One fine, sunny day, there was a young, good-looking man named Alden. He was in a studio, sitting with the audience as he watched the show away from the stage. While warming up his seat, his attention was suddenly caught by a personal housekeeper named Yaya Dub as she mimicked a soundbite.
Unbeknownst to them, their faces were flashed without any cues. It was a spontaneous encounter—something like love at first sight.
The pure spark between Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza created a new concept for lunchtime television. Eat Bulaga, the long-reigning noontime variety show, produced an accidental fairytale—a love story that gave the romance genre a refresh. It was a drama skit, a segment inside the show’s Juan for All. As such, their daily routines and gushy, flirtatious moments were made and aired live.
Because of its nature, they had to improvise their dialogues by dubbing their lines from preexisting audio, similar to those from Dubsmash. Alden and Yaya Dub had to sustain the fever and fervor of their ‘kilig’ moments. This saw her boss, the conservative and stern Lola Nidora, raising her concern. By invoking her eye-widening shocker ‘babala,’ she served as the firewall between the budding pair.
There were trials and tribulations. Yaya Dub was put in an arranged marriage to Frankie Arrenoli, played by Jose Manalo. Later on, when things were seemingly romantic between them, Alden and Yaya were met with a barrier that fell between them. But with a change of heart from Nidora and his sheer persistence, both characters finally met sa tamang panahon—at the right time.
Imagine noontime without them—we might still be filling our senses with comedic laughter and short-form contests. And while these may still be the norm today, AlDub and their Kalyeserye created a force that proved to everyone that romance is possible on live TV. It was so widely anticipated that even its competitor could not place “Pastillas Girl” as a viable alternative.
Moreover, their story was, to put it in the vernacular, dikit sa sikmura ng masa. In an era when Filipinos were starting to embrace newer concepts in dating and falling in love, AlDub seemed to strike a chord with viewers who believed that romance has to—and must—be done right. Hahamakin ang lahat, or risking one’s limits to prove his or her desire beyond feeling, was perpetuated in their story. This was received well by stay-at-home wives, whose conservative values aligned with Nidora and the lolas.
Ten years have passed, and so much has changed between the main players of this noontime fairytale. Various demands for a reunion from their loyal fans have been made.
Eat Bulaga is now airing under different circumstances. Alden and Maine, now the wife of actor and public servant Arjo Atayde, are busy with their own personal and showbiz commitments. One may seem to think that the AlDub phenomenon could only be a thing of the past.
But be with me here on this: their mystique remains eminent. Their glory has not faded. And the story of Alden and Yaya Dub will continue to live on for years to come.
