MANILA, Philippines – Showbiz trio Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon revived on their noon show, E.A.T., a popular word guessing game segment after it was reported that the noon show’s rating fell behind its two main variety show competitors. 

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On Friday, July 21, a modified Pinoy Henyo (Pinoy Genius) – Gimme 5: Laro ng mga Henyo (Give me 5: The Genuis’ Game) – was played on E.A.T. on TV5 with Team Arte, composed of actresses Ryza Cenon and Louise delos Reyes, defeating two other teams. 

The game is similar to the popular word party game Charades. Pinoy Henyo had been one of the hit segments on TAPE Incorporated’s Eat Bulaga! The Sotto brothers and De Leon left TAPE last June 30 along with other Legit Dabarkads and moved to the Kapatid network.

Cenon and Delos Reyes defeated TV5 flagship news program Frontline Pilipinas news anchors Karen Kaladkaren and Mikee Reyes in the elimination round on Friday before taking the P50,000 prize in the jackpot game after guessing all five words.

GMA Network Incorporated’s (GMA) flagship news program 24 Oras disclosed on Thursday, July 20, that two noon shows that air on the Kapuso’s free tv channels, Eat Bulaga! on GMA-7, and It’s Showtime on GTV, had higher ratings than E.A.T. on July 19, Wednesday. 

Eat Bulaga! got a rating of 4% while It’s Showtime got a combined rating of 3.3% from the four platforms where it can be viewed (GTV, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, and Jeepney TV). TVJ Productions’ E.A.T. on TV5 was last among the three shows with a 3% rating.

The rating is based on overnight data of Nielsen TV Audience Measurement (TAM), Total Philippines.

On Friday afternoon, July 21, TV5 countered by releasing Nielsen’s TV ratings which showed E.A.T. winning the ratings on Thursday, July 20 with 4.21% while Eat Bulaga! scored 3.51% and It’s Showtime registering 3.3% on its combined platforms. 

TAPE is the blocktimer of Eat Bulaga! on GMA-7 while ABS-CBN Corporation moved It’s Showtime from TV5 to GTV. 

E.A.T. also held a special bridal shower segment on Saturday, July 22, for E.A.T. mainstay and social media influencer Maine Mendoza, who is set to marry actor Arjo Atayde this year. 

Mendoza thanked Tito, Vic, Joey and the rest of her colleagues in E.A.T. for the support she received from them through the years. 

This and the Gimme 5: Laro ng mga Henyo segment could improve E.A.T.‘s ratings this weekend. E.A.T’s Vortas 5, a talent competition involving male hunks, could be a factor in the E.A.T.’s ratings dip ever since the show started on TV5.

Meantime, De Leon took an apparent dig at TAPE’s Eat Bulaga! on Monday, July 24, as he posted an image of tv ratings which showed E.A.T. beating its competitors over the weekend. 

“GUMAWA HINDI GUMAYA! LUMIKHA HINDI KAMUKHA! (Make not copy! Create not look-alike!),” De Leon, the creator of the Eat Bulaga! show name, said. 

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A post shared by Joey de Leon (@angpoetnyo)

Some netizens who reacted to his post expressed hope that Tito, Vic, and Joey would eventually get to use the entertainment trademark on TV5. Their intellectual property dispute with TAPE was still pending as of posting.

TVJ Productions’ E.A.T. on TV5 topped the ratings on Saturday, July 22, when Maine Mendoza held a bridal shower segment on the noon variety show. 

E.A.T. scored 4.94% while It’s Showtime got 3.55% from its combined platforms. Eat Bulaga! registered 3.24%. 

E.A.T. also won the ratings game when it was launched on July 1 on tycoon and sport patron Manny Pangilinan’s TV5 channel. E.A.T. got a high 8.4% while It’s Showtime had a combined 3.94% on its main channels, GTV (2.39%), A2Z (1.28%), and the Kapamilya Channel on cable providers (0.27%). TAPE’s Eat Bulaga! was last among the three with 2.62%.

TV5 is on another attempt to improve ratings so it can turn a profit hopefully in 2024. Pangilinan acquired the station from businessman-philanthropist Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco in 2010. – Rappler.com

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