Chinedu Ubachukwu, one of the contestants in the Gulder Ultimate
Search reality show, has advised other wannabes to think twice before
coming forward to contest in the programme.
The University of Port Harcourt graduate of Petroleum and Gas
Engineering asked future contestants to brace up for tough times as
staying in the jungle could be very harsh and unpleasant.
According to Ubachukwu, he would discourage loved ones from competing
on the show as it literally stretches contestants to the limit. The
Orange team member said: “To be sincere, I won’t advise a loved one to
come here. But the loved one may think I don’t want him to progress in
life. Because he or she may think that I’ve come and I’ve made it and I
don’t want him or her to make it. But here in the jungle, it is really
tough.”
Ironically, Ubachukwu had dreamt of being in the jungle ever since he
was young. Just before entering the Aguleri forest, he had said:
“Gulder Ultimate Search is the first reality show I grew up watching and
I have always admired the participants, and I have always imagined
myself in the jungle. I’m so happy and feel so fortunate to have made
the last 14 this year.”
Otto Canon, another contestant who got into Gulder Ultimate Search
after four unsuccessful attempts, also admited that competing in the
show is very tough. He explained: “There’s so much difference between
watching Gulder Ultimate Search on TV and experiencing Gulder Ultimate
Search in reality. When you watch Gulder Ultimate Search on TV, you
really can’t tell what the feelings are like.”
Speaking on his experience so far, Canon said: “I’ve come to
appreciate food so much that the least piece of rice or garri means so
much to me right now. At home, I don’t eat left over garri, but right
now, I don’t care. At home, I’m very conscious of the water I drink. I
would rinse the glass cup I want to use to drink water, because I am
particular about it being clean. Right now, I am very comfortable
drinking water from the stream. The jungle is a place that humbles you
and kills your pride.”
Indeed, life in the jungle is a stark contrast to the luxuries of
city life that 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, because the palm fronds, which serve as the roof of their huts,
sometimes fail to provide them the needed cover. The contestants have
had to depend on palm kernels and ‘baby’ sugarcane that sprouts from the
grounds not too far from their jungle abode.
Dr. Ikenna Emedike, one of the contestants, incurred the wrath of the
Council of Elders and was almost evicted for taking cassava without
authorisation. He attributed his act to hunger and wanting to survive at
all cost 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.
The show currently airs on some television stations across the country.
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