Think Deeply Before Applying For GUS, Contestants Counsel

Funsho Arogundade

Chinedu Ubachukwu, one of the contestants in the ongoing 11th edition of Gulder Ultimate Search, has advised friends and family members to give it a deep thought before attempting to compete in the search.

Chinedu, a University of Port Harcourt graduate of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, who belongs to the Orange team of the search said future contestants should brace up for tough times as staying in the jungle could be very harsh and unpleasant.

“To be sincere, once I leave here, I won’t advise a loved one to come here. They may think I don’t want their progress having made it here and don’t want them to experience the fortune. But here in the jungle, it is really tough,” he said.

Otto Canon, another contestant, who finally got the chance to compete in the Search after four unsuccessful attempts also admits that competing on the programme is very tough.

“When you watch the Search on TV, you really can’t tell what the feelings are like. The jungle is a place that humbles you and kills your pride,” he stated.

Sharon Robinson, who finally got in after failing twice challenged anyone who thinks that GUS is easy to fill in the form and try next year.

Life in the jungle has been a stark contrast to the luxuries of city life which the contestants are used to. The 14 contestants have had to depend on rain and stream water to quench their thirst, even after competing in gruelling games. Their sleep has been cut short when it rains, as the palm fronds which serve as the roof to their huts sometimes fails to provide the needed cover.

Dr. Ikenna Emedike, one of the contestants, incurred the wrath of the Council of Elders and was almost evicted for ‘stealing’ cassava without authorisation. He attributed his act to hunger and wanting to survive in the jungle.

“When I was walking to the stream, I saw a heavily weeded farm looking like it had been abandoned for years. So I looked at it carefully and when I saw there was a cassava sprout, I felt it was abandoned. If it had been properly weeded, I wouldn’t have touched it. However, I admit stealing it, because it wasn’t my farm. It was just about survival,” he confessed.

Chidi Mokeme, the anchor man, had come down heavily on him and reprimanded the contestant for his shameful act.

For the first time in the annals of GUS, contestants were paired into groups of two members each. They were asked to pick up circular objects from a calabash and the two that picked the same colour formed a clan.

There were seven colours in all – representing the colours of the rainbow. They were also instructed to wear colour-matching bandanas provided for them at all times. The teams would garner points from various tasks, with the winning team getting seven points while the losing team would be awarded one point.