June 02, 2008 1:39 AM

June 02, 2008 1:39 AM

Yesterday morning, the teens had to undergo a practical and theoretical driving test held by A1 Driving, who also provided a refresher course and would later grade them. Though they were coached several times by celebrity ex-housemate and pro race car driver Gaby dela Merced and had their pop car practices, the actual test was still difficult. Aside from being timed and their bet of 100% weekly budget, the eviction that night also added to the stress.

The teens were split into two groups. One group stayed behind to finish the theoretical part of the exam by labeling 30 road signs in 5 minutes. This may seem like an easy task, but with the time constraint, mental block set in for several teens. The other half were taken out to take their practical exam where they had to drive through a course, do reverse driving and perform parallel parking. Robi and Alex passed both tests, while Nikki, Beauty and Ejay did not. Ejay took this badly, since he really wanted to learn how to drive. It took him an hour to go through the hands-on driving, and even so, was just made to go down the car. Kuya tried to lessen his sadness by explaining that now may not be the time for him to learn this, but it didn’t really make things easier. To Nikki and Beauty, he explained that it was harder for him because in his hometown, the vehicle available to him was a boat. To win the weekly task, all of them had to pass both tests, and the results meant zero budget on their last week.

This was the least of their troubles, though. That evening, Nan got evicted, leaving five housemates behind. Though all had dreams of being winners, goodbyes were never easy. Nan was all smiles throughout the eviction. Such was not the case with the rest. Robi, who was saved instead, felt the loss of a fine “kapatid”. Ejay, Nan’s closest buddy, was also affected. For a moment, all were quiet in Nan’s honor.

Earlier, Robi was cornered by Kuya. Given that only he and Nan were the week’s nominees, Robi was asked who he would rather be left in the house? Nan was his choice, because he was a good guy and a great brother. Yet, when asked if he wanted to win, he said yes. Kuya felt that he was playing safe and that he wasn’t giving straight and true answers. Robi explained that he had mixed emotions about everything. Anything goes for him; it was a win-win situation. He didn’t view PBB as a contest, but as a chance to let people know who he is and to be a good example. Still, he felt that he also had a responsibility to his family and his school. Kuya bluntly told him that, in 11 weeks, he has seen the Atenean, but not the Robi Domingo as an individual. He needed to make a stand and be sincere, and do this concretely. Beauty was likewise interrogated, and despite the risk of being regarded as proud, admitted that it would be great if she could be part of the Big Four.

Emotions were not given a rest. The last nomination was held in the confession room, where the remaining teens had to pick the picture of the housemate whom they thought was least fit to be part of the Big Four. They drew lots and were given 30 seconds each to decide. All were already edgy, and this just pushed them more. In the end, Alex got 3 votes (mostly due to his lack of emotional control) and Nikki got 2 (for her minimal participation in household chores). Later, the two had issues between them, as Nikki got affected by the reasons of her nomination (by Alex, in particular) and Alex was nominated for the first time. All were in tears, feeling guilt and frustration and sadness and stress all rolled together. The nominations weren’t valid, though. It was another test of character. Indeed, the teens will emerge all grown-up after such experiences.

The teens have another week to face. They had to finish the promised accessories to help Kuya Primo’s tribe by Monday. Flo Rida is dropping in, too, and hopefully that would be a happy break.It’s open nominations. Keep those votes coming in! Remember that it’s YOUR vote that decided who gets in the Big Four and who becomes the PBB Teens Plus Big Winner. Vote online or Text BB (name of housemate) and send to 2331 (Globe, TM, Sun) and 231 (Smart and Talk N Text). UAE Kapamilyas can also participate and send their text votes to 4200 (Etisalat subscribers).