Tough 2015 to lucky 2026: Dawn Chang’s real jackpot came over a decade later on “Kapamilya Deal Or No Deal”
Over a decade since her first guest appearance on “Kapamilya, Deal Or No Deal” in 2015, Dawn Chang is glowing brighter than ever as a successful actress-businesswoman—especially following her recent engagement to her longtime partner, NAPOLCOM Commissioner Rafael Vicente Calinisan.
In the surprise-packed October 17 episode, Dawn remained well-versed in the rules of the luck-based game and felt confident with making daring decisions on the spot. She certainly honed both her wits and courage through her previous “KDOND” experience, when she was paired with fellow “Pinoy Big Brother 737” housemate Zeus Collins.
At the time, Dawn and Zeus were just getting used to their rising popularity, largely driven by their viral contemporary dance performance to Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” inside the “PBB” house. Shortly after, Dawn emerged as the 4th Adult Big Placer, and the two of them became members of “It’s Showtime’s” dance groups, GirlTrends and Hashtags.
Dawn also vividly remembered how the numbers “9” and “13” played crucial roles in their game decisions. “Kasi noong pumasok ako sa bahay ni Kuya, September 9, tapos after 4 days, doon namin ginawa ‘yung ‘Love Me Like You Do,’” Zeus explained in the 2015 episode. As it turned out, Briefcase 13 held ₱50,000, Briefcase 9 contained ₱1,000,000, and they ended up with the ₱50,000 one.
Fast forward to 2026, Dawn pulled off another sentimental move by swapping Briefcase 14 for Briefcase 8, a number which matched the date of her upcoming wedding in December. The unpredictable nature of the game revealed itself again when it was down to opening four cases at once, given that Dawn unfortunately lost the major prizes of ₱500,000 and ₱1,000,000 quite early.
More memorable scenes unfolded right after the Banker’s negotiation, particularly when Negi and Long Mejia revived their rom-com skit from the 2015 episode with Dawn and Zeus. Besides that, Dawn trusted Charles Solano’s prediction for Briefcase 16 since he was the reason she met her future husband, Comm. Rafael. It happened to be a lucky guess, as the case held ₱10,000.
The show’s most heart-fluttering moment happened after the banker’s first offer, when host Luis Manzano introduced their very special guest, Comm. Rafael, himself. “Hi, my love. Gusto ko lang magpasalamat sa’yo kasi natiya-tiyaga mo ako [at ang] trabaho ko. [Sa] totoo lang, lagi kong iniinda [na] we’ve been doing wedding preparations, pero I’ve never gotten the chance to ask you,” he expressed, kneeling with the engagement ring on his hands.
Everyone cheered and applauded the second Dawn said yes and then wore the ring. A sweet kiss and a bouquet of flowers later, Comm. Rafael teared up as Dawn shared her thoughts about their engagement.
Returning to the game, Comm. Rafael didn’t mind if Dawn didn’t win the cash prizes, noting that the most important thing was for her to have fun. After a while, when the last large sum of ₱125,000 fell through, all that remained was the ₱10 prize.
Beyond all the kilig and excitement, viewers will surely remember Dawn’s heartfelt words about love: “Lagi kong iniisip, you always choose the person based on how your life is going to be in the future. Dapat intentional… Love is a feeling, but to stay in love, kailangan it’s a choice.”
Expect greater surprises in “Kapamilya Deal Or No Deal,” airing Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 8:45 PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z, and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), or stream anytime on iWant!