Zimbabwe’s Karen Paida Mukwedeya was a surprise finalist on TLC’s Next Great Presenter before losing to Carissa Cupido of South Africa who secured the support of more than 200, 000 votes to clinch the radio personality title.
After going up against Mukwedeya and Kenya’s Charlie Karumi, Cupido clenched the title by securing the majority of support from more than 200,000 combined votes received for the Top 3 finalists.
“I feel so thrilled and honoured, it’s all so surreal – God’s timing is perfect. I just had to keep reminding myself to stay present and appreciate every moment. Thank you Africa – I could have never done it without the TLC fans,” said Carissa.
“The next thing is to pack my bags and go to London. To go somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit and to be there doing what I’ve always wanted to do is a dream come true. For me, TLC’s Next Great Presenter represents the peak of my career and the start of a new era in my life. You can look forward to watching me having fun while bringing the best of TLC into your homes. I’m ready to start this incredible journey – look out Africa!” she continued.
“We are extremely proud of Carissa, her passion and love of TLC was evident throughout the competition and Africa definitely saw something special in her. This year the competition was bigger and better and showcased the incredible talent that Africa as to offer. It’s fantastic to have Carissa join the TLC family and we know our viewers are going to love watching her,” says Lee Hobbs, said Lee Hobbs VP of Brand and Content for Discovery Networks CEEMEA.
“All three contestants were amazing the all had something unique to offer. I wish Carissa all the best and look forward to seeing her on the red carpet,” Thando Thabethe, radio DJ, actress and television host.
As the winner, Carissa will soon jet off to London to present TLC’s most extreme, a new four-part series coming to TLC Entertainment (DStv 135) in early 2017. This new show will showcase some of the channel’s most gripping, exciting and thrilling clips from the TLC archive. Get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions as we search the TLC vaults to bring a wonderful array of spellbinding clips that will make you laugh, cry, scream and leave you open mouthed in amazement. As part of her prize, Carissa will also receive an all-expenses paid holiday to the Palace of the Lost City, courtesy of Sun International.
Carissa’s journey to the top is the story of only one of 1,500 hopefuls from all over Africa who aimed to make it as the new TLC presenting star. Tune in to Next Great Presenter: The Winners Story as we follow the full competition journey. From the selection of the “Lucky 13” semi-finalists who made it to Boot Camp, to the top 3 finalists who made to the final stage of their glittering journey to the public vote, this show takes you behind the scenes of all the best gripping moments from TLC.
