According to a statement released by SABC 3, it was Zikhona’s inability to make the most out of her interaction with the resort’s reluctant lemurs which ultimately saw her booted from the competition.
Naturally, Zikhona is devastated at being the first contestant to be eliminated. “I can’t believe that this is the end of my journey,” she says. “I will take in everything that I have learnt, and everything everyone has told me whether it’s crew or producers and I am really grateful for it. I feel sad that the journey is over, but I don’t feel it is the end.”
Here are a few questions Zikhona answered after getting eliminated:
What has been the highlight of your time on Presenter Search on 3?
The master classes were definitely my highlight. To actually get a taste of what it would be like working on the set of the show I wanted to be part of was a fantastic experience. To also have gotten to experience live television and to leave with the knowledge that I handled myself well in these particular challenges is a good feeling. This also makes me even hungrier for a studio show.
What has been the biggest lesson this experience has taught you?
Depending on what show you want to be part of, you will have to deliver your inserts in very specific ways. Delivering inserts in 10 seconds bursts is quite challenging. I'm more of a 20- 30 seconds kind of girl. Basically, you don't have to try so hard, keep things short and simple. In a competition setting such as this, we tend to do the opposite because we are trying to prove ourselves so you tend to think more is better.
How would you describe your presenting style?
Natural, warm and conversational with the ability to draw an audience in and capture their attention.
You auditioned both in 2012 and 2015. How do you think your presenting skills have grown since then?
They have grown quite a bit. I have learned to slow down and tell a story rather than blurting out words. Speaking is not a race but a conversation. My focus now is on connecting and engaging the audience and speaking with purpose. If I am speaking, I want to be saying something, and not just speaking for the sake of speaking.
What would your ideal show be to host?
Now that Afternoon Express is out the window, I would like to host an interactive show. I am quite an active person and enjoy doing stuff and making things. I'm quite handsy in general. I would enjoy a show which is a combination of having a conversation while doing something interesting.
Now that your time on the show has come to an end, what is the next chapter for you?
At the moment, the next chapter is still unwritten. You kind of have to put your life on hold when you are in the competition. I am opening myself up to new opportunities. After the competition, I find myself in a space of wanting to do more. I am more motivated to do the things I have been wanting to do, things I have been putting off. Now that the presenting bug has bit me, I am afraid that there is no turning back from that.
Zikhona will continue to pursue her new-found interest in presenting and is set to launch her own blog soon.
- What to read next: The dos and don'ts for your MTV VJ search
Main Image Credit: Supplied