Eric Tai (born August 23, 1984) is a New Zealand actor. He is also a 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 Switc ...

esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

player and former

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player who played for the Alabang Eagles and represented the

Philippines national rugby union team The Philippines national rugby union team, nicknamed the "Volcanoes", represents the Philippines in international rugby union. The Philippines have been playing in the Asia Rugby Championship since 2006 when the team was first created. In 2012 ...

in 15s and 7s. He was also one of the hosts of '' It's Showtime'', where he went by the screen name Eruption.

Early life

Tai was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia. He is of Tongan and Filipino ancestry. He was obsessed with video games and had an Atari for his first console. In high school, he became involved in various sports such as

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

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 (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

. 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 restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded durin ...

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: ''Siyudad ka Naga''; ; ), or the Pilgrim City of Naga, is an Cities of the Philippines#Legal classificat ...

Rugby career

Tai was part of the

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.

Career

Before his stint in the Philippines, he was already pursuing a career in acting, commercial modelling, and hosting in Australia.

Television

He initially made a guest appearance on '' It's Showtime'' as a ''hurado'', or judge, and showcased his dance skills in a performance. In 2012, he transitioned to a full-time hosting role on the show, adopting the screen name Eruption. Despite receiving offers to join other

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

television shows, he declined, expressing a desire to concentrate on his role in ''It's Showtime''. As part of

McCann Erickson McCann, formerly McCann Erickson, is an American global advertising agency network, with offices in over 120 countries. McCann is part of McCann Worldgroup, along with several other agencies, including direct digital marketing agency MRM//McC ...

's "Everybody Break Now" advertising campaign for

KitKat Kit Kat (stylised as KitKat in various countries) is a chocolate-covered wafer bar confection created by Rowntree's of York, England. It is produced globally by Nestlé (which acquired Rowntree's in 1988), except in the United States, where i ...

, 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 the same year. Tai announced his departure from ''It's Showtime'' in early 2016. Co-host

Coleen Garcia Danielle Claudine "Coleen" Ortega Garcia-Crawford (born September 24, 1992) is a Filipina actress. Garcia began her career as a child and teenager appearing in several commercials. She eventually signed by Star Magic, where she has starred in s ...

also left. His last appearance on the television show was in December 2015. Tai along with his wife, Rona Samson joined the fifth season of ''

The Amazing Race Asia ''The Amazing Race Asia'' is an Asian reality competition show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race''. Following the premise of other versions in the ''Amazing Race'' franchise, the show follows teams of two as they race across Asia a ...

'' as contestants. Tai is formerly part of the action adventure series ''

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 Bago ...

'' in 2018, in which he played a giant guy. This was Tai's first teleserye, followed by his second teleserye '' Ngayon at Kailanman'' in 2019 in which he played a bodyguard. In 2023, Tai and his team won P200,000 when they competed on ''Family Feud''. In that episode, he challenged host

Dingdong Dantes Jose Sixto "Dingdong" Gonzalez Dantes III (born August 2, 1980) professionally known as Dingdong Dantes, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker, and television personality. He is known for his acting versatility and played dramatic and fantasy-action r ...

to the "Ting Ting Tang Ting Dance Challenge".

Film

Tai appeared in ''Madaling Araw, Mahabang Gabi'', an independent film which also featured

Angelica Panganiban Angelica Panganiban (; born Angelica Jane David Charlson on November 4, 1986) is a Filipino actress and vlogger. Regarded as the new “Queen of Drama” by various media outlets, she is recognized as one of the most seasoned and versatile actr ...

. In May 2012, Tai expressed his desire to act in an action film but said he did not 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.

Modeling

Tai appeared on the cover of the first issue of the Philippine edition of ''

Muscle & Fitness ''Muscle & Fitness'' is an American fitness and bodybuilding magazine founded in 1935 by Canadian entrepreneur Joe Weider. It was originally published under the title ''Your Physique'', before being renamed to ''Muscle Builder'' in 1954, and ac ...

'' in 2016.

Online media

Tai went viral on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

while dancing on a train in Singapore in October 2022. He and his dance crew then started dancing to that tune in various locations and even got other celebrities to join them. He also received a Silver Play Button from

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

in 2023.

Esports

In 2023, Tai joined the PBA Esports Bakbakan league. He was drafted 4th by Magnolia.

Music

In 2023, Tai released his first single "Do Your Ting", a collaboration with Mr. Mainit, DJ Loonyo, and Solomon Starks. He had also signed as a recording artist with Ingrooves Music Group (which is owned by

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

) that year.

Personal life

Tai is married to Rona Samson. The two became engaged in August 2014 when Tai proposed to Samson in

Albay Albay (IPA: ), officially the Province of Albay (; ; Baybayin, ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, mostly on the southeastern part of the isla ...

. They got married in March 2015 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in

Cubao Cubao may refer to: * Cubao, Quezon City, a district of Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines ** Araneta Center–Cubao station (LRT) on Line 2 ** Araneta Center–Cubao station (MRT) on Line 3 ** Cubao Cathedral The Immaculate Conceptio ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

. They got involved in a second marriage ceremony in May 2016. In 2015, Samson experienced a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

and was informed by her doctor that she could only conceive a child with Tai through

in vitro fertilisation In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an ovum, egg is combined with spermatozoon, sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the Ovulation cycle, ovulatory process, then removing ...

. This led to the couple joining ''The Amazing Race Asia'' who planned to use the prize money to go through with the procedure. The couple has one child, Legend, born in 2019. Tai also said that his esports events paid him well and helped him through the process. Video games is also a hobby of Tai which according to his wife proved beneficial for their stint in ''The Amazing Race''. She said this hobby helped them in the puzzle solving aspect of the reality show.

Filmography

Television

Film

*'' Shake Rattle & Roll 14'' (2012) *''Madaling Araw, Mahabang Gabi'' (independent film; 2012) *''The Last Soldier'' (2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tai, Eric 1984 births Living people ABS-CBN people Filipino esports players Filipino male comedians Filipino male film actors Filipino male television actors Filipino television variety show hosts Mormon missionaries in the Philippines New Zealand people of Tongan descent New Zealand people of Filipino descent New Zealand expatriates in the Philippines Philippines international rugby union players Star Magic Tongan actors The Amazing Race contestants Tongan expatriates in the Philippines Tongan rugby union players Filipino Twitch (service) streamers