Even before they officially locked in their final duo picks, Ralph de Leon and Will Ashley a.k.a. RaWi already knew they were going to choose each other in the end. And it was this strong brotherhood that carried them all the way to the "Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition" Big 4 and led to them being named the 2nd Big Placer Duo.
Ralph and Will proved that two artists from different corners of the spotlight could still come together and build a solid friendship. While they knew they had to get to know their fellow celebrity housemates along the way, they never expected that their own friendship would grow this deep. In this episode of Kapamilya Chat, Ralph recalls being intrigued by Will’s quiet personality during their early days inside the house, which made him curious to get to know him better.
Will, on his part, admits that he didn't have a good first impression on Ralph, whom he assumed was “mayabang” because of his strong expression, "Parang minsan natutulala siya tapos parang ang sama ng tingin sa'yo. Akala ko itong taong 'to jina-judge na ako mula ulo hanggang paa." He actually told Ralph about it, and Ralph wasn’t even surprised because he gets that comment a lot due to his default poker face.
They seemed different on the surface but it didn’t take long before they realized they actually had more in common than they thought. The turning point came when they started opening up each other about the struggles they were facing inside Kuya’s house and how much they were missing their families, which made them feel like finally having a housemate they could count on.
And that trust played a huge role in helping Will gain confidence. He started out quiet and introverted, but the support he felt from Ralph and the rest of the housemates made him feel accepted and more comfortable in his own skin.
Will was also part of one of the strongest alliances inside Bahay ni Kuya called ‘Pamilya De Guzman’ with Klarisse De Guzman, Mika Salamanca, Esnyr, and Shuvee Etrata. The group has become a fan favorite even outside the house and quickly gained over a million followers on their broadcast channel, where they continue to entertain netizens with their 'bardagulan' moments. And their favorite brand of 'asaran' is sharing meme-worthy throwback photos from their time in "PBB."
But if there’s anyone better at digging up old photos, videos, and digital footprints of the housemates, it’s definitely the netizens, and even the housemates themselves are surprised at how fans manage to find all these throwback content. This only shows how invested people are in the housemates' journey, and Will says they’re really grateful for all the support they’ve been receiving—not just for ‘Pamilya De Guzman’ where he belongs, but also for ‘Team Rawr’ with Ralph, AZ Martinez, and River Joseph. Also the ‘Book Club’ squad of AZ, Charlie Fleming, Xyriel Manabat, Josh Ford, Kira Balinger, and AC Bonifacio continues to get so much love from fans.
But at the end of the day, all of these groups are still part of one big “PBB Collab” family.
"'Yong family na na-build namin sa loob ng bahay is something na i-te-treasure talaga namin forever. Sobrang genuine po talaga no'n, at masasabi kong hindi lang siya pamilya kundi pamilyang-pamilya ang closeness namin," shares Will. When asked about fans who ship him with female housemates, he simply says, “Happy shipping.”
The same goes for Ralph, who expresses appreciation for all the ships he’s being paired with and says it really means a lot since he never expected this kind of support when he stepped back into the outside world. And just like Will, he reminds fans to choose love and peace over hate, as the housemates themselves hope to preserve their bond and don’t want it to be tainted by fan wars. "Please lang huwag na po tayong mag-away-away... Let's enjoy what the housemates have built. Tulad ng sabi ni Will, pamilya talaga kami," urges Ralph.
And speaking of that bond, the housemates have plans to collaborate more in the future whether it’s through musical covers or simply spending time together through sports and other shared activities.
And on August 10, RaWi will reunite with the whole "PBB Collab" family at the fancon titled "The Big ColLove," happening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Tickets are now available via the TicketNet website.