Around two months since “Pinoy Big Brother Gen 11” concluded, in which they were named as the 3rd Big Placer and 2nd Big Placer respectively, Kolette Madelo and Rain Celmar are now living the celebrity life that many people are arguably yearning for.  

But despite the fame that they currently revel in, the two have remained humble and their authentic selves, as seen in their exclusive interview with seasoned Kapamilya journalist Bernadette Sembrano on her YouTube channel. 

She may come off as confident because of her sunny disposition, but Rain confessed that she actually used to lack self-esteem. However, the experiences and challenges that went through inside Bahay ni Kuya, not to mention the inspiration brought by her family and ambitions in life, helped the “Ang Cheerfu-Langga ng Cebu” develop her confidence and “never give up” attitude. 

Making it to the official list of housemates was something that Rain didn’t really expect since she just gave PBB a shot when auditions were held in Cebu. She has been a fan of the show ever since she was a kid, reminiscing how she would stay up late at night just to catch the latest episodes. Among the batches of housemates that entered the yellow house, she disclosed that her top favorite alumni are Big Winners Kim Chiu and Maymay Entrata.  

Now that she’s already in showbiz, Rain is determined to work hard in order to further improve her skills, especially in dancing since she admitted not being really good at it. She’s hoping to score projects and be able to establish a prolific career like her celebrity idols Kathryn Bernardo, Moira Dela Torre, BINI, and KZ Tandingan.  

Rain got to showcase her innate kakulitan and impressive wit that her supporters love about her during the interview as she enthusiastically taught Bernadette a few Gen Z terms. Besides, she also amusingly recounted her personal encounter with “Madam AI”, the intimidating and despicable female counterpart of Big Brother who challenged the Big 4 during their final days inside the house, as well as how her flag served as her motivation to keep going in the competition.  

Similarly, Kolette was already firm in joining PBB as well upon learning about the auditions in her hometown. Although she initially felt a bit intimidated by the other aspirants whom she said were more beautiful than her, “Ang Ma-Cute-Lit na Raketera ng General Santos City” still bravely pushed through with the process and eventually succeeded.  

“Nasa sa’yo naman ‘yan kung magpapakatotoo ka, saka lakas ng loob lang talaga ang kailangan mon dalhin sa mga audition na ‘yan. Kung alam mo na may tiwala ka sa sarili mo, doon ka dadalhin. Kaya nandito ako [ngayon],” she told Bernadette. 

Despite having throngs of supporters and her own glam team and managers, as well as appearing in various shows, Kolette still doesn’t consider herself a celebrity as her standards of fame are the levels of Kathryn and Vice Ganda.  

As we all know, she’s an adopted child of her beloved parents. But even though she found out about her real identity when she was nine years old, Kolette said that it was still easy for her to accept it. She also never harbored any ill feelings against her adoptive and biological parents since she already understood the situation by that time. 

Moreover, she opened up about her breakup with her ex-boyfriend, which apparently happened trouble-free and amicably because of the mutual respect and care that they have for one another. Besides, both of them want each other to succeed and thrive in their respective endeavors.   

While she and ex-housemate Jarren Garcia, with whom she’s being shipped, created and popularized the “breaking news” dance trend, Kolette confessed that she’s actually not a dancer and she only discovered her talent during her stay in Bahay ni Kuya. And if there’s one dancer that she really looks up to, it’s none other than Maja Salvador. 

Bernadette capped off this vlog by asking Rain what she wants people to understand about her generation, to which she replied, “Despite being so advanced in gadgets po, we still have great understanding po about life. I don’t think generational difference can hinder us from connecting with one another. So, I think, we should just learn to listen.”