He hesitated “a thousandth of a second” at the word, which he would answer by defining the letter “z”. Finally ‘zabro’ answered and won the jackpot with the almost 2.3 million euros provided by ‘Pasapalabra’, the biggest prize in the history of the Antena 3 competition. Rafa Castaño (Seville, 32 years old) is one of the most popular Men of the Moment by defeating Orestes Barbero after 197 duels and completing the Rosco in one move. The program swept Thursday night with its best viewership figures (37.4% viewer share and 4,578,000 viewers) but shot up its numbers to 43.8% ‘share’ when Rafa hit the jackpot.
Was it a difficult secret to keep?
It was difficult to hold, yes, because I experienced it very discreetly and bit my tongue a lot. In the end, without saying who it would be, Antena 3 announced that the jackpot would fall this week. They had fired my parents with “WhatsApp” and every time they went out they asked them to tell them who would take it. I wore it very discreetly, but I knew that eventually the day would come when it would become known. There has also been a lot of patience.
Do you have a ‘pasapalabra’ friendship with Orestes?
Orestes and I had a very good and brotherly relationship. When you spend so much time together, you get to know a person very well. It’s true that we didn’t talk much when we weren’t on set, but the relationship is very good. And my reaction to the jackpot was absolutely genuine, I was sorry he couldn’t win a prize that he deserved because I like him a lot.
Craft the Jerk Donut. Did you have doubts about a definition?
You don’t know for sure that the boat will be for you until Roberto Leal says “yes” and the confetti falls. In each donut there were always two difficult dictionary questions and two more complicated encyclopedia questions. So when you’re answering the difficult ones, you’re thinking, “Gosh, I know her, let’s see if I know the next one.” And I remember that expectation with the definition of “z”. I hesitated a thousandth of a second between Zabro and Zagro, which are mountains after all. When you put that much information in your head, you have these kinds of far-fetched doubts. But it is true that it was the day I saw the boat closest. I did it in one go and didn’t have time to assimilate it.
Did you prepare the moment of celebration?
At home I thought that hopefully the time for the boat had come. I thought I would jump for joy and go crazy. When the time came I was very happy but it seemed like a bad detail to put myself in front of someone like Orestes who also deserved it and who must be having a terrible time at that moment. I didn’t expect to react so reluctantly. I’ve seen myself on TV and it’s likely I was in “shock”.
What is the first whim that arose at the award?
It wasn’t exactly a material whim. I watched a series because although it’s very prosaic, I’ve devoted my free time to studying for the past year. And if he dedicated it to reading, for example, then to books that had to do with his studies. So the first thing I did was sit down to watch two episodes of a series and I really enjoyed it.
Do you have a project to invest the money?
Now I’m going to give myself a few months to let everything cool down. I’m really not used to having so much attention and so much money. After that, it’s basically about being able to live really well. I wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, other than reclaiming a bit of the life I had in college, when I could read a lot, watch a lot of movies, or live quietly. I’m in no hurry to look for anything.
Will we see him in a Duel of Champions on Pasapalabra?
I don’t want to appear on TV anymore because it’s a high point of exposure that I’m not very comfortable with. I’m a very competitive guy and I’d love to compete against them, but I think the wisest thing to do right now, and even more so after making so much money, is to take a step back.
What do you think of the fact that Treasury will keep an important part of the boat?
I would tell people not to suffer for me. At the end of the day I keep 1.2 million euros, that’s a lot of money. My dad used to tell me whoever got it pays taxes and that’s it. I was a big beneficiary of health care and public education. The coherent thing is to pay conveniently.
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Did you ever think that the boat would get into the hands of Orestes?
He had assumed that Orestes could take him with him. He was, I say again, the best contender in the history of “Pasapalabra” and the one with the best skills to win the jackpot. If I hadn’t won it, I would have been happy for it.
Is there an empty space in your life without so many hours of recording in “Pasapalabra”?
When I felt this hole the most, I got up the next day and my first instinct was to start studying. In my free time I just studied. I felt a kind of emptiness with my everyday life. And I said: ‘But what do I do now?’. Obviously I’ve already taken up the time with other things.
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