TV5's Artista Academy made the biggest cut on Monday night as four students were kicked-out leaving only 8 contenders in the running to win the coveted P20 million total prizes.

After a memorable weekend in Hong Kong last week where they performed for thousands of OFWs and had the time of their lives in Hong Kong Disneyland, last night’s Kick Out episode proved to be most devastating for the Artista Academy students as four of them were instantly expelled in one sweep.

Alberto Bruno, Marvelous Alejo, Nicole Estrada and Stephanie Rowe joined the ranks of Artista Academy kickouts after they failed to make the grade in the now intensifying competition for the coveted P20 Million total prizes, the biggest pot to be given away by any talent search in the country.

With eight contenders remaining in TV5’s grandest and most intensive artista search, the students will have to work doubly hard if they are really intent on making it to the grand finals and winning the title of Artista Academy’s Best Actor and Best Actress.

This week, in line with their “Fearless” challenge, the remaining eight students will be doing two horror flicks to be directed by highly acclaimed director Topel Lee. The short films will be shown in the Live Exam this Saturday and will comprise a portion of the grades to be given by the Live Exam critics.

Artista Academy Principal Wilma V. Galvante also announced in last night’s episode that the eliminated students will form a group called Tropang Kickout and will be given one production number in upcoming Live Exams. Though expelled from Artista Academy, the kickouts continue their extensive training at the Asian Academy of Television Arts (AATA) and are bound to be professional ‘artistas’ when they graduate.

Artista Academy airs weeknights at 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. on TV5.