Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Everybody, Sing!

In early 2020, the Philippines faced the COVID-19 pandemic, with the first confirmed case reported on January 30, 2020, involving a Chinese woman traveling from Wuhan. The government took swift measures to contain the virus's spread, declaring a state of public health emergency on March 9, 2020. The Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was implemented, requiring the closure of non-essential businesses, suspension of public transportation, and restrictions on movement. The Department of Health (DOH) led the national response, working closely with local government units, healthcare professionals, and international partners to address the challenges posed by the pandemic.

However, the Philippines faced significant challenges in combating the virus, particularly in densely populated urban areas. Limited testing capacity and delays in test results hindered early detection and contact tracing efforts. The socioeconomic impact of the pandemic was substantial, with many individuals losing their livelihoods and facing economic hardships. As the months passed, the government gradually eased restrictions and implemented a phased approach to reopening the economy while balancing public health concerns. This involved transitioning from the ECQ to general community quarantine (GCQ) and later to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), with varying levels of restrictions depending on the COVID-19 situation in different regions.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines in early 2020 highlighted the importance of a comprehensive and coordinated response to a public health crisis, emphasizing the need for increased healthcare infrastructure, improved testing and contact tracing capabilities, and effective communication strategies to ensure the safety and well-being of the population.

## Effect of the pandemic on Philippine television

Television talk, reality, variety, and game shows in the Philippines have temporarily filmed without a live audience. On March 9, TAPE Inc. announced that it would no longer accept live audiences for its variety show Eat Bulaga!, which is broadcast on the GMA Network. ABS-CBN quickly followed suit, announcing on March 10 that they would do the same for It's Showtime, Banana Sundae, Magandang Buhay, the second season of the Philippine version of I Can See Your Voice, and ASAP. Wowowin (including its Saturday primetime edition), All-Out Sundays, Centerstage, The Boobay and Tekla Show, Mars Pa More, and GMA News TV's Idol sa Kusina and Tonight with Arnold Clavio followed suit.

ABS-CBN and GMA Network both announced on March 14, 2020, that production on their respective drama and live entertainment shows would be halted effective March 15. On its television debut, the network would temporarily air previously aired shows such as 100 Days to Heaven, May Bukas Pa, On the Wings of Love, and I Am U. The following week, the afternoon programming block re-aired Walang Hanggan, The Legal Wife, and Got to Believe, while the primetime block aired Wildflower, Tubig at Langis, and the 2018 remake of the Chinese version of Meteor Garden. Ika-6 na Utos, Encantadia, Kambal, Karibal, My Husband's Lover, Alyas Robin Hood, and Onanay followed suit on GMA Network.

GMA News TV and CNN Philippines announced on March 18, 2020, that they would go off-air temporarily beginning March 19, with the latter going off because the Worldwide Corporate Centre in Mandaluyong, where their newsroom and studios are located, is being disinfected following a confirmed case in the offices of one of the building's tenants. GMA News TV made way for a temporary full-time video simulcast of DZBB-AM and its studio programming when the two networks returned on March 20 and 23, respectively.

ABS-CBN's broadcast licence was not renewed by Congress before its expiration date, resulting in the National Telecommunications Commission shutting down the company's free television and radio stations on May 5, 2020. Some people are concerned about this closure because it could result in the revocation of GSP certifications for Filipino products if the cases of journalist Maria Ressa are not dropped. Vice President Leni Robredo questioned the move, claiming that the network's operations have aided efforts to contain COVID-19 more than the country's offshore gaming operations and could cost lives in addition to thousands of job losses.

As a cable-only network, ABS-CBN News Channel continues to provide full news updates, social media accounts, YouTube channels, and international networks such as The Filipino Channel.

### Effect of the pandemic on *Everybody, Sing!*

The production of ***Everybody, Sing!*** began in early 2020, and it was scheduled to premiere on ABS-CBN on March 15, 2020, replacing "Gandang Gabi, Vice!"; however, Vice Ganda, the host of the said game show, revealed in *Piling Lucky*, a segment of It's Showtime, that the production of the game show has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, and the premiere on March 15 has been cancelled. ABS-CBN's programming was temporarily filled in by reruns of shows until the network's shutdown on May 5, 2020, due to a cease-and-desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission after the network's legislative franchise expired.

Before the show was interrupted, there could be 100 people in a community group, and a community group could win up to ₱2,000,000 to be shared by everyone. Numerous changes were implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines and the franchise renewal controversy at ABS-CBN.

## Changes

During the show's run, the following changes were made: one mandatory rule that must be followed in the new normal is that all players must be vaccinated before playing, and they must undergo RT-PCR testing before taping their episode.

### Season 1

Gameplay changes
* The number of players were reduced from one-hundred (100) to just twenty-five (25), due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All players were required to wear their face shields and masks and practice social distancing.
* Each player was given two attempts to answer their assigned song; therefore a total of four seconds may be contributed by each contestant for the jackpot round (or eight for ReverSing or Lip-Sing).
* A contestant may also take home an additional two thousand pesos (₱2,000) as pocket money for himself/herself if he or she gets his or her assigned lines right in the preliminary rounds.
* The number of titles that needed to be guessed in the jackpot round was still ten (10). Ten thousand pesos (₱10,000) will be given to the group per correct answer.
* The prize was reduced from two million pesos (₱2,000,000) to just five hundred thousand pesos (₱500,000). When a group achieves this, each player will receive twenty thousand pesos (₱20,000).
* Lip-Sing was introduced during the season's run.
* The value for every correct answer in the jackpot round was worth five thousand pesos (₱5,000).

Set changes
* Vice was not allowed to go near the contestants to chat with them. Instead, he would just talk to a contestant of his choice before a game begins.
* Each player were required to take off their masks when playing the jackpot round.
* A barrier was placed between each player to practice social distancing.

### Season 2

Gameplay changes
* The prize was doubled from five hundred thousand pesos (₱500,000) to one million pesos (₱1,000,000). Still, when a group achieves this, each player would still receive twenty thousand pesos (₱20,000).
* The number of players were doubled from twenty (25) to fifty (50), a first in the show's history.
* Each contestant only has one attempt to answer their line.
* The contestant will be given one thousand pesos (₱1,000) if he or she gets his or her line correct.
* Each contestant can contribute between two to four seconds of time that will be used on the jackpot round.
* Two new games were introduced (A-B-Sing and Ayu-Sing Mo).
* The Singko Segundo Challenge was introduced.
* The value for every correct answer in the jackpot round was doubled to ten thousand pesos (₱10,000).

Set changes
* Vice was now allowed to interact and be near to the contestants to chat with them before starting a game.
* The number of microphones were now doubled, from five (5), now ten (10).
* Plastic barriers were still in place to practice social distancing.

### Season 3

Gameplay changes
* The number of players was once again doubled from fifty (50) to one-hundred (100), bringing back the original number of players since thee original format.
* The *Singko Segundo Challenge* was removed for this season. It was replaced by the Golden Time Bonus, which gives them an additional ten (10) seconds to their time if they guess the song with the bonus attached on the second round of the jackpot round.
* The jackpot round was upgraded and renamed to *Ultimate Everybody, GuesSing*.
	+ All groups were now required to guess twenty song titles over the course of the week, double from the number of songs required to guess by groups with 25 and 50 members during the modified version, and 100 from the original format.
	+ The jackpot round was divided into two rounds where half of the songs may be guessed by the group at the end of each episode.
	+ Unused time by the group will be carried over to the second round if the group ever guesses all their target number of song titles to guess in the first round.
	+ The group now has the possibility to double their pre-jackpot prize at the first round (an additional, potential, bonus bank of ₱200,000).
	+ Still, each song title is worth ten thousand pesos (₱10,000).
	+ The potential maximum prize that a group can take home in this season is two million two hundred thousand pesos (₱2,200,000), with each player potentially receiving twenty two thousand pesos (₱22,000).

Set changes
* Plastic barriers were permanently removed.
* Masks were not required to be worn by the players as the restrictions were eventually lowered.

## Additional cash prizes

Vice Ganda would donate an additional cash prize to the group in play in some episodes before each episode ended. Vice occasionally rounds up the money accumulated by the group to the nearest hundred thousand pesos, as in the case of 100 Tattoo & Body Piercing Artists, where he donated an additional twenty thousand pesos (₱20,000) after the group collected one hundred eighty thousand pesos (₱180,000), giving the group a total of two hundred thousand pesos (₱200,000), with each individual receiving two thousand pesos (₱2,000). This was also done during the 100 *Magbabalut* episode. Vice did this as a way to "help" the contestants who were in desperate financial need during the peak periods of the COVID-19 pandemic during season 1.

As of January 10, 2024, Vice Ganda has given an additional cash prize to a total of fourteen (14) groups from all three seasons. The first season included four (4) groups, the second season included seven (7) groups, and the third season included three (3) groups.

The following were the groups given an additional cash prize:

Season 1
* 25 Janitors and Cleaners: **+₱50,000** (from ₱30,000 → ₱80,000)
* 25 Delivery Riders: **+₱80,000** (from ₱20,000 → ₱100,000)
* 25 Kasambahay: **+₱90,000** (from ₱10,000 → ₱100,000)
* 25 Comedy Bar Performers: **+₱100,000** (from ₱45,000 → ₱145,000)

Season 2
* 50 Quiapo Vendors: **+₱60,000** (₱40,000 → ₱100,000)
* 50 Mananahi: **+₱10,000** (₱90,000 → ₱100,000)
* 50 Repair and Service Technicians: **+₱10,000** (₱90,000 → ₱100,000)
* 50 Karding Survivors and Heroes: **+₱40,000** (₱60,000 → ₱100,000)
* 50 Traffic Enforcers: **+₱20,000** (₱80,000 → ₱100,000)
* 50 Tricycle Drivers: **+₱30,000** (₱70,000 → ₱100,000)
* 50 Pahinante: **+₱30,000** (₱70,000 → ₱100,000)

Season 3
* 100 Pulis: **+₱100,000** (₱150,000 → ₱250,000)
* 100 Tattoo & Body Piercing Artists: **+₱20,000** (₱180,000 → ₱200,000)
* 100 *Magbabalut*: **+₱20,000** (₱180,000 → ₱200,000)