A remarkable athlete, team player, inspirational teammate, good husband and father of two has become a worthy role model and captured the hearts of viewers on "The Farm: The Thread of Life." Football player Kostadin Velkov from the Kanatitsa team deservedly grabbed the grand prize of BGN 100,000 in the contested live final on bTV, after showing high spirit and qualities of an authentic leader on the farm near the village of Bosnek, fighting with dignity in the Arena and receiving 50 percent of the viewers' vote.

The unfolding of events in the reality show's final episode sparked huge interest among and is a clear favourite among viewers of the Friday night shows. The finale of the reality show's ninth season was followed by an average of 861,000 viewers (GARB, All4+) and attracted the attention of over 38% of the audience across the two main age groups (GARB, 18-49 and All4+), almost double the next TV chart-topper in the broadcast time slot of The Farm: The Thread of Life.

"Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I didn't give up at any point. I fought for myself and my team. Dreams do become reality!" said Kostadin as he held up the cheque to a shower of gold confetti and rapturous cheers in the show's ninth season. The participant, who has won the Bulgarian Cup and competed for German teams and is now a travel consultant and volunteers to lead a soccer team for a foundation for at-risk children, welcomed the victory surrounded by his family, loved ones and Kanatica teammates. The "Red" team accepted the athlete as their leader from the beginning of the adventure and supported him loudly and heartily at the finish. 

After Kostadin, in second place, with 16 percent of the viewers' votes, was flower seller Emilia Georgieva, followed by waiter Andrei Stefanov, who received 11 percent approval from the show's fans. Fourth was farmer Georgi Georgiev (10%), fifth - ballerina Martina Sergieva (9%) and sixth - law student Linda Boneva (4%). In "The Farm" 9 they were all part of "Elbetitsa".

This season, for the first time in the history of the reality show, the contestants made it to the final in two competing teams. Divided into women and men, the six contenders for the title showed what they were capable of in a series of tough battles in the Arena for coordination, speed, strength, endurance and knowledge of Bulgarian history. The winner was determined by their performance in the clashes, the farmers' vote and the spectators' vote, which, traditionally, has a major bearing on the final outcome. 

The ninth season of "The Farm" gave birth not only to rivalries, but also to sincere friendships and a beautiful love story. In the finale, two of the reality characters - actress Prisiyana Lyutskanova and farmer Georgi Georgiev frankly admitted that they fell in love with the farm and now share a common home.