 The judges often compared Magdangal (who studied in a De La Salle school) with fellow finalist Jan Nieto (who studied in Ateneo de Manila University), calling it "the new Ateneo-La Salle rivalry".They are also compared to the rivalry between Filipino singers Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano during the 1980s.Entertainment writers even predicted that Magdangal and Nieto would vie for the title.