The series is hosted by mainstays referred to as "Dabarkads"note and consists of various game and talent show segments along with live performances from the hosts and/or guest acts.
An Indonesian version called Eat Bulaga! Indonesia also aired from 2012 to 2019, making it the first time that a Filipino television program was franchised by another country. This is then followed by another overseas franchise, Eat Bulaga! Myanmar, which was announced on July 30, 2019 in time for their 40th anniversary.
On May 31, 2023, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon, the final original hosts, announced that they were leaving Eat Bulaga! following a highly-publicised dispute between Tito, Vic and Joey and TAPE heads (pun not intended) Romeo Jalosjos and his son Bullet, with the rest of the "Legit Dabarkads" resigning as well. Reruns of previous episodes featuring TVJ and the original casts were aired from May 31 to June 3, 2023 before the show's resumed production was teased on Sunday, June 4, 2023, and subsequently returning to original programming with new hosts (without TVJ) on June 5. In July 1, 2023, the original cast moved to TV5 where they launched a new show simply known as E.A.T., which served as a placeholder title until a decision was made on December 6, 2023 when the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) ruled in favor of TVJ's camp over the ownership of the brand, effectively legitimizing TVJ's claim over the Bulaga trademarks. Needless to say, there was much rejoicing from loyal fans of the show, with the Legit Dabarkads singing
the original lyrics to the Eat Bulaga! theme song in celebration.
In January 2024, TAPE, Inc. renamed their iteration of Bulaga to Tahanang Pinakamasaya (transl. Happiest Home) per a court ruling ordering them to cease their use of the Bulaga trademarks; TVJ then reverted their show's name to Eat Bulaga, now stylised as EAT... BULAGA!. This also coincided with the show's return to RPN via weekend simulcast after 35 years.note Tahanang Pinakamasaya proved to be short-lived, as the show only lasted for 50 episodes before it was cancelled on March 2, 2024 due to low ratings.
Eat Bulaga! contains the following tropes:
- all lowercase letters: The logo from 2004-2018 rendered as eat bulaga!
- Audience Participation: It's pretty common for the hosts to interact with the audience in some way. For example, they might take selfies with smiling audience members.
- Christmas Episode: Special Christmas segments are shown in episodes that air around that time of year.
- Chorus Girls: For 1999 onwards, The SexBomb Girls. Named after the Tom Jones hit "Sex Bomb", and originally serving as backup dancers for the noontime show, the original 2000s-era lineup have since ventured into singing and acting, starting with the seasonal telenovela called Daisy Siete, and other telenovela roles.
- End of an Age: The show's June 3, 2023 replay episode, being the last instance and episode to see TVJ and the original casts on GMA, marked an end of an era for Eat Bulaga! under TAPE, Inc., especially considering how the TVJ had been on the show since July 30, 1979, only for them to quit after nearly half a century due to a corporate feud between them and their erstwhile bosses - to be specific, the new management of the said production company which is owned by the Jalosjos family.
- Fun with Acronyms: Television And Production Exponents Inc., also known as TAPE, Inc., which is the show's former producer. This however became at least somewhat artifactual when videotape became obsolete in favour of digital recordings.
- Genre Shift: With their Lenten specials, where they cast aside their gags and musical/game show numbers in favor of inspirational or faith-based dramas in time for the Lenten season.
- Heartbeat Soundtrack: In the segment Jackpot En Poy, the sound of a heart beating plays before people decide whether to throw rock, paper, or scissors.
- Kayfabe: The AlDub segments — a spinoff of the "Problem Solving" segment involving a Kayfabe relationship between Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza — went to the point that any interviews with Mendoza had to be conducted in written form or with someone else speaking on her behalf as her real voice was not supposed to be revealed until September 2015 when Maine, then known in character as Yaya Dub, met Alden in person for the first time; Mendoza, in her Yaya Dub persona, communicated mainly through audio samples taken from various popular songs and media.
- Long-Runner Cast Turnover: The first three Dabarkads, Vic Sotto, Tito Sotto, and Joey de Leon, are still on the show even after all these years. The cast of co-hosts, on the other hand, has seen constant changes throughout the show's run. The Legit Dabarkadsnote left TAPE Inc. (but not leaving "Eat Bulaga!" itself) in 2023 and new hosts such as Paolo Contis and Betong Sumaya were introduced.
- Long-Runners: Barring network changes from RPN, ABS-CBN, GMA and finally on TV 5, the show has been on air since July 30, 1979.
- The Moral Substitute: Compared to It's Showtime, as both the hosts and the Eat Bulaga! fans (commonly known as "Dabarkads" and/or "EB Fam") brag about their taste in comedy in contrast to Vice Ganda's reliance on insult comedy at the expense of others. But as stated above, Eat Bulaga! does have its less-than-wholesome moments.
- Pie in the Face: It's a staple in the "Bulagaan" segments. When a host's song or joke is deemed to be bad or unfunny, he or she gets the pie in the face. After that, free for all pie slinging between the hosts ensues.
- Please Subscribe to Our Channel: The YouTube description asks you to "SUBSCRIBE to our channel now to get exclusive videos and full episodes of Eat Bulaga! Be with your favorite Dabarkads 24/7!"
- Product Placement: Segments from the show are often if not always sponsored by the likes of Ajinomoto, Coca-Cola or some other company of note. A recurring sponsor was Mila's Lechon, a restaurant in the Philippines whose commercials often show up during episodes, as well as Dakak Resort which is owned by the Jalosjos clan.
- Pun: The phrase "Juan For All, All For Juan" is a pun on the phrase "all for one, one for all" and the name Juan, referring to Juan dela Cruz, the national personification of the Philippines representing a Filipino everyman.
- Replaced the Theme Tune: An iteration of Eat Bulaga! produced by TAPE Inc. released a new theme song on July 29, 2023, almost two months after TVJ left the show. However, since January 6, 2024, with the rebranding of it's iteration to "Tahanang Pinakamasaya!", the lyrics were muted.
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: The segment Jackpot En Poy is a rock–paper–scissors tournament for a cash prize.
- Ship Tease: The hosts are very fond of this.
- The AlDub pairing happened because of this.
- Another case is Steffi and Jeremy, both choices in the Bawal Judgmental segment. When both revealed to be 24-years-old and single, the hosts decided to ship them with the approval of Steffi's mother and the audience.
- Shout-Out: The name of EB Fone Home, a segment which ran from 2004 to 2006, is a reference to the quote "E.T. phone home".
- Valentine's Day Episode: The segment "Heart to Get" is about finding good dates for Valentine's Day.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Jose, Wally and Paolo, in character as the Lolas during the "Kalyeserye" segments. In addition, Paolo himself has also made a career out of it outside of Bulaga for his makeup transformations and drag performances.
- You Are Fat: Ruby Rodriguez in particular, though in fairness she does take the jokes in stride, and also to an extent with Ryzza Mae Dizon.
E.A.T. contains the following tropes:
- Artificial Intelligence: In line with the AI boom of the 2020s, E.A.T. introduces artificial intelligence-based co-hosts as part of the cast, whose appearances were humorously deepfaked from some of the actual hosts.
- Funny Foreigner: Tugue Zombie, a Nigerian expatriate content creator who previously gained viral popularity as a Tagalog-speaking vlogger.
- Fun with Acronyms: "E.A.T." apparently stands for several meanings, including "Eto Ang Tunay," "Eto Ang True," "Eto Ang Title" and "Everyday, Always Together!" as Tito Vic and Joey continued with their legal efforts to reclaim the Eat Bulaga! trademarks.
- Insistent Terminology: The show's cast (and their loyal fans dating back from the Bulaga days) assert that TVJ and their posse are the real deal, dismissing the 2023 Bulaga cast as mere usurpers.
- Product Placement: Most if not all of TVJ's previous sponsors transitioned to the new show.
- Suicide as Comedy: Particularly that controversial joke Joey de Leon made about the things commonly worn around the neck, which was construed by many as alluding to suicide by hanging. While fans of the show insist it was taken way out of context, de Leon's history of cracking edgy, controversial jokes makes this excuse moot point.
- Start My Own: The main impetus behind E.A.T. after TVJ grew resentful over how TAPE, Inc. handled the show.
- Virtual Sidekick: The AI hosts.
- Writing Around Trademarks: Besides the above-mentioned placeholder title, the show used the original Bulaga theme tune, replacing "Eat Bulaga!" with "E—A—T!" for legal reasons. The game show segments were also altered somewhat from their original Bulaga concepts, also for legal reasons. Following the December 6 IPOPHIL ruling, the theme tune was restored to its original state, and with the January 6 Marikina court ruling preventing TAPE from using the trademark, the trope has been averted in full.
- Wrong-Name Outburst: The Legit Dabarkads, particularly TVJ, have been so iconic as the original cast of Bulaga that a number of contestants on the *other* Bulaga would mistakenly thank "Tito, Vic and Joey" for their prize despite the original trio being no longer part of the cast.
