Power Couple: Lost At Sea (Or Canal, Whatever)
Well, that was a tough one. Last night’s episode of Power Couple SA – already episode 10 – featured the swift and emotional breakdown of one couple under pressure, but also likely the complete road to redemption for another.
Of all the elimination episodes thus far, last night’s was by far the toughest, not only for the couple eliminated, but also for the viewers at home, or at least for me. When Ivan was wiping away Roshila’s tears after the disappointment of losing a frustrating couples challenge, it felt like the camera – and the viewers – were intruding on a very personal moment between a husband and wife. Yes, it makes for good reality television, but it’s hard to think about that when you know they are real people and there are real emotions involved, it’s a real relationship we’re seeing momentarily break down.
The couples challenge is probably a good departure point.
The challenge was not only a test of the couples’ communication skills, but also their patience and faith in each other. The couples would take turns to sail in a rubber dingy at the V&A Waterfront canals. The guys would be steering and the girls would be directing them. The catch? The guys would be blindfolded, and the girls would be required to direct them along the canals in order to retrieve four Power Couple tokens. Fastest couple wins an extra 25k as usual, and the couple with the slowest time would be up for elimination.
The majority of the couples completed the challenge easily enough, but things were rocky for Ivan and Roshila. Knowing that she had to collect 4 tokens along the way, Roshila seemed to panic under the time pressure and, upon approaching the third token, thought they had reached the end and had somehow missed a token. She directed Ivan to go back to look for the missing token, not realizing that there’s actually still one stop ahead of them – a second bridge. Of course, by the time she realized just that, it was too late.
Ivan was pretty pissed off to say the least, and he struggled to hide his emotions, clearly showing his anger and disappointment. Ivan and Roshila were already last on the leader board, having the lowest amount of money in their electronic wallet. Losing the couples challenge, too, meant that Dean and Crystal would go up for elimination against them since they had the second-least amount of money in their wallet. Pretty unfortunate for them.
PJ and Marzanne clocked the fastest time and won the couples challenge, adding 25k to their tally, which then shot them up to first place for this cycle with 181k in their wallet, strengthening their lead at the top of the leader board by a few thousand. Yes, PJ did win (Ha-ha) Dyllan, but only by a few seconds. Dyllan and Viki seem to be their biggest threats at this stage, and also their biggest friends. This could be interesting.
Then it was time for a twist: the elimination was going to happen that same night. There wasn’t much time for strategizing or deciding who to vote out of the villa, but the couples didn’t really need time for that. Ivan seemed to have made their decisions pretty straightforward. Back at the villa, it looked like Ivan had forgiven Roshila for her misjudgement, but he still managed to send some less than subtle hints that in the end it was still all her doing. The other couples weren’t really enjoying that vibe, and the tension in the air was extremely uncomfortable. When Dean tells you to get over it, and that it’s in the past now, you have to know to chill out and let the anger and disappointment of a frustrating challenge go. Really.
For Dean and Crystal, this was more like an indication of how far they have come, and how they have grown, but mostly it was about Dean’s road to redemption. Emile stated that he’ll base his vote on the couple who has grown the most, and to him it was Dean and Crystal. After weeks of Dean struggling to hide his disappointment after frustrating challenges, and Crystal desperately trying not to disappoint him, things seem have come full circle for them. During last night’s challenge, roles were reversed a little, and Crystal was a bit mean to him, and he realized it’s not hard to make mistakes. Crystal mentioned to Roshila during last week’s episode that she only wants something good to come out of this for their relationship, and it looks like she got her wish.
When it came to the elimination, it was unanimous. All the couples decided to keep Dean and Crystal, and Ivan and Roshila became the fourth couple to be eliminated from Power Couple SA. Ivan’s behaviour was the final nail.
There are rumours swirling around that the Power Couple winner would be decided by a public vote, which kinda makes me less than thrilled. South African viewers don’t have the best track record when it comes to voting for the most deserving contestant(s). They’re going to vote for the couple that they like, not the couple who has truly played the best game.
If the winner does indeed get decided by public vote, PJ and Marzanne will have a tough time beating Dyllan and Vix, the couple who conquered infidelity, or the very funny family that is Emile and Razia, or even the road to redemption story that is Dean and Crystal. The newlyweds simply don’t have the best story, and when it comes down to a public vote, story is more than likely a very big factor.
Viewers need to appreciate the game PJ and Marzanne have played thus far: couples challenge victories, sitting atop the leader board, and they’re the only couple who has never been up for elimination. If they keep up that streak, and continue to play the game well, hopefully people will see they’re deserving of the title.
But what the fuck would I know, right? It’s all still up in the air.
