Melai Cantiveros looked back on her Pinoy Big Brother audition in General Santos City, where her journey to becoming a household name all began.

In an interview with Eugene Domingo on her latest YouTube vlog, Melai shared she auditioned for PBB because of her friends’ encouragement.

"[Nagpa-audition] si direk Lauren sa Pinoy Big Brother sa GenSan. Tapos first ever sa GenSan talaga. Tapos nag-audition sabi ko ayaw ko, kasi maloko ako sa barkada namin eh, so sabi nila, 'Mag-audition ka,' kasi gusto nila na matawa raw sa akin si direk Lauren," she recounted.

The comedienne and TV host recalled that out of the thousands who auditioned in GenSan, only the top 15 were selected and she was one of them.

When asked if there was a point in the audition when she already wanted to quit, Melai admitted: "Actually gusto ko ng umalis nung pagka-first. Ang tinanong kasi sa akin ano ang gusto niyong negosyo sa Gensan? Ang inisip ko sari-sari store na lang 'to para maganda. Ang sinagot ng una mini-store, [next] mini-mart, ang dami na namin... Nung sa dulo na [sabi nila], 'Anong sagot mo?' [Sagot ko] vulcanizing shop. Napansin siguro ako ni direk Lauren... Kasi pangarap ng mama ko ang vulcanizing shop."

Melai eventually became an official housemate of Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up in 2009 and went on to become the season's Big Winner.

In the same interview, she also opened up about her journey into hosting. She said it was through Magandang Buhay that she discovered that she has a talent in hosting.

"Naramdaman ko sa Magandang Buhay," she said. "Kasi parang nagkaroon ako ng comfortable sa mga co-host ko tapos feeling ko parang ay parang dito pala ako dinala ng tadhana dito sa showbiz kasi akala ko two years lang ako dito eh, babalik na ako sa GenSan, magtinda na ako ng isda ba doon, ano ba ang iba kong ititinda doon. So parang dun ko nasabi na ay pwede pala ako dito sa showbiz."

Melai is currently hosting Pilipinas Got Talent and Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition.