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Metro x Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition: Ralph De Leon

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Day 1 of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition introduced us to Ralph De Leon as “The Dutiful Judo-son of Cavite.” A former three-time UAAP gold medalist and captain of the Ateneo Men’s judo team and a B.S. Management Engineering degree holder from Ateneo de Manila University, Ralph has also ventured into modelling before entering PBB and kickstarted his acting career in 2024 as Atom on the digital drama Zoomers. Kapamilya primetime viewers notably got introduced to him as Doc Kevin in the drama-mystery series High Street.As the days, weeks, and months passed on Pinoy Big Brother (PBB), the public learned different facets of Ralph as an individual beyond what is initially known about him. Viewers saw Ralph as a competitive task slayer, a dutiful “saing king” who regularly ensures there will be cooked rice on the table, a very loyal “do or die” duo partner, a son who yearns for his family, a friend who will be there for you when the chips are down, a confidante in a house filled with cameras and lapel microphones, and a sweet, supportive tropa (*wink wink*) who will push you to achieve your goals so you could share The Big Night stage together. Considering Ralph’s motivation to join PBB, he has achieved what he set out to do.“I think the number one motivation for me talaga [to join] was para magpakilala. Kasi dati wala talaga akong platform to show who I was—to really introduce myself and my personality to the people. And I think PBB was like a perfect place talaga to do that,” he told Metro.Style.Though he may appear to have his game face on, the truth is that Ralph also had to make major adjustments upon entering Kuya’s house. The transition was definitely not easy.“Big adjustment ‘yung no phones, wala kaming contact with the outside world. And the cameras—&#x27;yung cameras talaga ang pinakamalaking adjustment for me kasi, imagine 24/7 kaming pinapanood doon kahit ano&#x27;ng gawin namin—nasa banyo man kami, natutulog, gigising, kakain, or mag-uusap lang. Kahit saan, mapapanood at mapapanood ka rin,” he shared.Ralph added, laughing, “Siguro for me, mga two or three weeks pa lang, parang hindi ko na namamalayan na may camera kami. Minsan nakalilimutan pa nga namin na may lapel kami. Minsan may mga nakukwento kami na hindi dapat.” <div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753800654941metro exclusive pbb celeb collab ralph de leon embed 2.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Ralph de Leon, as photographed by Dix Perez</div><div> </div>For someone who looked so confident and self-assured, Kuya’s house actually caught him off guard and challenged him in so many ways.“The biggest challenge for me really was managing the emotions. Kasi sobrang nagpatong-patong na lahat. After crying and getting mad, parang bigla na lang kaming tatawa. There were some things na talagang doon ko lang naramdaman sa loob ng bahay. And I think it also helped me learn how to process them. Being inside the house with everyone else, I felt like we were going through the same thing, so it was really helpful na nandoon din sila,” he confessed, referring to the housemates he has grown close to.Among all the other housemates, Ralph was the one who faced the difficult situation of being consecutively nominated four times and in danger of being evicted. It was quite an intense rollercoaster ride of emotions that, in one of the episodes, he frustratingly blurted out, “Someone really, really, really doesn’t want me here.”We asked Ralph about the experience, and he took us through his thoughts about it. “Siguro sa simula, sa very first nomination ko—obviously, I didn&#x27;t want to go out kasi first ever nomination ng season namin. Of course, I wanted to stay there until the end. &#x27;Yun ang goal ko talaga, maging part ng Big 4. Knowing na, baka ito na ‘yun and end na ng journey ko bigla after ilang weeks pa lang, kinakabahan talaga ako. I was nervous. But thankfully, nalagpasan &#x27;yun,” Ralph opened up.“But week after week, and the problem that I faced talaga, I was really trying to find where I could improve. Kasi siyempre ako, hindi ko naman alam kung ako ba talaga &#x27;yung reason or kung bakit sila nag-nominate. I didn&#x27;t know what I had to improve on, what aspects of my stay there that I had to fix. Kasi usually, &#x27;yung mga binibigay na reasons ng nomination is because may problema sila sa iyo. So siyempre ‘yung overthinking talaga ang pinakamalaking kalaban. Kasi all this time, I thought there was always something wrong. It was either something or may ayaw talaga sa akin sa loob ng Bahay—which turned out naman na hindi pala ganoon ‘yung case,” he continued.Though Ralph had a rough start in his PBB journey because he was consecutively nominated four times and eventually evicted, he made a grand comeback through the wildcard public vote. He won 81.28% of the votes from the taumbayan (viewing public) and did not waste that precious chance.His epic PBB comeback was marked with a string of triumphs, including winning 1st place in the Big Intensity Challenge among Kapamilya housemates, earning him immunity from the 5th nomination. He was also the housemates’ choice as the most desirable duo and emerged victorious again as he finished first in the Final Duo Formation task. Because of that, Ralph won the privilege of picking his duo partner, and he chose Will Ashley to be his Final Duo, paving the way for RaWi. The duo was declared Second Big Placer during the PBB Celebrity Collab: The Big Night.<div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753801454187metro exclusive pbb celeb collab ralph de leon embed 2 (2).jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>On Ralph: Vest and sleeveless shirt both by H&amp;M and trousers by Urban Revivo</div><div> </div>Out of the many breakthroughs and winning moments he experienced, the young actor happily shared what he considered his rewarding moments. He felt that his two most rewarding PBB milestones were the wildcard comeback and RaWi earning a highly coveted Big 4 spot.“I think it was the first time in how many seasons na rin na may pumasok as an official housemate ulit. So, siyempre &#x27;yung tiwala na ibinigay ng taong bayan sa akin, sobrang laki. I really wanted to make the most out of it and not let them down. But also, at the same time, &#x27;yung Big 4 kasi parang nakaabot ka na sa final stage talaga ng PBB,” he reflected, beaming.Addressing allegations of strategizing based on what he learned during his brief time in the outside world and coming back as a wildcard option in Kuya’s house, Ralph sets the record straight.“The biggest misconception about me that I would like to address is that I did all that for strategy when I came back [inside the house]. I really tried my best not to read too much, not to absorb any of the information outside. Pero siyempre hindi maiwasan din e,” he remarked, turning much more serious.“But at the same time, I really stuck to my core when I came back inside the house. I really just tried picking up where I left off. Lahat ng decisions ko, I feel like parehas lang ng mga decisions ko before I left. It wasn&#x27;t calculated at all. If you only saw how my relationship with Will was before I left, you would&#x27;ve understood why I picked him as a duo. Every other decision I’ve made, all my actions, everything—lahat talaga was consistent. Sabi nga rin ng mga ibang housemates na nandoon pa nu&#x27;ng bumalik ako, sobrang consistent pa rin ng mga ginagawa ko to how I was before I left,” Ralph clarified.Through all of the ups and downs, the laughter and tears, the frustrations and celebrations, Ralph clearly savored each moment of the time he spent inside the Big Brother house and cherishes the lessons he learned from Kuya.“The best lesson I learned from Kuya talaga was, he told me to focus on myself. Other than thinking about my nominations as something negative, sinasabi niya rin sa akin na may natulungan akong tao [sa loob],” he pensively shared.“There were times when I chose to prioritize myself na hindi ko na parang binabalewala &#x27;yung sarili kong mga issues and &#x27;yung mga thoughts ko. Pinagsabay ko na lang din ‘yung relationships ko with my duos. Kasi, for my whole stay, I really wanted to get to know them, to be there for them, and whenever they needed something—whether it was just to talk or discuss whatever problems they were going through. Parang ‘yun talaga yung naging pinaka-important sa akin during my stay,” Ralph looked back, an indication of his selfless gesture to not make his PBB journey all about himself, but also about being there for his housemates-turned-friends.As he says goodbye to a fulfilling and memorable chapter as a housemate, Ralph gears up for a busy life in the real world.“What you can look forward to from me is hopefully a lot more guestings and a lot more performances outside with my other ex-housemates. I&#x27;m really looking forward to hopefully going around the Philippines, sa mga mall shows, and to be able to perform in front of the people who have supported us throughout our journeys. But other than that, I hope to get more acting projects also. I want to really get back, whether it&#x27;s a big screen or a series. Hopefully, may naka-line up na for the near future para mapanood na rin ako and para matanggal na ‘yung kalawang sa acting ko,” the competitive yet soft-hearted ex-housemate concluded with excitement.<div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753801904795metro exclusive pbb celebrity collab edition brent manalo embed 1.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div>Photography by Dix PerezMetro head: Christina Lopez Sittings editors: Geolette Esguerra, Kate Paras-Santiago, Randz Manucom, and Grace Libero-Cruz Creative director: Chookie CruzStylist: Edlene Cabral, assisted by Bullet Reyes Makeup artist and hairstylist: Mickey See and Jonas LucasFashion associate: Carla Buyo Editorial assistants: Iya Baring and Krystel MatiasVideo producers: Giselle Interior and Tricia MatiasVideographer: Charisse Tinio&#x27;s NicePrint Photo teamArt director: Alfred AmadoShoot assistants: Danni Lagdameo, Mariana Xerez-Burgos, Sophia Ancheta, and Katrice CuasonSpecial thanks to Pinoy Big Brother, Marcus Vinuya, Patch Bungubung, Charina Fernandez, Pia Laurel, Thess Gubi, and Star Magic

Ralph De Leon was a man on a mission on "Pinoy Big Brother," but beneath his competitive streak is a gentle soul with a heart of gold.

Ralph De Leon was a man on a mission on "Pinoy Big Brother," but beneath his competitive streak is a gentle soul with a heart of gold.

Metro Exclusive: The Biggest Challenge Ralph de Leon Faced Inside the 'PBB' House

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Metro Exclusive: The Biggest Challenge Ralph de Leon Faced Inside the 'PBB' House

Grace Diez

Published Aug 01, 2025 12:00 PM PHT

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