He may already be popular among some netizens on social media, but it was through his remarkable stint in the second season of the Miss Q & A segment of It’s Showtime that Brenda Mage became a household name.

And in this episode of Kapamilya Chat, he talked about his unforgettable experiences on joining the pageant, as well as shared tips for those who aspire to be its contestants, too.

When it was announced that it’s going to have a third season dubbed “Miss Q & A: Kween of the Multibeks,” Brenda jested that he immediately searched for an outfit as he wanted to audition again after falling short in him bid to the “InterTALAKtic” crown. It can be recalled that he received the “Beshie ng Bayan” award and made it to the Top 6.

But kidding aside, he’s actually excited that it is finally brought back to TV. He believes that it’s a great platform for gays and transgenders to showcase their beauty, talent, wit, and authenticity on national TV, and to also fulfill their dreams, just like what it did to him.

Brenda then wasn’t able to hide his kilig as he recalled that moment during the grand finals in 2019 when it was ABS-CBN executive and Maalaala Mo Kaya host Charo Santos-Concio who asked him the question. He may not have taken home of the crown, but he’s truly over the moon and fine with it, as he found what happened a stroke of destiny.

“Happy ako kasi magbabaik ulit ang Miss Q & A at marami na namang bakla ang mabibigyan ng chance talaga na maging kagaya ko. So, thank you so much, It’s Showtime,” he stated.

It may not be his first time to join a pageant, but he was still hesitant to try his luck in a huge gay pageant like Miss Q & A as he feared the high expectations of people from him. Not long after, they’re able to persuade him to submit an audition video via online and got accepted for the next round. He further imparted that he was actually among the contestants slated on its pilot week along with his fellow stand-up comedians, but he was in Davao then for vacation, so he had to undergo the whole process and only got to compete on the second or third week.

He also didn’t have any game plan when he joined because all he just ever wanted is to become more popular and to be able to interact with host and his ultimate idol Vice Ganda, who he first met in Japan a long time ago.

“That time, wala akong game plan kasi kahit anong game plan mo, meron pa ring judges. At kahit anong gawin mo, may question pa rin. So, ano mang plan mo, magpaawa-awa ka man, o mag-iyak-iyak ka man doon, ‘di ka mananalo kung ‘di mo masagot ‘yong questions, so it’s in the hands of the judges,” he said.

However, he had a strategy – to not respond in the elimination round since he didn’t want to take on a question without being sure with his answer. That proved to be effective as he eventually became a reigning queen and even made it to the grand finals. In the end, he was able to get more than what he asked for as he made it to the Top 6 and even won an award.

He also went on to share his secret to his successful and remarkable stint on Miss Q & A, which the aspiring contestants could consider.

“No’ng reigning na ako, ‘di na ako masyadong natataranta kasi iniisip ko talaga na ‘yong sagot ko ay tumpak. At kung ‘di man masyadong maganda ‘yong sagot ko, binibigyan ko siya talaga ng…may conviction,” he conveyed.

Then he continued, “Na kahit ‘di masyadong maganda ‘yong sagot ko, ‘di masyadong tama, pero mapapanindigan ko, ma-deliver ko nang maayos, ‘yon na lang talaga ‘yong panlaban ko – na dapat may dating ‘yong sagot ko kahit ‘di masyado… Kailangan ko lang ma-convince ‘yong judges kasi wala naman talagang tama o mali sa mga question nila e. Kailangan lang makita nila na kaya mong mapanindigan ‘yong sagot mo.”

Brenda added that he was just himself throughout the competition, which he also reminded the aspirants. He further schooled them not to get overly conscious with their appearance, but be more focused on providing good answers to the questions that they could also justify and affirm.

Don’t miss an episode of It’s Showtime’s “Miss Q & A: Kween of the MultiBeks,” Mondays to Saturdays, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, iWantTFC, and TV5!