Eat Bulaga!

Eat Bulaga!
Format	Variety, Game show, Comedy
Created by	Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) Inc.
Developed by	TAPE Inc.
Directed by	Bert de Leon Jojo Jardeleza Poochie Rivera Ding Bolaños
Starring	Tito Sotto Vic Sotto Joey de Leon and others
Opening theme	Eat Bulaga! Theme Song
Country of origin	Philippines
Language(s)	Tagalog Filipino English
No. of episodes	9,650 (as of February 11, 2012)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Antonio P. Tuviera Malou Choa-Fagar
Producer(s)	Antonio P. Tuviera
Location(s)	GMA Broadway Centrum (New Manila, Quezon City)
Camera setup	Multiple-camera setup
Running time	2 1/2 hours
Broadcast
Original channel	RPN (1979-1989) ABS-CBN (1989-1995) GMA Network (1995-present)
Picture format	480i SDTV
Original run	July 30, 1979 – present
External links
[www.eatbulaga.tv Website]

Eat Bulaga! is a noon-time variety show in the Philippines produced by Television And Production Exponents Inc. (TAPE) and aired by GMA Network. The show is broadcast from The New TAPE Studios (Eastside Studio) at the GMA Broadway Centrum in New Manila, Quezon City. Eat Bulaga! is aired Weekdays and Saturdays at 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm (PHT). The show is also broadcast worldwide through GMA Pinoy TV. Eat Bulaga holds the record of being the longest running noontime show in Philippine Television. This year, the show will celebrate its 33rd year on Philippine Television. Eat Bulaga also holds the record of being the longest-running program on air in the history of local television.

History

Eat Bulaga premiered on July 30, 1979 on RPN at Broadcast City, Diliman, Quezon City. Because the show was to occur during noontime, Eat was used to represent lunchtime. Bulaga (which means "surprise" in English) was to represent their plan to fill the show with lots of big surprises. This is how the title "Eat Bulaga" came into existence. Plus, the title Bulaga could also refer to its another meaning Peek-a-boo!, a game played with children. Eat is the transliteration of It!, a word popularly known from the game tag. Because both titles represent such activities of children, the slogan "Hangga't May Bata, May Eat Bulaga!" ("While There Are Children, There will be Eat Bulaga!") was born.

Start of the show (1979)

RPN outsourced the idea to TAPE. At that time, comic troika Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon were the most popular movie comedians. They were hired together with Chiqui Hollman and Richie Reyes (a.k.a. Richie d' Horsie) as co-hosts. It was Joey who coined the title of the show, "Eat... Bulaga!" to attract all socioeconomic classes.

The TV program innovated numerous concepts on Philippine television which were later copied by rival TV programs.

1989

In 1989 due to the sequestration of RPN, the show moved to ABS-CBN (under a co-production agreement) along with other TAPE-produced shows Agila, Coney Reyes on Camera and Okey Ka Fairy Ko! (from IBC). To drum up promotions for Eat Bulaga's move to ABS-CBN, the then-Star Network came up with a creative promotion of "..." (three dots) which stood for three top-rating daytime shows (Eat Bulaga, Agila and Coney Reyes on Camera) that will finally air on Channel 2. The "three dots" also figured prominently in the early logos of "Eat...Bulaga!". The show's move helped strengthen the network's programming. The premiere telecast of Eat Bulaga at their new home was on January 28, 1989 and for this momentous event, the show was staged at the Araneta Coliseum.

1992

In 1992, Tito Sotto left the show after he ran successfully for a Senate seat. He became a senator during the May elections, which saw Fidel V. Ramos winning the presidency. However, despite leaving the show, he still managed to appear on special occasions, mostly Christmas and New Year. Sotto was able to serve 2 terms in the Senate, from 1992 until 2004. In his last year at the Senate, he went back to Bulaga on a weekly basis (usually on Saturdays).

1995

The show once again moved to another network, this time on GMA Network because ABS-CBN wanted to buy the airing rights of Eat Bulaga from TAPE, Inc. When the group led by Tony Tuviera and Malou Choa-Fagar reneged on the proposed deal, ABS-CBN removed Bulaga and its sister shows Valiente and Okay Ka, Fairy Ko from its roster of shows and decided to reformat its Sunday-only show Sa Linggo nAPO Sila into a week-long show, 'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila. Eat Bulaga! premiered on GMA on January 28, 1995, again at the Araneta Coliseum. Prior to Eat Bulaga's premiere on its new home, month-long promotions were made by GMA Network by coming up with the famous catchy TV ad, "9-2=7" (nine minus two equals seven), which was a pun on Eat Bulaga's move from Channel 9 (RPN) to Channel 2 (ABS-CBN) to Channel 7 (GMA). Its move to GMA is also the comeback of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon on GMA after they left Student Canteen for Eat Bulaga in 1979.

2001

In 2001, Eat Bulaga was the first to give away the first millions on the Philippine television. When Magandang Tanghali Bayan, a former noontime show of ABS-CBN, introduced Pera o Bayong to its audience, it became an instant hit. MTB topped the ratings of Eat Bulaga for two years. This forced the Eat Bulaga management to give the first millions "to get the audience interest back."

The hosts forms the letters T and Y To thank the viewers for making them number one in the ratings

2004

Eat Bulaga! celebrated its 25th year on television in October 2004 at the Expo Amphitheater in Clarkfield, Angeles City, Pampanga, making it the longest-running television show in the Philippines. The television special was attended by an estimated 60,000 spectators and enjoyed the highest daytime TV rating in the Philippines. The special was cited as winner in the Asian Television Awards in Singapore on December 1, 2005. The said event was also hailed as the most successful television event on Philippine TV and was narrowly matched only by the 1st Starstruck Final Judgement. The special presentation entitled Eat Bulaga Silver Special was broadcasted on November 2004 before the broadcast of show's 25th year event in Expo Amphitheater and it was produced by TAPE Inc. & GMA News and Public Affairs. It was hosted by News and Public Affairs personalities Rhea Santos and her Unang Hirit co-host and one of Eat Bulaga's former contestants Arnold Clavio.

In December 2004, GMA signed a 5-year contract extension to keep the show on their network until December 29, 2009. After celebrating 25th anniversary, it was incidentally the 10th anniversary of Eat Bulaga's start in GMA the next year.

Over the years, many people have predicted that the show would move to another network every time their contract with GMA was close to expiry. But, in interviews with GMA executives led by Atty. Felipe Gozon and Jimmy Duavit - GMA expressed their desire to keep the show for as long as they can as there is no vacant timeslot in other TV station and to let its ratings rise. Joey de Leon on the other hand, is also considered as an important factor to Bulaga's stay in GMA since he has been fiercely loyal to the station and his efforts have been rewarded.

Eat Bulaga is considered by many as an institution - becoming a launchpad for many different Filipino comedians and showbiz newbies who have had large success on the show. Tony Tuviera identified the show as a "way of life" when they beat MTV's Tsunami Aid special at the Asian Television Awards.

2006/2007

In 2006, the SexBomb Girls left the show due to a dispute with the show's producers, which pushed them to auditioning dancers for the new EB Babes^{[citation needed]}

On January 2007, Gladys Guevarra left to undergo therapy. Because of health reasons, she had formally filed her resignation letter from Eat Bulaga. In May 2007, the casting for the show was affected when three of its hosts, Tito Sotto, Anjo Yllana and Teri Onor ran for public office. Sotto and Yllana were re-electionists for Senate and Paranaque Vice Mayor respectively. However they lost to more formidable opponents. Only Onor (real name Dexter Dominguez) won a seat as Vice Mayor of his hometown in Abucay, Bataan. Moreover, the line-up of hosts for "Bulaga" was reduced after some hosts either resigned or ended contract.

The show also went online when they launched their own website www.eatbulaga.tv. The loyal viewers can access the hosts' biographical information, as well as the past episodes of the show.

On September 2007, a series of word war occurred between Joey de Leon and the controversial host of their rival show, Willie Revillame. Joey de Leon talked about the recent scandals happening on Wowowee, which he dubbed as Hello Pappy (a comic parody name of Hello Garci). The scandal would also be referenced by television personality Joey de Leon during a publicized feud with fellow television personality Willie Revillame surrounding allegations of rigging on ABS-CBN's program Wowowee. The referent line is "Explain Before You Complain!".

2009

On March 6, 2009, one of Eat Bulaga's long-time co-host Francis Magalona succumbed to leukemia. The following day, the show produced a special tribute episode where the whole cast performed his past songs dedicated in his memory. During the tribute, it was revealed that Francis Magalona came up with the word Dabarkads that became a popular name to the Eat Bulaga family.

In 2009, Eat Bulaga! celebrates its 30th Anniversary, dubbed as Tatlong Dekads ng Dabarkads (Three Decades of the Dabarkads). On this anniversary celebration, Eat Bulaga! focused on honoring and helping remarkable people, including thirty poor, but hard-working students and other everyday heroes. As the hosts explained, they would rather help the poor people in this anniversary than throw an elegant celebration. This was their gesture of paying back to the public who has supported them all these years.

Last December 18, 2009 Eat Bulaga! renewed its contract with GMA Network. The network's President and CEO Felipe Gozon declared during the contract renewal that "Eat Bulaga!" is their only choice for the network's flagship program at noontime. The longest-running noontime show will stay in the said network for three more years.

2010

On January 1, 2010 the show occupied the 700-seater Westside Studio of the GMA Broadway TV Complex, which was home to many GMA variety shows in the past, because GMA Broadway Centrum was being renovated. The show returned to their original studio in GMA Broadway Centrum on March 6, 2010 to find a newly digital design and spacious look of the stage. The audience seats were now cushioned. A LED wall is found in the center of the stage where the Eat Bulaga segments happen.

On April 5, 2010 the show welcomed back their longtime host Jose Manalo who was on leave for a long period of time because of his wife's jewelry scam issue in 2009.

Starting July 5, 2010 the show has an extension of 30 minutes compared to previous episodes. This is because Daisy Siete, which has been airing for a long time, has ended and the 30 minutes of that program was given to Eat Bulaga!

On July 30, 2010, the show celebrated its 31st year on Philippine television. Also in this memorable day, some of the former hosts of Eat Bulaga played Sa Pula, Sa Puti, a former segment of Eat Bulaga, including two of the former hosts who pioneered Eat Bulaga with the TVJ.

2011

On March 11, 2011, the show signed an extended contract with GMA Network until 2015.

On October 6, 2011, Eat Bulaga! launched its coffee table book called Ang Unang Tatlong Dekada (The First Three Decades). It is part of their celebration of their legacy for reaching more than thirty years on television. The book is written by Butch Francisco (a veteran columnist and TV host) with Jako de Leon (son of Joey de Leon) behind the entire design concept of the book, chronicling the more than thirty years of history of the program. It took them eight years to completely finish it. Alongside the book, Eat Bulaga also gave away 3000 limited edition CDs of the 2004 Silver Special Anniversary celebration. GMA News and Public Affairs produced a documentary that tells about the 32 years of broadcast of Eat Bulaga entitled "Kuwentong Dabarkads" which was hosted by Dingdong Dantes.

From November 2011, Isabelle Daza, niece of late ex-host Rio Diaz and the daughter of 1969 Miss Universe Gloria Diaz, is added to the roster of hosts.

2012

In the first week of January 2012, Iza Calzado left the show due to her network transfer to GMA's rival and previously where Eat Bulaga was aired on, ABS-CBN.

Cast

Main Hosts

• Sen. Tito Sotto
• Vic Sotto
• Joey de Leon

Co-Hosts

• Jimmy Santos (1980–present)
• Keempee de Leon (1989–present)
• Ruby Rodriguez (1990–present)
• Allan K. (1995–present)
• Toni Rose Gayda (1996–present)
• Anjo Yllana (1998–present)

• Wally Bayola (2000–present)
• Paolo Ballesteros (2002–present)
• Jose Manalo (2002–present)
• Pia Guanio (2004–present)
• Ciara Sotto (2004–present)
• Michael V. (2005–present)
• Pauleen Luna (2005–present)

• Julia Clarete (2005–present)
• Daiana Menezes (2007–present)
• Ryan Agoncillo (2009–present)
• Isabelle Daza (2011–present)
• Sam Y.G. (2011–present)

Featuring

• EB Babes (2006-present)
• Sugod Bahay Gang / Boom Boom Pow Boys in Juan for All All for Juan (2009–present)

The EB Babes

Main article: The EB Babes

With the loss of the SexBombs, the producers of Eat Bulaga decided to form a brand new in-house dance group, the EB Babes (the EB standing for "Eat Bulaga!"). The group was formed using a reality competition with open auditions. The new group officially debuted later during August 2006.

The Return of the SexBomb Girls

On December 16, 2006 the SexBomb Girls appeared on Eat Bulaga for the first time in nine months during the "Give Love on Christmas Day" segment with a song and dance number. Former SexBomb Girl Sugar Mercado rejoined the girls in the said number and some Eat Bulaga hosts were happy to see them again. On March 12, the SexBomb Girls returned as "guest dancers" once again - but only appearing during Fridays.

SexBomb vs. EB Babes

The two groups finally met each other in a "showdown" on February 3, 2007, as requested by the public, especially the fans of both groups. The episode gained a 31.2% share of the ratings for that day. Rumors later surfaced about a possible rematch between the two groups, but in a TV interview with the SexBombs, it was revealed that there would be no rematch with the EB Babes for a while, but, a couple of weeks later, they met each other for another showdown, but, it was less popular than the previous one. Currently, the SexBombs are seen on Fridays on a temporary basis, while the EB Babes are seen for the rest of the week. Occasionally, the two groups can be seen together during opening numbers on Saturday episodes.

Current Segments in Eat Bulaga (as of January 2012)

PNV: Pambato ng Videoke

Wally and Jose and Paolo will go to the same barangay to be part of Juan for All, All for Juan. The contestants were chosen by the team of Eat Bulaga who were registering people for their chance to be part of the Juan for All segment on the previous day. Once selected, they will sing a specific song and will be judged by 5 EB Dabarkads judges who can give a score from the range of 15-20 points, the one with the highest points, wins PhP 15,000 while the other contestant wins PhP 2,000, both with consolation prizes.

Pinoy Henyo (currently " Junior Pinoy Henyo" and "Pinoy Henyo High Alumni Edition")

There are three teams with two people in each. It is similar to the game of 20 Questions, but instead of limiting the number of questions, the game limits the time of the game to 2 minutes. The guesser must only reply Oo (Yes), Hindi (No) and Pwede (Can Be), other replies will incur a 3 second penalty for every wrong reply which will be added in their official time. One will have to guess whatever the answer is while the other answers with those three words mentioned before. A Dabarkads will be selected to go into a flushroom. Three to four Dabarkads play, each holding 10, 000 pesos, 15, 000 pesos and 20, 000 pesos. If the pair answers correctly, they win whatever the prize the Dabarkads is holding and if they have the fastest time, will head to the Jackpot round. Each pair must finish in two minutes. In the Jackpot round, the winning pair will play again following the same concepts except this time, both of them would have to guess, taking turns. Also, they are only given one category and is to answer three words correctly in 3 minutes. If they answer one correctly, 10, 000 pesos, two, 15, 000 pesos and three is 20, 000 pesos. Consolation prize is 5, 000 pesos. If the pair answered 3 words in the jackpot round they will win 50,000 pesos. The three winners of each with the fastest time is to reunite again on Fridays to compete for the Pinoy Henyo trophy. Also, if the contestants answer the Pinoy Henyo Word of the Day, they will receive an additional PhP 5,000. Then, recently, a Finals has been developed for the fastest teams, and the finals will be announced for a designated day.

EB Concert Stage

This segment introduces the hosts and co-hosts of the show in singing funny versions of songs in different occasions. Tito, Vic and Joey and the rest of the dabarkads perform their versions of different songs that they selected. Usually, this segment is included every Saturday, where they held specials every week.

Juan for All, All for Juan: Bayanihan of d' Pipol

Jose, Wally and Paolo will go to a chosen barangay everyday where people have registered from 12pm to 4pm of the previous day. On certain days, they will hold a food challenge, the winner will then present their food platter to the hosts, and then select between one of the boxes laid out, each containing different prizes and cash, plus more consolation prizes from their sponsors.

After the game, the hosts will then draw an entry from a sphere jar, containing registration forms from the chosen barangay, and will call that person to confirm their address. Jose, Wally and Paolo will then go to the designated house. There the hosts will congratulate the winning contestant, and will instantly be given the food of the day courtesy of Coca-Cola, usually two plates of dishes with a plate of rice, a dessert, usually cake and salads, and Coca-Cola products. They will also receive gift packs from a variety of sponsors, primarily from Puregold. After that, they will have a small conversation with their contestant, usually about their family background, present situations, etc. There they will be given various amounts at given times, but the total does not usually go below PhP 40,000, and oftentimes can go up to as high as PhP 70,000 or even more on special occasions.

After that, the "Sugod-Bahay Gang" boys will lay out numbers in the streets from 1-100, and all who wish to be eligible to win PhP 10,000 have to bring three things that the hosts will ask them, then they will race to the numbers in a minute, then the hosts will pick a random number, the chosen number and the number next to it will then receive the winning prizes, along with other consolation prizes from sponsors. Then the line with the most behaved people will win and additional PhP 20,000 total (1,000 each). In the event of rain, the hosts will select a number of entries from the chosen barangay, and they will receive a certain amount of money from the hosts.

This segment is done every week, Mondays thru Fridays. their location ranges from different barangays and subdivisions across Metro Manila, all the way to provinces in Visayas, and even in Mindanao. There, they usually have their selected contestant registered the previous day, with a copy of their entries sent back to the studio to be drawn the next day. At special occasions, all the non-winning entries will be withdrawn from all the locations they went into, giving them a 2nd chance to win a prize.

Ano EATo?

Home viewers get a chance to win different prizes just by texting a particular code that would appear right on their television screens. The first three texters from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will win the same prize.

Recurring Segments

• Birit Baby (2009-2010)
• Bulagaan
• Eat Bulaga Holy Week Drama Specials (Now happens once in a Holy Week)
• BEBOT
• Little Miss Philippines

Shows Abroad

• Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
• San Francisco, California, USA (First Show Abroad)
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• Anaheim, California, USA
• San Diego, California, USA
• Reno, Nevada, USA
• Nagoya, Japan
• Dubai, UAE
• Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Pasir Ris, Singapore

Awards

PMPC Star Awards for Television

• 1989-2008 Winner, Best Variety Show (tied with ABS-CBN's Wowowee in 2008)
• 2003 & 2008 Winner, Best Variety Male Host - Vic Sotto
• 1987-2008 Best Male TV Host - Tito Sotto
• 1990-2008 Best Male Host - Joey de Leon
• 2009 PMPC Star Awards Hall of Fame
• 2010 PMPC Star Awards Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement - Tony Tuviera
• 2011 Best Male Host - Allan K

Asian Television Awards - Singapore

• 2005 Winner, Best Entertainment Program "Eat Bulaga Silver Special"

Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation, Inc. Awards

• 2007,HALL OF FAMER, Sex Bomb Dancers
• 2002-2008, Most Popular Dance Group, Sex Bomb Dancers
• 2009, Most Popular Dance Group, EB Babes
• 2009-2010, Box Office Comedy King, Vic Sotto

Anak TV Seal Awards

• 2009 Most Admired Male TV Personalities, Vic Sotto & Ryan Agoncillo

Aliw Awards

• 2010 Best Emcee Hall Of Fame, Ryan Agoncillo

Golden Screen Awards

• 2011 Winner, Best Variety Show
• 2011 Best Male Variety Show, Vic Sotto
• 2011 Best Female Variety Show, Julia Clarete
• 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award for Entertainment/Comedy - Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon

USTV Students' Choice Awards

• 2012 Best Variety Show

Studios used by Eat Bulaga

RPN years

• Broadcast City Live Studio 1 (July 1979–February 1989)

ABS-CBN years

• ABS-CBN Studio 1 (now Dolphy Theatre) (February 1989–January 1995)
• ABS-CBN Studio 2, ABS-CBN Broadcast Centre (during special occasions)

GMA years

• Celebrity Sports Plaza (first home studio on GMA) at Capitol Hills, Quezon City (January 28, 1995-August 31, 1995)
• TAPE Studio (Eastside Studio), GMA Broadway Centrum (September 1, 1995-December 31, 2009; March 6, 2010–present)
• Westside Studio, GMA Broadway Centrum (GMA Broadway Live Studio; used while Eastside Studio was renovated) (January 1, 2010–March 5, 2010)

See also

• List of Philippine television shows
• List of programs broadcast by GMA Network
• List of shows previously aired by ABS-CBN
• List of shows previously aired by RPN

External links

• Official website
• Eat Bulaga! at the Internet Movie Database