BBNaija S7: Doyin, Sheggz deserve a spot in the Top 6 – Afrovii

Since its inception in 2006, Big Brother Naija has grown to become Africa’s biggest reality show attracting followers from across the continent and beyond. But the fans, really, are the soul of Big Brother Naija, and My BBNaija Story seeks to understand them and hear their thoughts about their beloved show.

Afrovii just loves talking about BBNaija. Come rain or shine, she’s on Twitter analysing the complexities of the housemates, hosting Twitter spaces, and sharing her opinion on the show. This season appears to be a farewell season, as she wants to make way for a new generation of R&D as the show leans towards the Gen Z demographic.

What about BBNaija appeals to you the most?

I have a general love for Nigerian things. I think the first Nigerian reality TV show I watched was D’banj’s Koko Mansion. It was a way of staying connected to home. I moved to the UK when I was 11. I was grown enough to be really Nigerian but also young enough that I could fit in here while still craving home. So, I’ve just been searching for Nigerian content everywhere, and once I discovered Koko Mansion and fell in love with popular Nigerian culture, BBNaija was just the next step.

What was your first BBNaija season?

See Gobbe [Season 2, won by Michael Ejeba].

You are an OG, no wonder you want to retire.

Omo, I be their mama. An R&D mama for real, in age and experience.

True! Which season has been your favourite?

I think it’s too early to say because I liked different things about each season. However, in terms of the sheer talent of housemates, like the ability to maybe just freestyle a session to jam, no season comes close to See Gobbe.

But if you ask most people, Lockdown [Season 5] will come in their top two seasons. Production picked a crew of housemates that were ready from the go. So much happened within that first week that we’d never seen before. It was crazy! Lockdown had so many highs. I think it was the first time we saw a housemate as sensual as Erica, someone as rich as Kidd and well-known as he was.

We got the whole Nengi and Ozo dynamic. A housemate who looked like Nengi but was super competitive and bright in tasks. We got somebody like Ozo, that was clearly a sheltered young man, good-looking but had no way with the ladies. Then we got Laycon – Laycon-Erica’s dynamic, and their friendship. You got this run-of-the-mill middle-class, skinny kid with this beauty queen and people couldn’t see how they were friends. All those complications made the season very interesting for somebody like me who enjoys analysing the show.

Watch this interview with Laycon on his Showmax Original reality show, I Am LAYCON

What about this Level Up season?

I might be biased about this season because it’s my farewell season, but it has been absolutely amazing to me. Obviously, some things could have been done better. I think the two houses thing is a great idea, but they should have been integrated as a unit earlier, or housemates should have been swapped because a lot of the audience and the housemates didn’t really experience each other in the way that makes the show fun.

However, I think Level Up will challenge See Gobbe and Lockdown as my favourite season when it’s all said and done. But the reason I can’t commit to it challenging them is that I didn’t experience all the characters; I only experienced half of them.

Have you been a member of any fan base; apart from Bella’s, and why?

I am not a member of Bella’s fan base. They kicked me out o.

Ahn ahn! Why na?

They kicked me out because I didn’t like Segun from week one. They said I was trying to cause a rift. However, I’ve never been a part of any fan base because I’m too big a character. I don’t stan because I don’t think anybody’s always right.

Also, I’m aware that people come to my timeline to read and catch up on the show – and to gauge my opinion on whatever. I’m aware, whether I like it or not, that I’m more influential than I care for. I cannot stan as a result. From a fan’s perspective, I must be circumspect and balance my influence on the show, while balancing my personal biases. I’m not always successful because I’m human and I have biases. But I do try because I’m aware of these responsibilities. However, the person I’ve gone hardest for on the show is probably Esther from Pepper Dem.

Seriously?

Yes, yes! She is the most like myself that has ever been on the show. When I say go hard, I mean campaigning and harassing my friends to vote for her.

That’s very interesting! What about Laycon? It seemed you liked him.

I liked him. However, when too many people like a housemate, the truth and complexity of their behaviour is flattened. They didn’t want to examine this man as a very complex character. They didn’t want to examine that he was a middle-class kid and never pretended to be poorer than he was. He spoke pretty well and was quite intelligent, but entitled like a Nigerian man. They just preferred to sell the narrative, “Oh, is it because he’s not good-looking, or is it because he’s not rich that this beauty queen turned him down?” I wasn’t interested in that.

We’ve had so many ships this season. What do you think is fueling this?

It is tough to be in an environment like this and play this game by yourself. Not everybody is cut out to be Tacha, for example. She was a one-man soldier all the way. So, there is no way you won’t make some kind of bond, and I prefer platonic bonds. I think they are the best on the show. However, everybody in this house now is R&D; they understand the post-show show, which is what they are angling for. Last season, you had Cross offered almost 20 million to do CrossKay. It’s understandable to want to do the shipping thing.

Which housemates do you see in the top six and why?

Okay, there are two sets of top six. The deserving housemates and the housemates I think will make it. In terms of content, whether good content or bad content o, it would be Doyin, Bella, Adekunle, Sheggz, Bryann, and Phyna, in no order. That would be the fairest top six in terms of doings in the house. For the eventual top six, I see Phyna, Bryann, Hermes, Adekunle, Bella, Doyin or Sheggz.

Watch BBNaija 24/7 on Showmax, also check out highlights from the Head of House games, Secret Diary room, Sunday Live eviction, and more.