OG Pinoy Big Brother fans know that before becoming its main host, Bianca Gonzalez, was part of the first-ever celebrity edition, where she finished as the third Big Placer of the season.

In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, Bianca shared her experience auditioning for the show, which aired in 2006.

“Ang pagkakaalam ko, ang Celebrity Edition, lalo na during my time, para siyang by invite. So they invite, let's say, 40, 50 celebrities. Tapos lahat yun dadaan sa iba't ibang stage ng interview. And then, yeah, in my case, umabot ako all the way from the first screening, second screening, tapos may medical, psychological exam, until final screening. Tapos yun na, naging housemate ako,” she recalled.

The Kapamilya host admitted becoming emotional during her final interview for the show.

"Ang pinaka naalala ko talaga is nung final interview ko. So, that's like the panel na nandun lahat ng mga creatives. Umiiyak talaga ako. Sabi ko na ayoko maging housemate kasi nga, mahiyain ako, private ako. Pero ngayon, alam ko na kung ba't kinuha. Kasi, iyak ka dyan, ha? O, housemate," Bianca candidly shared.

Before being known as the "Ang Dating Boarder ni Kuya," Bianca's moniker as a housemate was the "Y-Speaker of the House," a title she revealed the reason for.

“Ang naalala ko is, ang aking moniker ay 'Y-Speaker of the House' kasi ang show ko noon ay Y-Speak on Studio 23. Isa siyang youth debate show. Pero nag-morning show na ako, Magandang Umaga Pilipinas. Yun yung batch nila, Julius (Babao), Tintin (Bersola-Babao), Ryan (Agoncillo), (ang mga kasabayan) ko,” she explained.

The first-ever celebrity edition also had its fair share of unforgettable twists and challenges, with Bianca recalling their very first task upon entering the iconic house.

“Ito, nalaman ko na lang after ko maging housemate, nung naging host na ako, na kaya pala back to basics yung concept nung first celebrity edition. Kasi nga daw, ang mga celebrity, laging nakikita na glamorous, nakaayos. So paano kapag tinanggal mo lahat ng mga basics sa buhay, paano sila?” she revealed.

Bianca looked back on how simple and basic their setup was back then: “Ang nakakatawa is, I remember first week. Kasi pati toiletries wala kami ha. As in, ang binigay sa amin, gugo. Wala din kaming toothbrush. Ang binigay sa amin, stick. Tapos kailangan ang toothpaste namin ay baking soda at tubig. Talagang ganoon ka back to basics. Zero toiletries. Tawas. Parang ganoon yung mga binigay,”

She added how Big Brother even told them to freshen up and maintain their appearance during that week.

“Siyempre, ang hirap mag-ayos, mag-grooming. So, ang nangyari, parang after mga one week, sinabihan kami ni kuya ng housemates. Ang artista naman kayo. Please mag-ayos kayo konti. So, parang, ah, okay, okay, Sumobra ng back to basics,” Bianca said.

But out of all those challenging tasks, there are some things Bianca still vividly remembers to this day.

"We had a concert inside. Tapos may mga ninja na parang sinasabotage. Yung mga ilaw, yung mga ano. Pero ang pinaka-memorable para sa akin, Ang pinaka-memorable task for me, meron kaming task. Di ko ito makakalimutan kasi ito yung parang natalo kami. Needle in a haystack. Literal, maghanap kami ng karayom sa haystack,” she recalled.

Bianca continued by sharing how she still jokes about it with the staff to this day. “Hindi namin nahanap. Hanggang ngayon, bubog ko yun. Sinasabi ko sa staff, hindi niyo nilagyan ng karayom yan. Oo, hanggang ngayon.”

The iconic reality show recently launched its latest edition, Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition, on March 9. This groundbreaking season features artists from both ABS-CBN and GMA Network, making history with this unique collaboration.