Tag: GUS 11

CHINEDU Ubachukwu, winner of Gulder Ultimate Search 11, Samantha Appi, the last woman to be evicted and Otto Canon, winner of the viewers’ choice category, took delivery of their car prizes recently at the premises of Nigerian Breweries Plc., organizers of the reality show.

While Chinedu got a brand new Ford Explorer SUV for his feat in the competition, Samantha and Otto received keys to Ford Eco Sport and Ford Focus brands respectively.

The scope of prizes in this year’s edition of the show is the first-of-its-kind, as only the overall winners got car prizes in the past.

The cars were officially presented by Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Walter Drenth, Marketing Director and Mr. Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser, all of Nigerian Breweries Plc.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vervelde urged the recipients to conduct themselves as role models to Nigerians youths and to understand that they are ambassadors of the Gulder brand.

He said: “Always remember that people will see you as representing the Gulder brand. You must be of good behaviour at all times and be conscious of the fact that many Nigerian youths are looking up to you.”

Also speaking, Drenth urged the winners to drive with care,saying: “These cars are comprehensively insured for a period of one year. We however expect that you would take proper care of the cars. I would also like to add that Nigerian Breweries Plc. is a socially responsible company; and we advocate that you must not drink alcohol and drive. Once more, congratulations and please do drive with care.”

Chinedu, who responded to the gesture, thanked the management of the company. “I feel very excited driving home this tear-rubber 2014 Ford Explorer, wow! I am the man of the year, thank God,” he said excitedly.

For Samantha, who said the car is her first automobile, “This is far beyond my expectations,” she said.

Canon too, was full of smiles as he received the keys to his car. He described the occasion as a dream come true, as he had often prayed to own a car at 25. He said: It’s been an earnest heart desire to have a brand new car before the age of 25 or at most 25. Right now I am 25 and I have a car, I thank God.”

Also at the ceremony were Sharon Robinson and Eriata Blessing, both were fellow contestants on the adventure reality show.

Whether or not they knew he was coming, the presence of the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, in the jungle, excited the contestants of the ongoing Gulder Ultimate Search (GUS) reality show.

In what the organisers called a surprise visit, the governor, who was taken round notable spots in the Aguleri jungle by the show host, Chidi Mokeme, eventually met with the contestants, who looked roughened owing to the gruelling tasks of the show.

Obiano, upon approaching the contestants, raised his fist in the air and chanted ‘Wee!’, a popular military slogan. The contestants replied with a thunderous ‘Wah!’ extending comradeship to their visitor.

After taking a look at their abode, the governor said he was glad to know that the contestants built their shelters themselves, but sought to know how they had been coping with rains. They told him, however, that they were already accustomed to the harsh conditions of the jungle.

Apparently fascinated by the various spots and the Place of the Talking Drum, where Mokeme sits to pass verdicts on contestants, the governor took the same sitting position saying: “It is a very exciting sight for me. It reminds me of my Boys Scout days… I identify myself with the vision of Gulder Ultimate Search. For some of you that may be Boys Scouts or Girls Guide or Man O War members, you will like what is happening here. I was a very active member of the Boys Scout, so I understand the jungle; I understand what is happening around here.”

 According to him, the lesson being espoused by the organisers of GUS is that they are trying to bring up strong people. “And part of being able to check whether you are strong or not is how you survive in the jungle. I understand they cook their food here; I saw the thatched houses the contestants built themselves that they now live in; I saw the beautiful reception area and I saw the Place of the Talking Drum, a beautiful place to behold,” he said.

He further disclosed that Anambra State government would consider implementing certain aspects of Gulder Ultimate Search as a youth development initiative. He stated: “I will see how I can borrow some ideas here and, perhaps, implement it for the Anambra youths. Once in a while, we might consider them to have a feel of the jungle. You will never know where you will find a jungle. So, the more you learn about survival tricks, the better for you as an individual.”

On how the reality show fits into the four pillars of his administration, Obiano said: “It is part of trade and commerce that will come in here; it is part of hospitality business that we are talking about and it is also a part of youth empowerment, training and skills that we’ve been talking about. The reason is when the contestants leave here, they will not be the same again ever. This experience will take them through so many things in real life. For example, if for any reason, you don’t have electricity, what should you do? Should you panic? These are already skills that are being taught in the Gulder Ultimate Search. If they find themselves in any difficult situation, instead of raising their hands and panicking, they will remember what they did in the jungle; so, that’s a great lesson. And more importantly, Nigerian Breweries chose Aguleri, where the giants lived, a city known for strength and prowess in wars. So, they made an ultimate’ choice in Aguleri, just like they are positioning the ultimate drink they call Gulder.”

At a ceremony scheduled to take place on November 1, the last man standing will be crowned and offered the N10 million cash prize and a brand new Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), while others will also receive rewards, according to how they have been evicted from the show.

AS the regional auditions for the Gulder Ultimate Search intensified in Benin City, Mrs. Loretta Erhijakpor’s story of courage, determination and resilience stood out. The mother of three gave younger contestants, who turned out at Ogbe Stadium, Benin City, a run for their money, thereby emerging victorious.

Although she tripped over an obstacle at the beginning of the rigorous exercises, she dug deep to scale through to the end of the task.

Erhijakpor also replicated this feat during the swimming regimen. She decided to enter the contest because it was her last chance. By 2015, she will be 31, a year older than the GUS age limit of 30 years.

She explained that she had not been able to register before now because of marriage and having to take care of her sick mother.

She disclosed that her husband urged her to bring home the ultimate prize or at least emerge the last standing female contestant.

Meanwhile, Jane Francis, another GUS 11 hopeful, had her hopes of participating in the reality TV show dashed as she could not correctly spell the word ‘parachute’ at the interview session. Jane wept uncontrollably, as she relayed the story of how she was robbed the previous night along Onitsha Road.

The Gulder Ultimate regional auditions were held in Awka and Port Harcourt this year for the first time in the history of the show.

The organisers also held selection exercises in Benin and Lagos, where contestants went through rigorous exercise regime to select candidates with the right physical and mental capacities to compete for the ultimate prize.

FOR the majority of contestants who thronged the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, Rivers State for the regional selection exercises of Gulder Ultimate Search 11, the new exercise regime introduced by the organisers was most shocking. It was an exercise that beat their imagination.

The newly introduced regional drilling process involved running and overcoming Gulder Ultimate Search-styled obstacle courses. This is a far cry from the traditional or familiar exercise, where contestants only had to run, squat and race for balls.

Many of the contestants, who had trained in the hope of engaging in the usual exercise routines, had their hopes dashed, as they crashed out. Peter Onogwu, a 28-year-old graduate of the Enugu State University of Technology, had expected to perform the same set of exercises this year, having scaled through last year.

“This is my second attempt at the GUS. I was actually expecting the same exercise routine as that of last year’s. And I trained in the areas of 100 meters dash and squatting. But on getting here, I saw that the exercises had changed. And as you can see, it caught me unawares. Even though I am physically fit, I was not prepared for this,” Peter said.

Onyeka Okoli, Senior Brand Manager, Gulder, Nigerian Breweries Plc., said the exercise overhaul was part of a grand design to ensure that both the contestants that would eventually make it to the Aguleri jungle and the millions of viewers who would watch from their homes would have a different Gulder Ultimate Search experience.

“We decided to add a new twist to this year’s regional selection process because contestants had become used to the previous exercise regimen. We particularly wanted all those engaged in the selection process to have a feel of what the lucky individuals that eventually go into the jungle go through,” he said.

He also stated that while the previous contestants scaled through based on their speed and stamina, the new drills tested contestants’ strength, endurance, attentiveness and cognitive skills.

•Registration deadline extended

THE regional screening for this year’s edition of television reality show, Gulder Ultimate Search, will commence today, August 2, with the theme:  The Mission.

According to the organisers, the screening, which holds in Port Harcourt, Awka, Benin and Lagos, will end on Monday, August 18.

The venues for the Port Harcourt regionals are Liberation Stadium, Lotus Hotel and Bougainvillea, while that of Awka will take place at the Awka Township Stadium and Marble Arc Hotel.

Also, contestants will converge on Ogbe Stadium and Best Western for screening in Benin, while the National Stadium and Union Bank Sports Club will serve as the locations for the Lagos exercise.

Also, in a bid to ensure that more young Nigerians are given the opportunity to participate in the reality TV programme, the deadline for registration has been extended. Organisers of the contest said residents of Awka and its environs now have up till August 4 to register, while interested participants in Benin are required to register on or before August 8. The deadline for Lagos registration has also been extended to August 12.

The 11th edition of the Gulder Ultimate Search will hold in the rough terrain of the Aguleri jungle in Anambra State and the contestant who conquers that jungle and finds the missing ancient CUBE will be rewarded with N10 million and a brand new SUV.