For 24 days, they have struggled through the many activities and duties of the Christmas season. One by one, they have had to take their Christmas stockings and leave, and thus be cheated of the victory in news’s Christmas reality, 24-star Christmas calendar. After an intense final between presenter Sarah Natasha Melbye and comedian Henrik Farley, it was the latter who emerged victorious from the competition. Sarah Natasha Melbye and Henrik Farley just minutes before the final started. Photo: news Close to quitting Farley looks back on the competition with both shame and joy. – It has been really fun to get to the final and experience all the crazy tasks that Markus and the rest of the gang have come up with. But the worst moment of the competition already happened in the first episode. Then there was a couples dance competition, and Farley ended up dancing with journalist Fanny Olsen. – I remember thinking that here are two people who have zero control. It felt a bit like the blind leading the blind, he says. The somewhat unsuccessful dance performance cost Farley further participation. But his familiarity with Wham’s Christmas hit “Last Christmas” saved him in the “grab the microphone” duel against Olsen. – It was luck for me that the competition was not about singing correctly, because what I sang was: “Last Christmas you gave me my heart”, which sounds more like some kind of horror film. Psychotic survival mode Horror or not – Farley qualified for further participation. And if we are to believe him himself, it was precisely this episode that got him into real fighting mode. – When you almost burst into the first program, you think a bit like this: “Now I have to sharpen up!” – Dancing was the only thing I really dreaded, so then the worst was over in a way. Henrik Farley and presenter Markus Neby. Photo: Aurora Berg Meistad He doesn’t want to say that he had any kind of tactics in the competition, but he describes the feeling he had in battle mode like this: – When I look at the program now, there are several things I can’t remember saying in it at all. I went into some sort of psychotic survival mode. – Heard a bang Farley can adorn himself with the title “Christmas star of the year”. But the final contained drama. There it was about recreating Mr. Bean’s disastrous Christmas celebration in the movie “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean”, and in the heat of the battle, Melbye managed to slip on his turkey costume. – I hear a bang next to me, and Sarah is lying on the floor. I became very unsure if I had pushed her or something. I was buzzing around with the turkey on my head, explains Farley. Watch the intense final in the video below. It looked like Melbye was doing well, which was also confirmed after a quick medical check-up by participant Katarina Flatland. She could confirm that it was only a matter of two bruised knees. The confetti rain was a fact and the prize was an intimate concert with Hanne Krogh herself in the original winter coat from “Journey to the Christmas Star”. – My Achilles heel is when someone sings to me while making eye contact, and in this case I’m also sitting alone on the floor. It was very pleasant, but it was also quite stressful, admits the winner. The prize was an intimate concert with Hanne Krogh who sings the classic “Sonja’s Song Til Julestjernen”. Photo: news – A lot of anger and frustration Program manager Markus Neby is very satisfied with the second season of the Christmas calendar. He will summarize this year’s season as slightly more temperamental than the previous one. – As presenter, I experienced that the participants were much more competitive this year. Last year, nobody really knew what they were getting into. This year they were familiar with the concept and then it was to be won. There was a lot of nerves, anger and frustration in the group. It was really scary, but still very good, he clarifies. Katarina Flatland in frustration at her own ability to curl gift ribbons. Photo: news This year’s season has garnered several good dice rolls from the critics, but also some more lukewarm ones. – VG said something like: “This program is as unnecessary as a box of Christmas soda”, and I think that is not so imprecise, laughs the presenter, before adding: – Nevertheless, the program is a nice respite for people in an otherwise quite dark December. But will there be a new season? Neby cannot answer that. Still.
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Henrik Farley won the 24-star Christmas calendar – news Culture and entertainment
