After what felt like forever but was a mere two-week hiatus, the Ministry of Culture Youth & Sports National Talent search made a triumphant return. The beauty the elegance and the diverse set of talents vying for one of ten spots in the finals made for quite the spectacle. The spectacle was only enhanced by the addition of Allana Bose to do backstage interviews and guess Judge Viccadi Singh whose chutney Smash ‘Never gonna Leave’ has continues to be one of the most played songs on Guyanese radio.  This competition, however, seems unable to escape controversy as yet another controversy is brewing regarding the show and was of course highlighted by many in the comments section.

This show marked the second and last of two semi-final heats and while the pressure of being so close to the finally got the better of some performer’s others rose to the occasion and created some undeniable moments on the stage. There were many brilliant performances that wowed the judges and, in many cases, left our guess judge speechless.  Emanuel Kippings was one of the earliest performers and he definitely set the tone with some inspired drumming that saw him playing three different drums and not missing a beat. Sonia Singh also brought it with some indie vibe starting with some English indie interaction to set the stage for the rest of the performance. But the night belonged to Quinesha Patterson who wowed with an inspiring spoken-word piece based on female empowerment. Patterson put together a grand finally level performance with projected images of powerful women such as Michell Obama and others that left us all stunned.

However, as alluded to earlier, the comments section also made its triumphant return and with them brought the latest controversy. The comments of course featured cracks at the judges and their attire and the many times the public didn’t agree with their comments.  The comments section can get a little rough and this round was no different even prompting Dj. Akelo to address the viewing public asking them to be a bit more respectful and share only positive thoughts to encourage and uplift the hard-working performers.  It was this very comment section that started to ask where is Judge Timeka Marshall? With the last update on the programme being that of a covid scare, speculations quickly arose that the esteemed judge may have contracted the deadly corona virus and that is why she would not be sitting in her chair for this week’s episode. Some others used the platform to advocate answers to the many controversial issues surrounding the programme.

The talent search contestants, if nothing, are resilient. They have managed to get this far in the face of so much controversy and criticism.  With the curtains drawn on the semi-finals, we head to the finals.  According to the hosts, the top ten will be named and ready to perform in a matter of two weeks.

We at CEH like all Guyanese are anxiously awaiting the grand finale and look forward to seeing some of Guyana’s best talent on display  We again thank you our faithful readers and urge you to continue supporting us as we continue to bring you the latest from Guyana’s entertainment industry and we hope that all the fathers on our site had an excellent father’s day.