Champions (Pakistani TV series)
Champions With Waqar Zaka is a Pakistani youth-based reality show that airs on the BOL Network and is hosted by Waqar Zaka. The episodes are also available online.[1] The series premiered on 4 November 2019.
Champions | |
---|---|
Genre | Reality |
Presented by | Waqar Zaka |
Theme music composer | Khawaja Danish (OST) |
Composer(s) | Wajid Saeed Lucky Ali |
Country of origin | Pakistan |
Original language(s) | Urdu |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 23 (As of 30 March 2020)[1] |
Production | |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | Approx. 90 minutes |
Production company(s) | BOL TV (Season 1) |
Release | |
Original network | BOL TV |
Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
Original release | 4 November 2019 – 30 March 2020 |
External links | |
Champions with Waqar Zaka |
Filming of the show took place at the Bol House in Korangi Creek Cantonment, Karachi which partially serves as Bol Network's headquarters. Contestants lived in the house for 30 days from 4 January to 4 February 2020 until four finalists emerged. The show was banned by PEMRA on 10 April 2020 citing telecast of vulgar and indecent content.[2][3][4] In regard to the ban and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic the show concluded without announcing a winner.[5][6] This conclusion marks the second time a reality show under the management of Waqar Zaka has not crowned a winner or distributed the promised prize.[7]
Champions was the subject of viewer complaints and press attention regarding a variety of controversial issues, including vulgarity, the well-being of certain participants and discrimination based on sexuality and color. Despite receiving criticism for its graphic nature throughout its run, the series became one of the most-watched television telecast in Pakistan. The eighteenth episode of the series attracted 15 million viewers making it Bol Network's most-watched broadcast.[8] As the series entered March viewership declined sharply amidst favoritism and clickbaiting complaints from audiences.[9]
Format
The show is a Pakistani adaptation of the Indian reality show Bigg Boss.[10][11][12] Hosted by Waqar Zaka, it used a mixed format which incorporated open auditions for contestant selection who were then later confined to a Big Brother style surveillance house. The contestants would leave the house occasionally to perform tasks where performance outcomes along with nominations would result in elimination of one or more housemates.[13] Waqar Zaka has stated on numerous occasions that the competition has no specific format.
Contestants
Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.
Contestant | Age | Hometown | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Balach Masud | 29 | Quetta, Balochistan | Evicted in Episode 15 |
Rehan Jutt | 27 | Lahore, Punjab | Evicted in Episode 15 |
Tooba Mansoor | 22 | Karachi, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 15 |
Zeeshan Ahmed | 27 | Hyderabad, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 15 |
Kashaf Ansari | 22 | Karachi, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 20 |
Daniya Kanwal | 22 | Malir, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 20 |
Rubaisha Ajaz | 21 | Karachi, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 20 |
Muhammad Yahya | 17 | Karachi, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 21 |
Rabail Sheikh | 28 | Islamabad | Evicted in Episode 21 |
Hammad Ali Khan | 23 | Karachi, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 22 |
Sidra Lakhani | 28 | Karachi, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 22 |
Maria Jan | 24 | Karachi, Sindh | Walked in Episode 22 |
Abiha Fatima | 19 | Karachi, Sindh | Evicted in Episode 23 |
Aamir Siyal | 25 | Larkana, Sindh | Finalist |
Muhammad Bilal | 22 | Karachi, Sindh | Finalist |
Episodes
Episode no. | Original air date | Summary | TV Viewers (millions) | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
1–11 | 4 November – 30 December 2019 | Auditions
Open auditions were held in Karachi by Waqar Zaka and lasted for 3 days. The audition format remained the same from sister reality shows produced by Waqar Zaka and hopefuls successful in these auditions gained direct entry to the Bol House. After the auditions took place Zaka handpicked Aamir, Abiha, Baba Atif, Balach, Bilal, Daniya, Hammad, Kashaf, Rabail, Rehan, Rubaisha, Tooba and Yahya to enter the house. |
7.78[14] (cumulative average) |
|
Video Profiling
After open auditions ended hopefuls in waiting list were given a second chance to gain entry into the house. Video profiles were submitted by auditionees and social media likes and views along with Zaka's final say determined selection. In this way Maria, Sidra and Zeeshan were selected to join other contestants. | ||||
12 | 6 January 2020 | Champions Culling Round
15 contestants introduce themselves to each other and the studio audience and battle for beds inside the house since it contains only space for 8. Waqar Zaka tells them that they may have an impostor amongst them and the housemates must identify and evict the impostor. |
8.12 | |
13 | 13 January 2020 | Day 1
The contestants enter the house, unpack their belongings and spend their first night inside the house by sharing beds with the housemates who won theirs during the culling round. The episode ends with housemates waking up and rushing to get to their first task location. |
8.43 | |
14 | 20 January 2020 | Day 1 – Day 2
The contestants reach the task location – Boat Basin famous for its busy street food and markets. Immunity Challenge: Contestants were blindfolded, spun around and asked to reach a previously shown location (gazebo) in a park. Hammad won by reaching the area the fastest and was exempt from participating in the elimination task. Elimination Challenge: Contestants form two teams of eight and seven and assign a captain. The captain chooses a team member to get slapped by restaurant go-ers in exchange for eating the food on their table.
Waqar Zaka eliminates Sidra, Balach, Rehan, Tooba and Zeeshan for poor performance in the task. |
10.6 | |
15 | 27 January 2020 | Day 2
All contestants return to the house. Before the eliminated contestants could finish packing Waqar Zaka gathers them in the living room and asks the current placeholders which eliminated contestants they think did not deserve to get evicted. Daniya, Kashaf, Rubaisha, Rabail and Aamir raise hands becoming whistleblowers. Consequently, whistleblowers become immune and nominated a current contestant to swap their place with an eliminated one. Sidra, Balach, Tooba, Rehan and Zeeshan are chosen to swap with Abiha, Hammad, Maria, Bilal and Yahya. Elimination Challenge: Nominated contestants are required to battle the contestant who nominated them. The task is roll an egg, without breaking it, to the end of the platform before the opponent. If a nominated contestant wins they retain their place in the house otherwise they replace the eliminated contestant chosen to swap with them. Kashaf and Rabail were the only two participants to win their battle without breaking any rules. In the next phase they battle each other where Kashaf wins but is later disqualified for breaking the rules. The challenge results in no result. Waqar Zaka announces that none of the eliminated contestants will return. The remaining contestants are instructed to pair themselves with another contestant for the next elimination challenge. Day 3 Elimination Challenge – Part 1: The 10 remaining contestants take part in a Q&A with Waqar Zaka as five teams of two. The first round of questions involved queries regarding Islam and punishment for answering incorrectly is spanking and whipping.
Fearing physical injury due to the punishment, Hammad quits the challenge eliminating himself and Maria from the game. They return to the house, pack their belongings and are evicted from the house. |
9.21 | |
16 | 3 February 2020 | Day 3 Elimination Challenge – Part 2: The 8 remaining contestants head to the Jacuzzi area of the house where Waqar Zaka explains the details of the challenge. The challenge requires finding gold coins scattered in the Jacuzzi floor. When a contestant find a gold coin, they raise their hand and call out their feat, the task pauses and they eliminate an existing participant. The task ends when a sole survivor emerges.
Yahya is given power to eliminate two contestants of his choice. He chooses Aamir and Abiha. Waqar Zaka reveals a twist in which from this point onward in the game all eliminated contestants will remain in the house with Loser status. The losers can disrupt and menace with the existing housemates' belonging in attempt to frustrate them into leaving the house and replace them. If any of the losers decides to leave the house the prize money will be halved. |
11.17 | |
17 | 10 February 2020 | Day 4 Existing contestants and losers return to the house. Pandemonium breaks loose as the Aamir and Abiha cause havoc inside the house. Abiha and Aamir empty Kashaf, Daniya, Rubaisha, Bilal and Yahya's suitcases, throw water on them and destroy food items. Kashaf and Daniya get into a heated argument with Rabail. Later, Aamir and Bilal console Rabail who is itching to physically beat Kashaf. The episode ends with Abiha crying because Rabail aired her personal family issues to other housemates. |
12.80 | |
18 | 17 February 2020 | Day 4 – Day 5 Rabail gets into a physical altercation with Yahya and throws her slipper at him. Contestants are called to the rooftop for a challenge. Reward Challenge: Contestants have to balance a pot full of burning coal using a mount on their heads while circling around a center platform. When Waqar Zaka calls out "Thumka" they must try to eliminate a contestant by making their pot fall using only pelvic thrust movement.
Rabail is disqualified by Waqar Zaka for physical violence toward Kashaf and Yahya. In rage, she attacks Kashaf beating her repeatedly and leaves the challenge location to return to the house. While housemates discuss these proceedings of the night Waqar Zaka announces that Rabail may stay in the house as loser and can earn entry back into game. Two alliances clearly emerge. The alliance of Kashaf, Daniya, Yahya and Rubaisha is enraged and contemplates quitting the show. Day 5 Contestants reach the location of the elimination challenge. They are instructed to form pairs. Kashaf and Rubaisha choose each other. Yahya pairs with Daniya and Bilal is left alone. Waqar tells Bilal to convince Daniya into pairing with him instead. Daniya changes her vote to Bilal after reaching a truce with the Losers to not menace with her belongings inside the house. Yahya is left with no one to pair with and is eliminated. |
14.83 | |
19 | 24 February 2020 | Day 5 Elimination Challenge – Part 1: Contestants have to wrestle each other inside a marked circular premise and attempt to force players out of the field until two finalists remain.
Elimination Challenge – Part 2: All contestants participate in a game of Pitho Garam. The last remaining player with the fewest ball hits wins.
Day 6 |
12.18 | |
20 | 2 March 2020 | Day 6 Wild Card Challenge – Part 1: Maria, Sidra, Yahya and Rubaisha compete in a questionnaire based scavenger hunt. They have to retrieve cue cards with a question written on it. When a player finds one they attempt the question or challenge a wild card entrant. The player who answers the most questions correctly stays in the house.
Waqar Zaka returns to tell housemates that Yahya and Rubaisha were fake evicted in a twist and Sidra and Maria knew answers to the questionnaire beforehand. Yahya and Rubaisha return alongside Hammad and contestants are taken to the next task's location for the second phase of the wild card challenge. Wild Card Challenge – Part 2: All eleven contestants attempt to retrieve a marked wooden pole by treading in reverse. Once the pole is retrieved everyone must race to the starting line. Three rounds take place and the winner and runners-up of each round sit out the later rounds becoming immune from elimination.
|
9.31 | |
21 | 9 March 2020 | Day 7 Elimination Challenge: Contestants form pairs and attempt to convince passers-by in a busy area to eat 5 eggs with the shell intact. Number of eggs eaten determine rank in challenge.
Bilal & Maria are instructed to make a collective decision to eliminate two contestants directly. They choose Yahya and Rabail who are consequently evicted from the house. |
7.12 | |
22 | 16 March 2020 | Day 8 Elimination Challenge: Contestants form pairs and attempt to convince people in vehicles, that are momentarily stopping at a traffic light, to buy two roses for the most price they can manage. Additionally they must tickle as many people in the time frame allotted.
Bilal & Abiha are instructed to make a collective decision to eliminate two contestants directly. They choose Hammad and Sidra who are consequently evicted from the house. Day 9 Advantage Challenge: Aamir, Abiha, Bilal and Maria play a game of pool where each has to call out a ball number for every player's individual turn while the player must attempt to score that numbered ball to win advantage in the next phase of the task.
Before the elimination task is revealed Bilal discusses Maria's demand for cigarettes. Maria embarrassed by the revelation leaves the house. |
5.39 | |
23 | 30 March 2020 | Day 9 Elimination Challenge: |
5.02 | |
Season discontinued |
Progress History
Episode: | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vote to: | Swap | Evict | Save | Replace | Replace | Evict | Evict | Evict | Evict | ||||||||||||
Aamir | 2 | Balach (with Yahya) | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | Exempt | Kashaf | TOP 3 | LOST | Not eligible | TOP 3 | SAFE | SAFE | Exempt | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | Not eligible | |
Bilal | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | Daniya | Not eligible | TOP 3 | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | WIN | Yahya, Rabail | WIN | Hammad, Sidra | WIN | Abiha | ||
Abiha | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | Exempt | Bilal | TOP 3 | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | Not eligible | WIN | Hammad, Sidra | LOST | Not eligible | ||
Maria | Not eligible | LOST | Evicted | Rubaisha | TOP 3 | SAFE | SAFE | Exempt | WIN | Yahya, Rabail | LOST | Not eligible | Walked | ||||||||
Sidra | Not eligible | OUT | Evicted | Yahya | LOST | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | Not eligible | Evicted | ||||||||
Hammad | Not eligible | LOST | Walked | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | Exempt | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | Not eligible | Evicted | |||||||||
Rabail | 3 | Rehan (with Bilal) | WIN | LOST | Not eligible | Exempt | Rubaisha | LOST | WIN | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | WIN | Kashaf, Daniya, Rubaisha | LOST | Not eligible | Evicted | ||||
Yahya | Not eligible | LOST | WIN | Aamir, Abiha | Daniya | Daniya | LOST | LOST | Nominated | LOST | WIN | SAFE | Exempt | LOST | Not eligible | Evicted | |||||
Rubaisha | 4 | Tooba (with Maria) | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | Kashaf | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | Nominated | LOST | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | Evicted | ||||||
Daniya | 5 | Sidra (with Abiha) | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | Bilal | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | Evicted | ||||||
Kashaf | 1 | Zeeshan (with Hammad) | WIN | LOST | Not eligible | Rubaisha | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | LOST | LOST | LOST | Not eligible | Evicted | ||||||
Zeeshan | Not eligible | OUT | Evicted | ||||||||||||||||||
Tooba | Not eligible | OUT | Evicted | ||||||||||||||||||
Rehan | Not eligible | OUT | Evicted | ||||||||||||||||||
Balach | Not eligible | OUT | Evicted | ||||||||||||||||||
Notes | 1 | 2 | none | 3, 4 | none | 5 | 6, 7 | 8 | none | 9 | none | ||||||||||
Walked | none | Hammad | none | Maria | none | ||||||||||||||||
Disqualified | none | Rabail | none | ||||||||||||||||||
Result | Sidra, Balach, Rehan, Tooba, Zeeshan |
Maria | Aamir, Abiha |
Yahya | Daniya, Rubaisha, Kashaf |
Rabail Daniya, |
Yahya, Rubaisha |
Hammad | Yahya, Rabail |
Hammad, Sidra |
Abiha | ||||||||||
Aamir, Abiha |
Maria, Sidra |
Kashaf, Daniya, Rubaisha |
- This contestant was granted power to directly eliminate contestant(s)
- This contestant was eliminated but remained in game as Loser
- This contestant returned to the competition
- This contestant was fake evicted
Notes
- ^1 : Swap nominations were done openly and whistleblower contestants nominated as per order stated with each turn reducing the number of eligible contestants that can be nominated. The whistleblower contestants were immune during voting. Numbers represent turn order.
- ^2 : Maria was paired with Hammad for the duration of the task. She was eliminated as Hammad quit.
- ^3 : Rabail was disqualified however she was not ejected and remained in the house to earn entry back into game.
- ^4 : Daniya initially formed a pair with Yahya but later changed her vote to Bilal.
- ^5 : Collective results of all tasks on Day 5 were not announced. All remaining players returned to game.
- ^6 : Sidra and Maria nominated one housemate each against whom they would compete in a task to replace.
- ^7 : Wild Card task was staged. Yahya and Rubaisha were fake evicted and returned to the house next day.
- ^8 : First two rounds of the task decided players who would become safe from elimination and sit out later round(s). Third round was played for power of elimination.
- ^9 : Winners of elimination challenge were required to evict two housemates in a collective decision.
Reception
Champions received a polarized response from television critics and gained widespread popularity with audiences. Based on 168 reviews collected by IMDb, the show has an average score of 7.6/10.[14] Viewership peaked at a near 15 million live viewers on 17 February 2020 (Episode 18) which marked the episode as one of the most-watched television telecast in Pakistan and Bol Network's highest viewing figures to date. Episodes made available on YouTube following the live telecast received over 2 million views in a 24-hour span and were trending on YouTube in Pakistan and India over the course of respective weekly releases.[8] Ratings declined subsequently in episodes that followed. Critics compared the series to a soap opera commenting that the episodes contain merely 10 minutes of watch-worthy content which is made up into a 90 minute episode. The series was also accused of clickbaiting viewers for majority of the episodes. Content shown in teasers and thumbnails is usually flashy and falsely advertised to appear the coming week and does not actually unfold until a few weeks later.
Criticism and controversy
Selection of certain housemates
The programme attracted criticism in December 2019 for putting several vulnerable people through to the auditions. Rabail Sheikh, an aspiring model, who had a history of substance abuse and suffered from Intermittent explosive disorder was selected after she attempted to expose a cricketer by threatening to leak a lewd video as leverage. There was no psych test done to screen any participants to determine if they are fit to enter the house. Muhammad Yahya had arm disability, Muhammad Bilal a cleft palette and difficulty in speaking and Daniya Kanwal who suffered from asthma were all selected in auditions as token diversity.
Legal complications and censorship
During the auditions Rabail revealed that she has a private video of a famous Pakistani cricketer who had allegedly stripped down on webcam and showed her his genitals in the video.[15] The video was blurred during telecast and Rabail was persuaded to delete it in order for her to get selected as contestant. However it is alleged that the video is still in possession of Rabail.
Hareem Shah and Sandal Khattak appeared during auditions and discussed their media scandals in details on the show. They claimed to have videos and audio recordings of news anchor Mubashir Lucman and Minister Sheikh Rasheed.[16][17] Prior to the show they had released several snippets of their conversation with Lucman and Rasheed as evidence which became popular on social media in mid-2019.[18][19] Waqar Zaka revealed that Bol Network had received threats from Lucman's team to pursue legal action against the network to stop the telecast of the episodes featuring Shah and Khattak. Shah and Khattak were selected to become housemates but did not enter the house amidst these complications.
On 10 April 2020, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) passed the notion to ban the show and imposed a Rs. 1 million fine on the network. The notice cited vulgarity and indecency of content being telecast and that it did not align with the religious, social and cultural values of the country as the reason for the ban. As a result, no winner was announced and the cash prize was not awarded to any of the finalists.[3][20]
Discrimination and abuse
The production was heavily criticized for its leniency towards unacceptable behavior among housemates and telecasting strong themes under the pretense of family show. Caste-based discrimination and colorism were primary underlying themes in conversations inside the house. Bol Network received 1574 complaints after Episode 17 was aired regarding Rabail and Aamir's behavior toward Kashaf.[21][22] Rabail alongside Aamir called Kashaf dark, fat and ugly on several instances, spat on her, destroyed her clothes and physically assaulted her repeatedly after an elimination task.[23] On a separate occasion Rabail sprayed Daniya with an aerosol spray triggering an asthma attack for which she had to be hospitalized for the night. Rabail was disqualified but made to stay on the show to garner more ratings hence rewarding her behavior.[24][25]
Rabail, on day 2, outed Hammad telling housemates that he had confided in her about the past lover he mentioned during auditions being a man. Previous to this incident many housemates including Daniya, Tooba and Sidra had referred to Hammad as meetha a derogatory term used in Urdu for homosexual or effeminate men.[26] Hammad Hammad came out as gay on his YouTube channel after he was evicted.[27]
References
- "Champions - Reality Show".
- https://propakistani.pk/lens/waqar-zakas-show-champions-gets-banned-by-pemra/
- https://www.dawn.com/news/1548538
- https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/04/10/waqar-zakas-show-champions-remain-suspended-ihc-rules/
- https://www.behtareen.pk/pemra-bans-waqar-zakas-champions/
- https://www.theeducationisthub.com/champions-waqar-zaka-banned-by-pemra/
- https://thecurrent.pk/pemra-bans-waqar-zakas-show/
- https://www.bolnews.com/entertainment/2019/11/bol-champions-is-trending-1-on-you-tube/
- https://www.bolnews.com/trending/2020/02/waqar-zaka-speaks-for-not-taking-pisa-award/
- Rehan, Anoosha (2019-11-09). "I Watched The First Episode Of Pakistani Bigg Boss 'Champions With Waqar Zaka' And OH MY GOD". MangoBaaz. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- Malik, Maryam (2019-09-19). "Waqar Zaka Just Brought Bigg Boss To Pakistan And OMG I Know It's Going To Be Just As Insane". MangoBaaz. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- "The First Episode Of 'Champions With Waqar Zaka'". Entertainment Up. 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
- http://www.bolentertainment.com/tv-shows/champions/
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11421324/
- https://www.kansascity-comiccon.com/complete-audition-of-rabail-sheikh-champions-audition-waqar-zaka-show-vidA4onYNX3xMAHd
- https://www.newsdesk.pk/hareem-shah-new-video-leaked-by-bhola-record-hareem-leaks/
- https://www.oyeyeah.com/celebrity/hareem-shah-scandal-things-are-getting-out-of-hands/
- https://www.mangobaaz.com/a-new-video-of-tiktok-star-hareem-shah-has-leaked-this-its-with-sheikh-rashid
- https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/tiktok-star-hareem-shah-video-sheikh-rasheed-ahmad-imran-khan-pakistan-1633398-2020-01-02
- http://boxofficedetail.com/waqar-zakas-champions-banned-high-court-upholds-order/
- https://dailytimes.com.pk/13503/pemra-revokes-bol-news-bol-entertainment-licenses/
- https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/09/06/pemra-issues-show-cause-notice-to-bol-news/
- https://runwaypakistan.com/is-bol-champions-the-type-of-content-we-want/
- https://tribune.com.pk/story/1499482/pemra-issues-show-cause-notices-bol-news-urdu-1/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=2997962ffd6875fa911157254dc6f7558afcbab5-1582304610-0-Aan94MNl5RohOHlYC57z0XYnv2Xp8k5scWnEJUpfH9PRfmruPZzKxZ4qTOfoo5N6lzqTA7Ikfw4HwMzWTEbQtp7M_Jrj8OsmmhsZNmA_NKDEIpZ8F9N704IzGEuxYmiDJvC0aQRZBTLYZPhQX-CI5suXaK5ne_A4iXkcsClmA87zQsO5gwbbUOXNLSsg3SzKt4-H9yncbp2yE7L1ohk9Xl9inlMs2AZiC1MagHjSDk0CqBTD-jqUau6pw869vcoCwrhHraTNZu63rFsOJsKaOTkNuJSvbl9VJmsk4tYZYsKv4IAXoQaFIYss5w1F6a7vHUC6jo2PcVkC9JCdMBnzUbqg_PbmtFw60SoA5KXLYlcz
- https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/549523-pemra-warns-public-against-buying-tv-channel-s-scratch-cards
- https://dailytimes.com.pk/463433/with-rampant-misogyny-homophobia-punjabi-sunni-supremacy-pakistan-wonders-why-the-world-isnt-buying-its-pro-human-rights-kashmir-stance/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8u5FfXNTqE&t=160s