The elimination of Nisha Bedaña on "Idol Philippines" over the weekend was hot topic on social media.
Many netizens are seemingly disappointed with it, with some of them pushing the hashtag "#WildcardForNisha."
Note that even Ogie Alcasid shared a cryptic post after the announcement of the result.
"Ang hirap talaga pag may natatanggal lalo no kung sa tingin natin deserving sya to stay. #IdolPH2OgiePlaylist," it read.
Prior, Ogie reacted to the performance of the 22-year-old from Las Piñas City.
He wrote: "Nisha!!!! #goosebumps #ikawangakingpangarap."
Recall that the Top 10 finalists rendered their own take on some of Ogie's songs.
Ogie coached the participants.
Meanwhile, Neri Naig also had a violent reaction.
She posted on Facebook: "Bakit natanggal si Nishaaaaaaaaa???!!! Mag explain ka pag uwi mo Chito Miranda (pouting face emojis)."
The former actress then sent a message to Nisha.
She told the latter: "Mababa ka man sa voting pero tatandaan mo magaling ka. Hindi ka man nanalo ngayon pero ipagpatuloy mo lang na iimprove ang talento at sarili mo... sa future, magwawagi ka. Basta maging mabait palagi, hindi ka pababayaan ni Lord. (heart emoji). From Pinakakulelat sa votes sa SCQ (hugging face emoji)."
On the other hand, Neri's husband Chito, one of the judges on the show, expressed disappointment as well.
This is what he tweeted after: "Sasabihin ko ulit: Devastated. As judges, we could only do so much. Nagkakatalo talaga sa votes. Please, please, please vote for your chickens."
The following day, in another post, he shared behind-the-scenes photos of "the hopefuls" during the commercial break, just before the announcement of the Top 8.
"They all gathered in a tight circle, and said a little prayer...and you could really feel the sincerity that they were all rooting for each other," he said. "This is how beautiful the experience is. (heart emoji)."
"...and the intensity, the drama, the emotional investment that comes with it, not to mention the fact that we were all affected with last night's results, just shows how engaging and awesome the show is. Ang galing lang eh...and I'm just so glad to be a part of it."
He then congratulated the Top 8.
"You all deserve to be there, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Never lose track of how hard you worked to secure your spot even if others do, and always remember that you have the talent, you got the scores, the support, and the votes needed to land you where you are now," he said.
Chito also sent a message to Nisha and Misha De Leon.
"Malamang naramdaman nyo naman siguro how sad and upset everyone was, including us judges (as I've said, we were devastated), to see you go...ganun na kayo kamahal ng mga tao. Naniniwala talaga ako na eto na yung turning point ng journey ninyo."
However, some online users translated Chito's "devastated" term. So he quickly cleared the notion.
On the next day, he wrote: "May gusto lang ako i-clarify. We weren't devastated because of those who made it sa Top 8. They deserve their spot...regardless kung trip mo sila o hindi."
According to him, those in the Top 8 worked "so hard" to get where they are.
"They got the scores that they needed from the judges, and the support and votes from their supporters," he added. "Nag-effort yung mga fans nila para bumoto. Sila yung tipo ng mga fans na willing gumastos para bumili ng tickets sa mga shows, sila yung tipo ng mga fans na pipila para makabili ng CD, and sila yung mga tipo ng supporters na maglo-log in sa isang website para makaboto sa MYX upang manalo yung music video ng mga idol nila."
"Tulad ng pag-support ng mga fans ni Sarah Geronimo. Nagagalit ba kayo sa kanila if they support their idol, while you don't actively support yours?," he asked.
"The format and mechanics used on Idol Philippines is dictated by the American Idol Franchise, and sinusunod lamang ng Idol Philippines ang patakaran nila...and that includes online voting."
He said the show needs to consider, include, and add into the equation the overall tenacity of supporters when it comes to supporting their bets.
"And that counts for a large percentage of their total score," he related.
"Dun ako na-upset: sa fact na wala masyadong nag-effort mag-vote para kay Misha and Nisha...because I felt that they deserved more from their supporters," he explained.
"Instead of complaining, and asking Idol Philippines to change, and go against the format dictated by the American Idol Franchise, maybe it would be easier to simply make an effort to vote...just like what the others did for those they chose to support. Kung nagawa nila, kaya nyo din...kung gusto nyo."