Eat Bulaga!

This page focuses on Eat Bulaga!'s previous stint on GMA Network, including the TAPE's iteration of the show that is now known as Tahanang Pinakamasaya!. The TV5 Wiki has more information on the current iteration of the show, as well as on the Eat Bulaga! Wiki.

“Isang libo't isang tuwa, buong bansa, Eat... Bulaga!”

―The show's theme song from 1981 to present

“Tahanang pinakamasaya, Eat Bulaga!”

―Phrase used by the show's hosts under an iteration by TAPE Inc. before commercial breaks; also used as part of the iteration's theme song from 2023-2024

Eat Bulaga! (also spelled as Eat... Bulaga!), abbreviated as EB, is the longest-running noontime variety show produced by TVJ Productions, Inc. and is currently airing on TV5 and RPTV. It originally premiered on July 30, 1979 on RPN and was originally produced by Production Specialists Inc., and later Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) Inc. from 1981 to 2024.

The show formerly aired on GMA Network from January 28, 1995 to January 5, 2024 when it was under the production of TAPE Inc., broadcasting from the APT Studios in Cainta, Rizal from December 8, 2018 until 2024. Eat Bulaga! aired on weekdays at 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm and Saturdays at 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. The show was also broadcast via live streaming on the show's official YouTube channel and on GMA Network's YouTube channel via Kapuso Stream.

On May 31, 2023, the original hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon, collectively known as TVJ, announced that they would leave TAPE Inc. amid a dispute that involves the new management of the company. The other co-hosts and production staff followed suit, and on June 5, the show resumed production with new hosts, mainly coming from Sparkle GMA Artist Center; however, despite TVJ and the co-hosts (known as the "Legit Dabarkads") already hosting their own show, titled E.A.T., TAPE Inc. retained the Eat Bulaga! trademark, which TVJ filed an application for later that month.

In December 2023, TAPE's Eat Bulaga! and EB trademarks was cancelled by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), siding with TVJ, and on January 5, 2024, TVJ publicly announced that they had won the rights to the said trademarks, and the following day, their TV5 variety show reverted to the Eat Bulaga! name after a six-month absence. On the other hand, the TAPE Inc. variety show was relaunched as Tahanang Pinakamasaya!, which was short-lived until March 2024.

History[]

First decade on GMA and silver anniversary (1995–2004)[]

Prior to the show's entry to GMA Network, Eat... Bulaga! main hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon made an unofficial homecoming to GMA Network in 1994, when they started appearing in separate network-produced shows. Tito replaced the late Louie Beltran as the main host of GMA's investigative news magazine program Brigada Siete while Vic and Joey headlined GMA's Monday night gag show Mixed NUTS, which Vic's company M-Zet Productions also line produced the show. The network also let Antonio Tuviera direct both shows. That same year, Eat... Bulaga! moved out from ABS-CBN Studio 1, and it returned to the Celebrity Sports Plaza on the fourth quarter of 1994, as part of the preparation for its eventual transfer to GMA Network.

News of EB's transfer from ABS-CBN to GMA Network was already spreading publicly through rumors, gossips, blind items, and showbiz news leaks. During SST's New Year episode on December 31, 1994, the announcement of EB's move to GMA was officially made by main hosts Randy Santiago and Dennis Padilla (SST was then reformatted into a pre-noontime programming to EB after the latter's move to GMA Network, replacing SST in the noontime slot).

Tito, Vic and Joey's homecoming to GMA Network became official in 1995, when the network picked Eat... Bulaga! to become its flagship noontime show. A special contract signing between TAPE, Inc. and GMA officials was held at the Makati Shangri-La on January 19, 1995 with most of the hosts present. Previously, GMA tried to produce its own noontime show with Lunch Date (replacement of Student Canteen shortly after the 1986 People Power Revolution) and SST: Salo-Salo Together, with moderate success. The show made its premiere telecast on its new home on January 28, 1995, again at the Araneta Coliseum, with a TV special entitled Eat... Bulaga!: The Moving!. Before the network transfer, month-long promotions (from December 1994 to January 1995) were made by coming up with the catchy advertisements, 9–2=7, Totoo ang Sie7e ("Nine minus two equals seven, Seven is really true"), alluding to the show's home networks from Channel 9 (RPN) to Channel 2 (ABS-CBN) to Channel 7 (GMA Network).

After EB's transfer to GMA Network, the show temporarily broadcast from the Celebrity Sports Plaza, from January 30, 1995 to September 15, 1995. The show then transferred at Eastside Studios, Broadway Centrum on September 16, 1995, via a TV special dubbed Eat Bulaga!: The East Side Story. New hosts also arrived, such as Toni Rose Gayda, Allan K, Samantha "Gracia" Lopez, Francis Magalona, and Anjo Yllana. In between 1995–1998, several celebrities were hired to join the show as guest co-hosts.

In 1999, Eat...Bulaga! became the first to give away millions on Philippine television. When Magandang Tanghali Bayan, then the noontime show of ABS-CBN, introduced "Pera o Bayong" to its audience, it became an instant hit, causing MTB to top the ratings of Eat...Bulaga for two years. This forced the Eat...Bulaga! management to give the first millions, through its segments "Meron o Wala" in the mid-1999 and then "Laban o Bawi" in the late 2000 to get the audience interest back.

Eat Bulaga! celebrated its 25th year on television on November 19, 2004 at the Expo Pilipino amphitheater in Clark Air Base, Angeles City, making it the longest-running noontime show in the Philippines. The television special was attended by an estimated at more than 60,000 spectators and enjoyed the highest daytime TV rating in the Philippines. It won the Best Entertainment (One-Off/Annual) Special at the Asian Television Award in Singapore on December 1, 2005. The event was hailed as the most successful on Philippine television, narrowly matched only by the 1st Starstruck Final Judgement. The presentation, titled Eat Bulaga! Silver Special, was broadcast on November 27 and November 29, 2004. By this time, Eat Bulaga! had modified its title, dropping the three dots.

Second decade on GMA, 30th anniversary (2005–2014)[]

In 2005, Eat Bulaga! was aired for the first time worldwide through GMA Network's international channel, GMA Pinoy TV.

In 2006, the SexBomb Girls left the show due to a dispute with its producers. The show, in turn, opened auditions for new in-house dancers, under the name 'EB Babes', as a reality competition. The group officially debuted on August of that year. In March 2007, the SexBomb Girls returned as regular cast members.

In January 2007, Gladys Guevarra left to undergo therapy.

In May 2007, the casting for the show was affected when three of its former 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.

In September 2007, a series of word wars occurred between Joey de Leon and Willie Revillame, the host of Eat Bulaga! Top's rival show Wowowee as a result of the Hello Pappy scandal.

On March 6, 2009, Francis Magalona, one of the show's long-time co-hosts, succumbed to leukemia. The following day, the show produced a tribute episode in which the whole cast performed his songs dedicated to his memory. During the tribute, it was revealed that Magalona coined the word 'Dabarkads', a popular name to the Eat Bulaga family. Magalona is also known for shouting "Seamless Na!" to initiate from Eat Bulaga's Saturday edition to Philippine showbiz talkshow Startalk. After his death, the Eat Bulaga! and Startalk hosts continued with the seamless tradition until it was stopped in the later part of the year by her Dabarkads in later 2015.

In 2009, Eat Bulaga! celebrated its 30th anniversary, dubbed as Tatlong Dekads ng Dabarkads (Three Decades of the Dabarkads). The show focused on honoring and helping remarkable people, including 30 poor, hard-working students and other everyday heroes as a gesture of paying back to the public who supported them.

In February 2011, the SexBomb Girls along with the group's choreographer Joy Cancio left once more, this time for ABS-CBN's Happy Yipee Yehey!.

On October 6, 2011, Eat Bulaga! launched its coffee table book called Ang Unang Tatlong Dekada (The First Three Decades). It was written by veteran columnist and TV host Butch Francisco and designed by Joey de Leon's son Jako de Leon. Alongside the book, Eat Bulaga! gave away 3000 limited edition CDs of the 2004 Silver Special Anniversary celebration. Additionally, GMA News and Public Affairs produced a documentary titled Kuwentong Dabarkads hosted by Dingdong Dantes.

On August 18, 2012, Eat Bulaga! aired a special episode celebrating its 33rd anniversary without commercial breaks, the first time in its history. A soundtrack, Dabarkads D' Album: A Party for everyJUAN, featuring songs popularized by the Eat Bulaga! cast, as well as the theme tunes used by the show, was released in July 2013, On October 6, 2012, Eat Bulaga! returned to its usual 11:30am timeslot which is only allotted every Saturdays coinciding the launch of it's segment Pinoy Henyo High. The program aired its first live episode on July 30, 1979 on the aforementioned time.

On July 16, 2012, Indonesia's SCTV Network aired the show's first international franchise, Eat Bulaga! Indonesia (later The New Eat Bulaga! Indonesia). The network, which had considered securing the rights for a local version for the past five years, started formal negotiations with TAPE Inc. in April 2012, with approval given in June that same year.

SCTV Network's Eat Bulaga! Indonesia ended on April 3, 2014 due to poor ratings caused by the sudden departure of their main head host in 2014. However, the show eventually returned to the airwaves on November 17, 2014 on its new home network, ANTV, with the new title, The New Eat Bulaga! Indonesia until its final episode in 2016.

Due to public demand, Eat Bulaga! revived its traditional Lenten season drama specials during the 2014 Holy Week after an eight-year lull. Unlike its previous productions, the heartwarming stories produced annually are either original stories or inspired by true-to-life stories of former contestants of the popular segment, "Juan for All, All for Juan." Either one or two episodes are shown each day from Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday. In addition to the return of the drama specials in 2014, Eat Bulaga! began to hold an annual awards ceremony called "Dabarkads Awards" to recognize excellence in stories and performances for the year's Lenten presentation.

Third decade on GMA, AlDub phenomenon, and transfer to APT Studios (2015–2023)[]

Logo used from July 2018 to June 8, 2023. From 2018 to 2019, the logo is seen with "ver. 4.0" on the bottom right, which is intended as a preparation for the show's 40th anniversary in 2019. The logo is still used in its first few episodes since the departure of TVJ from TAPE Inc.

Voyager Innovations, Inc. (owned by PLDT), a Philippines-based technology company, released the official mobile app of the show on January 23, 2015. Eat Bulaga! is the first noontime show to launch their own mobile application that would allow their fans to stay connected with the hosts. The app also contains exclusive videos from the show's thirty-five years on television as well as a mobile version of one of its most memorable game segments, Pinoy Henyo.

The popularity of Eat Bulaga! was greatly increased in July 2015 following the accidental formation of a new love team between co-hosts Alden Richards and Maine "Yaya Dub" Mendoza, and the eventual development of Kalyeserye, a parody soap opera built around the couple. The new loveteam, popularly known as AlDub, tripled the show's normal AGB Nielsen Mega Manila and nationwide television ratings, and #AlDub became the top daily trending topic on Twitter in the Philippines and even worldwide. The milestone moments of the phenomenal loveteam helped the show garner some of its all-time high ratings. Its August 8, 2015 episode, which was supposed to feature the first meeting of Richards and Mendoza in real life but didn't occur because Mendoza unexpectedly fainted during the episode and had to be taken to the hospital, registered a Mega Manila rating that is above 30%, a television rating that has not been achieved by Eat Bulaga! since its 2004 Silver Anniversary Special.

Its August 12, 2015 episode, which showcased a Cinderella-like story and the near-meeting of Richards and Mendoza, posted a rating of 36.1%, which was an extraordinary accomplishment for a weekday episode. Its September 5 episode, the day when Richards and Mendoza finally saw each other for the first time, registered a rating of 39.5%. Its September 19 and September 26 episodes, the first and second dates of AlDub, garnered ratings of 41.3% and 45.7%, respectively, which are the highest-rated episodes of 2015. These episodes were also the first times that Eat Bulaga! tapped the 40 percent mark. Due to the AlDub phenomenon, Eat Bulaga! holds 10 out of 10 highest-rated episodes in 2015.

On October 24, 2015, Eat Bulaga! held a benefit concert at the Philippine Arena to thank the fans of AlDub and to raise funds for building libraries in certain schools across the Philippines and for the victims of Typhoon Lando. The most awaited event for the loveteam also marked a major turning point of the Kalyeserye story; the couple were able to see and interact with each other without any hindrance from Lola Nidora (Wally Bayola's character in Kalyeserye ) The special show dubbed as "Sa Tamang Panahon" (At the Right Time) attracted an estimated 55,000 people, becoming the largest indoor audience ever of Eat Bulaga!. Ticket sales for premium seats were sold-out three hours after Lola Nidora announced the concert on October 17, 2015. The rest of the tickets were sold-out after three days. After 24 hours, #ALDubEBTamangPanahon, the official hashtag for the event, reached 41 million tweets, becoming the third most tweeted topic for the TV category worldwide in 2015 and the most used hashtag within 24 hours on Twitter. According to AGB Nielsen, the live airing of the event was able to garner a 50.8% Mega Manila household rating, becoming the most watched show in 2015. For the first time in the show's history, Eat Bulaga! was able to breach the 50% mark.

Kalyeserye went on hiatus on September 3, 2016 and returned on October 15 after a month-break. Once again, the segment ended on December 17, 2016, having a total of 400 episodes.

On February 2016, Eat Bulaga! renewed again its blocktime deal with GMA Network. Unlike past contract signings which were formal and coverage was limited to GMA's news programs, the signing ceremonies saw greater coverage via GMA's social media accounts. Cast members Jose Manalo, Paolo Ballesteros and Wally Bayola were in character dressed up as the Kalyeserye Lolas. The said event became the trending topic across all social media sites.

On July 7, 2018, Eat Bulaga! launched EB Version 4.0, where in the show began its kick-off celebration for their 40th anniversary on July 30, 2019. Also, Eat Bulaga! premiered its horror-comedy telemovie Pamana on July 28 as a commemoration to the variety show's 40th anniversary.

On December 8, 2018, Eat Bulaga! transferred to their new state-of-the-art studio, the APT Studios, located in Cainta, Rizal, ending its 23-year tenure at the Broadway Centrum, months before the 40th anniversary celebration of the longest-running variety show by July the following year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that declared the whole Philippines under State of Public Health Emergency, the management of Eat Bulaga! decided to ban the admission of studio audience effective March 9 as a precautionary measure. Starting March 16, 2020, live production was suspended, and the show's past episodes, including its iconic and special presentations, were re-aired until June 6, 2020. Live programming resumed on June 8, 2020.

In August 2020, Anjo Yllana was permanently laid off from the show, followed by Ruby Rodriguez in May 2021. On October 2, 2021, Maja Salvador joined the show to host the new segment "DC 2021", followed by Miles Ocampo, who was introduced as the newest cast member on March 30, 2022. On February 21, 2023, Carren Eistrup joined the show after winning the reality competition segment Bida Next.

Departure of TVJ from TAPE Inc., change of hosts (2023-2024)[]

Eat Bulaga! (2023) — Final title card from June 9, 2023 to January 5, 2024

On May 31, 2023, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon announced that they would leave TAPE Inc. amid a dispute between the company's new management, which forbade the show to air live episodes that day. Immediately after, the other mainstays and crew members resigned from the show as well, as revealed in an Instagram story by Pauleen Luna a few days later.

TVJ issued a statement on the day they left TAPE Inc.:

Tito Sotto: Pumasok po kaming lahat ngayong araw para makatrabaho pero hindi po kami pinayagan ng new management na umere ng live.
Joey de Leon: Kung natatandan niyo po, July 30, 1979, nang simulan namin ang Eat Bulaga! 44 years na po ngayong taon [2023], kaya naman lubos ang aming pasasalamat sa mga naging tahanan namin, unang-una, ang RPN 9 for 9 years, ang ABS-CBN for 6 years, at ang GMA for 28 years. Thank you very much.
Vic Sotto: Nagpapasalamat din kami ng lahat ng advertisers mula 1979 na nagmahal, nagtiwala at sumuporta sa amin.
Tito Sotto: Ganoon din sa iyo, mga Dabarkads, sa mga manonood, sa inyong pagmamahal sa programang naging bahagi ng inyong tanghalian. Lubos din ang pasasalamat kay Mr. Tony Tuviera sa pagkakaibigan at pagiging bahagi ng aming pamilya. At higit sa lahat, sa Panginoong Diyos na kahit hailan hindi niya kami pinapabayaan.
Vic Sotto: Hindi na po namin na isa-isahin pa ang laman ng aming puso at damdamin. Ang hangad lang po namin ay makapagtrabaho ng mapayapa, walang inaagrabyado, at may respeto sa bawat isa.

Simula ngayong araw, May 31, 2023, kami po ay magpapaalam na sa TAPE Inc. Karangalan po namin na kami ay nakapaghatid ng tuwa't saya mula Batanes hanggang Jolo at naging bahagi ng buhay ninyo. Marami-maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Hanggang sa muli, saan man kami dalhin ng tadhana, tuloy ang isang libo't isang tuwa.
Joey de Leon: Thank you.

On June 5, Eat Bulaga! recruited new hosts, most of them coming from Sparkle GMA Artist Center. During this time, TAPE Inc. continued to claim that they still own the Eat Bulaga! trademark, justifying their claim that they remain the variety show that was created in 1979 despite the fact that Joey de Leon is the one who coined the term/name of the show, and TAPE was created in 1981, two years after Eat Bulaga! premiered.

On December 4, 2023, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) released its decision granting the petition of De Leon and the Sotto brothers to cancel TAPE Inc.'s trademark registration of Eat Bulaga!. The IPOPHL decision held that De Leon and the Sotto brothers proved that they were the original owners of the name and thus have the absolute and exclusive right to its registration. TAPE Inc. continued to use the name anyway, with host Paolo Contis expressing defiance and insisting that the IPOPHL decision had not attained finality.

In a decision dated December 22, 2023, the Marikina City Regional Trial Court Branch 273 ruled in favor of the copyright infringement and unfair competition complaint filed by De Leon and the Sotto brothers (a separate proceeding from the trademark cancelation petition before the IPOPHL). The court ordered both TAPE Inc. and GMA Network to immediately cease the usage of the trademarks such as "EB", "Eat Bulaga!" and the Eat Bulaga! theme song, for its current programming. The decision implied that TAPE's use of "Eat Bulaga!" upon resuming original production was illegal, and that it produced what was seen by many as a very new variety show different from Eat Bulaga itself. On January 5, 2024, the decision was served upon the lawyers of De Leon and the Sotto brothers and was first announced to the public.

The following day, on January 6, 2024, TAPE Inc. rebranded their Eat Bulaga! interim show to Tahanang Pinakamasaya! (a phrase used by TAPE in its song replacing the iconic TVJ-era Eat Bulaga! theme music) pending a planned appeal. On the same day, the competing variety show of TVJ Productions on TV5 dropped its placeholder title E.A.T. and began to use Eat Bulaga! (stylized as Eat... Bulaga!) for the first time in almost seven months.

Hosts[]

Final hosts[]

Between June 5, 2023 and January 5, 2024:

Featuring[]

Music Hero Band
BPop Idols

Former hosts[]

This section lists the former hosts of Eat Bulaga! during its airing on GMA.

Dasuri Choi previously hosted the show with the TVJ from 2014 to 2017 but is not listed here since she is already listed as the final hosts above. Same applies to the Music Hero Band and Kimpoy Feliciano, who also featured in or co-hosted the show from 2017 and 2021, respectively.

The hosts highlighted in bold remained as the current hosts of Eat Bulaga! on TV5. Their last appearance on the show on GMA was the May 30, 2023 broadcast prior to the announcement the next day that they're leaving TAPE Inc. but not leaving Eat Bulaga! itself. Despite TAPE's iteration of Eat Bulaga! was aired on GMA while the TVJ and other Eat Bulaga! co-hosts and production team moved to TV5, Vic Sotto and Jose Manalo still appear on Open 24/7 until the show's cancellation in 2024.

Selected segments[]

TVJ era (1995-2023)[]

Several of its segments were later carried over to E.A.T. on TV5 under a new name which served as its successors which later carried over to Eat Bulaga! when the TVJ had won the trademark case.

Bawal Judgmental - succeeded by Babala! 'Wag Kayong Ganuuun... and later revived as Bawal! Judgmental Ka Ba?
Bulagaan - now known as Barangay Bulagaan
Hi-Lo Todo Panalo - succeeded by Peraphy
Juan for All, All for Juan - succeeded by Sugod Bahay, Mga Kapatid!
Little Miss Diva
Little Miss Philippines - except in 2023
Macho Men
Mr. Pogi
Pinoy Henyo - succeeded by Gimme 5: Laro ng mga Henyo

Post-TVJ era (2023-2024)[]

EB Happy - carried over to Tahanang Pinakamasaya!; renamed as TP Happy
Ikaw ang Pinaka!
G sa Gedli - carried over to Tahanang Pinakamasaya!
Games sa Gedli - carried over to Tahanang Pinakamasaya!
Last Two Digits - carried over to Tahanang Pinakamasaya!
Little Miss Philippines - 2023 only
QRQR: Quick Response, Quick Reward - carried over to Tahanang Pinakamasaya!
Pinaka EB Happy: The Bulaga Cup Edition - carried over to Tahanang Pinakamasaya!; renamed as TP Happy Tournament
Word of the Rings

Cancelled segments[]

There were upcoming segments on the TAPE Inc.'s iteration of Eat Bulaga! on 2024 as part of their 2024 offerings. However, only few of them made its debut and the rest are cancelled due to the TVJ winning the Eat Bulaga! trademark case that led to TAPE Inc. rename its noontime show to Tahanang Pinakamasaya! but the show aired its final episode after 50 episodes following the finale of Duet For Love due to low ratings and TAPE Inc.'s increasing debt.

EB Angpao

Trivia[]

In case Holy Week Holiday are taking place in the Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday), There will be no Eat Bulaga! episode aired.
- In most such cases, Lenten Specials are aired instead.
During when Eat Bulaga! was under an iteration by TAPE Inc. with new hosts due to an internal conflict between the TVJ and TAPE's new management, many netizens dubbed the show as "Fake Bulaga".
- Some critics argue that the show lacks originality and that it replicates its old concept, including the portrayed skit characters of their new hosts, Buboy Villar and Betong Sumaya, similar to Kalyeserye, and their rebranding of the iconic Pinoy Henyo segment to Word of the Rings (in which the "Oo" and "Hindi" from Pinoy Henyo were replaced with "Tama" and "Mali").

GMA Network Wiki