Big Brother Naija Has Fallen Off

A reality show that threatened to swallow all on its path barely registers a blip on Nigeria's pop culture radar.

Big Brother Naija has fallen off.

I am saying this as someone who has not watched four cumulative hours of the reality show since its inception in 2006 and re-emergence in 2017.

I am passive to all things BBNaija. Even though I am not a fanatic, I have been well aware of the controversial moments of almost every season and it is now a mainstay in Nigerian TV culture.

Even natives of Koma Hills knew about the situationship between Bisola and ThinTallTony in Season 2.

Season 3 gave us TV golden moments like BamBam and Teddy A's "viral clip" and Cee-C's toxic-dumping on Tobi Bakre that earned her nationwide scorn.

Season 4 came with its drama, relationships and moments. Self-styled villain Tacha getting kicked out of the house was breaking news on several reputable news outlets in Nigeria.

Season 5 rocked the nation. We had Laycon - the humble guy, Erica - the belle of the show, Nengi - the vixen, Kiddwaya - the rich kid, Ozo- the lovestruck but naive man and the volatile couple - Vee and Neo. Toxic fandom fights erupted, and heated arguments monopolized public discourse when Biggie kicked Erica from the show.

Big Brother Naija has not been the same post-COVID-19 and End SARS. The show feels broken. When White Money and his fellow contestants walked into the Big Brother house, the contestants used an over-flogged script. White Money came with the 'I am humble' script and Pere as the villain.

The insanely popular reality show has gotten weaker after that. I can only remember the name of Season 7's winner once I Google it.

The combination of the BB Naija and BB Mzansi show called BB Titans failed to bang. Ideally, the mix of Nigerian and South African housemates was a good idea considering the sibling rivalry between both countries, but the show failed to lift off.

Nigeria was deep into election season, and young Nigerian voters were more concerned about who the next president would be than the winner of BB Titans.

A reunion show of last season's winners is on, and it has failed to grab public attention. Only die-hard fans are still locked in. 

Big Brother Naija is a behemoth. It is the surest conduit to fame and fortune. You don't have to win the damn thing to have your life change overnight. 

All you have to do is stay in the house as long as possible and make an impression on Nigerians. You will smell like new money when you are out. It offers you fame and good money with only one thing in return - your privacy for 90 days.

Humans are voyeuristic in nature including Nigerians. Allowing us unhinged access to the lives of strangers for 2-3 months feeds our most basic desires. 

I remember the day Miracle and Laycon were announced as winners. You would think the Super Eagles of the 90s had won the World Cup. The cheers and groans were loud. In a faux-conservative country like Nigeria, BB Naija has gripped the soul, minds and attention of millions. 

It is so large a show that other TV programs stay clear of it during the months it airs.

After many fake threats of censorship, it is somewhat bizarre to see that what might take the show down is itself. I suspect that BB Naija still does crazy numbers, data-wise.

This opinion is, however, a cultural check. In pop culture's thermometer, Big Brother Naija's heat is declining.  This season is crucial to the longevity of the reality show.

BB Naija needs to be refreshed and more entertaining. Maybe, the audition process (which many people have complained about) should be overhauled. Maybe the show's format needs a slight adjustment. 

Whatever the case is, this season of Big Brother Naija cannot be like the last two seasons. It needs to bounce back hard.