Battle of the Brains is a Philippine television quiz show broadcast by New Vision 9/RPN and PTV. Originally hosted by David Celtran, it aired on New Vision 9/RPN from July 18, 1992 to 2001. The show moved to PTV from 2001 to July 14, 2001. Chiqui Roa-Puno serve as the final hosts. Considered one of the most culturally influential locally produced shows of the 1990s, Battle of the Brains was open to all elementary, high school and college students nationwide. It was primarily sponsored by Uniwide Sales, Inc.—a major budget retailer of that time—from Years 1 (1992–1993) to 7 (1998–1999). It was then sponsored by AMA Computer College from Years 8 (1999–2000) to 9 (2000–2001).

Hosts

Main hosts

Alternate hosts

Tournament format

Episode format

Mechanics for elimination rounds prior to Grand Finals, year 3 onwards: Difference in mechanics for elimination rounds prior to Grand Finals, Years 1-2: Mechanics for the Grand Finals and the ASEAN Invitational Finals are modified as follows: In the 3-ring pattern board, the contestant chooses 1 of 3 concentric rings to accomplish, with the questions in each ring having a common theme (such as all answers beginning with the same letter, or of people from a particular field). Rings with more questions are found at the outermost portion of the set, and are generally easier to answer per question, while rings with fewer questions are at the center of the set are usually harder per question. Each question adds points to the total, while completing a ring merits extra prizes from show sponsors.

Eligibility rules

Venues

All rounds prior to the Grand Finals were recorded in Broadcast City, Quezon City. However, the Grand Finals were usually held at different venues, including the following:

Prizes

For all rounds prior to the Grand Finals, points earned were paid out in Philippine peso for all contestants. From Years 1 to 6, Grand Champions were awarded the following (in units of Philippine pesos, before 20 % tax on prizes): In Years 7 and 8, the Grand Finals total prize for each level was PHP 500,000 (combination of cash and in kind (household appliances, encyclopedia sets and other books, and travel packages to destinations within the Philippines. The travel destination for the students may be different from that of the coaches (except again for College Level, which has no awards for school or coach)). From Years 1 through 7, all Grand Finalists were awarded plaques prior to taping, with the eventual Grand Champion getting another trophy at the conclusion of the Grand Finals. On Year 8, certificates were given for each round win prior to the Grand Finals, and a Grand Champion trophy was given at the conclusion of the Grand Finals.

Special editions/portions

Grand Champions and Finalists

† - a change to the returning-champion format meant that there was no overall champion at the end of the year.

Mind Master

1996 10 Weeks - Kenneth Plamenco 1996 18 weeks?

• Leonardo Gapol 1997-10-? - Richie Velasquez 1997 2 weeks Jose (Bong) Cruz, Jr. 1998 2 weeks - Ian Vicente

Records and notable events

Most grand championships

School Individual Both attended the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Youngest grand champions respective to year level

All attended campuses of the University of the Philippines System.

Most Grand Finals appearances

Years in bold denote Grand Championship School At different levels Individual

Most points

In 1 Episode In 1 Year During this scoring run, Manila Science perfected all 3 of their bonus rounds, and exceeded the combined score (4,100 + 3,100) of their rivals in the Grand Finals.

Other notables

Sponsorship

Influence and legacy

Throughout its run, Battle of the Brains has become one of the most familiar and legendary quizbowl show in Philippine television, especially for students and trivia enthusiasts. In fact, the name of the show has been synonymous to any quiz competition in the Philippines, regardless of content and degree of TV coverage. Theresa Reyes Alvarez holds the copyright of "Battle of the Brains" with registration no. M 97-353. Its level of fame during its time can be compared to those of the Kilometrico Quiz Date and Student Canteen's IQ7 in the 1960s-1970s, and the Digital LG Quiz in 1999–2004. It has also served as the model for various quiz competitions, televised or not, in the Philippines. David Celdran's name has become strongly associated with the show. Winners at the show, especially in later stages and as Grand Champions, are known to have gotten celebrity attention within their school campuses. The comedy show Tropang Trumpo parodied the show in a segment called Battle of the Brainless. In each episode, the competitors are said to come from schools whose names sound very similar to those of actual Philippine schools. Each question given by host is usually met by incorrect and humorous responses from competitors. The episode mostly ends in a tie for all schools. The host (usually portrayed by Ogie Alcasid) is also known to wear shorts, which is revealed as he moves away from his rostrum. In David Celdran's recollection published March 2021 he expressed surprise at how people actually remember Battle of the Brains. He initially thought it will not survive the 1990s TV ratings competition since it was serious and scholastic, lacked showbiz gimmickry, was akin to a 90-minute IQ marathon, and had 30-second math problems which he joked as "television suicide". But what made the show entertaining, he recalled, were the geniuses onstage who became stars in their own right. He described the competition as a level playing field where “anyone could beat anyone” and many lesser known schools can challenge the elite schools and win the championships, "and that made it exciting because it wasn’t one-sided. It’s not like Ateneo wins basketball every year".

Awards