Sixteen hopefuls for "the best job in the world," including Indian radio DJ Anjaan, arrived at the picturesque Hamilton Island on Sunday with each vying to be the temporary caretaker of the tropical paradise on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
The finalists, whittled down from over 35,000 entries, arrived in Brisbane on Saturday night and explored the state capital. Some have travelled from as far as Europe and North America in a bid to score the USD 100,000 six-month job.
Hailing from Bangalore, 28-year-old Anjaan used to host shows for the Radio One station in the Karnataka capital.
During the next five days of fun, adventure, fine dining and partying, Queensland Tourism will decide the winner.
"Everyone is nice and friendly now, but when the interview process starts I suspect it might become more cut-throat," 26-year-old Korean entrant Juweon Kim was quoted as saying by the Australian media.
The contestants have been told they are being judged at every moment until the winner is announced on May 6.
Meanwhile, Clare Wang from Taiwan, who won a wild card spot in the contest, is being touted as the likely winner. An interpreter by profession, Wang made it to the competition by securing over 151,000 votes from across the world last month.
According to betting agency PinnacleSports.com, Wang has emerged as the hot favourite among all the contestants.
The hopefuls will be vying to become caretaker of Hamilton Island.
