By Charles Mgbolu
The Big Brother reality show, one of the most famous television shows in Africa, announced its All Stars edition winner on Sunday.
Ilebaye Odiniya, 22, took home the top prize of 120 million naira ($156,000).
The show, which streamed across 70 days, and was full of twists and intrigues, had five finalists.
Big Brother enjoys a large following among young people, with over 900 million votes recorded in the finals of the reality show in 2020.
Dutch roots
Big Brother first aired in the Netherlands in 1999, and quickly became a worldwide sensation.
In 2000, countries such as the United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom aired their own versions of the show, becoming the first nations outside the Netherlands to adopt the franchise.
In 2003, Big Brother Africa, a franchise of the reality TV show for the African region, began airing on the pan-African satellite television service, DStv. Big Brother Africa ran for nine seasons before its discontinuation in 2015.
What exists today as Big Brother Naija (BBN) aired its first season in 2006. It was suspended in 2007 and returned on air in 2017.
Quick rise to fame
BBN has been a sure way for emergent entertainers to gain social capital. Tacha (BBN 2019), who entered the Big Brother house with less than 400,000 followers across Instagram and Twitter, has gained millions of online followers as a result of the show.
Former contestants like Bisola (BBN 2017), Efe (BBN 2017), and Laycon (BBN 2020) have also thrived in entrepreneurship, music or acting. The nearly instantaneous fame BBN affords housemates is among the drivers of its vast number of audition entries (40,000 as of 2022).
"Fans are drawn to the show because Big Brother is a reflection of society. The house is a miniature earth, and the participants are the humans on earth with all the different characteristics you can think of. So, when people watch Big Brother (reality show), they see themselves in it," Chris Okereke, a fan of the show, says.
But the show has also faced criticism over its adult-themed concepts, like the pool and Saturday night parties.
'Western agenda'
"The show is borrowed from European content makers, and it is selling a western agenda. That is not who we are as Africans," Chuks Chukwuma says.
"Imagine a grand prize of 120 million naira for such triviality, but what is given to the best student graduating from a Nigerian university? What is the reward for being morally upright?" Chukwuma posed.
Organisers of the show say they have tweaked its contents based on audience needs, and have removed controversial segments such as shower hour.
Ilebaye Odiniya, who is an actress, was a contestant in the "Level Up" edition of Season 7, beating contestants Mercy, CeeC, Cross, Adekunle and Pere in the "All Stars" edition of 2023.
