Vanessa Obioha
After weeks of intense competition, The People’s Hero talent show will finally crown a winner this weekend. The past weekend saw 12 contestants leaving the show, dashing their hopes of winning the ultimate prize of N7 million.
Tasked to perform the Igbo traditional wedding known as Igbanku Nwanyi in the Igbo dialect, the contestants divided into groups gave scintillating performances in a bid to get a nod from the judges.
Team Agwu set the mood for the show with a rich interpretation of the Igbo culture and tradition, treating the audience to a romantic and flawless performance. Their presentation was quickly followed by Team Obidike’s electrifying display, which was described as a total package by the judges. Team Obinwanne’s piece was that of a tragic love story, creatively presented but laden with emotions.
Team Ofuobi on the other hand, did not fail to blow the minds of the audience and judges who were completely thrilled by the group’s performance. Team Ichekwu rounded off the night with a very entertaining piece that explained the relevance of palm wine at Igbo traditional wedding ceremonies.
Despite their spectacular performances, only one team could advance to the finals. The show anchor, Nedu, had announced that only one of the five groups will make it to the final, and while addressing the tensed audience and contestants, he declared Team Ofuobi as the only group heading to the final. The judges expressed their satisfaction with the group, stating that their creativity, consistency and continued improvement served as their ticket to the final.
The judges, however, surprised the contestants and the audience when they chose to save four contestants, as wild cards, from eviction. These were Justice, Amarachi, Elvis and Joel. The saved contestants could not hide their emotions as they expressed gratitude to the judges for being considered worthy to be selected to join members of Team Ofuobi to battle at the final round, for who becomes The People’s Hero.
Admonishing the evicted contestants, one of the judges, Illbliss, said the contestants have been placed on a huge platform by participating in the TV show and urged them not to drop from the pedestal. He said, while they were selected as raw talents from the auditions, they have become refined and advised them to look for opportunities to show the world what they have learnt on the show.
An initiative of the International Breweries brand, Hero Lager Beer, that seeks to celebrate the richness and the beauty of the Igbo culture through singing, dancing, spoken word and acting, the grand finale will air on Saturday, December 7 on MTV base by 9.00pm.
