The 5 Search

The 5 Search premiered on MediaCorp Channel 5 on 4 January 2015. It is a Singaporean reality-acting-hosting competition programme that finds the next face of the broadcasting channel, Channel 5. The judges are actress and Dim Sum Dollies member Selena Tan, actor Tay Ping Hui and host Bryan Wong. Class 95FM radio personality Jean Danker was employed as the host of the show.

Each week, there would be two segments of competition – one with regards to acting, and another for hosting – which all comes with a particular theme. The contestants on the show are required to outperform their fellow competitors in these segments to survive elimination for the week. They are also mentored by local industry veterans and get the opportunity to act or host alongside with them.

The winner would receive a two-year artiste management contract from MediaCorp, and a cash prize of $30,000.

Top 15 finalists

Finals

Color key:

Top 15 – Back to Basics

• Guest judge: Najip Ali

The show kicked off with a hosting segment, which the contestants were tasked to pitch a product that was picked out by random to the judges within one minute. The winner of this segment received immunity and was immediately saved from elimination for the week. For the acting segment, the contestants were split into three groups of five, and were tasked to work on a scene from the local situation comedy Spouse for House. The resident judges also acted as the mentors for the contestants.

Top 12 – Out of Your Comfort Zone

• Guest judge: Irene Ang

This week, the hosting segment of the show required the contestants to host under circumstances that were out of their comfort zones. They were tasked to deliver an opening link, conduct an interview with an interviewee, perform an ad-lib, as well as a closing link. They were judged based on their poise and professionalism despite the discomfort. The winner of this segment received immunity and was immediately saved from elimination for the week. For the acting segment, the contestants paired up with one another to act out a two-minute scene, and all of therm were given acting roles that were out of their personal comfort zones.

Two-minute scene titles and plots

• Ron Teh & Michelle Wong: The Interrogation – An intelligent cop and a psychotic killer pit their wits against each other

• Aiken Chia & Gina Lin: Unfilial – A retrenched factory supervisor pleads with her well-doing brother for money to support their parents

• Caryn Cheng & Esther Goh: Frenemies – Two former schoolmates meet and the snob treats the other with disdain

• Fadhli Abdullah & Laanya Asogan: Love Hurts – An abusive husband punishes his wife for scratching his car

• Jeevan Kularetnam & Kayly Loh: Broken Vows – A wife confronts her cheating husband about his affair

• Shrey Bhargava & Leroy Yap: Amateur Killers – Two bumbling friends plan to dispose a body after [...] an acquaintance accidentally

Top 9 – Thinking on Your Feet

• Guest judge: Michelle Chong
• Guest mentor: Darren Foong

This week, the show started off with the acting segment. The contestants were split into three groups of three, and required to come up with a two-minute skit on the spot in the improvisational theatre format. Unlike the previous weeks, the winners of this segment received an advantage for the following hosting segment, instead of an immunity. For the hosting segment, the contestants were required to conduct an interview with one of the following local celebrities – Pierre Png, Aileen Tan, and Judee Tan, who acted as the "difficult guests" on a talk show. The winners of the acting segment were given the opportunity to chat with their interviewees for 10 minutes, while the rest were given five minutes to get ready at the studio. As all contestants performed well during the acting segment, the results for this week were solely based on the hosting segment.

Two-minute improvisational theatre skit plot

• Shrey is an overeager real estate agent who is trying to sell a haunted house to newlyweds Aiken and Kayly.

• Esther is a lost traveller who has been invited into the home of an elderly couple played by Leroy and Caryn, and they want to eat her.

• Fadhli and Gina are mourning the lost of their mother, played by Michelle, when she rises from the dead as a vampire.

Elimination chart

Caryn Cheng, Esther Goh and Leroy Yap were announced as the winners for the week's acting segment, but no immunity were awarded to them. Instead, they were given an advantage for their subsequent hosting segment.