Social media personality Queen Dura emerged victorious in Donnalyn Bartolome’s viral game challenge, ‘Extreme Last to Touch the Car Wins the Car,’ broadcast live on Donnalyn’s Facebook account on September 21.
Queen Dura won a brand new Subaru Forester and ₱1 million, which will be donated to the Angat Buhay Foundation, a charity established by former Vice President Leni Robredo.
The endurance-based challenge featured several popular social media personalities and celebrities, including Nikko Natividad, Buboy Villar, Ramona Thornes, Jelai Andres, Ann Mateo, Vrix Gallano, Norme Garcia, Spencer Serafica, and Donnalyn’s rumored boyfriend, JM De Guzman. Participants had to keep their hands on the car, with the last person remaining in contact declared the winner.
However, the game quickly became embroiled in controversy after accusations surfaced that Hashtags member Nikko Natividad had cheated during the challenge. The actor took to Facebook on September 22 to address the claims, firmly denying any wrongdoing and pointing out what he described as inconsistencies in the game’s rules.
One major point of contention was that Queen Dura allegedly arrived at the venue four hours late but was still allowed to participate in the challenge. Nikko and other contestants reportedly found this unfair, as it gave her a significant advantage over those who had already been enduring the challenge for hours.
“Almost 4 hours late si Queen Dura. Tinanong kami kung papapasukin pa namin siya. Humindi kami kasi unfair sa’min lahat yun dahil sobrang laki ng gap ng almost 4 hours. Pero pinasok pa rin siya,” Nikko explained in his post.
Nikko also clarified other accusations, such as claims that he had violated the rules by sitting during the challenge. He insisted that he wasn’t sitting but merely stretching, and that he had followed all the game’s guidelines. He also responded to allegations that he drank water during a bathroom break, which he said was permitted by the game staff.
Despite the controversy, Nikko emphasized that he did not harbor any ill feelings toward Queen Dura and congratulated her on her win. He reiterated that his main objective in speaking out was to clear his name from accusations of cheating.
“Congratulations pa rin, Queen Dura. Ok kami lahat dun. Lahat kaming magkakalaban ok kami lahat. Hindi ako nagalit kasi sinabi nya na naalis kamay ko. Ok yun kasi part ng game yun. Pero gusto ko lang i-clear ang pangalan ko na hindi ako nandaya,” he wrote.
In another Facebook post, Nikko stressed that his purpose in addressing the issue was not to discredit Queen Dura’s victory but to shed light on the confusion surrounding the game’s rules and regulations.
As of this writing, Donnalyn Bartolome has not yet issued any official statement regarding the controversy surrounding the game.
