The 12th season of the Gulder Ultimate search began on Saturday, October 16 with 18 contestants who made it to the jungle to begin their search for the hidden treasure.
Sixteen contestants initially made the selection, while four who were chosen as wild cards would be voted by the public to secure their spots.
Here are the contestants:
1 Ademola Adewale Johnson: Damola is 26-year-old a film director and writer. He studied Zoology at the University of Lagos but didn’t practice it and chased his passion for art. For Damola, what drives him is the need to become a better person and pursue his dreams. And he believes that is what Gulder Ultimate Search is all about.
2 Chidimma Veronica Okeibe: Chidimma is a 29-year-old Human Resources manager and a project assistant. She hails from the umuonyeukwu autonomous community in Ikeduru LGA in Imo State. Having participated in student politics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Chidimma believes she has the leadership qualities to win the ultimate prize. She says she is on the show for the adventure and to achieve a better life.
3 Damilola Opeoluwa Odedina: Damilola, 25, is a cinematographer and a video editor who hails from Ogun State. He has a first degree in Economics and a postgraduate degree in Journalism. He values honesty and accountability and is a firm believer in God. His passion for sports and activities led him to audition for Gulder Ultimate Search.
4 Emmanuel Ifeanyi Nnebe: Emmanuel is a 29-year-old paralegal and a model hailing from Anambra State. He was the face of Sapphire 2020. Emmanuel has always wanted to be a part of something bigger and step out of his comfort zone, and part of that was applying for ulcer Ultimate Search. According to him, he’s on the show because of the money and his love for adventure.
5 Estima Francis Edem: Esitima Edem is a 24-year-old graduate of accounting from the University of Port Harcourt. She is also a model and a caterer. The aspiring model hopes to become the first female winner of Gulder Ultimate Search.
6 Gerald Oghenemeka Odeka: Gerald Odeka, known as Speedstar, is a 35-year-old professional athlete. He won Gold, Silver and Bronze at the 2012 edition of the National Sports Festival and was at the World Athletics Championship in Russia in 2013. He also works with the paramilitary.
As a father of five, Gerald has a soft heart towards children and works with an orphanage which he hopes to expand if he wins the prize money.
7 Iniabasi Eme Umoren: The 26-year old computer technology graduate, a singer and a music producer. He won the ‘Kill Ma Beat’ competition in 2018 and goes by the stage name ‘Saint Bond’ According to him, he has a production credit on DJ Cuppy’s album.
Ini has a black belt (Shotokan karate), and he plans to entertain the viewers and says he will be the “life of the party” during the show. If he wins the ₦50 million prize, Iniabasi plans to give back to his community through charity and promote his music career.
8 Jennifer Goodness Okeke: Jennifer is a 22-year-old student of philosophy at Delta State University. Knowing she wanted to compete on Gulder Ultimate Search, Jennifer learned how to swim ahead of the competition as that would have been her major hurdle.
She is an athlete, runs a small fashion business, and loves listening to different genres of music. She plans to be a broadcaster at graduation. In its 11-season run, no lady has won the reality show, but the 22-year-old athlete wants to be the first ultimate woman.
9 Mfon Esin: He is a 27-year-old freelance writer, model. He’s passionate about entertainment, enjoys the game of soccer and is an ardent supporter of Arsenal FC. He likes adventure, writing and reading. In 2013, he made it to the final selection stage of GUS but was not selected as a contestant, and now he is determined to make the most of it.
10 Odudu Ime Otu: Odudu is a 22-year-old student of business and an athlete. He enjoys playing basketball and sees Lebron James as his role model. Odudu decided to go for Gulder Ultimate Search to help his mom take care of the family.
He wants to be a model and owns his Not-For-Profit Organisation. His dream is to play basketball at a professional level and also be a business consultant.
11 Olayinka Gabriel Omoya: Olayinka, 26, is a graduate of Bowen University. He hopes to be an A-list musician and redefine the afro-pop genre. He is very determined to win the Gulder Ultimate Search Season 12. He hopes to be an A-list musician, redefine pop music, and use the prize money to boost his music career.
12 Omokhafe Racheal Bello: Omokhafe is a 34-year-old realtor and entrepreneur from Edo State. She is a microbiology graduate from Ahmadu Bello University and owns a soap brand. She hopes to establish her cosmetic business and poultry farm if she emerges as the Ultimate Woman.
13 Opeyemi Samuel Ishmael: Samuel is an IT expert with a multinational company. He had made five attempts in the past to be on the GUS show but failed. Now that he is here after several years of trial, Samuel hopes to be a brand ambassador for Gulder, and he believes we should ‘never give up on things you find achievable.’ Samuel is 35 years old.
14 Orevoghne Godswill Oboh: A businessman and a graduate of electrical electronics, Godswill also runs his own event lighting company, which he founded in 2019. He plays the bass guitar and is also a model. His dream is to grow his business and offer unique services. Oreva plans to set up a standard fitness center and standardise his event lighting business if he wins the GUS ₦50 million prize. Godswill is 25-years-old.
15 Solomon Yankari: Solomon is a 26-year-old fitness instructor, a personal trainer and owns a gym in Bauchi. He loves to explore and is the reason why he hikes and organises boot camps for fitness enthusiasts. He is working towards building a fitness and music community. He aspires to be successful in the fitness industry and to build a gym franchise. He also sees fitness as a way of helping people build a healthier life and to be better versions of themselves.
16 Osasere Agbonile JNR: Osas is a 32-year-old fitness instructor, a model who plays football in the state amateur league. He is the third child in a family of five. He grew up in a military family seeing his dad give back to the country, which inspired the same selflessness. He applied for the Nigerian Defense Academy 11 times but couldn’t get in.
17 Tobechukwu Okoye: Tobechukwu is a 26-year-old technician, car tracker installer and part-time student. He enjoys watching football and is a fan of Real Madrid. He’s intelligent, creative and wouldn’t shy away from any challenge that comes his way. He plans to change his career and family’s current situation if he wins the GUS Season 12.
18 Tosin Michael Emiola: Tosin is a 33-year-old and works as an air traffic control simulator officer at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Kaduna.
He is married and has a daughter. Tosin is a good cook and has a fresh, organic and undiluted tomato paste business which he hopes to turn into one of the biggest brands in the country. This is Tosin’s 5th attempt, and he has finally made it to the Jungle. Tosin doesn’t plan to play second fiddle, but be the Ultimate man.
