"So near yet so far" must have been Mariel's destiny regarding her chance on winning the Big Winner title. True, she was so close to owning it just that, the people had their eyes set for the other housemates. This showed in the disappointing percentage of votes (3.34%) she received that caused her eviction.

Entering the house dubbed as the struggling mom from Davao, Mariel bared all to her housemates about being a single mom impregnated by a married man. But her predicament didn't hinder her in showing the lengths of her strengths. Instead, this even pushed her to the limits. No task was too hard for her, such as when she got into a cat fight with Princess during the resback attack week or when she met up with Paul (father of her son Asher) to talk about their familial issues.

But there were also negative vibes going her way. For instance, when former housemate Yuri was still inside the house, they were both dubbed as the most agressive and talkative ones among the housemates. During one of the who's who games Big Brother made them play, she was also tagged as the most fake housemates inside the house. However, Mariel shrugged those off and continued her fight that took her as far as this, which was not in any way to be ashamed of. In her words, "Akala mo hindi mo kayang gawin pero isipin mo lang na kaya mo kase magagawa mo yan (You only think you won't be able to do it but just think that you can and you will)." Well, she's come this far; surely there are more good things that await her.

by Krishna Belle Meniado