The accidental birth of 'Dogshow Divas'

Would you believe that the highly successful and often viral “Dogshow Divas” podcast was entirely unplanned?

Content creator Baus Rufo simply invited his good friend and fellow content creator Macoy Dubs to guest on his podcast “Kaya Pa Ba?” to celebrate its first anniversary on air in August of this year.

On "Kaya Pa Ba?", Baus casually talks to people from different walks of life about their journeys, careers, and how they navigate life with all its complexities.

Macoy's guesting, dubbed the 'Dogshow Divas' episode, was supposed to be just that — a regular episode.

Until it wasn’t.

Spawning viral jokes still making the rounds on Instagram and TikTok today— the remembrance of retail brand Geneveive Gozum, recalling mall shows in Market! Market!, and discussions about the different train stations in Metro Manila, to name a few — that breakout episode accidentally cracked the code of what listeners are craving to hear.

“We refer to it now as episode zero because the impact and the reception were so intense,” Baus told GMA News Online.

Following the episode’s success, Baus seized the opportunity and asked Macoy if they could explore doing a podcast together and create an entirely new show.

Macoy was initially hesitant. While their “Kaya Pa Ba?” episode resonated well on social media, they each have a different branding and as content creators, have varied interests.

Macoy is known for his skits and automotive content, while Baus is popular for improvisational comedy and hosting.

“I told Baus to explore the idea first," Macoy said. "Eh kaya lang nag-blow up talaga ‘yung podcast episode."

“Hindi ko rin in-expect," he said. “’Yung comments kasi ng mga tao, makikita mo na positive talaga and may hope na masundan pa [‘yung episode]."

So Macoy eventually agreed.

“Syempre his brand of comedy, my brand of comedy, and ‘yung online presence namin parehas, nakatulong din talaga,” he added.

Why the podcast resonates across generations

“Dogshow Divas” officially launched its pilot in September.

It now has 11 episodes as of writing and has garnered over 91,000 followers on Instagram and more than 49,000 on TikTok — all in under three months.

According to Baus, listeners form different relationships with the show.

Some tune in for energy while working out; others listen to unwind before going to bed. They even have OFWs who say the podcast helps with homesickness.

“It continues to become a living thing that is different for every person who listens to the podcast,” he said.

“I think, very clear naman sa 'min ni Macoy na we can’t focus too much on the end goal of what ‘Dogshow Divas’ means to people,” he added. “Kami muna. Basta nag-e-enjoy kaming dalawa.”

Nothing too serious

Perhaps one of the many charms of “Dogshow Divas” is that it stays true to its premise of talking about everything and anything under the sun – some jokes make sense, others don’t, and that’s okay.

“We know the process, that’s the only thing we have control over, so that’s what we think of every episode,” Baus said.

Meanwhile, for Macoy, if there’s one thing he wants people to understand, it's that the podcast is all for laughs and nothing too serious.

“It’s really dogshow,” he said. “May pagka-satire siya but at the end of the day, wala talagang goal ang podcast.”

“Gusto lang namin mangloko ng tao na nakakatawa,” he added.

Reacting to the intense clamor of the people about the podcast, Macoy said that, of course, it brings them great joy.

“Natutuwa kami kasi, we felt seen and na-re-recognize ‘yung work namin,” he said.

“It's been very overwhelming in the greatest sense,” Baus added. “Medyo mabilis ‘yung growth ng podcast, and I think it's still happening at a very rapid pace.”

In the brief span since the podcast’s birth, the comedy duo has already collaborated with brands and personalities they’ve mentioned, including Uniqlo, Market! Market!, and McDonald’s.

The bastion of partnership

Despite their individual careers, one secret to the podcast’s success is that they don’t follow a strict schedule, whether it’s filming, posting content, or uploading episodes.

“Walang specific time, no specific date. So, depende sa amin kung kalian namin gusto,” Macoy said with a laugh. “’Dogshow Divas’ is really true to its title, na we dogshow even our audience.”

“’Yung mga best practices a social media, dino-dogshow namin,” Baus added.

For those unfamiliar, the word “dogshow” is Philippine slang that refers to satirical mockery of a person, event, or situation.

Baus added that while “Dogshow Divas” is a priority for them as a duo, they still pursue individual creative projects.

“I guess that’s the great thing about ‘Dogshow Divas,’ it never really cannibalizes whatever time we had with our personal endeavors,” Baus said.

“People want to see more of us as individual parts, and then when they see our comedy together, they see us in another light,” he added. “So, symbiotic ‘yung relationship, which is a great thing.”

Grateful at the end of the day

Success on social media isn’t achieved overnight. But when an unexpected viral moment arrives — as in the case of Christopher Diwata’s “What hafen, Vella?” — it’s about making the most out of it.

“We know an opportunity like this rarely happens,” Baus said. “So, we know that with us being busy, with us having so many commitments, this is us striking while the iron is hot.”

“We don't take this for granted because, you know, we have spent the last five to seven years of our content creation career knowing how important projects like this are,” he added.

Listening to “Dogshow Divas” feels like letting your unfiltered thoughts out in the open, such as pondering the correct pronunciation of Ely Buendia's last name. 

And if there’s one message you should take with you, it’s this: it’s okay to laugh, it’s okay to take life a little less seriously, and not everything has to make sense.

There is a time and place to be serious, but it’s definitely not while listening to “Dogshow Divas.” — LA, GMA Integrated News