Escalante, who got his break in show business as an infant, doing diaper commercials with his twin brother, Giovann, also did the famed Welch’s grape juice commercial that always featured little kids. While he was growing up, Escalante took singing and dancing lessons, with the hope of becoming a performer. But when he reached his teens, Escalante walked away from performing. “I just wanted to concentrate on my studies for a while,” Escalante said. “I left it for a while.

If I was going to come back, it had to be the right moment. After I graduated from high school [in 2006], I wanted to give it another try.” The audition for “Making Menudo” was the first real attempt that Escalante made to return to show business. “I just wanted to find myself as a performing artist,” Escalante said. “This was a golden opportunity.” Escalante said that he was initially shy when the filming of the show began. “But after a while, I just broke out of my shell,” Escalante said.

“It all just came back to me. I think when I made it down to the final 15, then that’s when I realized that I must be doing something right. I doubted myself before I made it.” After Escalante was told that he was indeed a finalist and was headed to Miami for the filming, that’s when he broke the news to his mother. “I didn’t want to tell my parents until I knew for sure,” Escalante said. “When I told her, she was so excited. She couldn’t believe it.