On Saturday, July 14, Knowless and Young Grace were eliminated from the competition, leaving Jay Polly and King James to battle for the title of Primus Guma Guma SuperStar 2012 and, Rwf24 cash prize.

The moment of grace! Contestants anxiously wait for the results.

The public saved Jay Polly and King James from elimination, as Knowless and Young Grace gave tearful goodbyes to their fans.

Overall, it was an enormous shock to all viewers.

Eliminations can be heartbreaking and the final cuts are never a walk in the park. But there is no greater disappointment than coming ready to perform and you don’t.

The show started a bit earlier than usual – 6:30p.m and, crowds of people flocked to the Private Sector Foundation (PSF) Expo grounds in Gikondo to take part in the event.

As they waited for the contestants to arrive, concertgoers lined up with their coupons for free Primus beers, sodas and food, as they enjoyed a wider variety of music selections.

The four contestants arrived in posh cars and had a brief interview on the red carpet with the show’s host Lion Imanzi, before the elimination show began.

Before welcoming a representative from PricewaterhouseCoopers to present the results, Imanzi thrilled the crowd with his Reggae performance. He nearly brought the tent down. Later, called on the four contestants on stage to face their fate.

Despite her stunning looks and incredible voice, 22-year-old Knowless received less public votes, even after being named the public’s favourite.

Knowless’ elimination wasn’t the only thing to generate shocked looks.

“I thank whoever voted PGGSS 7,” said Knowless. “This is a miracle. Being girls in the competition I wasn’t certain whether we could even reach to the semi-finals.”

Next on the chop list was Young Grace, who was forecast as a good bet for elimination last week.

Upon finding out the results from host Lion Imanzi, Young Grace still managed a smile. She even went home to a standing ovation from her fans in the audience following her previous performances.

“I thank God for protecting me and all my fans for the support,” said Young Grace. “I thank Bralirwa and East African Promoter for organising this competition, which promotes Rwandan music.”

“Thanks to my family, and I request the public to vote for Jay Polly to promote Hip-hop music in the country,” she added.

The look of shock on their faces said it all, but King James and Jay Polly instantly went over to the girls and gave them massive hugs of farewell.

King James, who seemed popular with the crowd, was announced in the first place and was definitely safe from elimination. The ear piercing cheers let out by his fans in the audience showed just how happy they were for him to continue in the competition.

“I love you so much!” the singer told his fans as they screamed frenziedly.

As host Imanzi went to announce the second artiste, he explained that the results of the Primus Guma Guma SuperStar competition are based entirely on public voting.

With two artistes from different music genres; Hip-hop star Jay Polly and R&B sensation King James now in the finals, the competition is definitely going to be tough.

“I’m gutted and disappointed that Knowless has been eliminated from the competition,” said Evelyn Uwase, a fan. “She is charming and a talented musician.”

After the two artistes were eliminated from the show, fans were treated to special performances by the two finalists.

First up was talented Hip-hop singer Jay Polly, performing his favourite hit “Iwacu”. The singer showed a maturity of vocal execution and stage performance. He was backed up by Tuff Gangs member Green and a live band.

Next on stage was King James, who started off with a very cool, calm and collected performance of his “Ntamahitamo” track, but still managed to captivate the audience .

In a lovely and engaging twist, a group of four male dancers joined him on stage in what was meant to be a cheerful and light performance.

So who do you think is going to win the Rwf 24 million? Jay Polly or King James? Keep voting to support your favourite artiste.

By Linda Mbabazi, The New Times