Idol Contender "Pirated" To Pinoy Dream Academy

Sad news. ABC-5 executives have confirmed circulating rumors that one of Philippine Idol's Top 24 semi-finalists have dropped out of the competition in order to join ABS-CBN's "Pinoy Dream Academy."

"We are sad because kids have to face decisions like these so soon,” Perci Intalan, ABC 5 Creative and Entertainment Production head said in an interview with Philippine Daily Inquirer. "They are still new in the business. From our end, we are flattered. Instead of looking elsewhere, other networks decided to just get 'Philippine Idol' contestants, apparently because they see that the best have come here."

Pinoy Dream Academy (PDA) is an Endemol franchise which is similar to Philippine Idol, only that the contestants were made to live in a house/ training academy filled with spy cameras, much like another ABS-CBN program "Pinoy Big Brother" (PBB). This rival talent search was abruptly launched by the country's former number 1 network (according to AGB studies) and caused the postponement of the supposed-to-be second season of PBB.

PDA's American counterpart, "The One: Making Of A Superstar," was cancelled after four weeks with a record low in US network ABC history.

Auditions for PDA have been lacking in luster of both talents and numbers, as well as experienced setbacks, notably after an Inquirer reporter went undercover to auditioned. He noted that after seven hours of waiting, an entire row of people (including him) were told "thank you" and asked to leave, without even singing at the auditions.

Meanwhile, rumors have spread that ABS-CBN employees approached several Idol contenders to drop from the competition and transfer to PDA, with promises of bypass from the audition and an automatic slot in the Finals. These scheming network employees had also gone to meet with one of the respected "Idol" judges to "just let (some of) the contestants go."

Read more about the article here.

UPDATE 1: The name of the contestant who jumped ship is still not confirmed, although Idol Source suspects that it is a male who auditioned in Manila. Meanwhile, a noted entertainment writer said in his column that it is a female who also auditioned in Manila.

We at Philippine Idol Updates are saddened that this healthy competition has become ugly because of greed and deceit on the part of certain parties. We urge our fellow Idol fanatics to keep on supporting Philippine Idol. Also, we ask our dear readers to avoid posting spoilers (information that are yet to be shown on TV) in the comments section as well as at the chatbox.

UPDATE 2: ABC-5 Head Perci Intalan visited Philippine Idol Updates to clarify that the contestant "pirated" by ABS-CBN's Pinoy Dream Academy was eliminated early on in the competition, and did not make it to the Top 24. He urged Filipinos who are following Philippine Idol to follow the show regularly and see the theater eliminations to further cement the assertion that the contestants who do make it to the Top 24 are all deserving of the title of Philippine Idol.