During the May 17, 2015, episode of
ASAP 20, host
Luis Manzano announced that the show will return for its fifth season, following the success of the four Filipino acts who competed in the grand finals of ''
Asia's Got Talent''. Two of those acts were formerly part of the show: singer
Gerphil "Fame" Flores, who competed in the first season but lost the judges' vote in the fourth semifinal week, and shadow play group
El Gamma Penumbra, who competed in the third season but placed fourth in the finals. Flores placed third while El Gamma won the
inaugural season of the said regional franchise of
Got Talent.
Host and judges Billy Crawford and
Luis Manzano are set to reprise their hosting duties although the judging panel will have significant changes.
Ai-Ai delas Alas and
Kris Aquino will not return to the judging panel; the former due to her return to
GMA Network, while the latter cited health problems and give time to her sons. ABS-CBN board member
Freddie M. Garcia confirmed his return as judge for the fifth consecutive season. On January 8, 2016, a teaser during
FPJ's Ang Probinsyano revealed that actress
Angel Locsin will be one of the judges. On January 9, 2016, a teaser during ''
It's Showtime revealed that actor Robin Padilla will join Garcia and Locsin in the judging panel. The next day, January 10, a teaser during ASAP'' revealed that comedian
Vice Ganda, who filled on delas Alas' slot last season as a guest judge, will be the fourth judge for this season.
Voting mechanics Aside from the usual SMS voting, new to this season is the addition of an online voting method done via
Google Philippines. By typing the keyword '''''' in the search box, clickable photos of the contestants that had performed for that week will show up in the search results page; one Google account is entitled to one vote only.
Timeslot When the show initially premiered on January 23, 2016, it initially aired at 9:30 PM, filling the timeslot previously vacated by
the second season of Your Face Sounds Familiar after it ended on December 13, 2015. Prior to the season's premiere, the temporary filler movie block Kapamilya Weekend Specials took over the said timeslot. On February 13, 2016, after
Dance Kids ended, it was moved to an earlier timeslot of 7:30 PM to give its timeslot to
I Love OPM. On April 24, 2016, the show temporarily aired at a late timeslot of 10:00 PM to give way to the
2016 Philippine presidential election final debate. ==Auditions==