Massive support by Costa Ricans, and many others throughout Latin American, via text-message voting have catapulted local singer Maria Jose Castillo to the finals of the reality show “Latin American Idol,” produced by Sony Entertainment Television — and modeled after the hugely popular American Idol program in the United States.
This week, it will finally be known whether the 18-year-old native of Barva, in the province of Heredia, will walk away with the coveted crown that would most certainly assured her an international artistic career.
To support Castillo in her last and most important effort to come out triumphant, people can send an SMA to 43657 with the message “MARIA”.
To accomplish such a goal, Castillo must face off the other finalist: Panamanian Margarita Henriquez. In either case, the winner of this year’s popularity contest — now in its third season — will be a Central American once again, following last year’s victory by Guatemalan Carlos Peña. The first edition of the show went to Venezuelan singer Mayre Martinez.
This Wednesday, at 7 p.m., Castillo and Henriquez will go on stage once again to decide who deserves the title. Following their performances, viewers can start voting via SMS until noon on Thursday, with the results to be announced that same night on TV.
Last week, before their semifinals performances, Castillo and the other three competitors still standing were allowed to make a quick weekend visit to their home countries. Then, on Thursday, Oct. 2, it was announced that Peruvian Sandra Muente and Mexican Pako Madrid had been eliminated. Exit by Madrid was a big surprise, as he was considered to be the favorite of the judges and the TV producer — reasons for which Madrid had a hard time digesting the bad news.
Despite the obvious support each contestant has received from his or her home country, Castillo, in particular, has garnered many votes from people in other nations. Her performance at the semifinals was very well received by judges and spectators alike. Grammy-winning singer Jon Secada, one of the three judges, even said about Castillo that “Latin America is being witness to the birth of a great artist” — something that visibly moved the Costa Rican black-haired cutie.
Needless to say, this third edition of Latin American Idol has been followed closely by Ticos, who for the first time have had a good reason to text and vote. Last year, another Costa Rican, Veronica Gonzalez, had made it to the round of 30 finalists, but didn’t receive enough votes to advance any further.
Even though the show is broadcast on cable, virtually all Costa Ricans have had the chance to watch Castillo because the main local channels have presented live the singer’s performances and the results. Print media and radio stations have also shown much interest in covering the successes of the Heredian teenager.
The level of support from the Costa Rican people became evident when Castillo visited the country from Argentina (where the show is being held this year) before the semifinals. A large crowd waited at San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport to cheer her on, and despite the restrictions put in place by the show’s production team, Costa Ricans followed Castillo during many of the activities in which she participated.
The winner of the contest will have overcome nearly 20,000 contestants who, from the early stages of this third Latin American Idol, sought to make a career thanks to this reality show.
To support Castillo in her last and most important effort to come out triumphant, people can send an SMA to 43657 with the message “MARIA”.
