Last night saw another shocking elimination take place on Tropika Island Of Tresure. #TeamGreen, which consists of Karabo Mogane and Lihle Ngubo, were the fourth team to leave the Maldives after a series of challenges saw them at the bottom of the leaderboard.
The team has remained consistent throughout the series so far, but, their time on the island is up. Their exit started off with an exciting quest-like challenge called ‘Hole In My Bucket’. As the name suggests, teams needed to fill a bucket with water by using a bowl with water from ocean. However, both the bucket and the bowl had holes in them which meant that the teams needed to use their speed skills to fill up the bucket in the fastest time to win the challenge. After a grueling challenge which saw #TeamGreen unable to fill up their bucket, the team forfeited the challenge which put them in last place.
The second challenge, named ‘Swim n’ Pull’, required teams to pick one member to swim into the ocean to retrieve one of four bags from buoys, with the other pulling them back to shore. Once the four bags were retrieved, the bags, which each held a bottle of Tropika, needed to be opened; once all four Tropika bottles were on the table, the challenge ended. Karabo and Lihle placed third which scored them two points. However, it wasn’t enough to keep them out of the elimination challenge.
In a Slenda Twist, Katlego announced a third elimination challenge. The challenge, titled ‘The Waiting Game’, required teams to place various Tropika products on a tray in intervals until the tray was full. The challenge tested the teams balancing skills and arm strength and required a solid strategy to ensure the items don’t fall. Karabo and Lihle felt the pressure of the tray and were the first to be eliminated from the challenge.
Competing with #TeamWhite (Khanya Mkangisa and Mpande Buthelezi) who won their very first challenge of the competition with ‘The Waiting Game’, the teams went head-to-head in a game of Bashi Slenda. The game is an adapted version of the Maldivian sport Bashi Ball. The hitter needs to throw balls over a net on a tennis-like court and the catcher needs to use a net to catch the balls. #TeamWhite showed yet again that they are the masters of elimination challenges and came out tops catching a single ball, while #TeamGreen was unsuccessful throughout the challenge. The loss makes Karabo and Lihle the fourth team to be sent home this season.
Q&A With Karabo Mogane and Lihle Ngubo Shortly After Being Eliminated:
What surprised you most about yourself being on TIOT and the island?
Karabo Mogane: I learnt that I’m a team player. My communication skills improved and I developed the spirit of not giving up. I believe that having the best teammate ever made it easier for me to grow and become a better competitor.
Lihle Ngubo: What learnt most about myself is that I’m super competitive – a lot more than I thought I was. Because of this fact, the downfalls really got to me and distracted me, meaning my partner would have the job of having to uplift me and realign my focus. I don’t take defeat well – but then again, who does?
Where do you think you could have improved?
Karabo Mogane: I think my fitness level was something I could’ve worked better on. On many instances I panicked unnecessarily and I think that if I was a bit calmer, I would have managed the challenges better.
Lihle Ngubo: I could have improved by being less of the dictator and trusting myself more.
More often than not, I let Karabo do all the intense running and the challenges that required strength because I didn’t trust myself as much as I probably should have.
What was the best thing about being teamed up with your partner?
Karabo Mogane: Being teamed up with Lihle was incredible. I learnt so much from her as my partner. We had good chemistry and our communication was everything, and I think that was our greatest tool throughout the competition. I think the friendship we built on Tropika Island of Treasure is going to continue even after the show.
Lihle Ngubo: The best thing about being teamed up with Karabo was that we communicated so well and we never forgot to pray before we did anything. Most importantly, no matter how we looked during challenges, I always heard him cheering me on until the challenge was done. We had such great moments together.
Who did you think your biggest competitor was?
Karabo Mogane: I definitely think our biggest competitor was ourselves because the challenges were designed in such a way that everyone had an equal chance to do well.
Lihle Ngubo: I believe our biggest competitors was definitely #TeamRed. I saw winning potential and balance in Brendan when we first arrived on the island.
Why should people continue to watch TIOT8 for the remainder of the season?
Karabo Mogane: This season of Tropika Island of Treasure and the race to the finish is going to be an exciting one to watch – especially as we get closer to that R1 million.
Lihle Ngubo: People should continue to watch the remainder of the season because I know for a fact it doesn’t get any easier, and, what has everybody talking is #TeamWhite – the silent killers (haha). How far will they go? Who will ACTUALLY walk away with the million rand? We’ll all have to watch and see…
What advice do you wish someone told you before the show?
Karabo Mogane: I wish someone told me that I should’ve invested more time in the gym. But, then again, I don’t think you can ever be prepared enough – especially with all of the Slenda Twists Katlego had up his sleeve this season.
Lihle Ngubo: As odd as this might sound, I wish someone had sat me down and given me a lecture on trusting myself more.