Basketball star Gary “El Granada” David emerged as the victorious champion in TV5’s first Celebrity Dance Battle grand finals, bagging the P1 M cash prize and beating four other celebrity finalists who gave their all in the do-or-die dance showdown in Resorts World’s Newport Performing Arts Theater.

Gary and his dance partner, Stephanie Sabalo, wowed the crowd with their death-defying dance performance and got a standing ovation from judges G Toengi, Ednah Ledesma, Regine Tolentino, Joey Javier Reyes and Douglas Nierras (who judged and commented via online video conference live from Italy). The four other grand finalists – Priscilla Meirelles, Iwa Moto, Ciara Sotto and Rafa Siguion-Reyna – gave a good fight with their respective dance partners, with each pair impressing the judges with their spectacular moment on the dance stage, but Gary and Stephanie eventually rose above them all with their amazing stage presence and impeccable precision in dancing the difficult Latin Salsa to the fast beat of Michael Jackson’s Love Never Felt So Good.

Shown in photo are (left to right) Celebrity Dance Battle host Lucy Torres Gomez, TV5 President and CEO Noel Lorenzana, Celebrity Dance Battle Grand Champion Gary David and his dance partner Stephanie Sabalo.