Tonight, the most anticipated reality TV show on the continent, Big Brother Naija, ‘Shine Ya Eyes’ season, made its debut, and right off the bat, it almost feels like the mood in the entire country, particularly with young people, has changed.

The premiere was as electric as you would imagine. Ebuka definitely looked stunning and the new housemates didn’t look shabby either. And of course, it was a night for the housemates to make promises.

For tonight’s premiere, we were introduced to just the guys.

Eleven vibrant young men took the stage and told the world what what to look out for in the show. Some appeared generic with their responses and flair, while others stood out. As the old saying goes, “never judge a book by it’s cover.” It may therefore be too early to say who would be bringing the heat on the show and who will not.

Nonetheless, first impressions do matter and from tonight’s, we can take a guess at who we think is going to make this season lit.

The first housemate to take the stage was a man whose multiple careers has seen him take the streets of New York and some parts of Europe– 30 year old, Boma Akpore.

He was a footballer who pivoted to acting and modelling after an injury. Of course, one look at him and it goes without saying that his career change is a perfect fit. He looks like an actor and is certainly built like a model. Hopefully, his personality matches his looks. If it does, we are in for an exciting season.

The second housemate to be introduced was a man simply known as Samuel Jacob Alifa, aka Saga. This 26-year-old, is an engineer looking to enter the world of television. He promised to bring vibe to the house and should be thrown out if he fails to deliver on his promise.

He seemed cool and loquacious. His pastor swag simply did not cut it but we can’t say we don’t love his energy. So, it’s thumbs up for Saga who seemed like an okay fit for the show. For his sake however, we hope he delivers on his promises, because BBN fans don’t play.

The third housemate to enter the house is the 29 year old secondary school teacher, who claims his students all have a crush on him; Yusef Garba aka Yousef. His entry to the show actually felt anomalous. On one hand, he seemed quite introverted and on the other hand, he seems like an interesting character. While quiet and introverted doesn’t work for the Big Brother competition, relationships do, and when Yousef said his goal on the show would be searching for a soul mate, it was a goal that sounded quite genuine. If he accomplishes this goal, it goes without saying that he would be a strong contender. We have seen contestants win the show off of the strength of their relationship in the house.

Fourthly we have 35 year old Pere Egbi, the man who said he is all about the gbas gbos. Unfortunately when asked by Ebuka if he would be bringing said gbas gbos into the house, he seemed unsure, he said yes and no, and without a clear cut persona on this show, the fans will get impatient. He needs to figure out if he will be the trouble maker or the quiet guy, we believe he would be the latter, when the dust settles and the alcohol kicks in.

The fifth man to take the stage was clearly the most interesting character on the premiere show Hazel Oyeze Onou, aka White Money. With a name like White Money, you can tell that the gaiety of the 29 year old is born of creativity. He seemed comfortable on stage, matching Ebuka’s confidence. When he said he is a fun guy, it seemed very true and his body language as soon as he stepped into the house, dwarfed the energy of everyone else. He is certainly one to look out for, already looking like the class clown, and we will certainly have our eyes on him.

In sixth place, we have the 6 foot 6 married married man on the show, 33 year old Adeniyi Lawai, aka Niyi He is an imposing figure, with the bravado to match, and the suit to exemplify maturity. Unfortunately this is not a corporate meeting, its Africa’s wildest show, and some randomness and swag goes a long way. Also, being married has never tipped the scale to anyone’s favor in winning the show, matter of fact, it has often hurt people’s chances. Is he going to be the married man who stays true to his relationship and by extension be boring, or is he going to spice things up a little and by extension, get a lot of people upset, or is he going to find a way to navigate the show, perfectly, like Mike in season 3 did, and still find a way to win, it would be interesting to see his approach.

The seventh man to take the stage was 27 year old Yerimene Abraham Saibakumo aka Yerins, a man who’s careers are as conflicting as it gets. He says he is a medical doctor, a musician and an artist all at once, not sure how he does it, but I’m sure it can’ be easy. He also describes himself as a polymath, and with that being said, I think it’s safe to say we have our class nerd, and we all know that a class is not complete without the class nerd, also it’s worth noting that last year’s winner Laycon, was a musician, and somewhat of a class nerd.

In eight place, we have 29 year old Paul Ephraim aka Jaypaul, He is a good looking fellow who promised to bring a lot of originality to the show. He also promised to be the life of the party all day every day. He is a singer and a business man who is into the business of entertainment. Perhaps his experience with a life drenched in the entertainment would work in his favor in this show, only time will tell.

The ninth housemate to enter the house, is was also the youngest, 24 year old Emmanuel Umoh. He like Jaypaul, promised to be original, however he also promised to be spontaneous. The spontaneous part, should he keep to it would make for good reality TV, and his looks as a model is something else that could work in his favor.

The tenth housemate to enter the house is 26 year old Samuel Jacob Alifa aka Sammie. To be honest, everything he promised on stage seemed authentic. When he said he was going in to be himself and enjoy himself, he seemed believable, eager even, he seemed like a guy who is itching to go have some mad fun in the house, however, having fun alone is not going to get him to the promise land, he also needs an awesome personality to match, hopefully he has this in his arsenal.

And finally, we have 30 year old  Ikechukwu Sunday Cross Okonkwo simply known as Cross. His swag was on point, his composure on stage was cool, calm and collected, and his love for drama as he mentioned may work in his favor. But in all honesty, he looked too cool to be a drama queen, although we all know that looks can be deceiving. It’s easy to see his good looks working in his favor, but his energy level has to go up for him to stand a chance in winning the show.