Eric Tai (born August 23, 1984) is a
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
n-born
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
actor, model, TV host, comedian,
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
player who played for the Alabang Eagles and represented the
Philippines national rugby union team in 15s and 7s and professional ''
Arena of Valor
''Arena of Valor'' (), formerly ''Strike of Kings'', is an international adaptation of '' Honor of Kings'' (), a multiplayer online battle arena developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Level Infinite for Android, iOS and Nintendo Swit ...
''
esports player. He was also one of the hosts of ''
It's Showtime'', where he goes by the screen name, Eruption.
Early life
Tai spent his childhood in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
. In high school he became involved in various sports such as
rugby,
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
,
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
, and
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
.
Tai first came to the Philippines as a missionary for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
where he was able to serve a 2-year mission in
Naga, Camarines Sur
Naga, officially the City of Naga (Central Bikol language, Central Bikol: ''Siyudad nin Naga''; Rinconada Bikol language, Rinconada Bikol: ''Syudad ka Naga''; fil, Lungsod ng Naga) or the Pilgrim City of Naga, is a 1st class Cities of the Phi ...
.
Rugby career
Tai was part of the
Philippines national rugby union team in 2011. For two years he did not play for the national team. In 2013, he made his return to the national team.
In club rugby, Tai played for the Alabang Eagles.
Acting career
Before his stint in the Philippines he was already pursuing a career in acting, commercial modelling, and hosting in Australia.
Television
He made a guest appearance in ''
It's Showtime'' as a ''hurado'' or a judge in a segment of the variety show and also made a dance exhibition. In 2012, he became a full-time host in the show and became known under the screen name "Eruption". He was offered to be part of various television shows in
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under L ...
but declining saying that he wants to focus with ''It's Showtime''.
[
As part of McCann Erickson's "Everybody Break Now" advertising campaign for KitKat, Tai portrayed Dan, the Breakinator in a television commercial for the chocolate brand.
He took a break after his stint in a Canadian Tour of '' It's Showtime'' in September 2014 and returned in December of the same year.]Bagani
Bagani or magani refers to the class of warrior-leaders of various Lumad ethnic groups of the island of Mindanao, Philippines. Bagani were most notably integral to the traditional society and government of the Mandaya, Mansaka, Manobo, and ...
in 2018, which he plays a Giant guy. This was Eric Tai’s 1st Teleserye, followed by his 2nd teleserye ''Ngayon At Kailanman'' which he plays as a bodyguard in 2019.
Film
Tai appeared in ''Madaling Araw, Mahabang Gabi'', an independent film which also featured Angelica Panganiban. In May 2012, Tai expressed his desire to act in an action film but he says he doesn't find any opportunity to do so in the Philippines.[
]
Hosting
Tai hosted Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup 2019 (MSC 2019) held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on June 21–23, 2018.
Personal life
Tai is married to Rona Samson. The two became engaged in August 2014 when Tai proposed to Samson in