Eugene Domingo, Smokey Manaloto, and Sassa Gurl gathered at a local press conference in Manila to unveil the upcoming Pinoy edition of Takeshi’s Castle. This comedic series is set to premiere exclusively on Prime Video in the Philippines.
Mark your calendars for November 16, as the two episodes from this 8-part series are scheduled to make its debut, with two weekly episodes to follow every week. Below, we’ve compiled three reasons why you need to watch this highly-anticipated series.
1) Introducing the Mariteses
As we welcome new challenges and contestants from the famous game show, it is only right to introduce new hosts as well. From the Philippine culture of neighborhood gossip, Takeshi’s Castle comes back with a new set of hosts, also known as The Mariteses, to take us through the game’s play-by-play.
Making a comeback is Smokey Manaloto, one of Takeshi’s Castle’s OG hosts. This time around, he will be known as Mang Pe, a former employee of King Takeshi himself. He will be giving us insider tea of how the games were like in the castle.
Accompanying him is veteran comedienne Eugene Domingo, who will be representing all the gossipers of the Philippines and she will be playing the role of Aling Marites. Last but not least, we have internet sensation Sassa Gurl playing herself. She will be giving us an additional layer of laughter through her impeccable comedic timing.
2) Yummy Teh Meets Takeshi’s Castle
In true Filipino spirit, the new Takeshi’s Castle will be watched in a barrio’s favorite sari-sari store called Yummy Teh. Besides the commentary, audiences will get to further immerse themselves in the Filipino culture of “chismis” making each episode released more fun and relatable.
Fun fact: Did you know that out of all the Takeshi’s Castle versions, only the Philippines shot additional scenes with a local cast? This makes for an easier watching experience for the Filipino audience.
3) Coming back after 30 years
It has been thirty years since the first episode of Takeshi’s Castle was aired on Philippine TV and it has definitely made an impact on how Filipinos do their noon-time shows. Since then, shows have been doing more fun and quirky challenges for everyone to enjoy watching.
The comeback of Takeshi’s Castle is an opportunity for different generations to come together and have a great bonding time at home.
“Takeshi’s Castle, a beloved classic, makes a triumphant return with a locally relevant concept and stellar cast promising to rekindle nostalgia and ignite fresh excitement among a new generation. We’re absolutely thrilled and look forward to entertaining our Filipino audiences with these shows.” said Quark Henares, head of Originals at Prime Video, Philippines.
“It feels surreal that the Takeshi’s Castle of my 90s childhood magkaka-new life ngayong 2020s, pero mas pina-Pinoy lalo. Bringing back Smokey to the show alongside two of my favorite comedians makes the project that much more exciting. Nakakatawa sila separately pero nung pinagsama na namin sila, lalong sumabog!
It’s good that we are all fans of the show – from Project 8 peeps to our crew to our director RA Rivera of the 2000s cult favorite Strangebrew – kaya lahat enjoy sa set! Iba talaga ang ambag ng Takeshi’s Castle sa pop culture natin kaya super happy that it’s getting the Pinoy treatment this time,” shared producer Dan Villegas of Project 8 Projects.
(It feels surreal that the Takeshi’s Castle of my ’90s childhood is getting a new lease of life in this decade, but with an even more Filipino twist. Bringing back Smokey to the show alongside two of my favorite comedians makes the project that much more exciting.
They were funny individually, but when we brought them together, the hilarity just exploded! It’s great that we’re all fans of the show—from the Project 8 folks to our crew to our director, RA Rivera, known for the 2000s cult favorite Strangebrew—so everyone really enjoys being on set! Takeshi’s Castle has truly made its mark on our pop culture, so I’m super happy that it’s receiving a Filipino rendition this time)
