On the Big Brother Naija Reunion show, the subject of the game show itself was the focus, unlike previous weeks where it was more about the topics of love, betrayal, friendship, romantic relationship, and the likes.

While some fans may argue that the Big Brother concept is a sort of human experiment, where housemates are locked in a house to see how they interact with one another, others see it as a competition which could assume a fierce dimension or breed unhealthy rivalry (as some may tag it).

So at what point should one understand that it was a game, and there are no hard feelings?

Unlike athletes who can be in a fierce competition in one moment, and be best of friends right after, these housemates had the ‘disadvantage’ of living together. Therefore, as much as you would like to describe reality TV shows like the BBN as just another competition which should harbor no ill will; living and dinning together, holding intimate conversations and sharing feelings, laughing, dancing and even sleeping together brings so much of emotions to the game. This phenomena ultimately transforms it from being just a competition.

This idea was clearly visible last night when Prince raised the issue of competing; pointing out that Nengi, Neo, Vee and Ozo, formed a clique to gang up against others. He also stressed that they once tried to sabotage him at one point.

While this might seem like a valid strategy, it’s a fact that the hurt lingered even after the show and Vee even admitted that she deliberately preyed on Prince’s competitive drive in a bid to use it to her advantage.

Looking at it, it’s hard to decide if that was a valid strategy to win, or just a desperate low. Is it worth it to lose a potential friend over a 1/20 odd of winning the ultimate prize money? Perhaps, more importantly, is it worth the risk of being perceived as a villain before millions of African viewers?

Many fans still hold nasty opinions about ex-housemates like Tacha and Cee-cee, over the perception they built while on the show. Shouldn’t this subject of reputation and healthy rivalry be a huge lesson to take from the show?

Chinedu Okafor

For Chinedu Okafor, its all about making an impact with words,  creating a profound impression on the audience with the intended narrative.