Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition is shaping up to be one of the more interesting seasons in the Philippine franchise. Such a claim is gleaned from how the online world celebrated and even developed some sort of buzz for the housemates in this batch, given that they are celebrities. 

Ever since the pilot episode aired on March 9, 2025, the internet seems to have been raving about River Joseph—or who most people refer to as the newest online crush. With his charming smile and meek demeanor, River surely embodies what it means to have a “golden retriever” energy—a title rightfully given to someone with radiating warmth and oozing charm. 

Now that he has been at the center of attention as a rising and promising star, we bring you some quick facts about the “Sporty Business Bro ng Muntinlupa.” So, stay put and browse through. 

River  Joseph jump-started his career as a television commercial actor 

This surely doesn’t come off as a surprise for someone like River, who has a compelling visual profile for a 30-seconder. But what’s more interesting is how he transitioned from being a TVC actor to a screen actor.

After over two years of doing TVC acting, he finally made his screen debut through the 2022 series He’s Into Her, led by Belle Mariano and Donny Pangilinan. He also had several appearances in The Iron Heart, Unbreak My Heart, Teen Clash, and Pamilya Sagrado that enriched his portfolio.

River bannered a film with KDLex

River proved that he can be as effective in a lead role as he is in a supporting role. Case in point, he reached another acting milestone after being cast as one of the banner actors in a Cathy Garcia-Sampana-helmed film Toss Coin. 

Shot in Hong Kong, River had the chance to work with one of the most-celebrated screen pairings of this generation, Alexa Ilacad and KD Estrada.  For River, he saw this opportunity as a “dream come true” moment, having to work with direk Cathy and the rest of the cast ensemble. 

He has an active and sporty lifestyle 

If you happen to watch Pinoy Big Brother on a daily basis, you can easily tell how active River is in terms of fitness and sports. It’s the refined abs that give it away, but even outside the PBB house, he has been engaging in sports, especially basketball and golf, as seen in some of his Instagram posts. 

He is a true-blooded La Sallian. 

River is not only about faces; he’s also a well-educated man who was able to complete his studies at De La Salle University. He spent his entire education being an archer, starting off in grade school, high school, and eventually college, where he finished his degree in Business Management. 

River Joseph is already taken 

We hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but River is not romantically available to the public anymore. In fact, he is currently dating Gela Alonte who is a contract artist under Rise Artists Studio.