He is also the first winner of the long-running competition on the autism spectrum.
On Saturday, June 13, the grand finals of the Tawag Ng Tanghalan singing competition on It’s Showtime was held.
The contest was down to the last six contenders of the season, with Region 3 representative Yannie Basical emerging as the grand winner with a score of 97.4% afer he performed his rendition of the SB19 song Wakas in the first round and the Smokey Mountain medley in the last portion, which earned him a standing ovation from the judges and audience inside the studio.
As the newest TNT grand champion, Yannie bagged the PHP 1 million grand prize, along with a trophy designed by Toym Imao, a management contract from ABS-CBN, a recording contract from ABS-CBN Music, and two round-trip tickets to any destination in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
Basical, who makes history as the first winner on the autism spectrum, won against his fellow finalists Charlie Palalisan, who placed second with 97.1% and brought home a PHP200,000 cash prize, and Jeanel Silvestre, who finished third with 95.1% and won PHP100,000.
Meanwhile, three other grand finalists—Von Keirule, Will de Sosa, and Russian Ouano—each received PHP20,000.
This season’s grand finals featured a panel of hurados composed of Darren Espanto, Erik Santos, Yeng Constantino, Klarisse de Guzman, Jed Madela, Marielle Montellano, Nyoy Volante, Bituin Escalante, Jonathan Manalo, Kyla, JM Yosures, and Ogie Alcasid.
Likewise, it also generated buzz online, with the official hashtag, #TNT10AngHulingTapatan, trending nationwide on X (formerly Twitter).
Another highlight of the episode is Yannie’s awarding, which main host Vice Ganda used as an opportunity to take a swipe at recent allegations on social media that were thrown at her about allegedly hoarding tickets to BTS’ upcoming concert in Bulacan.
Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed that beginning Monday, June 16, another iconic segment in Miss Q&A returns for another run.
It will mark the televised gay pageant’s return after its third season in 2022.
Meanwhile, auditions remain ongoing for the upcoming new segments of “It’s Showtime.”