After a well-deserved dinner at the Dean Court Hotel, we decided to mix things with a cocktail challenge at Hotel du Vin.  Taught by the patient and knowledgeable Luke, our rowdy Top 10 learnt their muddlers from their strainers, and shook it like a Polaroid picture to create some smooth and fruity beverages.

But who whipped up a storm and who won’t be twisting again?

With a pinch of salt here, and a squeeze of lime there, the air was filled with flips, catches, drops and disasters.  Free pouring like a pro, Giselle showed them how it’s done, while birthday boy Neil snuck a few cheeky shots to celebrate.  Getting creative once again, Ceara and her team of Josh and Alex came up with their own concoction, which sadly turned out as vile as its namesake (and no we’re not going to be repeating it!).

Ending in a sticky, stinking, intoxicating state, Mark, Nasuna and local girl Jess’ creation was named victorious.

Cheers!

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Cocktails vs Shocktails

After a mucky morning, we whisked the Top 10 off for an afternoon of physical endurance; a High Rope Challenge at Wired.

Mistaking the high wire course as mere child’s play (the fastest time by a non-instructor was by an 11 year old girl!) it turned into a battle of the sexes when Cody declared that he: “didn’t want to be slowed down by the grandmas.”

Game faces adorned, it was time to begin.  Hoisted 25ft above the ground, Alex and Mark were first to shoot off, their brotherly banter spurring them on.  Dave and Ricardo’s blossoming bromance bloomed as the pair swapped tactics and egged each other on further, while Josh’s speedy footwork resulted in a nasty accident ripping open his… pinky toe.

As the boys’ team started to unravel (Neil lost a shoe whilst João got a nasty case of rope burn – to the face!), the girls saw their chance.  Hot on the boys’ heels they did all they could, with Giselle’s over-zealous zip wire leaving her choking on sawdust with some very dirty jeans!  Despite their efforts and Barbara’s uncanny resemblance to Zippy with a time of just 3 minutes and 30 seconds, it just wasn’t enough.

Emerging triumphant, big-boss James took the crown as the hottest high wire’r around.

The boys won the battle, but who’ll win the war?  Check out the blog to find out what our finalists are up to next.

A big thank you to Wired for a fantastic day.

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King of The Swingers

Waking up in the West Country, we can’t wait to see if the finalists buy into Bristol’s big-city attractions and cool street vibe after exploring the city.

They won’t be stalling too long, though, as they’ll soon be whisked off to the afternoon challenge.  High on any adrenaline junkie’s list, the Top 10 will be defying gravity at Bristol’s waterside.  But who’s in for a rocky ride?

Want to see what they’re up to?  Follow the action on the blog, keep up to date on Facebook and chat to the #MyBBB community (including the Top 10) on Twitter!

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Winners’ Week: Wednesday – Bristol or Bust

Sweetening things up after last night’s fiery challenge, we thought we’d give our finalists a little treat.  Heading out to York Cocoa House, the Top 10 were greeted by Anna (yet another one!) with an array of flavourful fancies.  After a nifty sniff and taste test, teams, titles and taglines were assembled; Ricardo, Dave and Ceara formed ‘Cocomite – It Tastes You; Cody, Giselle and Josh boasted ‘Ate Balls of Fire – Hotter Than a Mexican Cartel!’; the Vagabrothers and Barbara created ‘Lemon Zest – When Life Gives You Lemons, Just Add Chocolate’; while Véronique, João and Nasuna became ‘Citrus Burst – A Ganache from the Past’.

After some choc-a-bloc instruction and tips from the pros, it was time to get stuck in.  It was clear from the start who the mucky pups were and who had the skills.  While Barbara pondered: ‘Does size and shape really matter?’ Team Cocomite just couldn’t keep their cravings at bay, diving headfirst into the chocolate and emerging smothered, smiling and licking their cheeky chops.

After a lengthy sniff-test from Mark, Team Lemon Zest went for a sweet ‘n’ sour combo, while the vegan team of Ate Balls of Fire spiced things up with a splash of chilli jam and a hint of ginger.

Blindfolded – probably because of the rather questionable appearance of some of the chocolates! –  Anna-Lucy and Hannah (our other social media sproglet) were tasked with judging the team’s efforts.

While it was a bittersweet ending for Team Cocomite, whose homemade marketing poster caught the judges’ eye, but their Marmite and ‘secret’ ingredient (Ceara’s coco butter lip balm) chocolate left a bitter taste in their mouths, it was Team Citrus Blast who came out on top, when their zesty treats simply João’d the judges.

Awarded Wonka Nerds for their efforts, the winners will be needing the sugar rush for this afternoon’s task. Stay tuned to find out what happened next…

A big thank you to Anna and the York Cocoa House for treating us. 

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Chocky-Wocky-Doo-Dah

As Day Two of Winners’ Week dawns, we can’t help but think the contestants are in for a treat!

The Top 10 will begin the day by getting another little taste of what York has to offer, as we sweeten the deal with a creative culinary task.

Then the daring group will be high as a kite at the thought of the afternoon’s activity, but which cheeky monkey will come out with flying colours?

Still wired from the afternoon’s challenge, the buzzing finalists will stir up a storm when they see what we’re throwing into the mix at the evening’s events.

Want to see what they’re up to?  Follow the action on the blog, keep up to date on Facebook and chat to the #MyBBB community (including the Top 10) on Twitter!

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Winners’ Week: Tuesday – Leap of Faith!

Cranking up the heat, My Destination took the competition to sweltering extremes with last night’s BBB challenge: a Firewalk.  No one said it would be easy. After preparing themselves mentally and physically with a series of emotional exercises, the group connected through discussions about individual life goals and ambitions. A circle of trust was established. Not to be entered into lightly, this ritualised practice of firewalking derived from the Hopi Indians can only be achieved through positive thinking and a semi-meditative state. We should know, My Destination’s very own Miss Anna Lucy Terry got a smack on the hand for not taking things seriously (naughty, naughty)!

Before taking to the coal-bed stage, the finalists first took part in a ceremonial ‘Arrow Breaking’ session to eliminate all fears and limitations. Jotting down their biggest fears on the body of the arrow, they crushed the spires on wooden boards to eradicate feelings of dread. Finally, a symbolic sheet of parchment was burnt amongst the billowing plumes of fire.

It was time.

Stepping up to the mark, Ricardo valiantly launched himself forward across the hot embers. Braving searing coals to the shouts of “Get off the couch!” his proactive nature was plain for all to see. Josh followed suit embodying of a human hot potato, leaping from one foot to the other in an overzealous manner. He self- titled this unique style the chicken walk. The Vagabrothers chose to celebrate their year of harmony by crossing the finish line together whilst the girls showed solidarity by walking through to chants of “Girl Power!”

Everyone came out the other side unscathed, emotionally drained and physically exhausted. All except Dave who took a tumble at the final hurdle, landing on a thorny bed of stinging nettles – the less said on this, the better!

For this reason, there was no sole winner on this task; only a badge of honour for everyone who laughed in the face of danger and showcased their inner strengths.

You lot have true cojones. Not to mention asbestos feet.

A huge thanks to the firewalk instructors at Lisa Clifford for making this challenge possible.

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Hotfooting it to the Finish Line

Following a quick stop off at Platform 9 and ¾ (or King’s Cross for us local Londoners), the contestants were ushered onto a train out of town.  Cody couldn’t contain his excitement when he thought they were being taken to Hogwarts but, alas, it wasn’t meant to be. York beckoned.

After traversing the city walls and hopping aboard a whistle-stop tour by bus, the finalists were allotted their first task of the day: a treasure hunt around the historic streets of York.  Under the watchful eye of question master Matthew, riddles and clues were doled out over the course of the day. All was fair in love and war as they scrambled over Roman walls, burrowed beneath medieval bridges and deciphered Da Vinci Code-esque clues, all in a bid to amass the largest amount of metaphorical gold (euros in this case). Joining forces for the day Team Canada included Véronique, Giselle, Cody and Ricardo (an honorary Canadian), Team AfroThunder banded together João, Nasuna, Ceara and Josh, whilst Team Forked Up (don’t ask!) featured none other than Barbara, Dave and the Vagabrothers.

Matthew did his best to reign in the unruly lot but their boundless enthusiasm was uncontainable.  Pestering members of the public and approaching the mayor of York himself, doors were slammed in their faces as they went up against the clock. Fluttering his eyelids to get ahead, Josh proved there was nothing he wouldn’t do to reign supreme. Dave lagged behind looking like a lost puppy scrounging for treats, while Ceara leaped around looking for toilet facilities and chatted to every single person in sight. João managed to lose his team three times on the trot and Team AfroThunder decided it was all a bit much, throwing in the towel to get ice cream instead. Pipping everyone to the post, however, Team Forked Up showed they could handle the heat on the hunt, solving all the clues to finish first.

So the question left on everyone’s lips: are the contestants gold diggers or do they really have hearts of gold?

That, my friends, is yet to be decided…

A special thanks to Exploring York for taking the contestants on such a fantastic tour of the city.

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Gold Diggers or Hearts of Gold?

It’s Day One of the highly anticipated Winners’ Week and boy are they in for a scorcher!

As the terrific Top 10 hot-foot it up to the historical city of York, they’ll spend the day on a fierce hunt to find the city’s most prized sights.

As evening draws in, the night’s events look to be hotting up with a surprise in store for the contestants… But who can handle the heat, and who’ll be left out in the cold?

Want to see what they’re up to?  Follow the action on the blog, keep up to date on Facebook and chat to the #MyBBB community (including the Top 10) on Twitter!

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Winners’ Week: Monday – York’idding Me!

Thrown together in a cacophony of cameras, cuddles and catch-ups, our Top 10 were greeted by the My Destination team for an initiation to Winners’ Week at London Waterloo.  Starting gently, we led the bamboozled lot to Southbank for celebratory a Bucks Fizz and regal greeting from CEO Neil.

Hot-footing it to the Thames’ edge, we led them aboard the London Eye River Cruise for a crash course in local history and culture before a snappy cinema trip at the attraction’s 4D experience. Next, our 10 were whizzed around the London Eye itself for a bird’s eye view of the capital.

Testing their navigational skills, we wandered over the river towards our next appointment where Dave and Barbara took a wrong turn, resulting in an arduous (10 minute) quest of crossing paths and disappearing bridges – Barbara was so worried for her life, she nearly turned cannibalistic!

Catching up with the cheeky duo, the evening was spent in a medieval lair, singing merry tunes, shouting at ‘WENCHES!’ and glugging on frothy mead.

Check out our footage from the first day of Winners’ Week  and stay tuned for more…

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And so it begins…

 As one of the UK’s most charismatic cities, Bristol plays host to hordes of tourists each year.  It would be an easy task to follow in the footsteps of this crowd, however, there is nothing to be gained from being part of the mundane masses. Instead, why not learn how to navigate the city like a true local and experience Bristol as one of its own?

What to do

Bristol is a city dedicated to cycling and with over 3,000 bike parking spaces, traffic free routes and designated cycling paths, Bristol ranks among Europe’s greatest cycling cities. The Bristol Bicycle Project specialises in retrieving and repairing unwanted bikes and then donating them to those in need. The project also has bikes for hire for just £25.  If you fancy seeing Bristol’s neighbouring town, Bath, why not head for the Bristol to Bath cycle path? The path is 13 miles long so not a jog in the park however, if you ever get tired there are plenty of refreshment stops en-route.

If you are looking for some decent entertainment in Bristol, the Tobacco Factory theatre is a safe bet. Sat in Bristol’s ever-growing Southville area, it consistently showcases innovative and inspiring works of drama which continue to draw in Bristolians from all walks of life. The company recently also opened up a second theatre, ‘The Brewery’ which, with 90 seats, is an even more intimate venue.

Where to go

Stokes Croft is a self-sustained cultural wonderland that carries much of Bristol’s renegade spirit. Way off the tourist trail, it feels almost like its own town. Its roads have long become art galleries; filled with murals and graffiti which often strike political notes in the area. Stokes Croft houses countless of quirky businesses that offer a different viewpoint from the cities more commercial venues, such as Cafe Kino. Cafe Kino is a worker co-operative with a longstanding commitment to ecological practices and ethically-sourced food. It also regularly invites its customers to life drawing classes.

Sat on the scenic Habourside, El Puerto is a Spanish tapas restaurant that has called Bristol its home for over eight years now. With its Mediterranean offerings and its charming atmosphere, it has become one of the most popular places to eat in Bristol. If you, like so many of us, feel like forgetting about England’s grey clouds (at least for a meal), then this is the spot. On Wednesdays nights it also puts on thrilling jazz shows where all of the city’s jazz-cats come out to play.

Where to party

With stage diving and crowd surfing fully encouraged, The Fleece is the definitely the place to go if you are hoping for a no holds barred night. As one of the largest music venues in Bristol The Fleece has gathered a loyal following and plays host to some of Bristol’s best nights out. As well as showcasing household names, The Fleece continues to nurture up-and-coming talents. Radiohead and Oasis are just two of the bands who played their hearts out at The Fleece during their years of bunking up.

                               Photo Credit: Flickr Shirin Kasraejan

The Coronation Tap cider house has stood in Bristol’s Clifton neighbourhood since the 18^th century. In its time it has seen mayors come and go, witnessed Bristol thrive and languish and even survived a war, yet the demand for its cider never dulled. By now the Coritap has pretty much become a landmark and remains one of the bars in Bristol the locals just can’t get enough of. The atmosphere is exciting and their cider is yet to be rivalled so, if you fancy a cheerful drink then there is no better place.

                                                         Photo Credit: Flickr dichohecho

Bristol remains one of England’s cultural gems and is definitely worth a trip. Be sure to explore the city as a true local would and discover all of Bristol’s hidden quirks, because it keeps its secrets hidden well.

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How to Live Like a Local in Bristol