You don’t believe me? Well, take a count: Karen Igho, Ebuka Obi Uchendu, Gideon Okeke, Pokello Nare, Gaeteno Kagwa, Eazzy, Uti Nwachukwu, Beverley Osu, Confidence Haugen, Hakeem, the list goes on.
How many of these were household names before they went on Big Brother and blew up?
Uti was relatively popular as an aspiring model while Karen and Beverley had been on TV shows before BBA. Hakeem was Mr Zimbabwe and his compatriot Pokello owned an upscale boutique before they both went on BBA.
Eazzy rapped while Confidence ran a business but today whatever they owned or did before Big Brother came calling, pales in significance. They stood on the Big Brother platform and were transformed into continental stars.
Ebuka Obi Uchendu, who was on the Nigerian edition of Big Brother, the first in the continent, and one of the first celebrities minted off the franchise admitted as much in a recent interview where he said things weren’t as rosy as this when they came out, but have since improved.
"When we left Big Brother you just come out and it's goodbye, you don’t even get auditions for shows or to anything. Secondly, it was a new show at the time unlike now. Then people will ask who are you? Are you now a celebrity or what? But now there is a lot to do. Things have changed drastically. I know about two, three, four Big Brother housemates who are on shows now.”
Ebuka is the celebrity host of The Spot on Ebony Life TV (Monday to Friday at 20:30, DStv Channel 165).
His fellow housemates, Gideon Okeke and Katung Aduwak have found fame in the movies. Gideon is one of the most regular and popular faces on AfricaMagic Entertainment's Tinsel where he plays Phillip Ade Williams, a spoilt but creative rich kid, while Katung Aduwak who went to film school and has directed the movie, Heaven’s Hell.
Uti Nwachukwu doesn’t need to model anymore. He is a millionaire several times over and presenter of a hit TV show, Jara.
Karen is a personality on a radio station and has had her turn on AfricaMagic Entertainment's hit TV show, Tinsel. She is a regular on the red carpet. Gaetano was the first to host Studio 53 before the Extra was added while another housemate, Vimbai, is co-host of the TV show, Star Gist.
Across the pond in Ghana, Confidence Haugen has become a business mogul with a finger in many pies, a night club being one of them. Eazzy’s music career is on the rise and recently she sent out risqué pictures that hinted at something in the offing for the rapper.
Pokello Nare has taken her fashion business continental. She had a sold out show in Ghana recently where she showcased designs off her new label in collaboration with her man, Elikem.
True, some housemates seem to have fallen off the grid but it’s no fault of the franchise because as Ebuka eloquently captured it: “I don’t know what happened, but I know a lot them went back to their normal lives. So the fact that they are not really in shows does not mean they are not doing very well. For the most part, I think everybody is doing very well.”
Wherever they are, Big Brother is watching.
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