After the elimination of Cape Town songwriter Jarrad Ricketts, the remaining contestants in SABC3’s "Presenter Search on 3: Expresso Edition" are two weeks from knowing who will be the new presenters for the channel’s morning show.
The two winners will take up their new presenting positions as soon as possible after the reality series finale.
On Wednesday's episode, the 11th in the series, the top six got their first taste of an "Expresso" staple – the travel segment.
Their first travel challenge took them to the Kingdom of eSwatini where they were split up into teams to explore the country’s arts and culture.
Each contestant was tasked with creating a travel segment about an activity, from Swazi cooking and traditional woodcraft to local music and learning dance steps, and after viewing the raw footage of each insert, the judges made their decision.
Turns out the sangoma’s prediction of success for Jarred in his segment was not a promise that he’d win the competition… However, as eliminations go, the 32-year-old SAMA nominee could not have asked for a more scenic spot – the team converged on top of the second largest granite rock in the world, Sibebe Rock outside Mbabane, and he learnt his fate against the backdrop of a spectacular sunset view.
Turning the search for a presenter into a reality show has made for great television, and this innovative way of finding the perfect hosts with all the right skills and personalities for a glamorous TV show has kept viewers entertained and involved over five seasons.
This season’s aspiring contestants entered by submitting a one-minute audition video on Instagram, and top entrants were invited to auditions in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
A top 10 were selected to face judges Thando Thabethe, Dr Musa Mthombeni and Roger Goode, and in a surprise twist, viewers were afforded the opportunity to vote in an extra finalist, which saw Kuhle Adams making a reappearance in Episode 6.
Next week one more person will be sent home, leaving four contestants standing for the finale’s epic final challenge, which will be broadcast on 30 October.
All five are potential stars, but as talented as they all are, someone will be sent home next week. Who will be the next to go?
Don’t miss the next episode on Wednesday, 23 October, at 19:30 on SABC3.