ARTICLE
Aleksandra Flasz From Poland Wins 'The Apartment: Rising Stars Edition'
By Freddy / 23 May 2017 (Tuesday)
After 10 challenging episodes, Aleksandra Flasz from Poland emerged as winner of the fifth season of ‘The Apartment’ and walked away with $100,000 prize money. Winston See from Malaysia is the first runner-up. The last episode aired in Singapore on May 18 (Sony Channel), concluding the end of the journey of 12 contestants on the show.
The show features celebrity judges that includes international award-winning designer Jamie Durie; world-renowned interior designer and business mogul Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen; and American design superstar Genevieve Gorder.
From left to right: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Jamie Durie, Genevieve Gorder. Image Credit: Imagine Group
Aleksandra Flasz studied fashion design in Vietnam and has been working around the world as a full-time model before joining the show.
Despite being known for his critical persona as a judge, Llewelyn-Bowen was full of compliments to Flasz. “Your trajectory was extraordinary. You literally were a rising star in terms of your technical fulfilment,” he praised.
“It was so close call, that competition. The both of you have accomplished so much. You’ve done so much. And such polar opposites as well,” commented Llewelyn-Bowen on the gruelling competition in the finale.
Aleksandra Flasz, the winner of the fifth season of 'The Apartment'. Image Credit: Imagine Group
“I’m gonna definitely follow the path that I have been on for the past seven years. I would like to continue working for TV to get some more experience, working in front of the camera,” dished Flasz about her plan after the show ends.
“Plus, design is always my passion. It’s always gonna be there with me. And I’m definitely gonna use my talents and combine it all together with the entertainment industry, and I hope I’m gonna bring something great into this world anytime soon,” she elaborated.
Winston See, the runner-up of the fifth season of 'The Apartment'. Image Credit: Imagine Group
The runner-up, Winston See, is an architect whose interest was kindled after countless hours playing The Sims. He revealed that he now has his own design studio and is doing architecture and interior design.
“I think the friendship and experience I’ve got from the show, I couldn’t get it anywhere else,” he said about the show.
This season of ‘The Apartment’ is set in the Bandar Seri Alam township in Johor Bahru, where the entire series was filmed. As one of the co-sponsors, United Malayan Land Bhd (UMLand) provided the houses for the contestants to live and work in during the entire 10 weeks of filming. The developer’s UMLand Medini Lakeside Gallery building was also used as the set location for the show’s design court where the contestants’ fates were decided at the end of every episode.
Image Credit: Imagine Group
“We build houses and it is only fitting that we play a role in fostering the passion for design by providing the canvas for the aspiring interior designers to flex their creativity," says Dennis Ng, UMLand’s Group Managing Director.
“The whole point about ‘The Apartment’ is that it’s not just about entertainment,” said Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. ”It’s incredibly watchable; it’s very engaging; but it’s also about inspiring people to see where they live, think about where they live and think about how they can express themselves.”
‘The Apartment’ is currently looking for participants for its next season.
‘The Apartment: Rising Stars Edition’ is aired on Sony Channel and AXN across Asia. Singapore viewers can catch it on Starhub’s Sony channel 510 at 7.55pm every Thursday. The first episode aired on March 16 and ended after 10 episodes with the season finale on May 18. For those who missed the series, look out for repeat telecast.