Primetime Bigtime

Primetime Bigtime, also known as Primetime Bigtime LIVE!, is a Magisterian television primetime variety-game show broadcast on MBC which premiered on 1 February 2016. The program, which airs Mondays through Fridays from 6:30PM to 9:00PM, and Saturdays from 5:30PM to 8:30PM, is presented by former House Party cast member Marlon Mark with co-hosts being notable MBC talents Jade Morin, Kimberlee Wickham, Daphné St Martin, Charlie Brewer, and social media influencers Sienna Cousineau, Faustine Scarlett, and Brayden Freeman.

The show gained immense popularity thanks to the over-the-top performances which includes equipment that are ahead of it's time. As of today, Primetime Bigtime remains as the most popular variety show in Magisteria.

Overview
Originally planned as an afternoon show, Marlon Mark decided to bring the show into the primetime slot. In the show's first episode, Mark's fellow House Party cast members Marie-Christine Lemaire, Floyd Outerridge, Cordelia Brittain, Danielle Bennet, and Baldric Norman made a guest appearance in the pilot episode. During the early months of the show, it was originally 90 minutes long from Monday through Saturday, but thanks to the high ratings of the show, its timeslot was extended to 2 hours in Weekdays and 2 and a half hours in Saturdays.

The format of the show is based off the variety shows of Philippine variety show host Willie Revillame, and this show marks Marlon Mark's return to television after a 2-year hiatus and to MBC after leaving the network in 2007, he transfered to PTV in the same year and later on MTV in 2010.

In 2019, Primetime Bigtime introduced a new competition segment, 'Primetime Drag Race' which later became immensly popular. It's popularity contributes on the show's ratings, consistently scoring 25-31% every week.

Thanks to the further success of the show, the show's timeslot was extended from 2 hours every weekday and 2 and a half hours every Saturday to 2 and a half hours every weekday and 3 hours every Saturday. The change of the timeslot will be effective on 14 March 2022.

On 26 March 2022, Primetime Bigtime held a benefit concert featuring an anticipated appearance of the Korean band BTS, the voice actors of the fictional boyband 4*TOWN from Disney·Pixar's Turning Red, and other remarkable singers while holding the normal games of the show. The special episode was met with an overwhelming positive reception, with fans praising the performances and the signature holograms used in the performances.

Main host

 * Marlon Mark (since 2016)

Co-hosts

 * Jade Morin (since 2016)
 * Kimberlee Wickham (since 2018)
 * Daphné St Martin (since 2018)
 * Sienna Cousineau (since 2018)
 * Faustine Scarlett (since 2019)
 * Brayden Freeman (since 2019)
 * Charlie Brewer (since 2020)

Segments

 * Red, White, and Blue
 * Step In, Step Out
 * The Million Dollar Fortune's Wheel
 * The Ridiculously Easiest Game Show on the Planet
 * House Party
 * PBSC: The Primetime Blind Singing Competition

Seasonal

 * Primetime Bigtime Christmas Caroling
 * Primetime Drag Race
 * Primetime's Got Talent

Primetime Qualifiers
Based off the Wowowee segment Willie of Fortune, Six people selected earlier through "themed" auditions compete in pairs in rounds of the Primetime Qualifiers. The in-house keyboardist plays a portion of a song, and the first person to name the song correctly wins one point. If the player can correctly sing the exact lyrics from that portion of the song, they will receive the second point. Two points are required to win the round and get to round two. In this round, the three remaining players go to a knock out question. One song will be played, and whoever can buzz in the correct song title first wins M$250 and advances to the jackpot round, The Bag or the Means.

Occasionally, celebrity teams play against each other. Same gameplay rules used in the weekday version exists. However, the team who gets to five points first wins, and goes straight to the jackpot round, The Bag or the Means. The special celebrity edition only happens every Saturday.

The Bag or the Means
Based also in the Wowowee segment Cash Bukas, in the Bag or the Means segment, the winner of the Primetime Qualifiers gets to play for four prizes. 10 colored bags are available for the player to select, but the player will only choose one colored bag. The player is offered increasing amounts of cash until the player takes the offer, or keeps playing to open the bag. The bags offered in the game follows:


 * 1: M$10,000
 * 1: House and Lot
 * 1: M$500,000
 * 1: SUPER JACKPOT (M$500,000 / House & Lot / Brand New Car / College Educational Plan)
 * 6: Cheap prizes (e.g. Snickers chocolate bar, a donut, a regular coffee, etc.)

Reception
The first telecast of Primetime Bigtime earned a 24.8% rating. The House Party Crew special reunion episode received a 32.2% rating, the highest rating at the 12 March primetime slot. Originally, the highest rating the show got was 41.5% for the 8 June 2019. That record would be surpassed by the 26 March 2022 episode, which scored a record-breaking 57.3%, the highest television rating in Magisteria for March 2022.