Why Jackpot En Poy Only Makes Eat Bulaga Worse?

For 37 years, ‘Eat Bulaga’ was known for its innovative and groundbreaking segments.

Some of their most famous portions have become synonymous with the show; examples include Little Miss Philippines, That’s My Boy, Laban o Bawi, Pinoy Henyo and Juan for All, All for Juan. However, they recently took a further step back by introducing this ridiculous segment.

Earlier this year, ‘Eat Bulaga’ brought the game of rock-paper-scissors (or in Filipino, Jack en Poy) to the show and billed it as the ‘most serious’ game ever. Enter the infamous Jackpot En Poy segment.

In this game, four people who represent a particular color section of the audience (red, green, yellow, blue) go one-on-one in the game of rock-paper-scissors. The first round winners then face off in the finals, after which that round’s winner gets a chance to play in the jackpot round against a select team of ‘Eat Bulaga’ hosts, each with a particular prize money allotted to them.

To make the game ‘serious’, ‘Eat Bulaga’ brought in Gov Lloyd as its ‘referee’, while a guest judge takes a look at violations that took place during the segment. Initially, Jose Manalo, Paolo Ballesteros, Wally Bayola and Maine Mendoza were brought in as ‘judges’, but after only a few episodes, they were reassigned to do another segment.

While the Jackpot En Poy segment typically used regular audience members as players, the more recent episodes featured none other than guest celebrities from different fields. For instance, the March 25 installment of Jackpot En Poy saw Senators Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, Gringo Honasan and Manny Pacquiao play the said game.

Maraming Salamat sa mga Senator na nakilaro sa amin ngayong tanghalian sa Jackpot En Poy! pic.twitter.com/qF89uk3yIg

— Eat Bulaga (@EatBulaga) March 25, 2017

Despite its ‘serious’ yet ‘entertaining’ nature, the segment proved to be ‘Eat Bulaga”s weakest and most desperate segment yet. Let’s face it, rock-paper-scissors is a simple game, but once ‘Eat Bulaga’ added some shenanigans to make it appear like it was innovated, this act only alienated a more vocal section of the audience.

It is no secret that the ratings of ‘Eat Bulaga’ continues to fall with each episode. The fact of the matter is, this noontime show is now on the twilight of its run, and with ‘It’s Showtime”s emergence, it appears that the torch has finally been passed.

Sorry, Jackpot En Poy, but this segment does not deserve a place on ‘Eat Bulaga’ lore. Let’s just hope that it will be good riddance to this simple yet ridiculous skit.

AlDub Popularity A Big Concern for It’s Showtime

There is no stopping ‘Eat Bulaga”s increasingly popular AlDub tandem.

The accidental duo of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza a.k.a. Yaya Dub has been on a roll in the last month. Ratings for ‘Eat Bulaga’ continued to rise, while netizens took to social media in increasing numbers to show support and concern for the love team.

Speaking of netizens, this was how ‘It’s Showtime’, like most ABS-CBN programs, enjoyed success in the last few years. But the tables now seem to turn against them once AlDub took to the airwaves.

An example of this was during the grand finals of the Funny One segment (won by Ryan Rems Sarita). Held on the same day as ‘Eat Bulaga”s ill-fated wedding between Yaya Dub and Frankie A. Arinoli (played by Jose Manalo), the Funny One finals did earn a spot among Twitter’s trending topics.

There was only one problem: AlDub was one step better on Twitter, both nationally and globally. Even though ‘It’s Showtime’ beat ‘Eat Bulaga’ on Kantar’s ratings last August 8, it was a 2-1 win for the latter, who managed to win AGB Nielsen’s ratings on that day.

This following week, ‘It’s Showtime’ promoted Ryan Rems to a regular host. But not even a promotion and a subsequent segment between Ryan, Vice Ganda and the five other Funny One finalists was good enough for ‘It’s Showtime’, as ratings and social media impact continue to widely favor ‘Eat Bulaga’ and its ‘Kalyeserye’.

As a result, according to various tabloids, the producers of ‘It’s Showtime’ are now forced to convene on a daily basis in an attempt to figure out a way to beat AlDub. They hope that these productive meetings could help ‘It’s Showtime’ regain their winning ways.

Then again, ABS-CBN is no stranger to losing to ‘Eat Bulaga’ whenever the latter responded with a more popular segment. Remember how Laban o Bawi helped ‘Eat Bulaga’ beat ‘Magandang Tanghali, Bayan’ for good?

The Kapamilya network can only hope that ‘It’s Showtime’ won’t become the second coming of MTB. The AlDub phenomenon can be beaten, and now it’s up to ‘It’s Showtime’ to respond with a stronger segment.

1995 Flashback: Eat Bulaga Goes from 2 to 7

‘Eat Bulaga’ found a new lease in life upon moving to the GMA Network in January 1995. (Photo credit:  friedchickenbyaspineda.blogspot.com)

1995 was a memorable year in Philippine television. As part of a year-long special, From the Tube will look back at a year full of historical debuts, unforgettable moments, and celebrated feats in the history of television in the country.

The longest-running noontime variety show in the country found a new home twenty years ago.

On January 28, 1995, ‘Eat Bulaga’ premiered on GMA with a special live episode held at the now-Smart Araneta Coliseum. The change in network came after negotiations between producers TAPE, Inc. and ABS-CBN bogged down.

In the months leading to its departure, ABS-CBN proposed a deal that would transfer ‘Eat Bulaga”s rights to the Lopez-owned network. When it became clear that TAPE would not accept the deal, ABS-CBN dropped ‘Eat Bulaga’ and fellow TAPE-produced shows ‘Valiente’ and ‘Okay Ka Fairy Ko’ from its lineup.

ABS-CBN then responded by moving its erstwhile Sunday show ‘Sa Linggo nAPO Sila’ to weekdays under the name ”Sang Linggo nAPO Sila’. The newly-rebranded variety show made its debut on February 6, 1995, but lasted only three years.

It was with the Kapuso network where ‘Eat Bulaga’ found its greatest success. The show became the launching pad for the careers of the Sexbomb Dancers, comedians and current hosts Allan K, Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola, and the youngest talk show host today in Ryzza Mae Dizon.

‘Eat Bulaga”s GMA years also featured several memorable gimmicks. Among those that stood out were ‘Laban o Bawi’, a game segment that gives the audience a chance to win P1 million, and ‘Pinoy Henyo’, a guessing game between two individuals.

But perhaps the most crowning achievement of ‘Eat Bulaga”s tenure with GMA was its charity work. The show found new ways to interact with its audience via the on-location segment ‘Juan for All, All for Juan: Bayanihan Op D Pipol’, the ‘Plastic ni Juan’ project, and the ‘EB Scholar’ initiative.

Today, ‘Eat Bulaga’ maintains its stature as the top noontime show in the country, regardless of rival. The cast and crew may have changed over the years, but one thing’s for sure: Tito, Vic and Joey will always be there to give some laughter and entertainment to viewers.