and decision makings were done in a very fair and professional way.

Contestants Jon and Celina were also there to share some of the memorable experiences throughout the taping of the show and how excited they are to know who will be the first ever winner of the American show franchise once the finale episode has come.

After our dinner, since it was already 9 o'clock, everyone was invited to catch the show and cheer for the Filipino Team. It was really exciting to watch such a show with fellow Filipinos who believe that our bets are really good contenders for the title.

Jon and Celina are members of two opposing teams, and though they are not yet competing head-to-head, we were able to see how one excel in one field over the other, as to how the other one outsmart the other in a different way.

Jonathan being a Senior Product Manager from the job he left before joining The Apprentice Asia showed a good sense of leadership as well as creativity to the Air Asia uniform challenge, which was showcased that night. While Celina, who is a half French and half Filipino, was a Food and Beverage Consultant in a steakhouse here in Manila, showcased that sophisticated and detail-oriented style that not only capture the eyes of the audience but also melts their heart. I personally think that among the female contestants, she has the prettiest face. But sadly, in this kind of competition, pretty face isn't enough. Despite of her hard work and good leadership skill, that night, she was fired.

It was really a sad night for us, even though we still have one contender in the game, loosing one pretty face on a serious and mid-boggling show like this is still devastating to see. But just like any other reality show, the two kinda told us that there "might" be twist. So as they invited us all to keep tuned in to the show, they added that we should watch out for more surprises for The Apprentice Asia is one show that will really make you hold on to your seats.


Right after the show, the night continued with a few more chats among the stars and some more people from Air Asia. It was just heart-warming to know how happy they are to have met Filipino like us who are really in all-support for our "kababayans". And honestly, I cannot believe that they are really all here just to show us how they appreciate our efforts for the show to flourished and noticed all over Asia and the world.

You can catch the heart-stomping remaining episodes of The Apprentice Asia every Wednesday first and exclusively on AXN. And yes, we still have Jonatahan Yabut in the show, so please pray for him. There's also an online contest going on, so if you wanna help Jon and Celina topped on this online poll, all you have to do is tweet your thoughts away on Twitter with the use of hashtags #AAJon and #AACelina!

Good luck, Jonathan Yabut! Bring home the bacon and make us Filipino proud!
Thank you, The Apprentice Asia, Air Asia and Tune Hotels for this night! Cheers!