Mariel Rodriguez was ecstatic during the grand reunion of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) ex-housemates at the taping of Pilipinas, Game KNB last September 22. Memories of her own adventures inside the house came rushing back to her when she saw Gaby dela Merced, Yayo Aguila, and Ruben Gonzaga of PBB Celebrity Edition 2 who have become her good friends. “Super happy ako kasi namiss ko talaga sila. I super love them. Although we still get together once in a while. Kaya lang si Gaby lagi siyang out of the country so minsan ko lang makakwentuhan ng bonggang-bongga. Pero sa Facebook nagsesend naman ako ng message sa kanila,” she said in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN.com that day.

As PBB’s longest-staying houseguest, Mariel shared that her most unforgettable experience was when she got appointed as the Big Sister while Big Brother was away for some “official business.” It was the same time Gladys Guevarra—who replaced Macoy Fundales who opted for a voluntary exit—slipped into depression and pled for a premature exit as well. “It’s not easy being Big Sister. Nagpanic ako dahil kay Gladys. Sabi ko, ‘Please, sige na, paalisin ni’yo na kasi siya tutal yun naman ang gusto niya.’ Dun talaga ako naloka. Alangan namang sabihin ko sige umalis ka na. Yun yung one week pa lang ata akongnakalabas tapos bumalik ulit ako. Pero ang saya rin kasi nagcelebrate ako ng Christmas with them. Iba talaga yung friendship na nabuild namin dun sa bahay,” she fondly recalled.

Her relationship with Zanjoe Marudo also blossomed after she almost got together with Jon Avila inside the house. “Yes of course! I think it was a big turning point for him. It was after that na narealize niya kung ano ba talaga. Hindi naman sa nagpapasalamat ako kay Kuya for that. Nagkataon lang na ganon ang nangyari.” But she was never as open about her love life since then. “E kasi na-out ko na lahat. Ginive ko naman yung all ko. I guess sometimes it’s okay to leave some for yourself naman. So happy naman kami ngayon,” she beamed.

In the meantime, Mariel couldn’t help but gush about hosting PBB Uplate this season and the fact that she would be able to interact once again with late night viewers, otherwise known as Tropang Gising. “Actually hindi pa ako nakakausap about it pero Tito Boy (Abunda) told me that I was going to do Uplate. So I was really, really happy because that's what I wanted. As much as possible I don’t want to do Uber kasi yung audience nila mgajugets. So siyempre kailangan ko mag-ingat sa mga sinasabi ko. At least yung Uplate hindi ako kailangang magpigil, mas masasabi ko yung thoughts ko ng bonggang-bongga!”

Aside from the challenge of perfecting her hosting style, Mariel claimed that she’s really hoping to see more good-looking housemates this time around. “Siyempre gusto ko may mga gwapo akong mapapanood para naman may inspiration no! Alangan namang chaka bells ‘yan kapag pinapanood ko sa loob ‘di ba?” But on a serious note, she had some advice for the upcoming batch of housemates for Pinoy Big Brother Double Up. “The only way you can enjoy this is to be yourself. At the end of the day, lalabas at lalabas kung sino ka. Hindi mo man maipakita yun sa loob ng bahay, paglabas ng bahay makikita din nila kung ano yung totoong ikaw, Tsaka hindi mo naman maplaplano yung reaction mo. Lalo na kapag tense moments. Kung ano yung nararamdaman mo yun talaga ang lalabas. Minsan you’re going to lose it, you’re going to be paranoid, sad, and happy… It’s normal. You’ll feel all these emotions in one day. So just enjoy the whole ride,” she stressed.

Given a chance, would she be willing to be a houseguest again? “Hindi na yun mangyayari ulit. You know why? Kasi nagawa na yun e. Kuya will never repeat the same tricks. It's never going to happen again, trust me. Pero if ever mangyari yun, meron akong kailangan kasama. Hindi ko sasabihin kung sino,” said Mariel.

Source: ABS-CBN.com