Elke Maravilha, Roque, Pablo, Aracy de Almeida: remember stars from the Silvio Santos program

Over the course of a career spanning just over six decades, hundreds of artists worked with Silvio Santos on various programs hosted by the communicator, who died this Saturday (17), at the age of 93. One of the longest-running attractions was the Show de Calouros (Talent Show). Created in 1977, still on TV Tupi, it featured candidates displaying their artistic skills, usually singers, in front of judges of different personalities.

In the 1970s, this team included names such as conductor José Fernandes (known for always giving zero marks), Décio Piccinini, singer Aracy de Almeida, Pedro de Lara, actress Consuelo Leandro, star Wilza Carla and other famous people.

From the early 1980s onwards, now at SBT, Silvio added more names to the jury: Sônia Lima, Sergio Malandro, Flor, Wagner Montes, Nelson Rubens, Luis Ricardo, Jacinto Figueira Junior, Mara Maravilha, Sônia Abraão, Elke Maravilha, Leão Lobo, and several other artists and journalists. The afternoon show was also a pioneer in showing drag competitions, where they dubbed well-known songs. It was discontinued in 1996, and at the time it was called Novo Show de Calouros. Check out some of the celebrities who participated in the show in different phases:

Aracy de Almeida [1914-1988]

Among so many notable figures, some stood out for their versatility. With an extensive musical career, samba singer Aracy de Almeida became best known as the show’s grumpy judge. She and Pedro de Lara were a kind of counterpoint to the other members of the jury, adopting a grumpy —and at the same time funny— stance.

Aracy would mercilessly gore aspiring singers, often using her catchphrases: “I didn’t like it; ten bucks!” and “Those who sing for free are roosters.” She was one of the few judges to be part of the show in the 1970s and 1980s. Araca, as she was known among her friends, died at the age of 73 from a pulmonary embolism.

Elke Wonder [1945-2016]

Elke was a model and actress when, in the 1980s, she became a judge on Cassino do Chacrinha. After the old warrior’s death in 1988, she went to SBT to join the show’s jury. Owner of an extravagant costume and avant-garde phrases, she was adored by the LGBTQIA+ community, and always attentive to aspiring artists, even when they lacked talent.

In the early 1990s, Silvio gave her a talk show where she hosted figures such as Carlos Alberto de Nóbrega, Jorge Lafond, Angélica and others, but the program was taken off the air in less than six months after disagreements with the host. In an interview with the program Agora é Tarde in 2014, hosted at the time by Rafinha Bastos, she said: “Silvio Santos was a boss, while Chacrinha was like a father.”

Peter of Lara [1925-2007]

Pedro is one of the most remembered judges on SBT, although he had performed the same role years before, on Buzina do Chacrinha, on TV Tupi, in the late 1960s. In the following decade, he went to work with Silvio Santos on Show de Calouros, gaining even more popularity. He was part of the show until its closure, in 1996. Afterwards, he participated in several programs on the same channel in the 2000s. Pedro was also an actor, columnist and radio host, and despite his grumpy persona in front of the cameras, he was a very kind person behind the scenes, according to his colleagues, such as Elke.

In an interview given to Sheetin 1999, commented sarcastically: “I started working with Silvio in 1970. I’ve known him for so long… What’s life like, right? Now he’s one of the richest men in the world and I’m one of the poorest in the artistic class.”

Sonia Lima

Before becoming a regular judge on the show in 1982, she was a model and also a stage assistant on almost all of SBT’s shows, except Domingo no Parque. Spontaneous and smiling, Sônia was part of Show de Calouros for 14 years, where she met fellow judge and reporter Wagner Montes. [1954-2019]. In 1987, they got married. In some interviews she described Silvio as a second father. “He is my father of art, my father of TV, the one who made me become ‘Sônia Lima’.”

Mara Wonder

Silvio Santos was not only a businessman and communicator, but also a talent scout; he was the one who noticed the charisma of the presenter Mara, when she was still a teenager. The brunette has always praised her boss in several interviews: “He is a more than special chapter in my life, he was the first person who called me Maravilha, talking about Silvio Santos is not possible in answers.”

On another occasion, when asked about her reputation as a sycophant, she replied: “That’s not sycophant, it’s gratitude; these are values ​​that, unfortunately, not everyone has.” Mara hosted several programs on the channel, such as Show Maravilha, TV Powww, Fofocalizando, Jogo dos Pontinhos (a segment), in addition to being part of the jury on Show de Calouros.

Flor Fernandez

She lived up to her name and was one of the most friendly and kind judges with the freshmen. Flor met Silvio when she was still a child, between 1967 and 1968, when she accompanied her grandfather to the presenter’s show to receive a prize from Baú da Felicidade. Her debut on SBT was in 1982, with the character Bozolinda on Programa do Bozo.

It was only in 1987 that she became a judge on the Show, where she remained until 1996. After a long period away from the media, she returned to the network in 2011, on the Silvio Santos Program and, later, on Fofocalizando. When asked about her friendship with Silvio, she responded to UOL: “My relationship with him was always that of a television father and daughter, he took care of me like a daughter.”

Mariette

She was one of the most famous stage assistants of the 1980s, when the expression didn’t even exist, at the time it was ‘telemoça’. Mariette worked with Silvio at the beginning of the decade on the program of the same name, and soon after became the first stage assistant of the presenter Augusto Liberato ‘Gugu’ [1959-2019] on Viva a Noite. In 1989, she left SBT for Globo, where she starred in Os Trapalhões. When she sought out Silvio to inform him about her change, she heard from the presenter, “Every artist’s dream is to go to Globo, don’t miss this opportunity.”

After two years working with the quartet, the ‘boss’s darling’ as she was called by her colleagues, returned to SBT, where she participated in A Praça é Nossa and Escolinha do Golias. For 25 years, Mariette has lived in Miami, Florida, and in addition to teaching at a gym, she is also a painter and is dedicated to the animal cause.

Ivo Holland

The king of pranks started at SBT in 1981, but his popularity came when he became one of the main actors in “hidden camera” pranks in the 1990s. Nicknamed the ‘SBT punching bag’ by his boss, Ivo stood out for his nerve when putting anonymous people in embarrassing situations on the streets.

He has a lifetime contract with the broadcaster and, like his colleagues, praised the businessman in an interview with UOL in 2016: “For me, Silvio is a hero, to get to him, my eyes, head, arms trembled; every viewer thinks I have contact with him all the time because of the way he treats me on television”, he said.

Lombardi [1940-2009]

Luiz Lombardi Netto was the unmistakable voice that announced the program segments and also the products in commercial campaigns. He worked with the communicator for over 40 years, without showing his face: the public knew (and very well) his voice, but not its owner. In the early 2000s, some rare images of the announcer were leaked and the public was able to satisfy their curiosity. In 2009, Lombardi suffered a heart attack at home and did not survive. He had been working as a radio and TV announcer since 1965.

Pablo from ‘What’s the song’

In 1977, under the nickname Pablo, the Spaniard Augusto Rodriguez was the first voice actor for the male and female songs on Qual é la Música. The androgynous character he created wore bright face paint, had a full head of blond hair and made many faces. He became a notable figure on the show. After ten years in the role, he left the musical competition between artists to dedicate himself to other projects in Europe, but his name was so strong that his replacements were nicknamed ‘Pablo’.

In mid-2000, a newspaper reported that he had passed away, but Pablo soon clarified that it was a rumor, and the print publication retracted the story. During an interview with the R7 portal in 2018, he stated, “working with SS was one of the best things in my life; a great man, a magnificent professional and well ahead of his time.” At 67, Augusto lives between Spain and the United Kingdom.

Virginia Lago (The female Pablo)

Pablo was not alone on the stage of Qual é a Música. His colleague Virginia Lago shared some songs with him. She was discovered by chance when she participated in the Talent Show in 1981. In the mid-1980s, she gave up her career to live in the United States with her American husband. At 61 years old, she lives in the state of Georgia and currently dedicates herself to painting.

Roque

Gonçalo Roque, or simply Roque, 87, is the faithful stage squire of the programs Silvio Santos and Topa Tudo por Dinheiro, with the feat of having been the first employee hired by SBT. In addition to being an assistant, he was also an entertainer and director of the exclusively female auditorium. In 2019, in an interview given to the portal Na Telinha, he stated: “Silvio has become one of the most beloved men in Brazil, the day this man leaves, Brazil stops.”