AlDub


AlDub was a love team which originated from the Kalyeserye portion of the "Juan for All, All for Juan" segment of the variety show Eat Bulaga! The name was derived from a portmanteau of the name of the two characters in Kalyeserye, namely Filipino actor Alden Richards, who portrays a fictionalized version of himself, and Yaya Dub, portrayed by Dubsmash Queen personality and socialite actress Maine Mendoza, who initially does not talk and interacts through lip-syncing.

Background

A 30-minute to 1-hour soap opera parody titled Kalyeserye was created within the "Juan for All, All for Juan" segment for the tandem, featuring live improv acting from the AlDub supercouple and its additional characters–Filipino comedians Wally Bayola, Jose Manalo, and Paolo Ballesteros as various characters. The segment proved to be a success in both broadcast television and social media, resulting in a significant increase of viewership and popularity of Eat Bulaga!. In addition, it has also contributed to the careers of Richards and Mendoza.
As of late, different media outlets had hailed AlDub as a "social media phenomenon" following its success in trending everyday on Twitter and other social media platforms. Record-breaking tweets correlate to a pivotal episode of Kalyeserye, mostly about AlDub's continuing romance. Such is the case on September 5, 2015, as the couple finally saw each other for the first time after their respective performances in the Bulaga Pa More! Dabarkads Edition wildcard round. Subsequent meetings for the pair happened in the weeks that followed, advancing the storyline of Kalyeserye.
On September 26, 2015, they first reached record-breaking tweets on Twitter for #ALDubEBforLOVE with 25.6 million tweets in just a day, breaking their own record of 12.1 million tweets within 24 hours for #ALDUBMostAwaitedDate on September 19, 2015.
On October 24, 2015, the couple finally got to meet properly without hindrances through Eat Bulaga!s grand benefit concert at the Philippine Arena dubbed as "Sa Tamang Panahon". The concert was part of the show's 36th anniversary and held as a celebration to Eat Bulaga! and a tribute to the fans of AlDub. Proceeds were used to fund libraries for certain schools across the Philippines. That day, the hashtag #ALDubEBTamangPanahon reached over 41 million tweets within 24 hours, beating the record of the 2014 World Cup semi-final match between Brazil and Germany, which consists of 37.6 million tweets within 24 hours. Rishi Jaitly, one of the executives of Twitter said that the tweets were "real, fresh and organic." Apart from social media records, the concert also recorded a live audience of 55,000 people and set another record after tickets for the event sold out in less than 3 days.

Beginnings

In 2015, Alden Richards, who had finished filming the miniseries Ilustrado, was invited to join Eat Bulaga! as a host for a month-long trial period, hosting various segments such as "Pak Na Pak" and later, "That's My Bae" with Indian-Filipino radio disc jockey Sam YG. A month later, Maine Mendoza, who had initially gained popularity for posting Dubsmash videos in various social media platforms, auditioned for the program after catching the attention of its producers. Mendoza officially entered showbiz on July 4, 2015. She recalled that she was originally cast as a lawyer for Eat Bulaga!s "Juan for All, All for Juan" segment but was ultimately cast as Yaya Dub, a personal assistant for comedian Wally Bayola's Lola Nidora character. Utilizing her Dubsmash popularity, Mendoza only communicates in the series through vocal dubbing and was initially portrayed as the snobbish Yaya Dub. On the show's July 16, 2015 episode, Yaya Dub broke character when she was caught being kilig seeing Richards on the show's live split screen, prompting Eat Bulagas producers to make an onscreen couple of the two. On October 1, 2015, their first duet happened when Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards sang "Wish I May", a song by the latter, and "God Gave Me You", a hit song by Bryan White. Mike Tuviera, a resident director for the show, revealed that the tandem was made by accident. The name "AlDub" was conceived as a portmanteau of the tandem's names, Alden and Yaya Dub And despite being featured in the show, the couple did not meet with each other for the first few weeks of the segment and only interacted through the show's split-screen frame and conversing in dubbed audio samples of popular songs and lines from popular films and TV series as well as through handwritten messages shown on screen.

Kalyeserye

Due to the audiences' positive reception to the AlDub pairing, Eat Bulaga!s producers decided to make a 30-minute soap opera parody in its "Juan For All, All for Juan" segment for the tandem. Pegged as a "Kalyeserye", it was described as a parody of Philippine television dramas performed by improv acting, which was broadcast live from a barangay street featured in the "Juan for All, All for Juan" set. Poochie Rivera, one of the program's directors, described it as "natural and unscripted", saying that "Nothing is rehearsed. We are trying to maintain the spontaneity because that is a big part of its charm.". Starring the AlDub love team, the Kalyeserye also features Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Paolo Ballesteros and other casts and characters.
Some of the running gags and storylines throughout the parody include the "Pabebe Wave" between Alden and Yaya Dub, Lola Nidora lobbying for a pairing between Yaya Dub and Frankie, and the incompetence of the numerous Rogelios, Lola Nidora's bodyguards. The Kalyeserye's main storyline is the Cinderella-like forbidden courtship between the AlDub tandem, with its paramount goal being the first physical meeting between the two, a move continually opposed by Lola Nidora.

"Tamang Panahon"

On the October 24, 2015 episode of Eat Bulaga!, approximately 55,000 people gathered at the Philippine Arena for a benefit concert that highlighted the love team of Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards. One hundred percent of ticket sales was allotted for the AlDub Library Outreach Project. With 41 million in total tweets within 24 hours, #ALDubEBTamangPanahon, the official hashtag of the event, broke their own Twitter record as well as breaking the global record for the most number of tweets within 24 hours previously held by the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final match between Brazil and Germany.
Once again their television rating soared, this time beating the level of the Manny Pacquiao fights, posting a stunning 50.8 percent in Mega Manila and 40.1 percent nationwide.
And this is the only time where Eat Bulaga broadcast the show live and commercial-free.

Films

Beyond Kalyeserye, the AlDub love team has appeared in two films portraying different characters separate from their roles in Kalyeserye.

''My Bebe Lovefilms''

Their first feature-length film, titled My Bebe Love, was entered into the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival and was the top grosser with an opening-day gross of 60.5 million Philippine pesos. By day 5, it had grossed some 214 million pesos On the 10th day of 41st MMFF, the movie had earned P322 million pesos. The total gross of the movie is 385 million pesos.
At the Metro Manila Film Festival awards night, Maine Mendoza won the title of Best Supporting actress.

''Imagine You and Me''

On July 13, 2016, three days before the anniversary of AlDub, Imagine You and Me was shown in cinemas worldwide as an anniversary gift to the fans of AlDub. In the film, Richards and Mendoza played as star-crossed lovers with the opposite view of love. A great majority of the film was shot in Italy and the Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines gave a B grade. The film grossed over PHP21.5 million on its first day making it the highest-grossing opening day in 2016 to date.

''Love is...''

On October 21, 2017, the AlDub love team starred in Eat Bulaga!s "film made for television" titled Love is..., directed by Adolf Alix, Jr.
"The first ever telemovie that will redefine love, promise, and commitment. The story that will tell us what ‘love is.’"

Reception

The AlDub couple became an overnight phenomenon on both television and social media. The pivotal meeting episode between the AlDub tandem on August 8, 2015 scored a 32% percent rating and a 300% increase in viewership for Eat Bulaga! in the Mega Manila Region, according to the Nielsen ratings conducted by AGB Nielsen Philippines. On a weekly survey by Kantar Media Philippines, the tandem was cited in helping the program to become a number one daytime program for weeks. According to AGB Nielsen's research, Eat Bulaga!s August 12, 2015 episode marked an all-time high in viewership for the year with a 36.1% rating, in the Mega Manila Region, which was mainly alluded to the tandem's near-meeting. Rivera also theorized that the coupling's successful response from audiences was because of the Filipinos who can relate with their predicament. He remarked "People who have partners who work abroad often communicate and pursue their relationship online, through Skype or FaceTime." Pauleen Luna, a cast member of Eat Bulaga!, commented that AlDub "has brought a different kind of energy to the show." Anna Leah Sarabia, a Filipino anthropologist, cited the "Kalyeserye"'s use of fairy tale and soap opera's tropes helped in tandem's increasing popularity, saying that "It’s a 'Cinderella' story that's fake and true-life at the same time." Filipino television executive Malou Choa-Fagar also cited the unpredictable nature of the Kalyeserye had largely contributed to the AlDub success. In social media site Twitter, hashtags with AlDub became top trending topics in both the Philippine and Worldwide trends. Various outlets also lauded the show's use of old and new media for the AlDub tandem, which also pulsated in raising the value of the Dubsmash app in the Philippines. The popularity of the tandem even reached some schools and became a topic discussed in classrooms; for instance in a University of the Philippines Diliman Filipino class. Several Filipino politicians also referenced the AlDub couple in various interviews: Ralph Recto cited the tandem as a symbolism regarding the Philippine Land Transportation Office license plates, while Mar Roxas also referenced AlDub in his 2016 presidential campaign.
The success of the AlDub tandem also contributed to the careers of Richards and Mendoza. The AlDub's success has helped Richards secure a four-year film contract with APT Entertainment and a recording deal with GMA Records, while the Philippine Basketball Association teams Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, Mahindra Enforcers and Talk N' Text Tropang Texters was also reported to have been considering inviting Mendoza as their muse for the 2015–16 PBA season but she turned down. Mendoza and Richards also appeared in separate profile interviews regarding the AlDub's success on the television program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Richards also had an episode of his life story on Magpakailanman. Tuviera also revealed in an interview about a possibility of making 2015 feature film starring the AlDub couple. Another report also confirmed that Richards and Mendoza will be part of 41st Metro Manila Film Festival entry My Bebe Love starring Vic Sotto and Ai Ai delas Alas. It also started taping two commercials, for Talk N' Text and McDonald's, they were also awarded the Most Popular Breakout Love Team of the Year, in the recently concluded EdukCircle Awards.
AlDub tandem had granted the request, that they will not endorse any politicians running for the 2016 presidential election in which senator Tito Sotto, one of the main hosts said as per advice from the Eat Bulaga's management.
The two also scored magazine covers due to insistent public demands. The two were featured on YES! Magazine's November 2015 issue and for Preview magazine, Maine on Meg, and Alden for Megaman. The Tres Lolas were also featured in another celebrity magazine for the same month.
Below is the list of Eat Bulaga Kalyeserye episodes #AlDub
TitleEpisodesRatingsDate and yearCompany
Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
Yaya Dub meets Alden21.1%July 16, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
On-screen22.6%July 18, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub PaMore24.6%July 28, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub to the Rescue28.1%August 1, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub We Belong Together32.4%August 8, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub Game of Destiny31.6%August 11, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub Bulaga pa more!36.1%August 12, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub For you I will33.8%August 15, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub Against all odds39%August 22, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub MiaDen Heaven34%August 29, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub the Revelation35.1%August 31, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub Battle for a cause39.5%Sept. 5, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub the Abduction36%Sept. 12, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub Most Awaited Date43.1%Sept. 19, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub EB for Love45.7%Sept. 26, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub meets TVJ42.7%Oct. 3, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
EB Dabarkads pa more!40.7%Oct. 10, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub The Big Surprise38.8%Oct. 17, 2015AGB Nielsen


Eat Bulaga
Kalyserye
AlDub EB "Tamang Panahon"50.8%Oct. 24, 2015AGB Nielsen



Social media

From 3.5 million tweets in 24 hours, the AlDub Twitter following grew exponentially, it doubled to 6 million plus on September 5, 2015, doubling further to 12 million on September 19, 2015, and On September 26, 2015, they have reached the highest tweets in Twitter for #ALDubEBforLOVE with 25.6 million tweets in just a day, breaking their own record of 12.1 million tweets within 24 hours for #ALDUBMostAwaitedDate on September 19. Both episodes of the Kalyeserye marked special milestones for the relationship of the AlDub supercouple. They even surpassed the 25.6 million tweets when the two have their #ALDubEBTamangPanahon in the Philippine Arena last October 24, 2015 with a whooping 41 million tweets. Their television rating also went over the roof going to the level of the Manny Pacquiao fights posting a high 45.7 percent in Mega Manila, while Philippine wide rating was at 30.8 percent.
Rishi Jaitly, Twitter's Vice President of Media, Asia Pacific and Middle East, said that AlDub is a global phenomenon. He initially thought that tweets were not authentic but after internally checking it, he concluded that phenomenon is real and not a sideshow.
AlDub has gained the global record for the most tweeter feed in 24 hours. Some sectors has referred to the phenomenon as an example of a black swan event.

The "AlDub Nation" fandom

Fans of AlDub are commonly referred to as "AlDub Nation", tagging the word nation as it was able to capture three large audiences: overseas workers, people who are often at home, and millennials. These audiences played a crucial role in shaping and sustaining AlDub's massive appeal and influence in Filipino pop culture.
The AlDub Nation boasts a well-organized network of fan club chapters both locally and internationally. There are currently 43 chapters across the Philippines and 44 international chapters, demonstrating the global reach of the fandom and its impact on AlDub's continued success.
A netizen who goes by his moniker “Don Simoun Ibarra” is one of the sources of Lola Nidora's old pictures, which have garnered thousands of likes and shares on Facebook and Twitter also founded a Twitter-based fan club of working professionals called "AlDub Elite". In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Don Simoun, who chose not to reveal his real identity, admitted that he is a certified “AlDub” fan, and that he is inspired by the series’ hidden message and moral lessons.
The AlDub verified page on Facebook has over 1,000,000 likers; and the fan club with the highest number of followers on Twitter has over 700,000 followers – numbers which may potentially increase as AlDub's popularity has yet to show signs of waning.
On Saturday, records were broken when the hashtag #ALDUBEBTamangPanahon resonated all over the world, resulting in 41 million tweets sent. While a lot of tweets came from the Philippines, there was a large number of tweets from the East and West Coasts of the U.S., Japan, Europe, and the Middle East. Two-thirds of all the tweets came from outside of the Philippines.
In an interview from CNN Philippines, it was said that the reason why AlDub-related hashtags work is because of teamwork between different fan clubs on Twitter. There were subgroups which had primary goals such as hashtag trendsetters that sets up hashtags for the day to be used during the show, statistics to monitor tweet counts, hashtag policies that guards the fandom by making sure that they use the correct hashtag and its spelling, and its fandom and character parody accounts that help the fandom to communicate and keep on tweeting.
Eat Bulaga has raised P14 million from ticket sales from the "Tamang Panahon" concert for its library project. Wally Bayola, in character as Lola Nidora, announced this on Saturday during the opening segment of the noontime show. Powered by the AlDub phenomenon with the thrust of AlDub Nation, Eat Bulaga sold out the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena in just three days. The show earlier said it was donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the show to its project which aims to build "AlDub Libraries" at selected schools nationwide. Fans who were unable to buy tickets were also given the opportunity to donate to the project.
Outside of the series, AlDub Nation had also used their hashtags to participate in community service or "bayanihans" and other good deeds. Among them were supporting the campaign to stop lumad killings, gathering donations for a book drive for lumad children, charity concerts for the Mangyans, outreach and feeding programs, and an awareness campaign for dengue prevention.

Cultural impact

Sociological analysis

On Chika Minute of GMA News' 24 Oras, sociologist Brother Clifford Sorita linked the positive audience reception of the AlDub to the Yaya Dub's Cinderella complex. Sorita says that many can relate to Yaya Dub's situation, portrayed as an ordinary woman who hopes for someone popular or a "prince charming" to notice her. Sonita also described that Maine Mendoza, who portrays the character of Yaya Dub as a "diamond in the rough" an ordinary person whose talent and potential maybe discovered through ordinary means. Mendoza was discovered through the internet through her Dubsmash videos.

Cultural references

The Manila Times in an editorial cartoon depicted that many national issues in the Philippines are being permanently ignored because of the popularity of AlDub, Korean dramas and K-pop in the Philippines.

Awards

People Asia Magazine hailed Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza as People of the Year 2016. Guinness World Records recognized AlDub as record-breaker in Twitter history for generating 40,706,392 tweets in the "Tamang Panahon" event in Philippine Arena. Here are AlDub's other awards:
OrganizationYearWork / NomineeCategoryResultRef.
28th Aliw Awards2015Live Performance
Alden Richards with Maine Mendoza
Breakthrough Performers of the YearWon
BBC News2015AlDubSocial Media PhenomenonWon
4th Catholic Social Media Award2015Aldub with Lola Nidora in KalyeseryeCatholic Social Media AwardWon
Comguild Awards2017Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza "Aldub"Advertiser's Most Admired LoveteamWon
Comguild Awards2020Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza "Aldub"Advertiser's Most Admired LoveteamWon
EdukCircle Awards2015Alden Richards and Maine MendozaMost Popular Breakout Loveteam of the YearWon
EdukCircle Awards2016Aldub in EB's Kalyserye Tamang PanahonSpecial Recognition for Phenomenal Act AwardWon
EdukCircle Awards2020Alden RichardsActor of the YearWon
EdukCircle Awards2020Alden RichardsMost Influential Celebrities of the Decade
EdukCircle Awards2020Maine MendozaMost Influential Celebrities of the Decade
EdukCircle Awards2020Maine MendozaActress of the YearWon
EVSU Student Choice Mass Media Awards - Ormoc Campus2016Alden Richards and Maine MendozaBest LoveteamWon
Gawad Lasallianeta2019Alden RichardsMost Outstanding Male TV PersonalityNomitated
Gawad Lasallianeta2019Maine MendozaMost Outstanding Female TV PersonalityNomitated
19th Gawad Pasado Awards2017Alden Richards and Maine MendozaGawad Dangal ng Kabataan Won
Gawad Tanglaw Awards2016Eat Bulaga's KalyseryeNatatanging Tanglaw ng Kabataan sa Sining ng TelebisyonWon
Global Innovative College Innovation Awards for Television2015Alden Richards and Maine MendozaMost Innovative Television LoveteamWon
GMMSF Box Office Entertainment Awards2016Alden RichardsBreakthrough Male Star of Philippines Movie and TelevisionWon
GMMSF Box Office Entertainment Awards2016Maine MendozaBreakthrough Female Star of Philippines Movie and TelevisionWon
GMMSF Box Office Entertainment Awards2016Highest Opening Movie Day Gross of All TimeMy Bebe Love #KiligPaMore: 60.4 millionWon
GMMSF Box Office Entertainment Awards2016Highest Record Rating of a Noontime Show of All Time Aldub's EB Tamang Panahon with 50.8 ratings on October 24, 2015Won
GMMSF Box Office Entertainment Awards2017Alden RichardsPrince of Philippine MoviesWon
GMMSF Box Office Entertainment Awards2017Maine MendozaPrincess of Philippine MoviesWon
GLOTEL Awards in London2016AlDub campaign of Smart Communications’ mainstream market brand TNTBest Operator Marketing CampaignWon
Guinness World Records2016#AlDubEBTamangPanahon: Alden and MaineMost used #hashtag in 24 hours
Honorary Consulate General of the Philippines, Texas2017Alden RichardsCertificate of Appreciation
Inside Magazine People's Choice Awards2017Alden Richards and Maine MendozaLoveteam of the YearWon
Inside Magazine People's Choice Awards2017Alden RichardsMale Trending StarWon
Inside Magazine People's Choice Awards2017Maine MendozaFemale Trending StarWon
Metro Manila Film Festival2015My BeBeLove #KiligPaMoreGatpuno J. Villegas Cultural AwardWon
Metro Manila Film Festival2015Alden RichardsBest Supporting ActorNomitated
Metro Manila Film Festival2015Maine MendozaBest Supporting ActressWon
MPS Online Awards2017Imagine You and Me SoundtrackFavorite Movie SoundtrackWon
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards2016Maine MendozaFavorite Pinoy TV PersonalityWon
NWSsU Students' Choice Awards for Radio and Television2016Alden Richards and MaineSocial Media PhenomenonWon
5th OFW Gawad Parangal2015Alden Richards and MaineMost Popular LoveteamWon
5th OFW Gawad Parangal2015Alden RichardsFavorite Male Young ActorWon
People' Asia Magazine2016Alden RichardsPeople of the YearWon
Maine Mendoza2016WonPeople of the Year-
People' Choice Entertainment Awards2016Alden Richards and Maine MendozaMost Phenomenal and Most Popular Love TeamWon
PEP List Awards2016Alden Richards and Maine MendozaNewsmaker of the YearWon
PEP List Awards2016Alden Richards and Maine MendozaCelebrity Pair of the YearWon
PEP List Awards2017Alden Richards and Maine MendozaCelebrity Pair of the YearWon
PEP List Awards2017Alden Richards and Maine MendozaNewsmaker of the YearWon
PEP List Awards2018Alden Richards and Maine MendozaCelebrity Pair of the YearWon
PEP List Awards2018Alden Richards and Maine MendozaNewsmaker of the YearWon
Philippines Walk of Fame2015Alden RichardsWalk of Fame Star
Philippines Walk of Fame2015Maine MendozaWalk of Fame Star
Platinum Stallion Media Award2016Alden RichardsMost Valuable Male EndorserWon
Platinum Stallion Media Award2016Maine MendozaMost Valuable Female EndorserWon
PMPC Star Awards for Movies2016My Bebe Love: #KiligPaMore: Alden and MaineMovie Loveteam of the YearNomitated
PMPC Star Awards for Movies2016Alden RichardsDarling Press of the YearNomitated
PMPC Star Awards for Movies2016Maine MendozaNew Movie Actress of the YearNomitated
PMPC Star Awards for Movies2017Imagine You And Me: Alden and MaineMovie Loveteam of the YearNomitated
PMPC Star Awards for Movies2017Alden RichardsMovie Actor of the YearNomitated
PMPC Star Awards for Movies2017Movie Original Theme Song for Imagine You and Me: Alden and Maine, Marivic Sotto and Jimmy AntipordaMovie Original Theme Song of the YearWon
PMPC Star Awards for Movies2017Imagine You and MeMovie of the YearNomitated
PMPC Star Awards for Television2015Alden Richards and Maine MendozaGerman Moreno's Tandem AwardWon
PMPC Star Awards for Television2018Alden RichardsBest Male TV HostWon
PMPC Star Awards for Television2018Maine MendozaBest Female TV HostWon
PUSH Awards2015Alden Richards and Maine MendozaFavorite Group or TandemNomitated
PUSH Awards2015Alden Richards and Maine MendozaMost Loved Group or TandemNomitated
12th USTv Students Choice Awards2016Alden Richards and Maine MendozaSocial Media PhenomenonWon
Voice Social Media Awards2017Alden Richards and Maine MendozaPinoy Pair of the YearWon
Voice Social Media Awards2017Destined to be YoursPinoy Teleserye of the YearWon
Voice Social Media Awards2017Alden RichardsHottest Pinoy of the YearWon
Voice Social Media Awards2017Maine MendozaMost Beautiful Pinay of the YearWon
Voice Social Media Awards2017Maine MendozaPinoy Social Media Icon of the YearWon
Yes! Magazine2016Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza100 Most Beautiful Stars