Struggle In Aguleri Jungle:

GUS Contestant Evicted 2 Days After Dreaming Of His Exit

Uzo Chikere

When the 14 contestants for the 11^th edition of Gulder Ultimate Search were accorded a regal welcome to Anambra State and received by both the state governor and the Igwe of Aguleri, they exhilarated and basked in the euphoria of the grand honour done to them by the host state. Little did they give any thought to the habitual fact of the challenge and is concomitant consequence of sudden eviction for failing to discharge the task as handed down by the task master of the jungle.

With time, the euphoric atmosphere began to efface with an astonishing rapidity of series of evictions to the chagrin of all the contestants in the Aguleri jungle. At the last count, six of the GUS fortune hunters who entered the forest through the River Niger portion in Otuocha Aguleri, had been sent parking abruptly.

“You are hereby evicted, proceed immediately to the Camp House”, orders the anchore man, Chidi Mokeme to the grief of the victim(s) who have no chance of appeal. In the GUS jungle the wish of the task master is the contestants’ command.

That was the command of Ikenna Emedike who became the 6^th evictee from the GUS 11 jungle of Aguleri. Despite that he had revealed that he actually dreamt about his eviction, Chidi’s announcement of Ikenna’s eviction really jolted him. Ikenna Emedike lost out in the Octagon Chart task.

The GUS 11 warriors were to make three trips down a hill and retrieve three pieces of a hexagon, one piece at a time. Upon return to their work stations, they were to solve a puzzle, using parts of the hexagon to form the answer.
The other contestants solved the puzzle in succession and left to another location to retrieve leaving only Ikenna at the workstation. By the time he called to Chidi Mokeme to inform him that he had solved the riddle, the Anchor man told him he had been evicted. Ikenna pleaded for another chance but was asked to leave the jungle in three seconds.
A dejected Ikenna said he assumed that the task would not lead to eviction hence he was not really in a haste to solve the puzzle. He blamed his poor performance on lack of food which did not make him think straight.
Ikenna’s eviction from the jungle was different. Expelled contestants were asked to leave, either at the task ground or at the Place of The Talking Drum. They were also allowed to return to camp to pack their belongings. In this case, he was not evicted in the presence of the other contestants and his where- about was unknown.   
After completing their tasks, the remaining contestants returned to camp to find a scroll which directed them to bring Ikenna’s bag and totem to The Place of the Talking Drum. They quickly drew the conclusion that he had been evicted.
Emmanuel Afolabi, another Gulder Ultimate Search contestant said Ikenna had dreamt of being evicted.
Ikenna revealed that he dreamt about Gulder Ultimate Search. He said: “In the dream, we as contestants were performing a particular task and all of a sudden, a number of us were evicted. It happened so fast that I felt it was odd. I wondered what was happening. The remaining people left were a male and female contestant. In the dream, I asked Chidi Mokeme, the anchor man, whether this was the way things were done on Gulder Ultimate Search.”
He recalled telling some contestants about the dream, but they brushed it off. When asked if he nursed the fear that the dream might come to pass, Ikenna answered: “I was very very worried. I prayed against it anyway. It got me worried to the point that I told myself, maybe it was destined to happen, whatever comes out of this competition, I’ll attribute it to the will of God.”
Two days after the dream, he was evicted.
Contestants that have been evicted alongside Ikenna are: Loretta Erijakpor, Sandra Nwagbagiro, Blessing Eriata, Joshua Nwagboso and Iwuoha Ikenna.
The remaining contestants still in contention for the Gulder Ultimate Search 11 top prize are: Otto Canon, Addoh Evi, Iroh Noella, Samantha Appi, Emmanuel Afolabi, Sharon Robinson, Chinedu Ubachukwu and Cosy Joe.

…Contestant’s Vows To Enter For Gulder Ultimate Search Despite Brother’s Advice

Uzo Chikere

Izuchukwu Ubachukwu, younger brother of Chinedu Ubachukwu, one of the contestants in this year’s edition of Gulder Ultimate Search, has reacted to his brother’s advice not to participate in the reality TV show.

In one of the episodes of the programme currently being broadcast on selected TV stations, Chinedu who is still on the show, discouraged friends and family members from registering to participate, describing the experience as tough.

The contestant said: “To be sincere, if I should leave here, 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.”

Izuchukwu has however decided to forge on with his quest to register to participate in the next edition of Gulder Ultimate Search, despite his brother’s warning. The 21 year old 100 level student of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology said he does not see Gulder Ultimate Search as tough. He stated that his brother probably made that statement because he could not adapt to jungle life in his early days in the jungle.

Izuchukwu who only watches his brother when Gulder Ultimate Search is broadcast on TV but has no access to him for now, said he can easily adapt to jungle life. He said: “Everybody’s fate differs. In life some people excel and some other people don’t. I will try to adapt to jungle life.”

When he was reminded that there was no make-belief in Gulder Ultimate Search as the contestants truly sleep in the jungle, surrounded by dangerous elements; that they truly suffer from mosquito and other insect bites and that they go hungry for days because they are not regularly given food, he replied: “I know that they sleep in the jungle. Look, mosquitoes are everywhere in Nigeria. As for the food, I can tell you I am not a person that craves for food, so I will survive.”

Izuchukwu said he has told his mother about his dream to register for Gulder Ultimate Search next year. Her reply to him was to take a cue from Chinedu, his brother’s message. He stated: “She laughed at me and told me whether I did not listen to what my brother said in newspapers and on TV.” Izuchukwu however resolved: “It is not going to stop me from trying.”

When asked if he would perform some of the tasks better than his brother in the event that he is chosen to go into the jungle, he said: “I’m sure next year’s tasks will be different from this year’s tasks. Let’s wait and see.”

Izuchukwu sees Noela Iroh and Otto Canon as his brother, Chinedu’s biggest threat to winning Gulder Ultimate Search 11. He remarked: “They are smart and fast. Both of them are also strong. But I believe they are going to spur Chinedu to do better. He needs the competition to enable him do better in the competition.”

Izuchukwu is confident that his brother will win Gulder Ultimate Search 11.

Though the Gulder Ultimate Search 12 aspirant cannot swim, he has started swimming lessons. Swimming is one of the criteria for getting into GUS. He also boasted that he would one day emerge Gulder Ultimate Search champion.

Chinedu is one of remaining Gulder Ultimate Search contestants.

Gulder Ultimate Search 11 broadcast which commenced on October 3 will end on October 30.

IKENNA