Trivia / Eat Bulaga!

• Channel Hop: When it original started airing in 1979, it aired on RPN. In 1989, it switched to ABS-CBN. In 1995, it switched channels again, this time to GMA Network. The show jokingly alluded to this through the catchphrase "9–2=7, Totoo ang Sie7e" ("Nine minus two equals seven, Seven is really true") when they promoted the move immediately before the show's entry to GMA Network. De Leon would later repeat this decades later through a series of thinly-veiled social media posts, one of which was linked to a video for the Dolly Parton song "9 to 5", alluding to the TVJ's move to TV5 following a highly-publicised dispute between the TVJ and the Jalosjos clan who owns TAPE, Inc. And it went full circle in 2024 when de Leon teased that they'll be back on RPN 9 via simulcast (though since said channel aired until January 31 as CNN Philippines under licence from Warner Bros. Discovery, this brings about concerns regarding Network Decay. Thankfully, CNN Philippines was replaced by RPTV the following day).
• Doing It for the Art: Tito, Vic and Joey stated in an interview that they did not sign any contracts with the show since 1979, instead staying with the show out of loyalty for the programme which inarguably helped launch their careers.
• Executive Meddling:
  • Largely the reason why the show decided to move to GMA Network in 1995, as ABS-CBN officials tried to acquire the rights to the show from TAPE, Inc., to which the latter declined.
  • Rumors about internal struggles at TAPE, Inc. have been circulating since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and it came to a head when Romeo Jalosjos (who himself is no stranger to another... more serious controversy) wanted to take over TAPE from Antonio Tuviera and replace series staples Tito, Vic and Joey, potentially putting the series in jeopardy. In May 31, 2023, the original cast announced on their Facebook page that they were unceremoniously barred by the new TAPE, Inc. management from airing live, effectively ending the show's TVJ era. Joey de Leon later clarified in an Instagram post that "we are just taking a day off", assuring loyal viewers. Other long-time cast members, namely Jose, Wally, Paolo, Maine, Ryzza Mae, Ryan and Allan K., along with other production members, also resigned from the show. And if that wasn't enough, at least one netizen took to Twitter to bring up Jalosjos' past sex crimes and expressed disgust over him taking charge as the show's executive producer.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: The BOOM! segments are based on an Israeli quiz show of the same name and are distributed by the original game's franchise distributor, Keshet International. Copyright issues with Keshet prevent the segments from being included in official YouTube uploads, so if you want to watch BOOM! segments at any time without actually tuning in to episodes as they air on TV, you'll have to hunt down fan copies of the segments.
• Missing Episode: Archive footage of Eat Bulaga's first three years (1979-1982) are presumed to be lost, though a snippet of an episode from 1981 did surface on their YouTube channel.
• Money, Dear Boy: Vic admitted in an interview that he took up the hosting stint for Bulaga in order to save enough to buy his own car, with the thought of leaving the show soon after. Joey de Leon also admitted that his hosting job at the show was initially a short-term role. The TVJ instead chose to stay as regular hosts since then.
• Playing Against Type: Every Lenten season, the show's Dabarkads appear in heavy, tear-jerking dramas instead of their usual menu of knock-knock jokes and ribald humor. Not surprisingly, veteran funnymen like Vic Sotto, Joey De Leon, and Michael V often end up doing a much better job with drama than those who actually specialize in drama.
• Promoted Fanboy: Maine Mendoza, who was initially known as a prominent Dubsmasher back in 2015 prior to being cast as Yaya Dub in the "Kalyeserye" segment.
• Rereleased for Free: Eat Bulaga!'s official YouTube channel has uploaded full episodes (with commercials) from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2013.
• Role-Ending Misdemeanor: Francis Magalona was taken off the cast when he was arrested following drug possession charges, though he returned to the show the next year.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: This very much happened to TAPE, Inc. when the courts sided with TVJ Productions over ownership of the Eat Bulaga brand. TVJ was then able to reclaim the show they had for over 40 years.
• Star-Making Role: The show launched the careers of Tito, Vic and Joey, as well as Ice Seguerra, Jessa Zaragoza and Ryzza Mae Dizon, the latter three starting out as child pageant contestants in the Little Miss Philippines segment. And let's not forget Maine Mendoza whose career took off after being paired with Alden Richards.