This video feels extra cute when watched today!
Back in 2012, Jessy Mendiola appeared as a player on the ABS-CBN game show “Minute To Win It" hosted by Luis Manzano. At the time, they were simply colleagues in the Kapamilya network.
He introduced her as the star of the afternoon drama “Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Paraiso” and one of the hottest Kapamilya leading ladies. Luis then casually noted that Jessy was “hindi lang magandang mukha, magandang puso rin” after she shared her plan to donate to charity if she won the million-peso jackpot prize. Little did he know, he was already talking to the woman who would one day be part of his future. Awww.
Well, life really comes with plot twists, and maybe that’s what makes looking back so fun. On that note, let's revisit Jessy's equally unpredictable game performance on the show.
The pressure was real as soon as she walked into the studio. She had barely any time to breathe and relax as she was instantly thrown into Level 1, “Floatacious,” which required her to stack five empty soda cans on a floating plastic plate. Jessy's smiling face turned serious when the timer started. But the ‘game face’ only lasted for a while because she was back to being all smiley and cute real quick after successfully completing the round.
Jessy’s eye-to-hand coordination was put to the test in Level 2, “High Strung,” which was reminiscent of archery precision and control. Using a yoyo string, she had to transfer an egg from one bottle to another, of course, without breaking it. She struggled a bit and had already broken two eggs by the 30-second mark, but in a very teleserye-like climax, she managed to pull off a last-second save and complete the task just as the final five seconds were ticking away.
In Level 3, “Kick Off,” Jessy had to kick cans placed around the stage into a bucket at center, using only one foot, with two successful shots required within a minute. The challenge turned tricky, as she struggled with either overshooting her kicks or landing the cans only for them to bounce right back out, leading to a failed first attempt and losing “one life." But she came back stronger and adjusted her pacing for her second take, where she impressively finished in under 10 seconds.
The excitement peaked further at Level 5, where a guaranteed ₱75,000 was at stake. In “Gettin’ Juggy With It,” Jessy had to stack three empty 5-gallon mineral water bottles into a stable tower, which sounds simple until you’re actually doing it under pressure. She wasn’t able to pull it off at first, and just wrapped it up by making "pa-cute" in front of the camera, as if she had just accepted her fate.
With only "one life" left, the stakes couldn't be any higher—one wrong move could have wiped out the whole amount she had earned, dropping her back to just the ₱5,000 prize. But taking
small tips and encouragement from her family and friends in the audience, Jessy managed to recover and nail it on her retry in just 15 seconds. Major clutch!
She reached Level 6, where a ₱100,000 prize was on the line in a challenge fittingly called “Uphill Battle.” Using the back of a kitchen spatula, she had to stop rolling marbles on a slanted table and keep them from falling within a minute. True to its name, the set really became an uphill battle for Jessy as she struggled to keep control, eventually getting flustered and letting the marbles slip away.
Jessy may not have taken home the million-peso jackpot, but she still went home with ₱75,000 and, more importantly, a super fun experience.
In the end, what she learned—and something that could also serve as advice for future players in the next season—is to not let nervousness get ahead of you, "Gawin mo lang 'yung kaya mong gawin. Hindi mo naman kailangan na i-pressure mo 'yung sarili mo na manalo. Basta masaya ka lang habang naglalaro, okay na 'yun."
With her pretty, pretty smile, she ended her reflection with, "Manalo o matalo, tuloy pa rin ang buhay."
Catch “Minute to Win It” airing weekdays, 5:45pm on ABS-CBN sa All TV2, Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL).
IN PHOTOS: Jessy, Vilma join Luis’ birthday bash on “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal” pilot episode
THROWBACK: Julia Montes’ epic ₱500K win on “Minute to Win It” in this nostalgic recap
Luis Manzano names the competition shows he’s hosted that he’d likely ace