Vanessa Obioha writes that each season of Big Brother Naija comes with a theme that reflects how the game will be played and that the wildcards twist in this new season is a good indicator
The Big Brother Naija reality TV show is known for its play on street lingos since its return in 2017. The sixth season is no different. This time, the creative team played with ‘Shine Ya Eye’, a colloquial term that suggests one to be alert or smart.
Going by the colourful house, the mix of personalities who will be living in the house for 72 days, and of course the introduction of the wildcards very early in the game, it is evident that a lot of mind games will be at play.
Moreover, the double launch show over the past weekend showed that the season is going to be a departure from previous formats. It is the first time the show has had a double launch. First, the male housemates entered the house on Saturday, July 24. The female housemates were ushered into the house the following day, although viewers were robbed of their surprise looks and exclamations due to a prank by the male housemates. As they entered the house, the men pretended that they were ordered to be quiet until the end of the live show.
If that prank was a teaser, the main act became the announcement by Big Brother that two housemates among the 22 that entered the house were wildcards. The housemates are to find out who the wildcards are by today or they risk having the individuals play the game with them. The news set off a maelstrom of emotions, with the housemates looking at one another with a detective lens.
Usually, the wildcards are often introduced halfway through the show. They play the game with the real housemates and if lucky enough, survive the eviction block till the finals. However, no wildcard or fake housemate as they are often described, has won the show. Will this season be different?
The wildcards reveal proved to be a herculean task for the housemates. With a mix of diverse individuals — a teacher, a taxi driver, an engineer, a dancer, a realtor, fashion models and designers — it is difficult for them to figure out who the culprits are.
The main suspects at the time of filing this report were Emmanuel and Beatrice. Emmanuel is a 24 year-old fashion model from Akwa-Ibom State. His reticence makes him a suspect because the housemates feel the wildcards are trying to conceal their identity by not getting into conversations. Moreover, one of the housemates, Niyi, a businessman, believes Emmanuel is bored in the house and may take a voluntary exit. Thus he believes that he is one of the wildcards.
Beatrice, on the other hand, is a fashion model who aspires to sell her brand on the show. She owns a clothing brand and plans to establish a modelling agency. Like Emmanuel, Beatrice keeps to herself most times and because of her less-spirited mien each time there is a task to be accomplished, most of the housemates believe that she is a wildcard. Cross, the housemate who calls himself a party animal, considers her weird, while Boma, a model as well, was surprised that she came to the house with a few bags.
The housemates will be in a state of shock when they finally discover that Maria, the Dubai-based realtor from Imo State and Pere, the 36 year-old actor from Warri, Delta State are the wildcards.
Both individuals are aware that they are a wildcard but do not know who the other person is. During a special diary session on Thursday when Biggie revealed their identity to viewers only, both housemates were asked to guess the identity of the second fake housemate, Maria rightly predicted Pere but the latter had two guesses: Maria or Nini, a model from Edo State.
So far, the two have played the game well, getting into arguments — which the housemates are now known for — and even eager to find out who the wildcards are. Pere, too, is calm and engages in discussions with other housemates.
But the burden of that secrecy is not an easy one to carry for both housemates, particularly for Maria. She told Biggie that the weight of the secrecy is almost crushing her.
“They are really loving people and I’m not just saying it, they really are. It’s just like lying,” she said.
While she is proud of doing a good job at keeping her identity, she revealed that she is not proud of her role.
As the housemates get to know if they have accomplished the wildcard reveal or not in tonight’s live show, it is uncertain if Big Brother will reveal the identity to the housemates should they fail the task or make it a continuous challenge. If he opts for the latter, it will justify the theme ‘Shine Ya Eye’.
