TONIGHT, THE WINNERS of the first Pinoy Boyband Superstar contest on the Kapamilya network get revealed. Four of the six remaining contestants will be named, joining Niel Murillo, the first boyband winner announced last night.

We’re live-blogging the whole thing and posting updates on Twitter too. The grand reveal, along with our thoughts on each performance, will be posted here after every break, so keep this page open if you’re away from the TV or too busy to check Twitter every few minutes.

Tonight, each finalist performs solo. Fifty percent of the total score comes from the judges, the other fifty from the public’s votes.

Niel Murillo is the first of the five winners of Pinoy Boyband Superstar to compose the boy band the Kapamilya network is making.

First up is Joao Constancia with ‘Twerk it Like Miley.’ It was a so-so performance with some awkward dancing, but between Joao’s on-camera good looks and his ‘swag,’ he still won the judges over. Vice Ganda, who’s been in his corner all along, said he deserves a spot in the band. Judge Yeng Constantino agrees. Personally, we’ve got nothing against Joao — he’s genuinely easy on the eyes, and that matters for a boy band, whether we admit it or not; we want to look at beautiful people, and we adore them for it. Saying he doesn’t deserve a spot here would be hypocritical.

Second up is Anthony Labrusca. Physically, Tony has it, and he has talent, but tonight’s performance made clear he’s not quite the right fit for this particular group. Even so, with his talent and his father Boom Labrusca’s industry connections already in place, he’ll likely find his place in showbiz regardless.

Third is Ford Valencia, proving tonight that he earns his spot. Charming as always, Ford pulls it off easily, helped by good looks that have girls and gays alike giggling. He’s the man to beat tonight.

When Mark Oblea started his set, it was clear he wasn’t as strong as the others. So-so performance, and he needs a judge firmly in his corner to make it through. His look has always given us pause — a bit callboy-ish, if we’re honest — and his singing isn’t especially strong either, though his in-person charm might be exactly what’s keeping the judges on his side.

Tristan Ramirez makes us question the judges’ calls tonight. Why is he still here? His singing sits below average, and physically he doesn’t quite read as boyband material. He might make a decent supporting actor in an ABS-CBN teleserye somewhere down the line, but this competition isn’t it.

If tonight were a straight-up solo singing contest, Russell Reyes‘ rendition of ‘All I Ask’ would make him the outright grand champion. That was the performance that made us think, “Oh, this is a real show after all.” Judges Aga and Yeng summed it up when they said Russell belongs in the boy band — Aga even asked the audience to vote for him, while Yeng said, “ikaw ang boses ng boy band.”

Online, Russell instantly became the top trending name. Singer KZ Tandingan, herself a singing reality show winner, tweeted, “RUSSEL SHOULD BE IN THE GROUP. He will be [the] vocal pillar of the band. Not only is he handsome, he also has the goods to support the looks.” We agree with her completely.

During a short break as public voting lines opened, newest Kapamilya singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid performed for the audience’s delight.

Host Billy Crawford announced the band’s official name: ‘Boyband PH.’

The winners’ announcement followed. Joining Niel in the winners’ circle: Russell, as expected, then Ford right after. Rounding out the list are Tristan and heartthrob Joao, breaking the hearts of Mark Oblea’s and Tony Labrusca’s followers in the process. If it were up to us, we’d have picked Mark over Tristan and been happy with the rest of the lineup. But that’s how it goes — we don’t always get what we want.

Russel Reyes is dubbed as the voice of the band.

Ford Valencia is handsome and charming and has what it takes to deserve a spot. Always our favorite.

Tristan Ramirez surprised as all when he managed a spot in the band.

The ever charming, Joao Constancia, made us believe that looks could bring you places. And we are happy that he’s officially part of the band despite his lack of solid singing ability.

With some technical hiccups, we didn’t get to see the final tallies on TV. The show wrapped with the group’s first single, though it clearly got cut short as the show ran out of time.

And so the search for Boyband PH comes to a close. Judging by the show’s overall quality, this feels like it may end up being a one-season affair for the network — that, plus ratings that never quite took off. Whether the show ultimately succeeded or not comes down to whether these guys can win over the Filipino audience going forward. With Russell, Niel, and Ford’s voices behind them, we’re confident they have what it takes to entertain and hook us in, and their charisma doesn’t hurt either. Add Joao to the mix and that’s a complete boy band experience still waiting to happen. And yes, we’re giving Tristan the benefit of the doubt.

What about you, guys? Happy with the results? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.