(, abbreviated TNT) is a Philippine television reality competition broadcast by ABS-CBN. Originally hosted by Jaime dela Rosa, Patsy and Lopito, it aired from 1954 to September 1972 and from March 8, 1987, to November 26, 1989, before its replacement by Sa Linggo nAPO Sila. The show returned as a segment of It's Showtime on January 2, 2016. Vhong Navarro, Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis, Amy Perez, Karylle, Ogie Alcasid, Kim Chiu and Darren Espanto are the hosts. Dubbed as "Your All-Time Favorite Search for Outstanding Amateur Talents", the competition is open to Filipino contestants from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and overseas.
The segment premiered on January 2, 2016, and was successful for the next ten seasons, two kids' editions, one celebrity edition, two all-star editions, and two duet editions. There have been seventeen winners: Noven Belleza, Jhon Clyd Talili, Janine Berdin, Elaine Duran, Ethel Booba, Mark Michael Garcia, JM Yosures, Reiven Umali, Lyka Estrella, Marielle Montellano & JM Dela Cerna of Sidlak Bisdak, Rea Gen Villareal, Kim Hewitt, Carmelle Collado, Marko Rudio, Kent Villarba, Arvery Love Lagoring and Christian Tibayan of OST Dreamers, and Yannie Paul Basical.
History First and second versions (1954–1972, 1987–1989) Tawag ng Tanghalan (originally known as Purico Amateur Hour) debuted as a radio talent-search program on the Republic Broadcasting System's (now GMA Network) DZBB-AM in 1954. Its second incarnation was originally hosted by Frankie Evangelista, Danny Javier and Nanette Inventor and aired on ABS-CBN, with dance and acting-contest portions which supported the main amateur singing competition, from March 8, 1987, to November 26, 1989. Season one ran from March 8, 1987, to January 17, 1988, season two from February 14 to December 25, 1988, and season three from January 15 to November 26, 1989.
Noted OPM artists such as Armand Panlilio, Nora Aunor, Novo Bono Jr., Pepe Pimentel, Edgar Mortiz and Diomedes Maturan were among the winners of the original show. Caloy Alde, later a noted Philippine comedian, joined the second version of Tawag ng Tanghalan in its acting contest.
Third version (2016present) Tawag ng Tanghalan returned as a daily segment on ABS-CBN's noontime variety program, It's Showtime, in 2016.
Format
From 1987 to 1989 and since 2016, contestants in Tawag ng Tanghalan perform before a live audience and are scored by a panel of judges which includes a punong hurado (head judge) and two to four other judges. If a contestant begins to sing out of tune, the head judge may eliminate them mid-performance with a hand signal to a gong-master who strikes a gong three times (ending the performance). The gong is not used on the kids' editions to avoid discouraging young performers, with decisions based on the judges' scores.
Face-off format
Adopted in seasons one, two, three, four, six, seven, nine, Celebrity Champions and Kids 1, the face-off format has three or four contestants representing Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Each performs a self-selected song daily. The contestant with the highest score advances to the face-off round to challenge the defending champion and attempt to win the golden microphone. The contestant with the highest score becomes the new defending champion, and may defend their title for up to ten consecutive days. The gong is not used, and decisions are based on the judges' scores.
If all daily contestants are gonged, no daily winner is declared; the defending champion automatically advances by default. A contestant who wins for five consecutive days qualifies for the semifinals; they may choose to opt out or continue until they are dethroned or have a ten-day winning streak. A contestant with ten consecutive wins enters the hall of fame and receives additional rewards, such as a cash prize, a recorded single, or an advantage in subsequent rounds. Each defending champion receives ₱25,000 per win.
Several versions of the face-off format have been introduced: Gong removal: The gong was removed from the kids' editions to avoid disheartening them, and judging relied on the judges' scores. In the first seventeen episodes, all three contestants could challenge the defending champion; eventually, contestants were limited to a five-day defense of the golden microphone. Three-way face-off: In seasons seven and nine, a tie resulted in both contestants being declared defending champions; the following day's winner challenged both champions. If another tie occurred, the defending champions continued competing until one was defeated, gonged, or advanced to the next round. This happened several times, including: September 14–15, 2023: RG Mia and Judy Lou Benitez tied; both faced Jaica Cardino the following day. Benitez advanced, and Mia later qualified for the semifinals. September 26–27, 2023: Rgin Deripas and Kenneth Garingo tied; Garingo won the next day, later advancing to the semifinals. December 13–14, 2023: Kline Perez and Aeron Guanco tied; Guanco prevailed the next day, and reached the semifinals.
Judges Season three introduced OPM musicians Dulce, Randy Santiago, and Zsa Zsa Padilla as judges, with Dulce occasionally serving as head judge. It was the final season of Rico J. Puno, who died on October 30, 2018.
Season four saw the addition of Pilita Corrales to the panel. In season five, Angeline Quinto became a regular judge after a successful guest appearance. K Brosas, Rey Valera, and Randy Santiago did not return due to commitments with Sing Galing!. Klarisse de Guzman joined on June 28, 2021. Jaya announced her departure on July 3, 2021, due to her migration to the United States.
Season six introduced Marco Sison (November 1, 2022), Darren Espanto (February 21, 2023), and Jona Viray (April 17, 2023) as new judges.
In the first duet-edition finale, Mark Bautista and Christian Bautista were guest judges. This edition marked the airing of Tawag ng Tanghalan and It's Showtime on GTV.
Season seven saw the return of the five-member judging panel for daily rounds. Nonoy Zuñiga (July 5), Dingdong Avanzado (July 6), Kean Cipriano (July 7), and Bituin Escalante (July 8) joined the panel.
In the second all-star season, Pops Fernandez, Lani Misalucha, and Regine Velasquez joined the judging panel. Stell and Pablo of SB19 were the first two-in-one guest judges in series history.
Rey Valera stepped down in 2021 due to health concerns. In an interview with Bernadette Sembrano, he said that the guilt and pressure of being the gong-master caused stomach issues which led to hospitalizations and two surgeries. Although he had no conflicts with the show or its staff, he chose to prioritize his well-being and pursue lighter roles in the entertainment industry; his decision was not driven by animosity, but by a desire for a healthier lifestyle and a more relaxed work environment.
+Timeline of Judges Judge Season Year 1 Kids1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Duets 1 Year7 Kids2 Year 9 Duets 2Year 10 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 NN Q1 Q2 Q1 Q2 Q3No. of members in a panel5353No. of judges actively serving101013141417171717171617191617181612131012151219151313191615Current judges servingKarylle colspan="22" Nyoy Volante colspan="18" colspan="6" colspan="2" colspan="3" Louie Ocampo colspan="2" colspan="22" colspan="5" Erik Santos colspan="2" colspan="18" colspan="4" colspan="2" colspan="3" Ogie Alcasid colspan="3" colspan="11" colspan="7" colspan="1" colspan="5" Darren Espanto colspan="21" colspan="3" colspan="3" Bituin Escalante colspan="23" colspan="3" colspan="2" Kyla colspan="2" colspan="21" colspan="2" Jed Madela colspan="4" colspan="14" colspan="6" colspan="2" Yeng Constantino colspan="14" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="3" colspan="3" Klarisse de Guzman colspan="18" colspan="6" Sofronio Vasquez colspan="5" colspan="6" colspan="10" colspan="2" JM Yosures colspan="16" colspan="11" colspan="2" Jonathan Manalo colspan="28" colspan="2" Marielle Montellano colspan="20" colspan="6" Former judgesRey Valera colspan="4" colspan="8" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="13" Bobot Mortiz colspan="2" colspan="28" K Brosas colspan="17" colspan="13" Karla Estrada colspan="19" colspan="11" Mitoy Yonting colspan="19" colspan="4" colspan="6" Jaya colspan="2" colspan="17" colspan="11" Sheena Belarmino colspan="4" colspan="19" colspan="5" Sitti Navarro colspan="6" colspan="23" Dulce colspan="9" colspan="5" colspan="14" Randy Santiago colspan="9" colspan="7" colspan="13" Jamie Rivera colspan="12" colspan="11" colspan="5" Angeline Quinto colspan="16" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="6" John Rex Baculfo colspan="17" colspan="6" colspan="5" Julie Anne San Jose colspan="23" colspan="6" Christian Bautista colspan="22" colspan="1" colspan="5" Jason Dy colspan="23" colspan="5" Annie Quintos colspan="23" colspan="1" colspan="5" Roselle Nava colspan="24" colspan="5" Elha Nympha colspan="24" colspan="5" Frenchie Dy colspan="24" colspan="5" JL Toreliza colspan="24" colspan="5" Maloi Ricalde colspan="24" colspan="5" Jeffrey Hidalgo colspan="24" colspan="5" Tutti Caringal colspan="24" colspan="5" Rita Daniela colspan="24" colspan="5" Martin Nievera colspan="25" colspan="4" Gary Valenciano colspan="5" colspan="8" colspan="3" colspan="4" colspan="5" Stell & Pablo colspan="26" colspan="4" Pops Fernandez colspan="26" colspan="4" Lani Misalucha colspan="26" colspan="2" Regine Velasquez colspan="26" colspan="4" Jolina Magdangal colspan="4" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="3" colspan="5" colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="4" Jessica Sanchez colspan="29" colspan="1" Dingdong Avanzado colspan="12" colspan="10" colspan="3" colspan="2" Nonoy Zuñiga colspan="23" colspan="2" colspan="2" Mark Bautista colspan="22" colspan="2" colspan="2" Marco Sison colspan="21" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="2" Zsa Zsa Padilla colspan="11" colspan="12" colspan="3" colspan="2" Jona Viray colspan="21" colspan="3" colspan="2" Billy Crawford colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="4" colspan="3" colspan="2" colspan="11" colspan="2" Teddy Corpuz colspan="25" colspan="2" Kean Cipriano colspan="23" colspan="2" Katrina Velarde colspan="24" colspan="3" Rico J. Puno colspan="4" colspan="5" colspan="20" Claire dela Fuente colspan="12" colspan="17" Pilita Corrales colspan="15" colspan="14"
Season summaries Color key:
Season Release No. ofFinalists No. Title Premiere Finale No. of episodes ~367 23 74 32 301 37 379 39 24 18 35 4 253 36 146 20 411 61 48 9 (JM Dela Cerna & Marielle Montellano) (John Mark Saga & Kim Nemenzo) (Anton Antenorcruz & Eumee Capile) 173 22 64 24 221 47 36 18 153 33 46 20 (Arvery Love Lagoring & Christian Tibayan) (Jezza Quiogue & Ian Manibale) (Mark Justo & JR Oclarit) 119 33 Future event
Season 1 (2016–2017) The first season premiered on January 2, 2016. Rey Valera was the main head judge for this season, with Louie Ocampo, Jaya, Ogie Alcasid, Yeng Constantino serving as substitute head judges. Billy Crawford, Karylle, Karla Estrada, K Brosas, Nyoy Volante, Mitoy Yonting, Rico J. Puno, Bobot Mortiz, Erik Santos, Kyla were the judges for the series. The season ended on March 11, 2017, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila in Pasay, when Noven Belleza of Visayas was the season's grand champion.
Kids 1 (2017) Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids was a special edition for aspiring Filipino singers aged 7 to 13. Auditions for this season began on December 4, 2016. The season premiered on March 13, 2017. It ended on June 10 of that year at ABS-CBN Studio 3, when Jhon Clyd Talili of Mindanao was the grand champion.
Season 2 (2017–2018) The second season premiered on June 12, 2017. Gary Valenciano was added to the judging panel. It was the first season with Global Tawag ng Tanghalan, a round for Filipino contestants from other countries. The season ended on June 2, 2018, at Aliw Theater in Pasay, when Janine Berdin from Visayas was the season's grand champion.
Season 3 (2018–2019)