For about two glorious years now, weekend evenings at kumu have been colorful and loud, filled with laughter—plus shockingly generous prizes, thanks to one of its mainstay quiz shows, “Beki Quiz.” Defined as “an interactive trivia game show with its hilarious ‘Beki’ twist”, the Beki Quiz show and its sassy hosts, Mc Pol and Pretty Ashlii, are one the most recognizable covers in the app. As of March 20, 2021, the game show officially celebrated its 2nd year anniversary, with plenty of goodies and surprises in store for their fans, the BQnatics.
One exciting addition to the show is the new music video and jingle by Tiara Shaye, the official winner of Beki Quiz’ “Jingle Making Contest” earlier this year.
It was an exciting milestone for the Kumunity at large, not just because Beki Quiz is one of the earliest, longest-running programs in the app; but also because of how it illustrated kumu’s promise to be an all-inclusive, diverse online platform. Launched in 2019, Beki Quiz is a livestream game show co-created by kumu and Beta studios. The show’s producer, Pat Berdejo, had conceptualized the program as a means to promote the LGBTQIA+ community in the digital and livestream space.
In a previous interview, Pat explained: “In this day and age, acceptance to LGBTQIA+ community in the Philippines is not as progressive as other first-world nations.” Their choice to produce the show in kumu specifically is for members like them, “[Where] I can be ‘ME’. No prejudice, no filters, no editing, no nothing— I can share my thoughts freely!”
This freedom of authenticity, and even a Kumunity that actively encourages people to go all-out, has made space for Beki Quiz to be as flamboyant as the app could possibly accommodate. Show posters with vibrant hues, fabulous wigs, cute dresses and glittering makeup-looks, it’s all part of the game shows charm, and everyone is loving it.
“My most memorable experiences [in Beki Quiz] is yung mag-costume ka nang bongga while hosting!” says host Ashley Polinar, a.k.a Pretty Ashlii, who actually believes their outlandish OOTD’s are part of what makes the show an enduring hit in kumu. “Hindi siya madali, lalo na mabigat yung dala-dala mo!”
Behind the scenes of “Beki Quiz” music video
But of course, the fun eye-candy is a fraction of Beki Quiz’ appeal; the real pull of the show is the hilarious tandem between the hosts, who are constantly bantering each other on live stream. “Our spontaneity, and the craziness of our tandem siguro made the show extra fun.”, says Mc Pol, who was actually the first host of Beki Quiz, before the team decided to permanently add Ashley. “When we officially announced na permanent host na [si Pretty Ashlii], duon na buo ang tambalang #ASHPOL.”
As Beki Quiz rose to livestreaming popularity, so did the fame of the #ASHPOL duo, both of whom are reputable hosts in kumu. In many ways, their accounts are one of the treasured success-stories in kumu, as it aspires to be the platform for many, often overlooked voices within the Filipino online community; this includes our LGBTQIA+ community.
“Isa ito sa mga dream ko talaga, ever since bata pa ako!” says Ashley. “Sa [Beki Quiz] na-showcase ko kung sino talaga ako. I almost gave up my dream to become a host, because of my fear when it comes to discrimination, with my gender preference. But kumu embraced me, and accepted me for being me.”
Similarly, in a previous interview, Mc Pol shared that ze was first hesitant to become a livestreamer for fear that their family would disapprove of them being openly gay. Looking back, daring to take the plunge turned out very well for Mc Pol. Ze shares, “kumu opened a lot of opportunities talaga sa akin. I’ve never thought that I can host a gameshow, and it would run for 2 years pa! Also, [kumu gave me] different opportunities that my 18 year-old self would think na imposible mangyari sakin.”
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Together, Mc Pol and Ashley can be found in different programs within kumu. Apart from Beki Quiz, they have been guest hosts in many shows, including “May Tama Ka”, the TFC Asia Pacific Channel, and kumu Drop Shop. Mc Pol has also been invited as a host in the first kumu Livestreaming Awards (#KLA2020), while Ashley won “Host of the Year” for #KLA2020.
Best news of all, things are just beginning to ramp up for “Beki Quiz” and the #ASHPOL tandem, as the years ahead of their 2nd anniversary are looking grand, both for kumu and Beki Quiz. “I’m looking forward for more viewers na ang tumatangkilik sa Beki Quiz!” says Ashley, as ze shares what to look forward to. “At syempre, tumagal pa ang show para mas marami pa kami mapasaya.”
When asked what ze is excited about for the anniversary, Mc Pol shares that ze is already addicted to the new Beki Quiz jingle. “LSS ko ngayon!”, ze laughs. At the end of the day, Beki Quiz remains one of kumu’s best programs because there is truly a passion and sense of purpose within the team, even if it’s just for laughs and prizes. As Mc Pol explains it well, “I’m proud of the fact that every weekend we can be the Kumunity’s stress reliever. Kasi only goal talaga namin is magpasaya ng tao. Plus, na yung mamigay ng cash prizes, and makikita mo sa comment na napasaya namin sila, it’s an accomplishment na we did our work. That I am proud of.”
Whether you’re here for the laughs or for the amazing prices, you can catch “Beki Quiz” every Saturday and Sunday, 9PM on kumu.
Don’t have the kumu app yet? It’s easy! Download the app at Google Play or the App Store, and start adding to cart! Visit our website kumu.ph for more information and insights into the exciting world of kumu.
You can also follow @kumuph on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with all the latest events, and surprises from your favorite Pinoy livestreaming platform. Check back here at the kumu blog for more interesting insights into the Kumunity.
