The (in)famous Big Brother

Florence Radull
Correspondent | Sunday May 5, 2013 00:00

Some people just cannot live without their yearly dose of the reality show. They only subscribe to DStv the three months of the year when the show is on. The naysayers get irritated anytime the show or the antics of the housemates are mentioned.

Whatever the case, the phenomenon that Big Brother shows have become began as a brainstorming session at Dutch production house, John de Mol Produkties on September 4, 1997. Many brainstorming and plotting sessions later, the very first season of the show was broadcast in the Netherlands on the Veronica TV channel. That was 1999. It did not take long for the show to catch on and the following year, it became a worldwide sensation, popular in as many as 70 countries.

The name of the show was apparently derived from George Orwell's novel entitled Nineteen Eighty Four (1984), in which 'Big Brother' spies on the residents of a dictatorship he leads via their televisions. The general concept of the show is that housemates selected from different backgrounds are confined to a house, where their every move is monitored through cameras and strapped-on microphones. The housemates who could probably better be described as inmates are not allowed to contact the outside world by any means.Once a week, they are required to nominate fellow housemates who they would like evicted from the house at the end of the week.

Initially, one housemate would be evicted but as the show has evolved, rules have been changed. Sometimes more than one housemate bites the dust. At the conclusion of the three months, the last housemate in the house wins the prize money - in the case of Big Brother Africa but in other regions, the winner receives prizes like a car, a house or a vacation to go along with the cash.The intention of the confinement is to monitor and analyse reactions of people when they are forced to cohabit with others they do not know in surroundings they are not used to. Viewers are given the opportunity of seeing how a person reacts outside the confines of their comfort zones and also have an inside view into their thoughts about their confinement through their daily Diary Room sessions. Confrontations and romantic liaisons are the order of the day and avail endless entertainment for viewers.Besides the daily and mundane living experiences, Big Brother provides added entertainment by assigning the housemates weekly tasks for which they make wagers resulting in alcoholic or food rewards.Other highlights of the show include the nominations and evictions.

Over the years, people have had different views about the show. 'I do not understand the concept of the show. I don't understand what it is supposed to be teaching us or what entertainment value it has,' says 38-year old Kesego, a secondary school teacher who refused to give her second name. She is wary about the antics of the housemates when they are drunk. She is always cautious to block the channels so her young impressionable children do not have access to the show, especially on weekends when the housemates are intoxicated and likely to misbehave.Kagiso Molao, 59 totally disapproves of the show. 'What does this show teach our children? How to smoke, drink and swear,' he asks in disgust. He is even more appalled that his teenage grandchildren seem to be addicted to the show and that is the only channel they watch.'The first thing my granddaughters think of when they get home from school is BB, even before they do their homework or assignments. If their mother stops them from watching the show, they will sulk all evening and be disrespectful to her. Are these the kind of manners this show is teaching them? I wish it can be taken off air,' he says.Younger viewers on the other hand love the show.'I am totally addicted to the show and even though I think it follows a Western concept, I cannot stop myself from watching it,' says 24-year-old Esther Dube. 'Most of the contestants that are selected from our African countries come from privileged backgrounds, that is the only thing I feel is unfair about the housemates' selection,' Dube adds. Her 23-year-old friend Tshepo Seleka gives the two thumbs up sign when asked about her opinion of the show.

The Big Brother show has faced huge criticism and loads of controversy but despite its critics, it has become a huge commercial success.Even though it is portrayed as a reality show, in reality it is not. Free food, free drinks, free accommodation, living in close proximity with people you do not like and performing silly tasks when asked to, is not reality. Probably the only reality is when the housemates are given the relative freedom to air their views and opinions in the daily Diary Sessions. But even then, it is not always clear whether the housemates are being themselves or if they are pandering to the voting audience. Perhaps eviction day is the only 'real' reality because that when the week's head of house faces housemates to explain why he/she saved and replaced certain housemates.

If nothing else, Big Brother has served as a career launching pad for numerous contestants. Ugandan contestant from the first Big Brother Africa, Gaetano Kagwa, who initially landed a hosting job with Studio 53 has since bagged a lucrative contract with Radio Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. Besides, he acts in the M-Net produced soapie, Changes.Kenyan contestant from Big Brother Africa 2011, Nick Wangondu is the host of two entertainment shows, East Africa's Mashariki Mix and Kenya's Travel Diaries.

Former Zimbabwean contestant from Big Brother Amplified of 2011, Vimbai Mutinhiri co-hosts Star Gist, a daily entertainment show aired on DStv. In Botswana, Justice Motlhabani got a book deal out of his experience in Big Brother Africa 2007. The book entitled Why I Didn't Kiss Tatiana is based on his experiences in the house.

None of these contestants won the money but they did go on to launch careers and get lucrative contracts as a result of appearing in the show. So love it or hate it, as long as there are people out there who enjoy watching the (s)exploits of others, there will always be an attentive audience and Big Brother and its infamy will continue to grace our screens and invade our living rooms.