Eat Bulaga!

Eat Bulaga! (transl. eat surprise!; stylized as Eat... Bulaga!) is a Philippine television variety show broadcast by Radio Philippines Network, ABS-CBN, GMA Network and TV5. Originally hosted by Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Chiqui Hollmann and Richie D'Horsie, it premiered on Radio Philippines Network on July 30, 1979, on the network's afternoon line up. The show moved to ABS-CBN on February 18, 1989, and later on GMA Network on January 28, 1995. By 2024, TV5 airs the show. It is the longest-running variety show in the Philippines. The show is currently produced by TVJ Productions, Inc. and hosted by Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Jose Manalo, Allan K., Wally Bayola, Paolo Ballesteros, Pauleen Luna, Ryan Agoncillo, Ryzza Mae Dizon, Maine Mendoza, Miles Ocampo, Carren Eistrup, Atasha Muhlach and Singing Queens.
Production Specialists, Inc., a company owned by Romeo Jalosjos Sr., came up with the idea of creating a noontime show for Radio Philippines Network. Antonio Tuviera argued that Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon, collectively known as TVJ, would be the "perfect" hosts for the show. At a meeting at the InterContinental Manila, Tuviera made an offer to them which was accepted. De Leon coined the term "Eat Bulaga" as the title of the show and owns its copyright.
Eat Bulaga! premiered on July 30, 1979, with its pilot episode filmed at the RPN Live Studio 1 in Broadcast City, Quezon City. Chiqui Hollmann and Richie D'Horsie also served as the original hosts. The theme song was composed by Vic Sotto with Vincent Dy Buncio and Pancho Oppus and musically arranged by Homer Flores. During the show's first few months, it was on the brink of cancellation due to "stiff" competition and lack of advertisers, despite having their advertising rates reduced to ₱750 (equivalent to ₱25,497 in 2021) and the hosts' lack of salary for over a year.
De Leon said that he and the Sotto brothers did not sign a contract with the show when they were offered the opportunity to become hosts. Vic Sotto said that he accepted the offer and would stop once he had money to buy a personal vehicle. De Leon also said that the show was supposed to be a short-term job. After two years, the trio decided to stay with the show. The show gained top-rating status in 1980 with the segment "Mr. Macho". Production Specialists Inc. went bankrupt and dissolved sometime in July 1980 and the production of the show was handed over to Television and Production Exponents, Inc. on July 7, 1981. In 1982, Coney Reyes joined the show as the newest host.
In the aftermath of the People Power Revolution, the show went off the air from February 27 to March 1, 1986, due to the transmitter of RPN being disabled by reformist soldiers. In 1987, Aiza Seguerra joined the show after Little Miss Philippines. Eat Bulaga! left the Broadcast City complex on December 2, 1987, and transferred to Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City the next day, owing to RPN being beset by periodic change of management. The compounded situation led to Tony Tuviera's decision to start negotiations with ABS-CBN to eventually transfer the show.
Eat... Bulaga! moved to ABS-CBN under a co-production agreement due to problems brought about by the sequestration of RPN. On February 18, 1989, the show premiered on its new home with a TV special titled Eat... Bulaga!: Moving On, staged at the Araneta Coliseum. The show's tenth anniversary celebration was held on September 23, 1989, at the Araneta Coliseum.
In 1994, ABS-CBN attempted to purchase the broadcast rights to the show from TAPE Inc. The offer was rejected by Antonio Tuviera and Malou Choa-Fagar, leading the network to give Eat... Bulaga! an ultimatum to leave by January 1995.
Eat Bulaga! began its transition from ABS-CBN Studio 1 to the Celebrity Sports Plaza on October 1, 1994, as part of its preparation for the switch to a new network. The move was finalized on January 19, 1995, during a contract signing between TAPE Inc. and GMA Network executives at the Makati Shangri-La, Manila. Subsequently, the show premiered on GMA Network on January 28, 1995, with a special episode titled Eat... Bulaga!: The Moving!.
Toni Rose Gayda, Allan K., Samantha Lopez, and Francis Magalona joined Eat Bulaga! as co-hosts, expanding the show's roster. Gayda and Allan K. officially became co-hosts on January 7, 1995, while Lopez and Magalona joined on January 14, 1995. Anjo Yllana became a host on November 28, 1998, further solidifying the program's appeal. By the year 2000, Eat Bulaga! had made history as the first noontime variety show in the Philippines to award millions of pesos in prizes through its popular segment Laban o Bawi, which quickly became a favorite among viewers. Wally Bayola joined the show on April 1, 2000, initially serving as an off-screen jester. His role was to entertain the studio audience during commercial breaks and announce introductions for the show's segments.
Eat Bulaga! celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special episode aired from Expo Pilipino on November 19, 2004. This celebration, titled Eat Bulaga! Silver Special, was broadcast on November 27 and 29, 2004. The show received the Best Entertainment (One-Off/Annual) Special award at the Asian Television Awards in Singapore on December 1, 2005. SexBomb Girls left the show due to a dispute with the producers and were replaced by the EB Babes on January 7, 2006. They returned to the show on March 3, 2007, and departed again on January 29, 2011. EB Babes continued as regular performers until February 23, 2019, when they left due to contract expiration and other business decisions. In September 2007, de Leon began an on-screen feud with Willie Revillame, leading to the Hello Pappy scandal, which became a significant controversy over allegations of the segment possibly being rigged by the producers.
On March 6, 2009, Vic Sotto announced the death of Francis Magalona, who succumbed to leukemia. A tribute episode for Magalona, who also coined the term "Dabarkads", was aired the following day. The show aired a 30th anniversary special, titled Tatlong Dekads ng Dabarkads, on October 17, 2009. Ryan Agoncillo joined the show on October 24, 2009. Ryzza Mae Dizon joined the show on July 9, 2012, after winning the talent search Little Miss Philippines on June 21, 2012. The Lenten drama specials returned on April 14, 2014, after a seven-year hiatus. The last Lenten drama special before the hiatus aired on April 6, 2007.
Alden Richards began his involvement with Eat Bulaga! on April 18, 2015, as a co-host for various segments, while Maine Mendoza first appeared on July 4, 2015, as Yaya Dub, a character introduced in the Problem Solving sub-segment of the Juan for All, All for Juan segment. In this role, Mendoza portrayed a comedic character interacting with the show's hosts and participants, which included solving fictional problems or misunderstandings in a humorous way. Her character quickly gained popularity due to her engaging Dubsmash videos and natural comedic timing.
The AlDub love team officially began on July 16, 2015, during a split-screen interaction in the Juan for All, All for Juan segment, which led to the creation of the popular Kalyeserye series. This event achieved 41 million tweets, becoming the most used hashtag within 24 hours on Twitter. The show's ratings surged, reaching a peak of 39.1% in Mega Manila and 33.6% nationwide from August to September 2015. It also became a daily trending topic on Twitter worldwide, with the hashtag #AlDubEBTamangPanahon trending notably on October 24, 2015, when the show held a benefit concert titled Tamang Panahon at the Philippine Arena. Kalyeserye concluded on December 17, 2016, after a total of 400 episodes.
On December 8, 2018, the show moved its live studio location to APT Studios in Cainta, Rizal. In March 2020, the admission of a live audience in the studio and production were suspended due to the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The show resumed its programming on June 8, 2020. Anjo Yllana was laid off from the show on August 22, 2021. Ruby Rodriguez followed, leaving the show on May 15, 2021. Maja Salvador joined the show on October 2, 2021, with the segment, DC 2021: Maja on Stage, followed by Miles Ocampo on March 5, 2022. In February 2023, Carren Eistrup joined the show after winning the reality competition segment Bida Next. In April 2023, Salvador left the show citing her wedding and "uncertain circumstances with the show" as her reasons.
Tuviera resigned as Chief Executive Officer of TAPE Inc. on March 6, 2023. He was succeeded by Romeo Jalosjos Jr., who officially took over the role on March 7, 2023. Following this transition, Soraya Jalosjos was appointed Vice President of Administration, and Bullet Jalosjos became the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Under Jalosjos' leadership, the company sought to rebrand Eat Bulaga!, resulting in the replacement of longtime mainstay hosts and top-rated segments, and a salary reduction for the entire production team.
TAPE Inc. suspended production of Eat Bulaga! from May 31 to June 3, 2023, following the announcement of original hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon that they were severing ties with the company under Jalosjos. Fellow hosts of the show—Paolo Ballesteros, Carren Eistrup, Jose Manalo, Maine Mendoza, Ryzza Mae Dizon, Wally Bayola, Ryan Agoncillo and Allan K. — and production members also filed their resignations in the days after their announcement.
TAPE Inc., under the Jalosjos management, continued to use Eat Bulaga! as the title of their noontime show on GMA Network from June 5, 2023, to January 5, 2024, with new hosts and segments, pending the decision of the IPOPHL regarding the petition from the Sotto brothers and De Leon to cancel TAPE's "Eat Bulaga" trademark. During this period, the show was hosted by Alexa Miro, Arra San Agustin, Betong Sumaya, Buboy Villar, Cassy Legaspi, Chariz Solomon, Dasuri Choi, Glaiza de Castro, Isko Moreno, Kimpoy Feliciano, Kokoy de Santos, Mavy Legaspi, Michael Sager, Paolo Contis, Winwyn Marquez, and Yasser Marta, with the participation of the Music Hero Band and the BPop Idols.
On June 7, 2023, Eat Bulaga! hosts – Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Allan K., Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Paolo Ballesteros, Ryan Agoncillo, Maine Mendoza, Ryzza Mae Dizon and Carren Eistrup announced their transfer to TV5 through the newly-formed TVJ Productions, a joint venture with TV5's parent MediaQuest Holdings, announcing a new noontime show that would replace It's Showtime in its timeslot. On July 1, 2023, their new noontime show, formally titled EAT..., premiered on TV5. Miles Ocampo returned as Dabarkads on July 8, 2023, after leaving due to health issues, while Atasha Muhlach made her debut on September 23, 2023, as a new addition to the cast. In October 2023, the show introduced the Singing Queens, featuring members Anne Ferrer, Eunice Janine, Samantha Rascal, Khayzy Bueno, and Jean Drilon.
On July 29, 2023, both E.A.T. and Eat Bulaga! celebrated the show's 44th anniversary with their own special episodes. E.A.T. aired 143–44: National Dabarkads Day, reflecting the past 44 years of the original Eat Bulaga!; while the other Eat Bulaga! launched their new theme song titled Tahanang Pinakamasaya, Eat Bulaga!.
On December 4, 2023, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines cancelled TAPE Inc.'s registration of the "Eat Bulaga" and "EB" trademarks No. 4-2011-005951 and No. 4–2011–005950, respectively, and credited Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and de Leon as the owner of Eat Bulaga!. The decisions were received by the parties the next day. On January 5, 2024, the Marikina Regional Trial Court found Television and Production Exponents, Inc. liable for "unfair competition and copyright infringement" and issued an order "permanently enjoining" it and GMA Network from using the trademarks "Eat Bulaga" and "EB" including its logos and jingle in their shows. The court barred them from airing any Eat Bulaga footage recorded prior to May 31, 2023, and directed the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines to cancel TAPE's registration of "Eat Bulaga", "EB", and their logos. Moreover, it ordered TAPE Inc. to pay hosts and their co-defendant Jeny Ferre ₱2 million in temperate damages, as well as ₱500,000 in exemplary damages and ₱500,000 in attorney's fees.
On January 6, 2024, TAPE Inc. halted the production of Eat Bulaga!, and relaunched their show as Tahanang Pinakamasaya. Due to low viewership and increasing debt, Tahanang Pinakamasaya was cancelled on March 2, 2024.
On January 6, 2024, E.A.T. was rebranded as Eat Bulaga!. The show began to simulcast its Saturday episodes on CNN Philippines as part of an agreement with Nine Media Corporation. Following the shutdown of CNN Philippines on January 31, 2024, the simulcast was carried over by its replacement channel, RPTV. The simulcast was extended to weekdays, by February 1, 2024.
According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the show had its highest rating on October 24, 2015, with a 50.8% rating during the Tamang Panahon special.