Healing feelings on TV

Do you know your better half well enough to invest money in his or her strengths and weaknesses on a television programme, knowing millions are watching?

Salt Rock couple, Viki and Dyllan Smith were up for this challenge and will be winning or losing money, facing nail-biting tasks in the intense Power Couple show starting on M-Net this Thursday.

“It was a fantastic healing process for us. Having time away as Viks and Dyl and working as a unit, made us realise what a strong team we are,” said Viki, while sharing a pot of tea with her husband.

“It was the right thing at the right time for us.”

Dyl and Viks’ 18-year-long summer romance went through a frosty patch at the end of last year, when Dyllan had an affair.

“When I saw the advert for Power Couple at the beginning of the year, I knew we needed to do this after what we had been through,” he said, smiling at Viki.

The couple have always been very competitive and dreamed about doing the Amazing Race, so Power Couple was the closest thing to it. They went through the audition process, made round one, two, three and shortly after, the phone rang.

“We got the call and were overcome with excitement and fear at the same time,” said Viki.

One week later, the couple walked into the Camps Bay mansion, which became their home for the duration of the programme, a home they shared with the other seven competing couples.

“It was my biggest fear, staying with all these strangers under the same roof,” said Dyllan, who is used to sharing his home with only Viki and their two little children.

Strangers fast became friends and Viki said they were all amazing people with strong characters and genuine hearts on and off camera.

Only once the game began, did the couples realise how demanding, challenging and therapeutic the process would be.

“The game strips away your layers and brings you back to basics. You cannot hide from your feelings and it forces you to confront your issues,” said Viki.

Dyllan explained that the game is not straightforward and said it took them a few rounds to figure it out.

“There is a boys, girls and couple’s challenge. In the boys’ challenge, for example, the girls are given R50 000 and have to invest a certain amount based on how well or badly their partners are going to do in the challenge. If they get it wrong, they lose the money, but if they get it right, the invested money is added onto the R50 000. The losing couples of each of the three challenges are then up for elimination.”

The whole experience was a major learning curve for the highschool sweethearts, be it getting used to being in font of the camera or learning not to hold back and to be sure of yourself and each other.

“I did things I never thought I could do,” said Dyllan, who inherited his father’s printing supply business.

“I agree, and it taught me a lot about myself and helped build up my confidence again,” added Viki, who makes documentaries with her company, Imagine Africa.

The couple said thanks to the Power Couple journey, they are now able to embrace their past, finding it very liberating.

Tune into the show this Thursday at 7.30pm to see what challenges Viks and Dyl have to conquer, who their competition is and how much money they win or lose.