In the very first edition of M-Net’s new Sunday night game show Spellbound, an uncharacteristically nervous Carte Blanche presenter Devi Sankaree Govender employed her impeccable spelling skills to win just over a quarter of a million Rand for a charity close to her heart - the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust.
Not only did Devi first outspell three famous television personalities, she also bravely continued to climb the money ladder all the way to the to top, knowing that one misstep at any stage could make her lose all of the funds that could be used to upgrade paediatric units in state hospitals and save the lives of thousands of children around the country. But her good faith, tenacity – and flawless word skills – paid off. Devi nabbed the show’s jackpot prize of R100 000 which was generously doubled by M-Net for this special kick-off episode of Spellbound, as well as the surprise R50 000 which was given to the charities of all four the celebs who participated in this special show. Added to that, she also received the small extra amount of cash that she’d accumulated in the beginning rounds of the spelling contest.
Devi’s fiercest competition came from Rapport newspaper editor and kykNET Verslag host Waldimar Pelser, who was chasing the unstoppable Devi to great spelling heights until the penultimate round. In previous stages of the competition they eliminated The Voice SA V-reporter and 94.7 radio personality Stacey Norman as well as VUZU AMP’s Dineo Ranaka from Dineo’s Diary fame.
While Devi, who told Spellbound show hosts Vanessa Marawa and Jason Greer how difficult it is to continue to raise funds for the Carte Blanche Making A Difference Trust, described her win for the Trust as “the best experience of her life”, the three other charities that will benefit from this week’s Spellbound show are: Little Eden, chosen by Dineo, which cares for persons with intellectual disabilities; Waldimar’s charity Die Rapport Onderwysfonds, which provides financial support to students who are studying towards a teacher’s qualification; and Dignity Dreams, a cause which helps girls gain access to sanitary wear that they can’t otherwise afford and which is very close to Stacey’s heart.
“This was indeed a wonderful way to start this new fun-filled and family-friendly game show,” says M-Net’s Head of Publicity, Lani Lombard. “This is the only episode featuring celebrities, however. From next week, we will see how super-spellers from different age groups handle the pressure of being more word perfect than their peers – whether they’re still in primary school or are graduates.”
The Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust will put all of Devi’s prize money towards the creation of, and equipping, paediatric units in state hospitals around the country. In this week’s episode of Carte Blanche viewers were given a glimpse of the Trust’s latest project – a brand new Infant High Care Unit at Sebokeng Hospital in the Vaal area. With the help of the private sector, especially mining company South 32, the Trust has managed to raise a considerable amount of money in order to upgrade the pediatric units of nine hospitals nationwide, which now includes Sebokeng.
For information on the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust, visit the link on the official Carte Blanche site: http://carteblanche.dstv.com/mad/mad-projects/
Catch Spellbound every Sunday at 17:00 on M-Net channel 101, and Carte Blanche at 19:00.