The Sunday Mail
Tafadzwa Zimoyo – Leisure Reporter
This is it. After 63 days of drama, emotions, jaw dropping moments, the winner of Africa’s most watched reality show Big Brother Africa will be announced tonight as this years’ edition wraps up.
Yes, this year the reality marathon is taking a bow 27 days earlier.
Back home there has been a deluge of mixed views being reflected on social media as local viewers are split between our two representatives.
JJ (Jerome) and Butterphly (Tariro Mharapara) have managed to play their games right, surviving the chop on numerous occasions and locals feel they both deserve to win.
It looks like history is repeating itself as Zimbabwe was faced with the same dilemma during the Munyaradzi Chidzonga and Wendall Parson eras a few years ago.
In 2011 Wendall Parson was voted the winner of BBA Amplified together with Nigerian Karen Igho.
The Zimbabwean housemate managed to win the hearts of Africa with his coolness and calm attitude, which some have likened to Butterphly.
While Chidzonga’s case of losing to Nigerian Uti Nwachukwu on the last hurdle caused mayhem in Africa with show organisers revealing that he lost by one percentage vote.
And this is the story again.
Will they win or it will be a case of percentage vote yet close to the margin?
For Zimbabwe, tonight’s case is all about votes and the country has already is already divided.
For Africa, viewers will decide who has charmed their hearts more from among bubbly radio personality Butterphly (Zimbabwe), Idris (Tanzania), M’am Bea (Ghana), Macky2 (Zambia), Nhlanhla (South Africa), Sipe (Malawi), Tayo (Nigeria) and Zimbabwean JJ.
Some fans say JJ will make it in the top three because of Kenya vote Alusa, who was friends with him.
While for Butterphly, it is going to be a bit tough.
Botswana votes are likely to go to South Africa because of the strong connection of Nhlanhla and Sheila.
But after a fight broke down between Idris and Nhlanhla recently because of girls and responsibility, some fans have drifted their votes to Idris who they say was more loyal.
The case is to check which housemates are Africa’s favourites and then the evicted countries will then support who they want.
Again, it is a battle of South versus West Africa. It was an incredible week so far, with housemates upping their game but the verdict has been set. The reality show dubbed Hotshots, “it being all about swag”, did not live up to billing as the housemates didn’t tally at all with the theme.
Although the show was shifted to three weeks from its original start, after fire gutted the house just on the eve of the show starting, the housemates who were already in South Africa, had to endure an extended stay as they awaited the construction of a new house.
Or is it that the reality show is losing lustre? Was it Big Bore Africa?
To lend credence to such thinking, Biggie had to introduce fake housemates from the previous season to add some suspense.
But the problem with Africans was time and fun. They were expecting more because as the reality show progressed, housemates were supposed to act in a manner the viewers wanted.
As for last year’s theme “The Chase”, one can be excused for thinking it was all about finding love, fame and money.
Dillish Matthews from Namibia walked away with the moola.
As the finale to this year’s Big Brother Africa nears, it will be time to reflect on the past winners over the past decade, who have scooped a whooping US$1 800 000 over the last decade.
Zambian Cherise Makubale pocketed US$100 000 cash prize in the show’s inaugural season, just over a decade ago and after winning she promised to buy a house for her British-born stepfather as a matter of priority.
Cherise is now reportedly living in the UK and is active in several charitable ventures in Zambia and is rarely spotted in her hometown of Kitwe..
After a four-year hiatus, Big Brother Africa returned in 2007 where Tanzanian Richard Bezuidenhout won after a confused period in the house.
He fell in love, threw tantrums and survived nominations five times on his road to winning the cash prize.
However, despite the controversy during his stay in the house, Richard went on to set up a film company in Tanzania and remains as one of Big Brother Africa’s success stories.
The next season’s winner came from Angola in the form of Ricardo David Ferreira Venâncio who was popularly known as Ricco.
He also went on to participate in Season 9 of Big Brother Brazil as a special guest.
He stayed in the house for four days and they hosted an Angolan-themed party.
Rumour has it that his tenure in Brazil was dedicated to studying when he wasn’t in the house.
Season 4, Big Brother Africa (The Revolution) saw Nigerian Kevin Chuwang Pam walk away with the US$200 000 cash prize and a fiancé.
He went on to marry fellow housemate Elizabeth Gupta from Tanzania and they have a three-year-old daughter.
Uti Nwachukwu was no stranger to being in front of the cameras when he won the All Stars season of the show in 2010 and was the second Nigerian to walk away with the big bucks.
Since his win Uti has ventured into music, even releasing an album.
He has also used his win to make inroads into Nollywood, purportedly to further his modelling career.
Yet another Nigerian Karen Igho, together with Zimbabwean Wendall Parson, equally shared the US$300 000 spoils in Amplified – the first ever series of Big Brother in the world to have two winners. Karen unfortunately battled with cancer last year but won the fight, announcing she was cancer free earlier this year.
It was South Africa’s turn in 2012 when Capetonian Keagan Petersen walked away with US$300 000 cash prize on StarGame. Almost a year later after his R2,4 million win, Keagan was reportedly still staying in his parents’ house.
The winner remained south of the continent for Season 8 of Big Brother The Chase. Namibian beauty Dillish Matthews not only walked away with the cash prize, but she saw her popularity soar with cosmetic endorsements and appearances across the continent.
Of the eleven winners from all previous seasons, only four have been women.
Which leaves viewers to tonight’s wondering: “Will Season 9 continue to the domination of men or did DiIlish start a trend for the ladies?”
