Chapter 1651: Call of the Spotlight (Part IV)
The people were disappointed at Iris Longâs critique. It was obvious that the third contestant performed much better than the other contestants. Did she not like the third contestantâs performance? What kind of judging criteria was she using?
Before anyone could criticize her back, Iris said, "I do commend you for not mimicking the original version. You infused your own flavour in the song in a way that worked in your favour. It allowed us all to enjoy your performance without us constantly thinking about comparing it to the original version. Since we all know that the original was something that was extremely difficult to match, why match it all? Right?"
The initially worked-up Albert Alcala calmed down after listening to what she said. He nodded, his lips beginning to curve up.
Beside him, Dina Bendita sent the third contestant a kind and encouraging smile.
Master Beauty patted the nervous third contestant on the shoulder.
Iris continued, "Your voice has tremendous potential. The capacity and raw skills are there. The way you connect your emotions to the music is also very charismatic. All you have to do is learn some proper techniques in order to polish your singing."
"Will you also give him a quick voice lesson?" Master Beauty asked her.
Irisâ expression turned sheepish. "I wish I could do that, but I already took too much of the programâs time earlier. I donât want the program director to kick me out of the show."
Everyone chuckled at her attempt to joke.
Her gaze swept over the audience before stopping at where her husband sat.
Jin Liwei was paying attention to his wifeâs every movement, so when her eyes fell on him, he immediately caught it. He winked at her while giving her a subtle thumbs-up.
She couldnât help but beam at him. The camera director caught the interaction between the two, showing it on the huge screen at the studio.
The audience immediately reacted. "Aaaaaw~"
Master Beauty pretended to almost faint, staggering on the stage, while the other hosts also pretended to catch her. "Ah, whereâs the doctor? Call the doctor! I think Iâm having a diabetic attack from all the sweetness from this couple!"
Laughter filled the studio.
Iris didnât feel shy at all. Why should she feel shy? Jin Liwei was her own legal husband after all.
As if answering the othersâ teasing, she sent Jin Liwei a flirtatious smile. The cheers grew louder.
The Black Stars present clutched their chests. They felt as if they were going to have a heart attack. Their Boss Iris and her loyal husband were the ultimate couple! Who cared about the love teams in the local showbiz industry?! Boss Iris and CEO Liam were a million times better and genuine than any of them!
"I wish the twins also came," one of the Filipino Black Stars said with a wistful sigh.
"I want to see the cats," another said.
"I want to see Little Jun," yet another said.
"No, itâs not safe for our nephew to travel so far away. He must still be traumatized from his kidnapping."
The others nodded. Then they all offered a silent prayer for Little Junâs complete recovery from any lingering trauma.
Iris had no idea about her Filipino fansâ discussions. But if she knew about what they were talking about, it wouldnât surprise her at all. She already knew that her real and most loyal fans always cared about her and her familyâs well-being.
Back to the present, Master Beauty seemed to receive an instruction from her in-earphones, possibly urging her to bring everyoneâs attention back to the singing competition.
"Is there anything else you want to add?" Master Beauty asked about the third contestantâs performance.
Iris turned serious. Mindful that she once again took a little too much time from the show, she summarized her critique in a couple of sentences.
Next, Dina Bendita and Albert Alcala shared their critiques after her.
Finally, Master Beauty called all three contestants to stand together on the stage. Then he began announcing the judgesâ scores for each contestant.
The first contestant had an average score of 6.3 out of 10 points.
The second contestant had an average score of 7.7 out of 10 points.
And the third contestant had an average score of 8.9 out of 10 points.
The third contestant, the poor farmer who looked older than he looked, won! Tears flowed down his face. The hosts congratulated him.
Master Beauty, however, took the time to comfort the first and second contestants.
Many felt sorry for the second contestant because she was genuinely good. It was a pity that she faced a dark horse like the third contestant, who not only had a good, compelling background story but also had a great voice.
"Stay tuned, everyone, because after the commercial break, weâll go ahead and witness the showdown between our new challenger and our defending daily âCall of the Spotlightâ champion," Master Beauty announced. "Will he triumph or will he fall? Letâs find out together! âReady, Set, Lunch Partyâ will be back soon!"
When the program director gave the all-clear signal, Master Beauty and the co-hosts, along with the judges, all relaxed.
Jin Liwei stood up and walked to the judgesâ panel. Dom temporarily gave up his seat to his sir boss.
He and Iris chatted with Dina and Albert. Master Beauty and some of the veteran hosts also joined the conversation. The others mostly asked Iris and Jin Liwei questions while the couple answered without giving out too much private information.
"So what do you think about todayâs contestants so far?" Albert Alcala asked.
"We picked the right singer to move forward to the next stage," Iris replied. "He has great potential. If heâs determined to work in the music industry, then itâs best for someone to sponsor him so that he can undergo some thorough voice lessons and perhaps even learn some music theory."
She said this, knowing that the poor farmer couldnât afford the lessons.
Albert Alcala and Dina Bendita both nodded but didnât comment about it. All of them had a wait-and-see attitude. Although they saw potential in the third contestant, it wasnât to the point yet that they wanted to immediately support him, or in Iris Longâs words, "sponsor" him. After all, everything cost money in show business. They still wanted to see how far he could go in this singing competition before deciding anything. What if he faltered and failed to live up to their expectations? But if he triumphed against the current defending champion and continued on a winning streak all the way to the ultimate showdown, then it wouldnât be too late to support him in entering the music industry.
Master Beauty said to Iris instead, "Then youâre in for a treat during the showdown later. Youâll get to watch the new challenger duke it out with our current defending champion. She already has a winning streak of six days. If she could defend her title today, then sheâll be closer to breaking the record for the daily champion with the longest winning streak."
"How many days is the longest winning streak?" Iris asked.
"Eight days."
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