‘Well done! It was believable and you made intelligent choices for your character. I have always believed you could be a good action actor,” said Moonyeenn Lee, Class Act judge, to contestant Ephraim Gordon.
Coming from the ever-tough Lee, these words were priceless, and yet they were not enough to save Gordon. South African votes showed that the public would rather watch more of Pallance Dladla and Abdul Khoza, who are the final two competitors in the boys’ section. If it was last year, then the two guys would be the ultimate winners, but in this year’s competition, one of the winners has to be a woman.
“The fact is I’m an actor and I always saw this as a building block, another audition on my journey. I’m thankful for all the support and I’m grateful to Amstel, Class Act and Curious Pictures for the opportunity. I will be using this platform as my stepping stone,” said an emotional Gordon.
On Metro FM, it emerged that the listeners voted for Khoza. Metro FM’s Adil More, who was at the live broadcast, announced the poll results. Still, the judges had the final say and Dladla received the Class Act of the Week award.
Rapulana Seiphemo felt that Dladla had delivered what he described as the best screen test of the week. Seiphemo complimented him on his commitment to making the character believable, as well as the great ‘flow’ during the action scenes.
Since the Class Act of the Week award no longer provides immunity, elimination was a real threat for all three contestants as they headed into the Monday show.
“All this time I never really got compliments until two weeks ago, and to receive the award at this stage in the competition is a great boost for me,” says Dladla.
He could not hide his sadness about Ephraim’s eliminaton.
“Effy was my biggest competition. He is amazing and talented. He inspired me to work harder and I would love to work with him one day,” he said.
It’s the ladies’ turn this week as the three remaining contestants fight it out for the top ranking.
The guest judge will be Brenda Ngxoli, who is best known for her role on the drama series Home Affairs. Ngxoli is a seasoned performer who has previously been nominated for an international Emmy Award, as well as a South African Film and Television Award for best actress. She will be mentoring the girls as they prepare for their action roles.
l Class Act airs every Saturday at 6.30pm live on SABC1. Next Monday sees the final elimination show as we prepare to crown SA’s next leading couple in the ultimate showdown on July 16. Voting opens during the Saturday show and closes at midnight on Sunday.
Vote by sending the number of your favourite contestant to 33388 (SMS charged at R1.50). Free voting on www.classactsa.mobi (Data charges apply) and Mxit (Tradepost> Entertainment>ClassAct) at 20 Moola per vote.