Eat Bulaga! (transl. Lunchtime Surprise) is a Philippine television variety show broadcast by GMA Network. Produced by TAPE Inc., it is the longest running noontime show in the Philippines. Originally hosted by Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon, it premiered on July 30, 1979. The show is also broadcast worldwide through GMA Pinoy TV and streaming online on YouTube.^[1]

The success of the show led to Eat Bulaga! Indonesia (later retitled as The New Eat Bulaga! Indonesia)^[2] and Eat Bulaga! Myanmar.^[3]

Production Specialists, Inc., a company owned by Romy Jalosjos, brought the idea of creating a noontime show for Radio Philippines Network (RPN). Antonio Tuviera, who was working for the company, thought that the comic troika of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon — better known as TVJ (who had gained fame through GMA Network's Discorama and as pinch-hitters for Student Canteen, but subsequently left both) — would be the perfect hosts for the new program.^[4] At a meeting at the InterContinental Manila parking lot (now closed), Tuviera made the offer to them — and they accepted.^[4][5]

De Leon coined the title of the show: Eat, which represents lunchtime; while Bulaga (which means "to surprise"), represents their plan to fill the show with big surprises.^[5] The title is also a play on two children's games: Eat is the transliteration of It from the game tag; while Bulaga! refers to Peekaboo!. Because of this, the slogan "Hangga't May Bata, May Eat Bulaga!" ("As Long As There Are Children, There will be Eat Bulaga!") was coined, also by de Leon.^[5]

Eat Bulaga! premiered on July 30, 1979 with a live episode from RPN Live Studio 1 in Broadcast City.^[6][7] TVJ, along with Chiqui Hollman^[4] and Richie Reyes (a.k.a. Richie d' Horsie) as the original hosts.^[6] During its first few months on the air, the show was in danger of cancellation. Not only did it face competition against the longest-running noontime show at that time, Student Canteen; but it also lacked advertisers, despite having their advertising rates reduced to Php 750.^[4] In addition, TVJ did not receive their salaries for six months.^[4] To keep the show afloat, they decided to entertain movie trailers which paid less than standard commercials.

Eat Bulaga! slowly gained top-rating status in 1980 after the introduction of the segment "Mr. Macho."^[4][7] Production Specialists soon handed production to Tuviera's TAPE, Inc.^[8] On May 18, 1982, RPN-9's domestic satellite was launched via an Eat Bulaga! TV special beamed live nationwide from the Folk Arts Theater. During the same TV special Coney Reyes joined the show as the newest addition while Hollman moved to Student Canteen.^[8] In 1987, Aiza Seguerra joined the show, after finishing as a runner-up in the Little Miss Philippines segment.^[4][9]

Its easily recognizable theme song that begins with the famous phrase Mula Aparri hanggang Jolo (From Aparri to Jolo, which later changed Aparri to Batanes) was introduced on May 18, 1982; during EB's domestic satellite launch and Coney Reyes' first EB entry. The lyrics of the song were written by Vincent Dy Buncio and Pancho Oppus; while the melody was composed by Vic Sotto and musical arrangement by Homer Flores. This famous theme song was revised many times, and was used to different opening billboards of EB.^[10]

An interview with Joey de Leon revealed that he, Tito and Vic never signed any contract with Eat Bulaga!, when they were offered to become hosts of the show. Vic Sotto confessed that he accepted the offer and would immediately stop, once he had enough money to buy a personal vehicle. Joey de Leon also admitted that the show was only supposed to be a short-term employment. However, Eat Bulaga! defeated Student Canteen in the ratings after 2 years and TVJ decided to stay with the show. Up to this day, no contracts bind Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon to the show or to TAPE, Inc. Friendship and their loyalty to the show are the only factors that keep them together.^[11][12]

During the EDSA Revolution and the events that unfolded soon after, Eat... Bulaga! went off-air from February 27, 1986 to March 1, 1986; the transmitter of its then-home network RPN had been shut down by rebels, and it resumed airing again on March 3, 1986. Despite the sequestration of RPN-9 by the government of Corazon Aquino in 1986, Eat Bulaga! continued to air, while most of the network's shows either transferred or cancelled. The show left Broadcast City on December 2, 1987, and transferred to the nearby Celebrity Sports Plaza on December 3, 1987. The network was also beset by periodical change of management, leading to Tony Tuviera's decision to conduct negotiations with then-fledgling network ABS-CBN to eventually transfer the show.

In the year 1989, Eat...Bulaga! moved to ABS-CBN^[8] (under a co-production agreement) with other TAPE-produced shows Agila, Coney Reyes on Camera and Okay Ka, Fairy Ko! (from IBC) due to problems brought about by the sequestration of RPN.^[6] On February 18, 1989, the show premiered on its new home of the said network, which was staged at the Araneta Coliseum, with a TV special entitled Eat... Bulaga!: Moving On.^[13] Prior to the transfer, in January 1989 to February 1989, ABS-CBN made a TV plug featuring four dots, which represented the four TAPE-produced shows. After its transfer to ABS-CBN, the show started airing from ABS-CBN Studio 1 (now Dolphy Theatre) at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center. During the show's special occasions, they were also allowed to use the network's Studio 2 as a special venue. Since the show's transfer to ABS-CBN, Eat Bulaga became one of the highest rated noontime shows, which helped the network registered an all-time-high in viewership ratings at that time.

The show's 10th anniversary presentation was held on September 23, 1989 at the Araneta Coliseum.^[14]

Reyes left the noontime show in 1991.^[8] She was replaced by swimming champion Christine Jacob (later she moved to Magandang Tanghali Bayan in late 1998).^[8] In 1992, Tito Sotto started appearing only on weekends after topping the senatorial elections that May.

By the later part of 1994, ABS-CBN was already a growing network, to the point that the network can already produce its own television shows and don't need to depend on blocktimer shows anymore. The staff at TAPE, Inc. thought that the network will give Eat...Bulaga! and other TAPE-produced shows an exception. However, ABS-CBN instead attempted to buy the airing rights of Eat...Bulaga! from TAPE, Inc. In response, Antonio Tuviera and Malou Choa-Fagar rejected the deal, leading ABS-CBN to decide not to renew its contract with TAPE, Inc. and remove Eat...Bulaga! and its sister shows Valiente and Okay Ka, Fairy Ko from its roster (with the exception of Coney Reyes on Camera). The show was also given by ABS-CBN an ultimatum to leave the network until the fourth week of January 1995. The network then reformatted its Sunday show Sa Linggo nAPO Sila into a week-long show, 'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila as *Eat...Bulaga!'*s replacement.^[6]

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 became 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 Tony 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 October 3, 1994, as part of the preparation for its eventual transfer to GMA Network.

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 almost all 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.^[6] 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!.^[13][6][15] 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 move from Channel 9 (RPN) to Channel 2 (ABS-CBN) to Channel 7 (GMA).

It 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, they were Toni Rose Gayda from Bulaga's former rival GMA noontime show Lunch Date (former co-host of previous Bulaga host Chiqui Hollman), Allan K, Samantha Lopez and Francis Magalona in 1995, and Anjo Yllana in 1998. In between 1995-1998, several celebrities (see former co-hosts) 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 mid-1999 and then Laban o Bawi in late 2000 to get the audience interest back.^[16]

On January 1, 2000, Eat Bulaga! aired its special millennium episode at the SM City North EDSA on a Saturday primetime slot at 7:30 pm to make way for 2000 Today on an actual noon time slot.

Sometime in May 2001, Francis Magalona, one of the show's main co-hosts, was removed from Eat Bulaga! following his arrest due to alleged drug possession. Singer-host Janno Gibbs was named as his replacement. After his acquittal from the drug charges and subsequent rehabilitation, Magalona returned to Eat Bulaga! in January 2002.

In April 2002, the ratings of Eat Bulaga! toppled MTB following the growing popularity of the SexBomb Dancers (via Laban o Bawi) and the controversial reality segment Sige, Ano Kaya Mo? SAKMO! That same year, the show renewed its blocktime deal with GMA Network, ending speculations about the noontime show's possible network transfer.

In 2003, Tito Sotto started to host the show again on a daily basis. In addition, the show added comedian and former show contestant Michael V., models Tania Paulsen and Alicia Mayer to its growing roster of hosts. The show was also feted by its former home network ABS-CBN during their 50th Anniversary celebration.

Eat Bulaga! celebrated its 25th year on television on November 19, 2004 at the amphitheater, Expo Pilipino in Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles, Pampanga,^[17] making it the longest-running noontime show in the Philippines. The television special was attended by an estimated at more than 60,000 spectators^[17] 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.^[18][19] 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, 2004 (Saturday) and on November 29, 2004 (Monday).^[17] By this time, Eat Bulaga! had modified its title, dropping the three dots.

In 2005, a milestone was achieved by Eat Bulaga! as it started airing worldwide when GMA Network launched their 24-hour international channel, GMA Pinoy TV.^[20]

In 2006, the SexBomb Girls left the show due to a dispute with its producers.^[21] 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.^[21] In March 2007, the SexBomb Girls returned as regular cast members.^[21][22][23]

In September 2007, a series of word wars occurred between Joey de Leon and Willie Revillame, the host of Eat Bulaga!'s rival show Wowowee as a result of the Hello Pappy scandal.^[24][25]

In November 2007, EB launched its first ever regional version on GMA Cebu with the title Eat Na Ta!. Eat Na Ta sa Radyo (aired during weekdays) was launched on November 12 and Eat Na Ta sa TV (aired during Saturdays) premiered on November 24 of the same year. It served as a pre-programming for Eat Bulaga! in Visayas until 2008.

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.^[26] Magalona is also known for shouting "Seamless Na!" to initiate from Eat Bulaga's Saturday edition to Philippine showbiz oriented talk show 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. Well-known television personality and actor Ryan Agoncillo replaced him as co-host and entered the show on October 24, 2009.

On July 30, 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.^[27][28]

In December 2009, the show renewed its blocktime partnership with GMA Network via a two-year blocktime deal.

On January 1, 2010, the show was temporarily transferred to the Westside Studios of the Broadway Centrum, which was home to majority of GMA's long-running variety shows from 1987 to 2010. The Eastside Studios underwent major renovations at that time, and the brand-new features, including LED screens and cushioned audience seats were added. The show returned to their newly-renovated studio on March 6, 2010.

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!.^[29]

In March 2011, GMA Network extended the blocktime deal with the show until January 2016. The show was given an extra hour on the daily noontime slot as a result of the deal. This allowed TAPE to produce another TV show to serve as a lead-out program for Eat Bulaga!

On October 6, 2011, Eat Bulaga! launched its coffee table book called Ang Unang Tatlong Dekada (The First Three Decades).^[7] It was written by veteran columnist and TV host Butch Francisco and designed by Joey de Leon's son Jako de Leon.^[30] Alongside the book, Eat Bulaga! gave away 3000 limited edition CDs of the 2004 Silver Special Anniversary celebration.^[12][31][32] Additionally, GMA News and Public Affairs produced a documentary titled Kuwentong Dabarkads hosted by Dingdong Dantes.^[4]

On August 18, 2012, Eat Bulaga! aired a special episode celebrating its 33rd anniversary without commercial breaks, the first time in its history.^[33] 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.^[34]

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.^[2][35] 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.^[36]

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.^[37] 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.

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.^[38][39] The milestone moments of the phenomenal loveteam helped the show garner some of its all-time high ratings. In the 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.^[40]

In August 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.^[41] 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.^[42] 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.^[43]

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. Their Kalyeserye-like storyline has continued on their first primetime series Destined to be Yours which aired from February 27 to May 26, 2017.

On January 28, 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.^[44]

On September 30, 2017 (coinciding the grand coronation day special of Miss Millennial Philippines 2017), Eat Bulaga! introduced their new opening break bumper (OBB) wherein it showcases the sightings and attractions of the Philippines since Mula Batanes hanggang Jolo is the first part of the show's theme song. Ryan Agoncillo, together with Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza starred in the OBB wherein they also bond in with different people.^[45] It was until January 1, 2018 when it started to air the new OBB during the start of the show everyday on a temporary basis, but once again stopped the following month except for the July 30, 2018 episode in time for the 39th Anniversary with a new eyecatch bumper, on October 27, 2018 (coinciding the grand coronation day of Miss Millennial Philippines 2018), Eat Bulaga! slightly updated its last year's opening billboard with Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon as narrators of the OBB.

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.^[46][47][48]

Eat Bulaga! renewed its contract with GMA Network on February 1, 2019, in time for the show's 40th anniversary on noontime television and its 24th year on GMA.^[49]

Beginning July 2019, as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Eat Bulaga!, all revived segments of Eat Bulaga! are done in limited engagement only.

On July 30, 2019, Eat Bulaga! celebrated its 40th anniversary, as a way of giving back, EB searched another 40 students who will be part of Eat Bulaga's Excellent Students awardees, also some celebrities who are champions of various contests would unite together for a grand showdown, another big surprise will be announced soon.

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,^[50] becoming the third most tweeted topic for the TV category worldwide in 2015^[51] and the most used hashtag within 24 hours on Twitter.^[52] 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.

It is a raffle promo sponsored by the coffee brand Kopiko.

Prizes include 54 winners from different parts of the Philippines of twenty thousand pesos and 1 winner of one million pesos for the daily draw, and 2 house and lots from Avida and 2 brand new Mercedes-Benz cars for the grand draw.

It is a subsegment of Kopiko MagKAPEra 4. The Eat Bulaga! hosts look for an audience member who has shown a great excitement. The winner will receive a cash prize of 5,000 pesos and gift packs from Kopiko.

It is a subsegment of Kopiko MagKAPEra 4. The Eat Bulaga! hosts look for an audience member who has shown a cheerful smile. The winner will receive a cash prize of 5,000 pesos and gift packs from Kopiko.

It is a subsegment of Kopiko MagKAPEra 4. The Eat Bulaga! hosts look for an audience member who has shown a great enthusiasm and cheerfulness. The winner will receive a cash prize of 5,000 pesos and gift packs from Kopiko.

It is a mini-documentary segment that is part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Eat Bulaga!. It features the stories of the hosts, contestants, and even ordinary viewers of Eat Bulaga! for the past 40 years regarding their experiences with the TV show. Netizens can also share their Bulaga True Stories by sending an email to Eat Bulaga! or posting their stories along with their photos and videos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #KwentongEatBulaga.

It is based from the Slippery Stairs game from the television show: Rush 4 Win All Star Kanshasai from Japan. For the Philippine adaptation, it is a segment of the variety show Eat Bulaga!, franchised by TAPE Inc., and distributed by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc. The segment is hosted by Ryan Agoncillo with rotating co-hosts on location while the role of game referee is primarily done by Jose Manalo in character as Konsi (short for konsehal [councilor]), with Wally Bayola in character as Ex-O (short for ex-officio), Alden Richards in character as Kap Bae (short for kapitan [captain]; bae [sweetie]) or Paolo Ballesteros in character as Sec. Si (an amalgamation of "secretary", "sexy" and "silahis" [bisexual]) substituting for him when unavailable.

Due to licensing agreements regarding its franchised segment, only limited highlights of daily episodes are uploaded on the show's official YouTube channel and its Facebook page.

The only objective of this game is to climb the slippery stairs to the top and get the flag to win. Flags are divided into three which contains the characteristics of a player who conquers the slippery stairs: yellow flag which symbolizes as Madiskarte (being strategic), red flag that symbolizes as Matapang (being brave), and blue flag that symbolizes as Matatag (being firm). A characteristic is added in this game: Mathenik (being smart in solving a Math equation). It will have 3 flags with different numbers (choices) which one of it is the correct answer. The game referee will tell two numbers and an arithmetic operation to be compute. If a player pick a flag with a wrong answer, it will automatically get a foul. The flags can be change on some situations with various cash prizes (₱10,000 is added with the supported sponsor).

Each game has two or three rounds depending on time constraints. The contestants are wearing multicolored (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Pink) skintight body suits all trying to climb a slippery staircase for 5 minutes (in some cases, 3-4 minutes if the remaining airtime of program is short and limited). The contestants must first apply a slippery substance throughout their body and roll on the floor to spread the slippery substance before starting the game. The slippery staircase also includes obstacles such as releasing of smoke, and slime (included at levels 2-3). The contestants must climb the staircase by crawling and must avoid standing, leaning on the wall, and kneeling at the top platform to avoid being whistled for a violation or a foul. If the contestant successfully gets the flag but incurs a violation, all contestants will go down and the time will resume at the point of stoppage after reviewing the last sequence. If a contestant has accumulated a total of three fouls, he/she will be disqualified from the game. Due to the safety of the contestants, whoever stands inside the game area, jumping in getting the flag, and pull down the string of the flag will be automatically disqualified. A winner is declared when a player successfully gets the flag from the peak of the stairs without the abovementioned offenses and goes down to the starting platform. Each conclusion of a round will show a replay of a chosen scene of player/s falling from the slippery stairs, called the Pa-Fall Shot.

At the studio, several studio audiences, called the Rushers, can choose their preferred contestants by forming a queue on each of the six colors that their preferred contestants are wearing. If their preferred contestant manages to win the game, all the Rushers who formed a queue on the winning contestant will win ten thousand pesos, in which the cash prize will be divided depending on the number of Rushers who formed the queue.

In August 31, 2019, a new twist was added to the game. The hosts will provide a mathemical equation. A total of three flags will be provided for the game containing choices from the given mathematical equation, in which only one flag has the correct answer. The rushers must get the flag with the correct answer to win.

It is a subsegment of Rush 4 Win Philippines: Slippery Stairs, sponsored by the local digital transactions provider brand Posible. The promo will choose a player from the Rush 4 Win Philippines: Slippery Stairs who showed a great determination and competitiveness during the game. The chosen player will win five thousand pesos.

It is an educational segment which aims to raise an awareness on how doing small things can make a big impact. The segment features Ryzza Mae Dizon, Baste, and Amboy.^[73]

It is a beauty pageant which showcases the beauty of the Philippines wherein 40 candidates will take us to a journey of their represented province. They showcase every attractions and foods as well.

The 2019 edition of Miss Millennial Philippines serves as Eat Bulaga's 40th anniversary celebration with 40 candidates doing the same format.

Lottong Bahay returned in 2019 as a Facebook Promo, as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Eat Bulaga!. The program will provide several random numbers in-between commercial breaks during the entire duration of the show. Participants must post the correct number combination and the answer to the given question along with the correct format, on the designated Facebook post from the official Facebook page of Eat Bulaga!. A total of 40 participants will be chosen for the playoffs for the entire month of September 2019. From the 40 participants, 3 winners will win a monthly allowance of twenty thousand pesos for one year.

You're My Foreignoy is a beauty pageant and talent contest for pure foreign men who are Filipino at heart. Contestants must show their Filipino culture-inspired talent, say hard-to-pronounce Filipino words and proverbs correctly, and delight the viewers with their charm and wit. It is the counterpart of the female version You're My Foreignay.

Its 2019 edition was revived for a limited engagement only, as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Eat Bulaga!.

Dubbed by Joey de Leon as "Bayanihan na may kasamang swerte", this segment shows the true purpose of Eat Bulaga! — to help less fortunate Filipinos and to give happiness to every Juan who supported them throughout the years. It is collaboratively hosted by the barangay hosts and the studio hosts. The segment has a split screen format in order to simultaneously show the happenings in the studio on the left screen and in the barangay on the right.

Included in this segment is the "Plastic ni Juan Project", where the plastic bottles they collect from the barangays they visit are turned into school armchairs, to be given to their chosen school in a specific barangay, and the "Istraw ni Juan" project, for providing washable and reusable metal straws in exchange for plastic bottles, in effect encouraging people to use reusable metal straws instead of using plastic straws, to help in protecting the earth's nature.

It is a special musical presentation during Thursdays featuring the program's most requested vocal group Broadway Boys, together with Kayla Rivera. They perform throwback song numbers from a particular singer/band each week, songs are therefore requested by the home viewers through email wherein they also dedicate it to their loved ones. It is also a subsegment of Juan For All, All For Juan: Bayanihan of d' Pipol.

Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Paolo Ballesteros are the original hosts of this segment. They are occasionally joined by Maine Mendoza and sometimes substituted by Ryan Agoncillo, Jimmy Santos, Anjo Yllana, Pia Guanio, and Luane Dy who are on-location at the chosen barangay for the day, with Vic Sotto, Tito Sotto, Joey de Leon, Alden Richards, and Allan K. hosting in the studio. A studio host draws an entry from a box containing registration forms from the chosen barangay and calls that person to confirm their name and address. The barangay hosts then go to the home address to meet and congratulate the winner. The winner is interviewed shortly by the hosts about family, work, health, and other interesting things about their life. The winner is given varying prize items and cash prizes from the show's different sponsors. Aside from the sponsor's prizes, the winner also receives a final cash prize from the show itself alongside a chosen "Bossing's Savings" by the host, sponsored by BPI and Globe through their BanKo ^[90] mobile-based savings account, with each of the 5 envelopes containing certain amounts only shown privately to the winner for confidentiality. Total prize amount plus the aforementioned Bossing's Savings more or less range from PhP 90,000 to more than ₱120,000 on some occasions.

This segment is done everyday, Monday to Saturday, with locations ranging nationwide – from barangays and subdivisions across Metro Manila, all the way to provinces in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. There, they usually have their selected contestant registered the previous day, with a copy of their entries sent back to the APT Studios to be drawn the next day.

The Sugod Bahay hosts will announce the barangay's name and Team Bahay and the phrase, "Bayanihan na!". The Filipino term "bayanihan" refers to a spirit of communal effort to achieve a particular objective. Its participants are "Team Barangay" (barangay residents) and "Team Bahay" (home viewers outside of the barangay). All who wish to be eligible to win must bring specific items that the hosts mention.

For Team Barangay, they are must then race to the numbers laid out on the streets in under a minute. The studio hosts pick a random number. The person standing on that number and the four next numbers receive cash prizes and gift packs from the show and its sponsors. The line with the most behaved people, dubbed as the "Bayanihan Line", receives P1,000 each (for a total of P20,000). In the event of bad weather, the studio hosts select seven entries. The seven winners must go to the designated location and each of them must bring 25 plastic bottles and their registration forms with a valid ID to receive P10,000.

This applies to the chosen barangay of the day. For it to qualify, it must be well-organized, clean and well-behaved. Everyday, a barangay is added to the list of "qualified" barangays, eventually summing up to more or less 20 barangays for the month. Otherwise, just one violation of the said requirements means the disqualification of that barangay. After each month, the hosts choose three barangays who will win a special prize based on their rank, with the best barangay winning the grand prize and the title of Barangay Bayanihan.

For Team Bahay, the person must capture and upload the photo with their specific items and its hometown at the designated comment box on Eat Bulaga's official Facebook page in just 5 minutes. The winners will announce at the end of the episode and receive its prize the APT Studios a day later.

Bulagaan is a veteran segment of Eat Bulaga! featuring hosts delivering "knock-knock" jokes in a classroom scenario, with the hosts divided into groups, dressed in school uniforms, and singing their answers to the teacher's question. After performing, the group spins a giant roulette (numbered from 00 to 100) which is the basis of their score. The group with the lowest score will be punished at the end of the segment and later going free-for-all, throwing cream pies at each other. This segment occurs once in a while, usually during holidays or other special occasions.

In 1981, Eat Bulaga! started a tradition of suspending its regular programming during the Holy Week, replacing it with drama specials from Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday featuring inspirational stories in line with the Lenten season. The special programming stars the Eat Bulaga! hosts and special guest actors. Acclaimed film director Lino Brocka directed the very first Lenten Drama special for the noontime show in 1981.

The production of new Lenten specials was put on hold in 2008. During its seven-year hiatus, classic episodes of its old Lenten specials were aired instead. Production of new episodes were resumed in 2014, and are inspired by stories of former winners from Juan for All, All for Juan: Bayanihan of d' Pipol.^[74][37]

Eat Bulaga! has developed hundreds of segments throughout its 40-year-and-counting run. Its segments include beauty pageants, talent contests, quiz shows, interactive games, comedy sketches, and other unique concepts. In fact, certain segments have been labeled as "Tatak Eat Bulaga!" because their concepts have been naturally associated with the show itself and their success have brought remarkable popularity to the show and its participants. Notable signature Eat Bulaga! segments are Little Miss Philippines and That's My Boy, which are child beauty pageants that have become an important stepping stool for little children who would like to enter the Philippine entertainment industry. They launched the careers of Aiza Seguerra, Camille Prats, Lady Lee, Pauleen Luna, BJ Forbes, Ryzza Mae Dizon, and many others. Mr. Pogi is a beauty contest for young adult men, which became an important launchpad for the showbiz careers of Jericho Rosales and Edgar Allan Guzman. Other beauty pageants are Super Sireyna, which is regarded as the first gay beauty pageant on Philippine television after its launch in 1995, and Fat-Talbugan, a breakthrough pageant that gave heavy people a chance to show that big can also be beautiful.

In 2000, Laban o Bawi became one of the first segments to give out one million pesos as the jackpot prize in order to get the audience interest back. Prior to its launch, Eat Bulaga! faced tough competition after rival noontime show Magandang Tanghali Bayan introduced Pera o Bayong. After a 6-year successful run, the segment was replaced with Taktak Mo o Tatakbo. Laban o Bawi witnessed a short revival from 2014 to 2015 with a revamped elimination round. Another signature segment of the television show is Pinoy Henyo. In 2006, Pinoy Henyo was launched, but the game wouldn't gain its tremendous popularity until its revival in 2009.

A new trend on Eat Bulaga! is the development of subsegments for Juan for All, All for Juan: Bayanihan of d' Pipol in order to bring the show closer to the Filipino people. The segments are collaboratively presented by the studio hosts and the barangay hosts. The subsegments range from talent contests to ad-lib soap operas and may usually involve participation of barangay residents. Notable subsegments include Suffer Sireyna, That's My Tambay, Problem Solving, and Kalyeserye.

Aside from Eat Bulaga's original segments, the show also adapted and franchised game shows from other countries. Notable acquired game shows are Stop the Clock from Thailand; Hi-Lo Todo Panalo from the United States, based from the American television game show Card Sharks; Bababoom from the Netherlands; BOOM! from Israel, produced by Keshet Media Group; and Rush 4 Win Philippines: Slippery Stairs from Japan, produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc.

Eat Bulaga! has aired several television specials in primetime which are held in large venues such as stadiums or arenas to accommodate large crowds. Below is an incomplete list of these specials;

The show had also aired special commercial-free episodes: Eat Bulaga!'s 33rd Anniversary Special^[77] and Eat Bulaga: Sa Tamang Panahon.^[50]

Two documentaries were produced about Eat Bulaga!. Both of these documentaries were co-produced with GMA News and Public Affairs.

Eat Bulaga! has also aired two television films which starred the Dabarkads themselves. Below is the list of films previously broadcast:

Eat Bulaga! has received an estimated 200 awards from more than 280 nominations since its debut in 1979. After winning fifteen times as the Best Variety Show, Eat Bulaga! was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009 by the PMPC Star Awards for Television.^[79] Its hosts have also been nominated in numerous different categories. The show has also received a lifetime achievement award for its more than three decades on air from the Gawad Tanglaw Awards.^[80] The Box Office Entertainment Awards has also hailed Eat Bulaga as the most popular noontime variety program five times,^[81] while Golden Screen TV Awards has honored the show with four awards as an outstanding variety program.^[82] FAMAS Awards has also honored the legendary trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon for their contributions to Philippine television and cinema.^[83] Its 25th anniversary celebration won in the Best Entertainment (One-Off/Annual) category of the 2005 Asian Television Award, becoming one of the first awards won by the show from an international award-giving body.^[84] Its producer, Antonio P. Tuviera, was given an excellence award by the Filipino Franchise Show for being the first to have successfully franchised a Filipino television show to Indonesia.^[83]

The show has also been honored numerous times by academe-based minor award-giving bodies from across the country, including Global City Innovative College, Bataan Peninsula State University, Holy Angel University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Northwest Samar State University, Trinity University of Asia, Lyceum of the Philippines University, and University of Santo Tomas. Awards given by these universities are usually voted by the students to recognize excellence in the field of broadcasting and entertainment.

Eat Bulaga! currently broadcasts from the APT Studios (formerly KB Entertainment Studios) in Cainta, Rizal since December 8, 2018.^[48][46]