A lot of viewers enjoy and look forward to the trivia questions featured in the jackpot round of "Laro Laro Pick" on "It’s Showtime." But what really gets the Madlang People hyped is when the hosts themselves make it to the final game because that means one lucky studio audience member gets the chance to win whatever amount the host earns.
That’s why the playing host bravely takes a gamble on the jackpot trivia question, better known as the “Pot” question, for the Madlang People. Let’s look back at five times they did just that.
Ion Perez was the very first host to pick “Pot” over “Li-Pot,” with ₱150,000 up for grabs. It was his partner, Vice Ganda herself, who threw him the “Pot” question, “Ano ang zodiac sign ng taong ipinanganak ng March 30?” It looked like Ion had the upper hand since Vice's birthday falls on March 31, just a day later. But nerves took over and Ion answered “Capricorn” instead of Aries, which happens to be Vice’s actual zodiac sign. While the jackpot slipped away, Vice still gave away ₱20,000 to a lucky studio audience member.
With ₱200,000 at stake, all eyes were on Jugs Jugueta, who many expected to ace the “Pot” thanks to his reputation as one of the smartest "It's Showtime" hosts. Unfortunately, luck just wasn’t on his side when he got the question, “Ano sa Ingles ang prutas na presa?” Making a wild guess, he went with “peach,” thinking of a word that sounded close enough. But he said sorry to the Madlang People right after, knowing it wasn’t the right call. The correct answer was "strawberry." Coincidentally, that would’ve been an easy win for Ion since he used to watch Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil’s teleserye "Forevermore," where the fictional “La Presa” strawberry farm was always mentioned.
Cianne Dominguez also gave it her all when she faced the ₱300,000 jackpot question, “Anong number ang katumbas ng Roman numeral na MMXXV?” Racing against the five-second timer, she answered “two million two hundred five.” The correct response should have been “two thousand twenty-five.” Though she didn’t win the pot, her fearless move showed just how much she was willing to give for the Madlang People.
Viewers also held their breath when Jackie Gonzaga risked the ₱350,000 “Pot” for the question, “Sa anong Philippine peso denomination makikita ang Pinctada Maxima?" Taking a wild guess, she answered, “Fifty pesos.” Jhong Hilario pulled out a ₱1,000 bill to show that this is where the Pinctada Maxima, or South Sea pearl, is actually featured.
“PBB Collab” ex-housemate and guest co-host Shuvee Etrata’s lucky streak carried over to “Laro Laro Pick” when she advanced to the final game. For the first time, a studio audience partner was drawn even before the 'bargaining' portion. Fueled by her partner’s encouragement, Shuvee bravely took on the ₱500,000 “Pot” question, “Noong 1992, pinadala ang kauna-unahang SMS text message, ano ang mensaheng ito?” She played it safe with “I love you,” but the correct answer was “Merry Christmas.” That iconic greeting was sent on December 3, 1992 by engineer Neil Papworth.
Here’s to manifesting that one lucky host finally cracks the “Pot” question for the studio audience! Catch "It's Showtime," airing Mondays to Saturdays, 12nn on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, GMA 7, and iWant.