Shall we talk about MultiChoice’s latest reality show, “Ultimate Love?”
It has been on air for 3 weeks and Sunday’s live show was particularly disheartening. Because one of the contestants voluntarily opted out, evictions were nullified and so, there was absolutely no content for the hour-long live show.
Hosts, Oluwaseun Olaniyan aka Seun P and Dakore Akande, did their best to hold the audience. Gorgeous as they were, it just didn’t work. Seun P and Dakore danced as hard as they could. The lead singer of the live band sang her hearts out. She couldn’t save the show either. She was pitiable and the entire show was bland.
It is understandable that MultiChoice sank some top dollar into building the Big Brother house in Nigeria. Consequently, the company is probably seeking ways to recoup its investment through events like “Ultimate Love.”
However, replicating the Big Brother format for the “Ultimate Love” reality show just doesn’t work. It looks like a poor replica. More so, the things which ultimately drive Big Brother housemates don’t drive people who go for a reality show hoping to find a life partner. Neither do the tasks.
If we borrow a leaf from dating shows like “The Bachelor” or “Take Me Out,” albeit a lot of girls vying for the love of man, or vice versa in “The Bachelorette,” what makes these shows exciting are the fun and adventure not tasks. The drama is a given.
“Jersey Shore” or the British offshoot, “Gordie Shore” probably have a closer semblance to what MultiChoice is trying to achieve. “Gordie Shore” is pretty much Big Brother without all the restrictions of the man in the diary room, “Big Brother.” Adapting that format would most likely have been more beneficial.
The “Ultimate Love” reality show needs a format of its own to thrive. In summary, if it’s not Big Brother, it cannot be like Big Brother. Nonetheless, the show is not without fans.
