How Is Don Francisco Preparing For The ‘Sábado Gigante’ Finale?

The day is almost here. The day we, as Latinos in the U.S., never thought would see come. “Sábado Gigante” is ending. Although Univision, home of the longest-running variety TV show in history, wanted to bid Don Francisco farewell in the most outlandish way, the Chilean host decided he wanted to end the show the same way it began. "I have to end the program the same way I always did the program," he told The Los Angeles Times.

The studio will hold the usual 250 audience members and there will be special guests making appearances in the show that launched their careers. One thing Don Francisco agreed to was to have a crowd of about a thousand people cheering him on outside the studio. But how is the TV host preparing to such an iconic TV history moment? He will have his usual Shabbat dinner at home with a rabbi friend who’s visiting town.

Don Francisco, whose real name is Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld, is Jewish and follows the traditions that come with Judaism. That’s why on the eve of “Sábado Gigante’s” last show, he will be hosting the traditional dinner, most likely reciting some prayers and singing, and probably taking the next day to relax before the big show. Is he getting emotional over this anticipated finale? "I don't know how it's going to hit me," he said to The Los Angeles Times. "I don't think I'll cry."

One thing is certain, he might not cry, but there will be millions of Hispanic families across the world that won’t be able to control those tears as they see a Saturday night tradition come to an end. It’s definitely the end of an era.