Loh Chuan JunnJaws dropped and eyeballs rolled, when Shanghainese lad, Jeffrey Xu, beat hot favourite homeboy contestant, Romeo Tan, to emerge victorious at one of the country’s most well-known talent contest, Star Search 10, on Dec 5.
Even the man himself was overwhelmed when the results were announced.
“I’m in a state of shock right now, I really didn’t expect to win. Thanks for all the support and encouragement from my family and friends,” said the emotional 22-year-old, his eyes welling up in tears.
The young wannabe stars were put through gruelling tests and were judged based on 4 components: star appeal (15%), eloquence (15%), individual talent (20%) and acting skills (50%).
The judges included acclaimed Hong Kong artistes Lawrence Cheng Tan Shui and Ha Yu, Deputy CEO (Television) of MediaCorp Chang Long Jong, Senior Vice President of MediaCorp Chinese Drama Productions Kok Len Shoong, as well as local celebs Zoe Tay and Fann Wong.
It really did seem that Romeo Tan, 25, lauded as the hot favourite by local media, was all set for the win during the first half of the contest – thanks to his perfectly sculpted bod – impressing the crowd as he danced to the beat of Korean singer Rain’s “Sad Tango”, while going all out to flaunt his hot abs.
The girls also proved to be formidable competitors, upping the ante as they gyrated to tunes like Christina Aguilera’s “Lady Marmalade”, Elva Hsiao’s “WOW” and Jolin Tsai’s “Dancing Diva” – showing off their pretty spins and never-before-seen sultry side.
The femme fatale charm obviously worked, and by the end of the talent round, female contenders Peggy Lin, 20, and Adeline Lim, 22, along with Romeo, secured the Top 3 positions on the scoreboard.
In the impromptu question and answer segment that followed, contestants had to pit their eloquence against acerbic tongues such as Quan Yi Fong, Michelle Chong and Guo Liang who were role-playing famous characters including Taiwanese TV host, Zhang Fei or “Lady Kaka”.
They dished out difficult questions like “What makes you deserving enough for fame?” and “What are your untold secrets?” Quick-witted ones like Peggy Lin and Adeline Lim triumphed, while many others were left stumped.
But it was in the final segment of the show that the tables turned for winner, Jeffery Xu.
In a series of short plays that were adapted from popular local dramas like Daddy At Home, The Little Nyonya and Together, the talent hopefuls pitted their acting chops against a stellar line-up of MediaCorp artistes, namely, Chen Hanwei, Cynthia Koh, Ann Kok, Constance Song, Zheng Geping, Zhou Ying, Zhang Zhenhuan, Joanne Peh, Ng Hui, Lin Meijiao and Yao Wenlong.
Chinese native Jeffrey, portrayed the role of geeky and somewhat socially inept Yao Wuji (originally played by Zhang Zhen Huan) from Together, and nailed the game with his smooth and intuitive delivery of the antsy yet melancholic emotions that was required of the character.
Apart from the winning trophy, Jeffrey also takes home with him, the grand prize of $10,000 cash and a 2-year contract with MediaCorp.
Joining him in the top 5 were; fellow Shanghainese, Peggy Lin (second), Singaporeans Adeline Lim (third) and Romeo Tan (fourth), as well as lanky Malaysian lass, Sora Ma (fifth).
When asked about the roles he hopes to try out, Jeffery said immediately, “A pervert!”
“Personally, I feel I look very child-like, so people have the impression that I’m this very youthful, sunshine or cute kind of guy. I am always up for a challenge so a pervert is good,” he said with a smile.
Check out the photos of the Grand Finals here (including guest performers, Fahrenheit):
