How Do You Fall in Love with a Stranger?

How Do You Fall in Love with a Stranger?

Vanessa Obioha

Imagine staying in a house full of 15 strangers, eventually paired up with one of them with the hope of finding love. It seems strange and at the same time adventurous. This is the concept of the new reality show advertised by MultiChoice Nigeria.

At the MultiChoice Media Showcase in Johannesburg, South Africa recently, Channel Director, Africa Magic, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu announced that a new reality show, Ultimate Love will hit the screen next year. The show will see 16 singles taking a shot at love.

This piece of information is exciting for Mba-Uzoukwu and her team for many reasons. First, it is the first home-grown reality show for the cable channel which prides itself as the biggest storyteller in the continent. With the slew of local content on the Africa Magic channels, Mba-Uzoukwu is optimistic that the show will reflect the company’s commitment to “ensuring the video entertainment industry across the continent thrives and grows to compete with the best in the world.”

Ultimate Love comes on the heels of Big Brother Naija season four which shattered records with 240 million votes. That figure recorded a significant growth for the leading entertainment company. Its local content library reached 54,000 hours this year.

The new reality show will see 16 contestants (singles only) battle for an opportunity to find ultimate love just as the name suggests.

It will feature eight male and eight female contestants who will be paired and live together in the same house for eight weeks with the hope of finding their special one.They will engage in a series of locally inspired activities as couples with viewers voting off their least favorite couple on a weekly basis. The winning couple will be rewarded with a lavish traditional wedding ceremony, a fully furnished home among other prizes.

Unlike Big Brother Naija, contestants of the love reality show will have interaction with the outside world. The show aims at reflecting our ethical values while allowing the singles to express themselves in their search for love.

Like Big Brother Naija, Ultimate Love will come with drama and entertainment but its trump card will be in its ability to sell love to the audience across the continent. It will be entertaining to see individuals unmask each other as they try to win the trust and love of the other. The couples, who are continuously monitored by live television cameras and personal audio microphones, will interact daily with a counsellor fondly referred to as ‘Auntie’ as they embark on their journey to love.

No doubt, the reality show will revolutionise the genre. Most subjects of reality shows in Nigeria usually tend to be adventurous with love as a sub-theme. Having love as the central theme will definitely captivate viewers.

What will further make the show more intriguing is the personalities that will be involved in the game. If Big Brother Naija is to be used as a template, then viewers can be guaranteed a diverse set of individuals who will be bringing the love and heat on screen.

Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe subtly hinted at the new show during the prize presentation press conference at the recently concluded Big Brother Naija ‘Pepper Dem’. He mentioned that something bigger was coming after Big Brother Naija.

However, at a press briefing to announce the show, Ugbe pointed out that “Reality TV shows are immensely popular because they showcase real people experiencing real life happenings and situations, thus connecting with viewers and fans on a personal and relatable level. There are fewer things realer than love, and Ultimate Love, our new and exciting reality show celebrates this.”

With auditions opened since November 22 to close November 30, viewers can expect a complete love showdown when Ultimate Love finally airs on February 9, 2020.

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