Gulder Ultimate Search 8: So Far, So Exciting!

The suspense and excitement in the Gulder Ultimate Search is reaching fever pitch even as the first batch of contestants exits the Ososo forest and the second batch commences hostilities. It has been a mixed bag for the first batch, some of who left the jungle with the sweet taste of victory, after scaling through to the next round, while the others are left with the sour taste of eviction.

Indeed, there was always going to be something different about this year’s Gulder Ultimate Search. Set in the rustic undulating hills and forests of the Ososo hills, Edo State, Gulder Ultimate Search 8 was making its way to Edo State for the second time since its inception. After hitting a record milestone of more than 26,000 applications, the highest since the commencement of the reality TV show, the Gulder Ultimate Search kicked off with screenings held in four zones across the country. Applications poured in from the nooks and crannies of the country and the four zones where screenings took place; Abuja, Owerri, Benin and Lagos, were swamped with the potential contestants seeking to make it into this year’s edition. After rigorous physical screenings as well as medical and oral interviews, the final 30 candidates to participate in the Gulder Ultimate Search emerged. For viewers of the reality show, it has been a radical departure from what used to be. Instead of the usual 12 candidates vying for the position of Ultimate champion, this year’s format saw 30 contestants entering the Ososo jungle in three batches of 10. Only three contestants will qualify from the three batches of 10 to make nine qualified contestants. The viewers would then be given the opportunity to vote back one candidate out of the remaining seven contestants from each batch who failed to qualify. This would make three contestants saved by the audience’s vote. The three contestants would then slug it out against each other for one remaining slot. This last slot will join the nine qualified contestants in the Contest of Champions.

Already, the concluded proceedings from the first batch to enter the jungle have set the tone for what promises to be an exciting and suspense filled season of the Gulder Ultimate Search. For one, the dominance of the female contestants in the ongoing reality show has shown that Gulder Ultimate Search is not a solely male affair as originally perceived. Since its inception, the reality show has produced male winners with the females, content with vying for the position of The Last Girl Standing. Now, it appears that the days of men walking away with the ultimate prize in the Gulder ultimate search may well be over. The three qualifiers for the first batch of the 10 contestants are two females, Promise Ojiegbe and Anastasia Azike, while Kelvin Durst survived as the only male to qualify. During their stay in the journey, it was indeed, a female affair as four out of the five men dropped off, one after another. Only Kelvin Durst, the cocky half caste saved the blushes of the male contingent.

Kehinde Fadojutimi’s exit opened the floodgates of the eviction of the men as Samuel Lazarus, Franklin Inegbedion and Alvin Ilenre followed suit when they failed the tasks set before then. The final stage saw three females, Promise, Geraldine and Anastalsia, along with Kelvin Durst vying for the three spots up for grabs. At the end of the day Geraldine lost out leaving Kelvin to redeem the image of the men.

For Geraldine, it was an unexpected end to an impressive run in the reality show. From the first blast of the whistle, she stood out with her consistent performance in all but the final task that led to her eviction. She was always within the best three contestants in all but the last task. Perhaps if anybody deserved to have a shot at winning the ultimate prize, she probably deserved it, but while her impressive physical condition saw her through to the final stage of the competition, her mental ability failed her as she could not complete the jig-saw puzzle in the last task.

Geraldine was not the only candidate who was eliminated in bizarre circumstances. Franklin Enearu, the fourth evictee on the reality show also fell in the same category. His fortune during his stay in the Ososo Forest swung from the precipice of defeat after he narrowly avoided eviction in the first task to the heights of victory when he won the second task. His feat was rewarded with the box of matches which was used to prepare food for the contestants. By the very next task, his fortune fell to its nadir as he was evicted. His exit was more painful because the Edo State born contestant missed out after his effort secured Betty Adun’s stay in the reality show. During the task, the contestants were required to fetch water from a stream using small bowls into buckets of water containing flags. Each contestant was blindfolded and could only reach the stream and bucket guided by ropes. Franklin succeeded in filling Betty’s bucket with water from his bowl while his own bucket remained empty. Thus, Franklin’s loss became Betty’s gain. Betty’s luck would also run out as she later joined the list of evictees.

While Geraldine’s exit was the most emotional, Franklin’s was the most painful as the other contestants rued his exit. During his stay on camp, he became the livewire, court jester, leader all rolled in one.

Still, the contestants deserve commendation for braving through the harsh Ososo hill and forest. With little food to eat, they depended solely on their wits and survival instinct to brave the hurdles set before them.

As another batch of contestants make their way into the forest, the question on the lips of many is, will the female domination continue or will the males finally wake up from their slumber? Whichever way it goes, the Gulder Ultimate Search is certainly living up to expectation as the nation’s number one reality TV show.