The regional screening for this year’s Gulder Ultimate Search themed ‘The Mission’ will commence on Saturday, August 2, 2014 in Port Harcourt, Awka, Benin and Lagos and 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. Contestants will assemble at Ogbe Stadium and Best Western for their trials in Benin; while the National Stadium and Union Bank Sports Club will serve as the locations for the Lagos exercise.
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. 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.
Over the weekend, visitors to the Ikeja City Mall in Lagos were surprised to find Gulder Ultimate Search registration booths manned by specially trained personnel. Those who had earlier not registered due to inaccessibility to the internet or some other reasons quickly took advantage of the opportunity to do so.
Twenty-two year old Samuel Irhiemi, an Accounting student at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), confessed that he would have missed the chance to register had he not come to the mall to see a movie with a friend. According to him, the burden of studies did not allow him notice that registration for Gulder Ultimate Search had started.
He stated: “I had it in mind to register and stand a chance of participating in the Gulder Ultimate Search this year, but somehow I’ve been so busy with studies that I didn’t notice the registration has commenced. I only came with a friend to see a movie when I noticed the booth and I quickly came to register. I’m really glad Gulder brought this opportunity here, or else I would have missed it this year.”
Samuel is banking on his physical and mental strengths to scale through the screenings and gain entry into the jungle.
The story was different for Onome Samuel, a 20 year old 100 level student of Theatre Arts, also of the NOUN. Onome had given up the hope of participating in the competition this year after he could not complete his registration online due to poor internet services. Visiting the mall on Saturday, July 26, however rekindled that hope as he was able to complete his registration without hassles.
Onome is banking on his endurance, patience, physical and mental attributes to scale the regional screening hurdles and ultimately join the league of ultimate men who will be selected to embark on this year’s Mission.
Temidayo Akinola, a 24-year old fresh graduate of Chemical Engineering of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, had always wished for an opportunity to participate in Gulder Ultimate Search, but never found the time to register, also due to her studies.
She noted: “Each time I watch Gulder Ultimate Search on TV I always wished I could have an opportunity to participate because I believe I have what it takes to be in the jungle. But I never got to register because of school work; so I am really happy for this opportunity now that I am done with school.”
Temidayo is not only hopeful of overcoming the regional screening barrier, she is confident of breaking the male dominance thereby emerging the first female to win the Gulder Ultimate Search.
Kelvin Imodey, a Credit Officer with a Micro-Finance Bank, confessed that he never knew registrations for this year’s edition of GUS had started and would have missed it, had he not come to the Ikeja City Mall.
Kelvin who said he throws all his heart into whatever he sets his mind to do, bragged: “If Gulder Ultimate Search is about what I watch on TV, then I sure stand a good chance of making something big out it.”
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.
Gulder Ultimate Search is Nigeria’s first and longest running 100 per cent, local reality TV show.
