Ultimate Love: Excitement, intrigues, in ‘Aunty’s Love Pad’

Barely a week after the premiere of Ultimate Love, the new reality show from MultiChoice Nigeria, the programme has already seen a lot of intrigues from the love guests, stimulating discussions for its ever-increasing fan base and viewers.

In just over 10 days, a combination of entertainment, arguments, and of course, romance and heartbreaks, has unfolded in ‘Aunty’s Love Pad’.

The love guests have been finally paired as couples and there have been a voluntary checkout by Uche and the first nominations of the season made. The love guests are still grappling to understand one another: That is quite expected as different characters have converged on a single house, with some of them potentially remaining there for 60 days.

However, what has not been left out is the show’s promotion of Nigerian culture. It showcases the cultural diversity of Nigeria, its well-celebrated heterogeneous marriage practices as well as the creativity, astuteness and the resilience of young Nigerians.

Following the pairings, a number of inter-ethnic relationships are beginning to develop. The pairings in this category worthy of mention are, Ebiteinye and Obichukwu, Presh Talker and David Wilson, Jenny Koko and Louis, Sylvia and Jerry as well as Rosie and Kachi. It is expected that these relationships will be strengthened as the show goes on.

Moreover, the cultural tasks assigned exposed the ‘love guests’ to the huge diversity of Nigeria’s cultural heritage. The solo performance by the individual contestants depicting the various states in Nigeria is also a demonstration of this salient point.

Majority of them represented their indigenous states wearing exquisite traditional attires. Others represented different states with Rosie epitomising Kaduna State, Iyke symbolising Oyo State and Cherry embodying Cross River State. This action further emphasises Nigeria’s unity in diversity, whilst also highlighting the cultural practices of various ethnic groups in the country.

The guests’ knowledge of the country’s diverse culture was further stirred with their drama performance of the chronological order of a man’s life from birth to death.

Bolanle, Arnold, Sylvia, Chris, and Jenny Koko showcased the birth and naming ceremony of a child in the Yoruba culture; Iyke, Kachi, Uche, Obichukwu and Theresa portrayed the coming of age of a man in the Igbo Culture; Jay, Ebiteinye, David Wilson, Presh Talker and Rosie depicted the marriage rites of a Hausa couple; while Jerry, Cherry, Nkechi, Michael and Louis demonstrated the burial rites of an Urhobo man.

The unfamiliarity of some of the housemates, and by extension the viewers, with the various cultures has been addressed through such tasks.

Also, the guests were exposed to new things unknown through the various creative tasks assigned to them. They tested their knowledge about contemporary Nigerian songs and participated in a spelling competition on the different traditional Nigerian cuisine. The contestants also produced traditionally-designed fabrics using the tie and dye method.

These tasks, aside from helping them to improve their intellectual capability and test their compatibility as couples, also go a long way to help them understand and appreciate the richness of the county’s diverse culture, particularly those of them who would build on their inter-ethnic relationships after the show and ultimately get married.

Fans of the show should stay tuned to DStv Channel 198 and GOtv Channel 29 to find out which of the love guests can simultaneously provide Nigeria’s most enchanting love story yet and emerge the ultimate couple, claiming the grand prize totaling N5 million, a lavish traditional wedding and a dream home.

• Dike, a marketing communications specialist, writes from Lagos