Vladimir Putin has claimed victory in the inaugural series of new Russian TV show; Young, Gifted and Black. The final was on Saturday and saw 900m viewers across Russia tune in to see Mr Putin claim the prize.
Mr Putin, 65, beat off Russian basketball sensation Hakim Orlovski in the final of the show. Judges were swayed by Mr Putin’s compelling argument that having led Russia for the last 20 years he was more deserving of the prize.
The show is the first of its kind in Russia and is intended to send a message that Russia is friendly towards ethnic minorities. A producer for the show said, “Whilst becoming the first black Basketball player to represent Russia is a good achievement we feel Mr Putin’s story was more compelling. A humble ex-KGB officer who was plucked from relative obscurity to become the most powerful man in Russia is a great story and a true inspiration to ethnic minorities everywhere what you can achieve with access to the army and stockpiles of Chemical weapons.”
The victory wasn’t without controversy however. The shows favorite, Artem Sakhashvilishkishikh dies earlier in the week and many viewers felt that the show shouldn’t have been broadcast in his honour. The show’s producer told us, “It was unfortunate that Mr Sakhashvilishkishikh had that accident but this is what he would have wanted. It was tragic that he boarded that military aircraft then fell out of it a 50,000 feet without a parachute but we feel this was a fitting tribute to his talents.”
It’s understood the Mr Putin will take his show on the road around Russia this autumn.
