Why members of Junior Good Vibes broke down after 'AGT' performance

It's easy to dismiss crying after performances, especially in a contest that relies on votes, as --to put it bluntly-- fake.

What's difficult is to try and understand why the emotions of contestants surface, even if they are fully aware that this opens them up to harsh comments about being "paawa."

Skepticism is all-too common nowadays in social media, and knowing that shedding tears could undermine their efforts -- this has to play in their minds as to whether it's worth it.

But for Junior Good Vibes, a grand finalist of the third season of "Asia's Got Talent," they simply just wanted to show people how happy and proud they are of themselves.

Crying in these moments is never in the minds of performers while up on stage delivering what they had dedicated time for. It just comes out suddenly as their walls give in -- triggered, in Junior Good Vibes' case, by seeing an audience standing for them.

"Iyung iyak namin, iyon ang hirap namin," one of their members, Bret, told ABS-CBN News in an interview this Friday.

Originally supposed to be composed of 25 members, Junior Good Vibes only managed to send 16 representatives to the audition round and semifinal of "Asia's Got Talent" (AGT).

This was largely due to the high costs of getting passports for everyone, which they paid for with the help of organizations and outright begging in the early mornings around Sampaloc.

"Kinapalan na namin iyong mukha namin kasi ito iyong pangarap namin eh," they admitted.

It's a dream that was first imagined by Bret four years ago, when he saw potential in four kids he saw dancing on the streets. A member of a dance group himself then, he tried to establish a sort of sub-unit within it and Junior Good Vibes was born.

He repeatedly says they started from nothing, joining the most meaningless of contests around their barangay. But they just kept dancing --often walking to events and competitions because they're too poor to pay for proper transportation.

Their parents always viewed this path they were taking as a risky affair and they never fully got their support.

"Sobrang lalim nang pinaghugutan namin," he said, referring to the inspiration for the routine they composed for the semifinals.

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They dedicated it to not only to the members of theirs who got left behind ("Isasama namin iyong pangarap ninyo," Bret told them), their parents who didn't think they could do it, but in general to all those who tried to put them down when they were starting out.

They had a tall mountain to climb, given that they not only had to compete with the equally-talented contestants of "AGT," they also had to deal with the cruel reality of their financial situation.

Now, Junior Good Vibes is one step away from winning the huge $100,000 (more than P5 million) prize after being picked by the judges to automatically go to the grand finals.

It was the validation they craved. Even more good news, Bret shared, is that they no longer need to beg for money to fly to the final round as the show has it covered this time around.