Underdog wins Big Brother Naija 

The reality TV show Big Brother Naija, though having no housemates from outside Nigeria, has proven to be a uniting factor on the continent as enthusiasts from wherever MultiChoice and its DStv and GOtv are, stay hooked for the three months it is on air.

And last Sunday as a winner was declared, it was like watching a football match between Manchester United and Arsenal in many households around Africa.

Unlikely finalist, Ilebaye Precious Odiniya and former winner Mercy Eke emerged the last two standing in a nail-biting finale, and for a while it looked like Mercy, 30, would snatch her second win from Big Brother, after returning for the All-Stars season.

But from earlier in the season, 22-year-old Ilebaye emerged as the underdog, being not only the youngest of the season, but also the ‘poorest’.

Being an All-Stars season, this eighth season’s cast was full of successful actors, models, entrepreneurs, etc, all thanks to fame garnered from their previous appearances on the show.

During her inaugural appearance on Big Brother Naija (Level Up season last year), Ilebaye was evicted in week three and as such had made little impact inside and outside the Big Brother house.

Returning for the All-Stars season, she was naturally looked down upon by her more celebrated housemates, who also soon made her a target for their bullying and plotting for her early eviction by deliberately triggering her hot temper.

Violence in the Big Brother rules calls for disqualification, depending on how badly one gets unhinged; Ilebaye had two strikes for violence, with one more to cause her disqualification.

But Africa loves an underdog. Against all odds, she survived week after week, literally fighting and crying her way to the top six, until she was crowned a winner on Sunday. Mercy Eke, who has a huge social media following, did not see that coming.

She had made it clear on multiple occasions to the housemates that she was sure she was winning the money for a second time, her confidence bordering on cockiness.

But when she left the house on Sunday with Ilebaye to a studio crowd chanting “Baye! Baye!” she cried as she watched her dream evaporate. The young criminologist and budding model Ilebaye walked away with 120m Naira (approx. Shs 570m), a trip for two, a car, endorsements, a year’s supply of several products by the many sponsors of the show… One can only hope she has the maturity and entrepreneurial acumen to put her winnings to good use.

“I am glad that show has ended. My house help had become a problem; she stays up till 2am to watch the Big Brother housemates sleep, and when she finally goes to her own bed, she oversleeps in the morning and messes up everything,” Dr L. Namata, a Ugandan physician, remarked about the show, which like Nollywood, has managed to spill beyond the Nigerian borders.