TAIPEI, Taiwan — The 61st Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan’s premier television honors, celebrated the best in programming on Oct. 25. While the top prize for Best Variety Program went to the hit show “Weekend’s Strongest,” the night’s most memorable moments belonged to comedian Shen Yulin and host Maggy Tsang, whose emotional victories told a powerful story of resilience.
Shen Yulin’s Triumphant Return
Shen Yulin, alongside co-host Melody Yin, won the award for Best Variety Show Host for their talk program “11 O’Clock Hot Debate.” The win marked an extraordinary professional comeback. Hospitalized in 2023 for a serious illness that required chemotherapy, Shen spent much of the year trading the bright lights of a television studio for the sterile environment of a hospital ward.
“My contract with the heavens almost wasn’t renewed,” Shen joked from the stage. “I went from facing cameras to facing chemo drugs.”
He credited his medical team for “keeping the loudest mouth in the entertainment industry for the last 30 years.” In a moment that mixed humor with deep gratitude, he specifically thanked his wife, Ya Ya, and his friend Pan Ruodi, who he said “gave up his daily soak in the bath with his nanny to sit in the park and chant blessings for me.” The anecdote highlighted the close support network that helped carry him through his recovery.
Maggy Tsang’s Long-Awaited Win
Maggy Tsang, daughter of veteran actor Stanley Tsang, secured the Best Lifestyle Program Host award for the third season of her travel series “Our Home.” Despite being a nine-time Golden Bell nominee, the win was only her second.
The veteran host was visibly stunned. Bursting into tears on stage, Tsang later admitted backstage, “I thought I had made peace with winning or losing. I guess this is what winning feels like. I completely forgot my prepared thank-you list.”
Her raw reaction provided one of the evening’s most genuine human moments, illustrating how even the most seasoned entertainers can be overwhelmed by validation from their peers.
‘Weekend’s Strongest’ Takes Top Prize
In the night’s main category, the variety show “Weekend’s Strongest” won Best Variety Program. Hosted by television veterans Hu Gua, Chen Ya-Lan, and O Di (Ou Hansheng) , the program beat out a competitive field to claim the evening’s top industry award. The win underscores the continued popularity of large-format variety entertainment in Taiwan’s evolving media landscape.
A Night of Deeply Personal Triumphs
The 61st Golden Bell Awards offered more than trophies; it grounded a glitzy industry event in mortality and gratitude. Shen Yulin’s victory was a testament to survival and the unwavering will to return to the stage, while Maggy Tsang’s long-awaited win served as a reminder that persistence in a demanding field eventually pays off. Their deeply personal stories are likely to resonate as the most enduring legacy of this year’s ceremony, setting a reflective and human tone for Taiwan’s upcoming awards season.
