Why GMB Judges have been unfair to Ohema and Brong Ahafo Region

For several years that I have followed GMB, I have never had the cause to write or comment publicly about the eventual winner.

However, what transpired at GMB 2018 has given me a cause to share my opinion how unfair the GMB judges have been to Ohema and the people of Brong Ahafo. It is worth noting that, Abena did well throughout the competition and ordinarily there would be no debate about her winning if Ohema was not in the picture.

Besides, I believe both ladies possess essential qualities of a GMB Queen ( unless the judges think otherwise). However, in the name of fairness I think Ohema shoud have been crowned the winner!

To begin with, it is important to note that both ladies had their high and low moments in the competition. Yes, Abena won Star performer several times BUT so did Ohema also for about 3 consecutive times and more! (where was Abena during this period? Or did the judges forget about that?) Ohema had her low moments and so did Abena so there is no need to argue about performance! Both ladies did perform well throughout the competition and deserve to be crowned.

However, everyone can attest to the fact that Ohema performed much better than Abena at the finals. Her performance was educative and exhibited confidence, intelligence, creativity! Abena’s performance on the other hand lacked coherence except for the usual “fun” she brings along.

Consistency

I have witnessed Judge Linda passed cynic judgement on contestant who possessed similar qualities like Abena on the GMB platform. I remember Judge Linda making a comment like “we are not looking for a drama queen but a beauty queen”! Apparently, the contestant was good at acting or being a “show girl” and yet could not satisfy the qualities Linda wanted in a beauty queen. If Linda was being consistent, she would realize that although Abena is a “show girl” that was not enough to win her the crown. Ohema may not have been a “show girl” but she exhibited intelligence, hard work and commitment in all her performances. Indeed, it is based on this that she won several awards throughout the competition. So, if the judges were being consistent, Ohema should have won the crown!

Fairness

Moreover, given that both Abena and Ohema deserved the crown, I think the most prudent decision in the name of fairness was to give the crown to Ohema. Not only because Brong Ahafo has never won for the past 12 seasons of the GMB, but also because Ohema has gone beyond what her predecessors had done. I have followed GMB for several years and have heard people criticize the judges (especially Linda) for being bias against certain regions especially Brong Ahafo. Although I have never succumbed to this assertion, what happened yesterday has given me cause to believe in what others seem to complain about every year.

While I find it difficult to believe that Linda has “something” against the BA ladies, this year’s judgement attest to this assertion and I think she owes the people of BA an explanation. Perhaps the BA ladies do not possess the “qualities” she wants in a beauty queen and her explanation will make them more prepared. Crowning Ohema would have encouraged and motivated other young ladies in the region who have the ambition to contest but are scared of “perceived biases” on the part of the judges. A good judgment must not only be fair but also inspire hope and encouragement in others!

Favouritism

Every human being has a favourite and so do the GMB judges. Some people get favoured at first appearance, others also work hard to obtain that. Howbeit, it is important that once you are in a position to judge, your personal feelings or affection towards a particular person do not outweigh your level of objectivity and fairness. It was so obvious that Abena had won the hearts of the judges with most of her exciting performances and this was evident in how “careful” they were in passing comments on her performance.

In fact, many believe that the judges did not award star performer whenever Abena’s performance was not up to their expectation (although other contestants may have performed well). A typical example is how they judged Abena’s performance at the finals. You could see clearly that Abena’s performance on “Wear Ghana” lacked coherence and was all over the place and yet they refused to mention that.

Again, she deviated in answering her question and yet the judges saw nothing wrong with that. If you compare this to how they judged Wekia and Afrah, it is so obvious that Abena was pampered! Was it because they didn’t want people to find fault with their “favourite” contestant? Hmmm, I could imagine the kind of praises they would heap on Abena if she was the one that performed what Ohema did yesterday; and yet after such a brilliant performance by Ohema all she gets is “congratulation”, “well done” and “good performance”.

The body language and demeanour of the judges even indicated that, “yeah you’ve done well but we have already chosen someone else”.

GMB Management

My little submission to TV3 and GMB management is that, they should not take their viewers for granted. In as much as I agree that whoever is crowned may face opposition, I think the level of dissatisfaction that goes with GMB winners is increasingly getting worrisome. Management should take time to analyse all the concerns and come out with a better solution. The decision not to invite a guest judge clearly was not the best.

Both judges already had their favourites and perhaps minds already made up. A guest judge could have ensured the necessary fairness and objectivity that was clearly missing in the final judgement. I admire judge Linda for her firmness but having done this for a long time, I think it’s time for her to do a sober reflection on her decisions and analyse the impacts its making on the image of the show. The credibility and success of GMB clearly depend on how viewers perceive the judgement passed by these judges and hence must be given the necessary attention.

#TeamOhema

To the people of Brong Ahafo and all those who felt disappointed that Ohema did not win, I just want you to encourage yourself with the fact that life in itself is sometimes unfair but God has purpose for everything. I am very confident that if Ohema had won, many people would have said it’s because her region has never won. They would overlook all her capabilities and think the crown was just dashed to her.

Now, everyone has clearly seen her hard work, intelligence, and capabilities which are even more important. Many people do not appreciate how challenging it is to represent a heterogeneous region like the Brong Ahafo region but you have indeed done your best.

I don’t know how long it will take for the crown to go the BA, but Ohema has certainly raised the bar for whoever wishes to represent the region next time! Congratulations Ohema, you are the real queen! The pride of Bono Ahafo! #GMB2018 #OHEMAGMB