The ninth edition of the Big Brother Africa reality show which was also known as Hotshots has come to an end.
Tanzania’s Idri Sultan emerged as the ultimate winner after 63 days in the Big Brother house, according to how Africans voted.
The Tanzanian saw off competition from 25 other housemates which included Ghana’s duo of Kacey Moore and M’am Bea in nine weeks of different tasks. Depending on one’s level of interest when the show was running, it’s either the show was successful or it was just an ordinary version.
As far as many Ghanaians are concerned, this year’s show lost some spark and excitement as a result of many controversies in the run up to the show. On top of all the dropping of Ghanaians who auditioned here and replaced by other Ghanaians living in South Africa.
Ever since the Big Brother Africa reality show was launched in 2013, the producers Endemol SA have ensured that, the show has continued to serve the purpose for which it was created, which is to provide quality entertainment to Africans.
The show is tagged by many as the biggest reality show on television on the African continent and if that is anything to go by regarding what has happened over the past few years, then rightly so, it deserves such an accolade. But this year, I doubt if the show lived up to the great expectation.
Like any other reality show on television, Big Brother Africa has seen many Phases, challenges, low moments as well as some great and unforgettable experiences that are shared by its viewers all over the African continent.
But in the face all these challenges, the show has benefited people in three areas that I wish to highlight before I go into the sole aim of this letter.
Money
The first of the three on my list is money. The fact that one is locked up in a house with other people for three months with cameras recording their every movements and moments actually comes out with something worth it – USD 300,000, at least, if you are interesting and smart enough and also play your game well in the house.
If for nothing at all, the show has made lots of people who may not have made that amount in their entire life time rich.
Career boosting
The Big Brother Africa platform is a huge one. The ultimate for any individual who decides to audition for the show, and if the person is picked and becomes a housemate, to represent their country is to win the ultimate – which is the cash. There is nothing like, “ just want to participate”.
The second thing on the person’s mind if the cash eludes him would be to take advantage of the show and push forward in whatever field they may have found themselves in prior to entering the show.
Like the popular saying, there is life after death, with this one; there are enough opportunities when one doesn’t win the ultimate Big Brother Africa cash.
If you own a DStv, flip the channels, the people you see hosting the shows, MCing the events, acting in movies, majority of such folks are people whose careers were boosted by the fact that, they got the opportunity to be part of the Big
Brother experience. Big Brother Africa boosts careers in the entertainment industry on the continent than any other show.
Opening opportunities
Publicity is a very valuable experience, yet almost on a daily basis, you will have people from all walks of life wanting to enter into the entertainment fraternity. These are people who can hardly pay for promotion.
There are not always opportunities for them due to the fact that, the number of people with interest in the industry outweighs the kind of opportunities available for them.
So when a show like Big Brother Africa comes into the picture, viola! these wannabes will quickly join the bandwagon because of the huge opportunities that are available for grabs in the show. With regard to the foregoing attributes of the show, I want to say that, the show has done well.
However, compared to previous editions, BBA Hotshots was substandard.
I am aware that, Ghana wasn’t the only country whose original housemates were jilted after they had been auditioned but that decision was a major disaster from a Ghanaian’s point of view, especially on the heels of the fact that Ghana’s Elikem performed so well in the last edition and came so close to winning the ultimate before succumbing to the delectable Dillish.
Methinks, what Ghanaians didn’t need was that excuse of replacing Ghana housemates with Ghanaians in South Africa. I strongly believe that, a Ghanaian is a Ghanaian no matter the person’s domicile or current place of abode. But in a continental show such as the Big Brother, the decision to replace the Ghanaian reps was not only a disaster but it was grievous and miscalculated.
Take it from me, Ghana may never win the Big Brother show but Ghanaians would fully participate if someone they are well connected with or someone who resides in Ghana is picked to represent the country.
The sad reality was that, Ghana really didn’t participate in the show and what many Ghanaians are saying that, the discriminatory nature of this year’s show should be a thing of the past.
DStv may not make great chunk of their revenue from Ghana but the last thing they want to hear is a total boycott from Ghanaians.
Whatever the problem is must be rectified in order to prevent a situation where ‘foreigners’ who do not have any connection with Ghanaians are chosen to represent Ghana.
When this happens, the participation of Ghanaians will not be there.
By Ebenezer Anangfio / Graphic Showbiz 
