MANILA - The reality television show "Pinoy Big Brother" has always been about the personal stories of the housemates and the extraordinary trials each of them had to face and overcome.

These stories become inspiration for Filipino viewers, which could explain the show's enduring popularity.

Thuy, a 23-year-old Vietnamese woman, wants to share hers to Pinoys. "I've watched 'PBB' noong nandoon pa ako sa Pilipinas. I think I have a good story na puwede kong i-share sa mga tao," she said, as she explained her decision to audition for the show.

Thuy was born in Palawan. Her parents were refugees who fled war-torn Vietnam by boat back in the 1970s and found solace in the Philippine province. "They went three days and two nights without barely any food," she shared.

She said that the camp her parents were staying in were burned down twice, forcing her family to move to Tacloban City. There, she spent more than 12 years of her early life before moving to the US. She would eventually graduate with a degree in nursing.

"That would be awesome," Thuy, in tears, said when asked if she wanted to become a regular housemate of the reality show.

For that to happen, the celebrity housemates will need to complete six out of the seven tasks which will be given throughout the next few episodes. The first task, which was to sing a translated version of "Tatlong Bibe," was finished on Wednesday.

Currently, Thuy is not allowed to speak English or Tagalog. She was given the challenge of communicating with the other housemates while pretending that she only knows the Vietnamese language.

A version of "Pinoy Big Brother" featuring regular housemates will air after the celebrity edition concludes, the format suggests. A teen edition is also scheduled.