Dubbed as the “Charming Crooner of London,” Jarren Garcia’s smooth vocals and effortless charisma caught everyone’s attention, both inside and outside Bahay Ni Kuya. While his musicality may be his superpower, it was his big heart and easy-going nature that made his “Pinoy Big Brother Gen 11” experience extra unforgettable. His time as a housemate was filled with ups, downs, and unexpected twists that shaped his journey in ways he didn’t expect.

Seated in Kapamilya Chat’s red chair, Jarren recounted how his journey to “PBB Gen 11” began, saying his parents came across the audition announcement online and suggested that he consider giving it a try. After taking a few days to think things through, he began to recognize it as a huge opportunity. He flew to the Philippines just to attend the auditions and ended up making three trips between London and the Philippines for a series of callbacks.

The audition experience was both exhausting and challenging, particularly due to the significant time difference between London and the Philippines, which left him with little to no sleep. However, despite the fatigue and jet lag, Jarren emphasized that the effort was worth it.

Jarren was surprised but genuinely grateful when he received confirmation that he had been selected as an official housemate from among thousands of aspirants. “A great deal of effort, time, and dedication went into the audition process, so I was extremely thankful. However, I was also shocked,” he reflected, adding that he was with his father when he received the good news.

Jarren found stepping into the famous yellow house surreal. He struggled to sleep on his first night as a housemate, still adjusting to the new environment and feeling overwhelmed with emotions, with happiness standing out the most.

Jarren came in without expectations, game plans, or strategies; he simply wanted to have fun. Fortunately, he quickly adapted and formed connections with the other housemates. He enjoyed getting to know these new faces from diverse backgrounds. “I really didn’t have a difficult time because I adjusted well with all the housemates. They’re very easy to bond with,” Jarren stated, describing himself as easygoing, which made it simple for others to approach him and befriend him as well.

In fact, he was not nominated for eviction for eight consecutive weeks, which meant the other participants did not vote for him to be ousted from the house. This made him happy, as he felt he was doing something right.

And when he was ultimately nominated for eviction for the first time, he demonstrated a mature and optimistic attitude. He resolved to maximize his time in the Big Brother house, believing that, regardless of the outcome, he would have no regrets. “We are only housemates once, so I told myself that I would truly cherish every moment while I am inside the house.” Moreover, he understands that there’s so much more waiting for him and his dreams when he steps out into the real world.

His eviction was particularly shocking–and exciting–thanks to an unexpected twist. In the September 28 episode, after being announced as the housemate who received the fewest ‘save’ votes from the public, Jarren was asked to return to the confession room, where Kuya revealed that he would become one of the House Challengers—selected by Kuya to pretend to compete with the remaining housemates for their spots and determine who possesses the qualities worthy of being a Big Winner.

In that moment, his mind raced with thoughts and uncertainties. He felt completely clueless about what being a ‘house challenger’ meant and what special tasks awaited him. Just when the confusion settled in, Kuya called for him again in the confession room, this time with the other evicted housemates and House Challengers—Therese Villamor, Dingdong Bahan, Patrick Ramirez, and Jas Dudley-Scales.

Just when he thought his struggles inside the house were over because he had been evicted, Jarren instead faced one of the toughest weeks of his life as a House Challenger. He had to pretend that he didn’t care about the remaining housemates to put them through a test, forcing them to reveal their true strength and determination. But deep within, his heart felt shattered as he lied to the people he had grown close to, especially to Binsoy Namoca, who had become his best friend during his stay. At that moment, he felt like he was betraying his friends.

How he wanted to give them the chicken and rice when his co-House Challengers withheld food from the remaining housemates! However, Jarren was relieved that the other House Challengers stepped up their game. He knew that if it had been solely up to him, he might not have been able to pull off the task due to the guilt and pity he felt for the housemates who had grown dear to him.

Reflecting more on his “PBB Gen 11” experience, Jarren shared that the most memorable moment for him in the house was when they did the Bisaya-Tagalog musical play, which certainly pushed him to his limits since he was one of the leads with longer lines to memorize and songs to perform, including some in Bisaya. Truly one for the books!

If you’ve been a devoted follower of the show, you’re already aware of Jarren’s passion for music and performing. Now, you’ll be excited to hear him openly share his musical dreams! Jarren, whose musical influences are Aretha Franklin and KZ Tandingan, boasts an impressive bucket list of dream collaborations, including icons like Regine Velasquez, and his current favorite artist Gigi de Lana.

Indeed, the sky’s the limit for this talented teen. And he will hold onto Big Brother’s wise words: to relentlessly pursue his dreams and fight fiercely for them—not just for himself, but also for his family, who inspire him every day.

Now that he’s back in the outside world, Jarren is amazed and touched to discover he’s grown legions of supporters. He can hardly believe that fans are rooting for him and shipping him with different female housemates. He’s been very busy watching clips from the show, and most likely fan edits, too!

When asked who his Big Winner is, Jarren chose his friend JP Cabrera for his natural ability to make people laugh and spread good vibes wherever he goes.

To wrap up this episode, Jarren took some time to answer questions sent in by netizens. He reacted to being called the resident ‘stylist’ by the other evicted housemates and shared more “PBB Gen 11” secrets that fans have been eager to learn!