Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza! That was her identity before she became the #YayaDUB that we all love and admire. And even before the #ALDUB phenomenon swept the nation. She’s been earning millions of views on Instagram. But as Maine Mendoza herself, who is she really?
Maine Mendoza’s full name is Nicomaine Mendoza. A segment about her life story was reported on the weekly TV magazine program “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” (KMJS) last July 12, 2015. She earned a degree in Culinary Arts from College of St. Benilde. And she was an intern in one of the restaurants in New York City. Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza’s previous life was a far cry from being a girl Friday.
While other celebrities would capitalize on the novelty-based fame that Dubsmash could bring them, Maine was already winging it. And she’s winging it just a little too well. As of the time that she was featured on KMJS, her biggest hit was more than 2.8 million views. That ultimately made her the Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza. These Dubsmash hits eventually paved the way to her stint on Eat Bulaga.
In the Eat Bulaga segment “EB Problem Solving”, Wally Bayola’s character changed. From being Doktora The Explorer, she became the rich matron, Lola Nidora. She gives her piece of mind on solutions given by fellow hosts Jose Manalo and Paolo Ballesteros. And, since she’s an old woman, she needed her maintenance medication. Hence the need for a girl Friday. She introduced her assistant – Divina Ursula Bocbocoba Smash. DUBSmash for short. The acronym immediate gave viewers an idea who see is. None other than the Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza.
That acronym also led to the novelty she became on Eat Bulaga. She only replies in Dubsmash mode. So Eat Bulaga viewers never heard her voice there. It turned the Filipiino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza into an enigma until her interview with KMJS.
Did it diminish any enigmatic facade that the Dubsmash phenom possessed? No. In fact, getting to know the person behind the phenom, the Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza, got her endeared to the public. And it fascinated everyone. For someone that lived the glamorous life, she came across as someone who would be on Dubsmash just for fun.
Maine Mendoza already enjoyed playing for the cameras long before there was Dubsmash. Some old clips of her were shown on KMJS. Nobody foresaw the smash hit app that is Dubsmash. But it didn’t stop Maine from doing what she loved. The moment Dubsmash came along, she ran away with what she’s got. More than a million views later, the Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza is born.
What really pushed her reign to becoming the Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza was her rubber face. She is pretty. But she is so wacky, most people tend to forget that. In fact, it helped develop a separate identity through YayaDUB. Looking wacky in front of the camera with Dubsmash is easy for her. But being on Eat Bulaga was entirely different for her. It meant doing the Dubsmash bits live and on location.
She admits that there are times that she could not catch the lines she is trying to lipsynch into. So she makes it up for acting wacky. From her eyebrows to her nostrils, even her tongue gets a life on its own whenever she and Lola Nidora would do the “Pabebe Girls” clip. The FIlipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza is so famous. Chances are she has eclipsed the popularity (more like notoriety) of the Pabebe Girls themselves.
The Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza is so thankful of the fame. She admits to having dreams of an acting career. She did not take it so seriously though. She doesn’t find herself talented enough to make it in the industry. So the exhilaration she felt at seeing one of her Kris Aquino-based Dubsmash hits reach more than 50,000 hits in less than one day was euphoric. Very euphoric. Reaching a million views on Dubsmash made her ecstatic. She was so ecstatic at the fan base she earned for doing something that she enjoyed.
Now the Filipino Dubsmash Queen Maine Mendoza is a few steps close to finding her king. Or would he? Fellow Eat Bulaga mainstay Alden Richards has expanded his Dubsmash replies. At first they were just clips of “Twerk It Like Miley”. Then “God Gave Me You” and OPM love songs like “Ngiti” and “Miss na Miss Kita”. The first Dubsmash-based love team is born on the first ever KalyeSerye on Philippine television. Just when you thought the Filipino soap opera is beyond innovation. ALDUB comes along and reinvents the wheel.
The Filipino Dubsmash Queen still maintains her Instagram account @mainedcm. She still uploads Dubsmash clips whenever she could. Of course, keep yourself updated with the ALDUB love story by liking Eat Bulaga’s official Facebook page. Eat Bulaga airs daily, Monday to Saturday at noontime.
Still more to come. But you can never tell when would the next update be. Follow us on our social media accounts for real-time updates then. Like our official Facebook page, The Philippines Web. And follow us on Twitter @pinasamazing. You’d be glad you did.
