Cool prizes for these driven guys

ARI SALUD, stock broker

“If you’re looking for someone worthy of the prizes, what better way than a contest like this, where you see the rawness of a person,” said actor-host Luis Manzano, who, along with celebrities KC Montero and Solenn Heussaff, recently picked the Top 3 finalists from among 600 contestants of the Axe Gold Pass Challenge.

The Axe Gold man will win a brand-new 2014 Volkswagen Beetle, a yearlong condo stay, and a trip to Las Vegas with two friends.

Screening, scoring

JAIME Ramirez, entrepreneur

“You get to see the person’s real personality. This contest is also a good way to make other people’s wishes come true,” said Heussaff, who was in a reality show herself in 2010, “Survivor

Philippines: Celebrity Showdown.”

Heussaff explained that contestants went through a screening process and were scored based on how they presented themselves and how well they answered questions. After the first round, the contestants were narrowed down to 10, namely LA Aguinaldo, Joric Canlas, Ful Darunday, Neil Enriquez, Mon Medrano, Jaime Ramirez, Ari Salud, Dan Solano, Jensen Tan and Jason Torres.

The 10 finalists were then judged by the Axe Gold Council, which included radio jocks Tony Toni, Slick Rick and Sam YG. The finalists were given challenges, including one which determined styling skills. They were also asked what they would do if they won the grand prize. Aguinaldo, Ramirez and Salud were declared the Top 3 finalists.

Montero, who started his career as an MTV VJ after winning the VJ Hunt in 1999, said “an event like this is a good opportunity for people to be noticed, especially those who want to join show biz.”

Added Montero, who also appeared in “Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Showdown”: “It’s a good opportunity to compete [with others]. It’s fun to watch.”

LA Aguinaldo, student

While Salud, a stock broker, claimed he has no show biz plans, Aguinaldo and Ramirez, both students, said “we’ll just see where this goes. We’re not saying no to anything just yet.”

Spontaneous

Asked what he picked up from the experience, Aguinaldo said: “I realized that there are a lot of Pinoy guys who are competitive.” Salud added: “This is the first contest I’ve ever joined. When you’re up there on stage, you just have to really be careful of what you say and do because everything is recorded. It’s tough…everything is spontaneous.”

Ramirez, meanwhile, said that Filipinos are “generally shy.” But once in front of the camera, he had to show a different side: “You really need to have guts, you have to believe in yourself.”

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COUNCIL member KC Montero

SOLENN Heusaff, celebrity judge