The Sunday Mail
Leisure Reporter —
“BIG Brother Africa” has many fans in Zimbabwe, but with the programme still under re-evaluation, they will have to be content with watching the Nigerian version of the show.
Big Brother Naija started January 22 on DStv’s channel 198. Award-winning Nigerian singers Yemi Alade, Flavour and K9 performed live at the launch.
The show is being screened live nonstop on all DStv packages and for the next 10 weeks, viewers will be treated to drama, action, comedy and tears as 12 total strangers get to live together in one house as they battle for the grand prize of 25 million naira and a brand new Kia Sorento.
This year’s housemates include Bally, Bisola, CoColce, Efe, Gifty, Kemen, Marvis, Miyonse, Soma, T Boss, Thin Tall Tony and Uriel. The show is being hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, a former housemate in the Big Brother Nigeria show back in 2006.
The lawyer-turned-media personality with his infectious laugh and charismatic persona has been tasked with announcing the evictees week after week. Eviction shows are screened live and all the best daily and weekly highlights are shown on Africa Magic Urban, Africa Magic Showcase and Africa Magic World.
While the same Big Brother rules apply, there will be no shower hour this time around. A variety of Nigerian personalities, musicians and performers will be visiting the Big Brother Naija house during the show’s duration.
Reality TV is a staple for many people as witnessed with the hype that surrounded the previous editions of Big Brother Africa.
While some of the most popular reality shows are from the western world, the Big Brother show is a welcome development for local viewers as they can easily relate to what will be taking place. The house has been full of activity this past week with the housemates being given various tasks including, cooking, working out, creating and sharing Nigerian folk stories among other things as they compete for likes from fellow housemates.
Big Brother said the two housemates with the least amount of likes would be evicted from the Big Brother House in the culmination of last week’s theme “Proudly Naija”.
Possible love angles are already visible, with most of the housemates’ characters coming to life during the first week, which saw Efe being crowned first head of the house.
Meanwhile, most Nigerians have shown their displeasure at the decision to host the reality show in South Africa instead of their own motherland. Multichoice responded to the outcry, explaining that DStv Nigeria did not have the capacity to host the show, which is why they opted to use the fully equipped house in South Africa.
A statement issued by DStv spokesperson Caroline Oghuma, explained why they were shooting the show in South Africa.
“We have a fully equipped house in South Africa, which is used for the Big Brother shows. This means that we are able to achieve high production values whilst meeting tight timelines and ensuring the show comes to our viewers on time as planned, and with the same globally renowned quality.
“The house has played host to other Big Brother countries including the general Big Brother Africa, Mozambique, Angola and now Nigeria,’’ the statement quoted Oghuma as saying.
The Nigerian version of Big Brother comes back after a 10-year hiatus. The first edition of the show was aired in 2006 saw 12 housemates battle it out for the coveted US$100 000 prize, won by Katung Aduwak.
