Saturday evening I got a call from my friend; Anyiko Owoko
who hosts the Grapevine show on KBC asking me if I was interested in attending the
TPF 6 Gala Night opening.
She was kind enough to offer me two VIP tickets and together
with my partner in crime; Christine Gogo, we made our way to the Tusker Dome at
Ruaraka.
The Tusker Project Fame (TPF) bus picked us up at around 5pm
in town and we headed off to Ruaraka for the annual TPF regional reality TV
music show.
Upon arrival; the heavy security ushered us to the lounge
for some drinks and food before heading to the studios for the live recording.
At around 7 pm; we were ushered to the studios. There was a
bit of commotion since the audience wanted to sit at the high overlooking deck
that one could view the stage from an elevated angle.
But since the crowd as a not a large one; we were forced to come
down from the elevated decks to sit on the plastic ground level seats.
The show kicked off
with the mcees for the night Dr Mitch and former capital FM’s Joey Muthengi
introducing the judges; faculty and contestants in that order.
The judges’ bench retained the same familiar faces- Ian,
Juliana and Hermis.
But the surprise for the night was the introduction to the
faculty of Eric Wainaina as the new principal, taking over from Hellen Mtawali.
The other faculty members retained were Aaron Rimbui, Choreographer Edu and voice
coach Kavutha.
The night’s rendition of Eric Wainaina’s song “Daima Mkenya”
marked the intro of the “Principal Y” nickname coined by Mitch to refer to
Eric.
And speaking of Mitch; the Doctor from Uganda renewed his
beef and rivalry with Ian as he started his usual “Ian Jokes” that entertained
the crowd and made the crowd’s ribs ache due to hard laughing.
The season 6 show, produced by Endemol; will see 18
contestants from six countries taking to the Nairobi stage and a sh 5 million
winner’s prize in mind.
The eight-week competition will not only see the winner take
home the huge cash prize but also pen a recording deal with giant music label
Sony Music.
This year; a number of changes have been made to the show. Viewers
can registers on Tusker. Mobi to vote for free online. And for the first time,
history was written when contestants in this season were allowed to participate
as competing groups referred to as acts. Mulungi andTimothy duo (Undercover
Brothers) made history as the first ever group to take the stage and perform on
TPF 6.
They paved way to yet another act from Kenya Josh and Amos,
who are my best bet to take the cash home. Their performance left the audience,
especially the ladies yearning for more.
But being a competition; Sunday saw the eviction of Dubart
and Tanah; both from Tanzania. Also evicted was Keith from Burundi.
The winner will be announced on December 8th. The
party went on till the wee hours of morning; with Homeboyz Radio’s Dj Andie
dropping the biggest club banger hits.
By Embukane Vincent Libosso
