Stargame turns on the VIPs

The eviction line up for this week is star-laden. Six housemates are up and half of that number is the Big Brother Stargame's VIPs. Goldie, Prezzo and Lady May are the last of the original Upville mates but this week, their continued stay there, is threatened. They are pitched against three original Downville mates, Junia, Kyle and Malonza. How will they navigate the murky terrain of eviction?

 

Goldie has the support of Nigeria

The Don't Touch My Body diva is the one with the brightest chances of staying in the show after Sunday's eviction. This is because as a Nigerian, she is sure to get the votes of her country and the extended benefits of a diverse voting Nigeria audience spread out in Africa. Besides this, the other two VIPs Prezzo and Lady May have the misfortune of gracing the eviction table with the fellow country mates. '24k Gold' has had her critics on the show because of her on-and-off 'love thing' with Prezzo. But even that is not enough for Nigerian fans to discard her on eviction week. The rage from some fans has not deterred the Nigerian singer from doing her thing on the show: cooking, cleaning the house and loving her man, Prezzo ...to the disdain of many viewers.
 

Prezzo is on the precipice

Many Nigerian Big Brother fans have been angling to see this Kenyan crooner to be on the eviction table. The fact is they have their chance now. What was the offence of the smooth-talking tattooed gangsta’?  Straight up, many fans will tell you he is toying with the emotions of their country woman Goldie. For some neutral fans, the Kenyan has cast a spell on Goldie. This group of fans don’t seem to see anything good in him as he has always tried to pull her down by unsettling her when he wants and inching close when he wants to. Many fans however see his ‘hidden agenda’. They believe he is using her to curry votes and his nomination for eviction has more or less put him on the hangman’s noose.
The fact that head of house, Keagan saved and swapped himself with Malonza, gives Prezzo something else to worry about. It means he has to battle out his Kenyan county vote with compatriot Malonza. If he loses his country vote to the ‘play boy’ of Downville, he will bid farewell to the Stargame tomorrow. His perception as a control freak is also not doing him any favours. It’s a huge call for the Masai king to pull through this eviction scare

 Lady May will be pulled down?

If not for anything Lady May owes Africa something: she promised to bring the house down and has not kept to her word. This unfulfilled promise is what will be a major setback as she stumbles through the Stargame’s eviction path. There is no doubt that Lady May has not played her game well. Her neutral and standoffish posture has put her head-to-head with housemates on one hand and Big Brother Africa fans, on the other.  DKB, Goldie, Keita, Keagan and even Kyle have all expressed their reservations about the petite songstress.
There is also the little trouble of Junia, her Namibian country mate. Little, if you consider Lady May’s clout as an entertainer and hence with a large following in her country. And hug, if you consider that Junia is giving viewers plenty of what they crave for on the show - comparatively. For someone who promised so much and has instead, given so little, African voters are not obliged to keep her if her country, Namibia won’t back her. And that is looking more like it – Namibia may just not do enough.

Kyle Comes To Life

Kyle is Uganda's second representative on the show. In fact, for many, the 24-year old doesn't exist in the game. On Saturday night, the quiet dude came to life as he pinned Wati to the wall. He wanted the Malawian to know that what he did to Jannette was not cool. He expressed his unhappiness over the sight of his country-mate sobbing over Wati's revelation that she gave him a 'hand job'. Even IK, noticed this and asked him what came over him. Of course, Kyle feels its time to bring his game out. Though he cannot fathom how the next two weeks will pan out in Downville (as only four housemates will remain),  his energy will definitely see him upgraded to Upville.

Before Lady May brings down the house...

Namibia's Lady May promised to bring the Big Brother house down in her promo advert on the show. That was before her entry into the Big Brother Stargame on May 5.  Nearly two months after, the 5-year-old in a 25-year-old's body is yet to bring even a chair down in the house. Instead, it is the house that is bringing her down in many respects. The petite diva refuses to answer any question about her personal life on the show. A harmless 'are you okay?' by Goldie was received with much bad blood. A question from Keita and Keagan  on why she doesn't take alcohol got both housemates into her 'black book'. It is nearly impossible to see Lady May eating on the dining table with others. She holes up herself in the room to eat and can be found in a world of her own most times. Even when the house is being literally brought down by other housemates, Lady May has forgotten about the promise she made to Africa. When DKB was dishing out slaps to Zainab, she just didn't shift. When Maneta took up a bleach can against Roki, she didn't move either. Ironically, while she stood aloof and alone, she was bathed by same bleach meant for Roki.
Her seemingly neutral, self-seeking and 'oneness' may just consume her in the coming weeks.

Talia and Wati for Upville?

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Wati, Janette and the'Handjob' story

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Homeville beckons on Barbz and Keita

The Big Brother Stargame is almost going bunkers. The random nominations in Downville, as well as the voluntary exits and disqualifications have all ensured that Biggie's quest for a bumper harvest from the show is taking a hit. Many viewers expected that Biggie would cancel voting for eviction this week, but he changed the game, and presently, Barbz and Keita are on the firing line. Maneta's  disqulaification meant that the duo will have their hands full this week. Sadly, only Barbz knows she is facingAfrica. Keita, her fellow nominee has no idea that he has been swapped for Prezzo by head of house, Goldie.
Barbz is using her diary sessions as an avenue to canvass for votes. Keita is banking on fate to see him through, for eviction is a random fate. Barbz has been 'snitching' (gossiping) a lot and her SA origins might not count. Keita, considered responsible for Maneta's exit, might have some feminists on his case. Who ever is evicted tomorrow will be to the delight of Maneta. In a week in which she would have enjoyed Homeville alone, her actions have resulted to the evictio of two other housemates.
Barbz and her supporters have  their work cut out for them, because the odds are greatly stacked against her. Keita may just survive to 'die another day'...just survive.

Playas Get Played

SA's Barbz always chose her friends according to nomination odds, but this time, a coordinated 'attack' from the guys - Keita, Roki and Prezzo has put her up for eviction. Keita 'snitched' on Goldie (with Prezzo and Roki), and Goldie put him in Prezzo's stead for eviction. Roki made friendship overtures to Goldie and got her to put up Maneta without a second thought, only to find out later  that she may have been 'played'. Prezzo knew he had to make up with Goldie on Friday, because she was going to HOH in nomination week, and could save him if he was up. She did just that. Hmmm

Why the rage on Goldie Harvey?

Nigeria's  own Lady Gaga, Goldie Harvey, is getting a lot of stick from the viewing public, many of whom believe that she is 'not representing Naija well'. They point to her 'gullible' nature and her 'house maid' antics on the show. Many Nigerian viewers believe Kenya's Prezzo, 'the fish lips', is 'playing' her. They also believe that the songstress has 'no entertainment' and lacks swag. The fact is that the Nigerian takes every thing at surface value, and Naija viewers consider her to be 'dumb'.
This rage is a fall-out of the fact that if Ola or Chris was still in the House, they wouldn't have 'given a hoot' about Goldie's 'no show'. They can't see Goldie continuing the trend, and hence, Nigeria's dominance of the show for the past three seasons is at an end. They can't stop lashing out at her, day after day.

Feuding Zimbos get 'bleachy'

It was déjà vu on the Big Brother Stargame on Tuesday afternoon. Another pair of housemates was being evicted from the  seven-week old show - again for violent conduct and contravening house rules.
The last time out, Ghana's DKB lashed out at Sierra Leone's  Zainab for daring to peep while he was taking a bath. This time it was Maneta telling the guys that 'what ever a man can do, a woman can up the ante'. In an apparent response to  controversial countryman Roki  pouring water on her head, the dancing beauty, responded by pouring bleach on his face!
How did things degenerate to this level? Tracing it back to the first week, when Maneta first stepped into Upville, can be a good starting point.  It re-ignited an unsettled 'beef' between the duo. Roki had claimed that he had met Maneta and her partner on the plane and that Maneta didn't give him a nice reception.
So, it was not surprising that when the opportunity came for the first nominations for eviction from the Stargame, the multi-talented Soul singer put Maneta on the ropes. To rub it in, Roki disobeyed Biggie and told Maneta that he had nominated her and her pal, Zambia's Mampi.
It was a difficult week for Maneta and she was saved by Biggie's decision to evict only one housemate. Roki tried to mend bridges after then and made many attempts to call truce with Maneta. The Zimbabweans were even seen together in bed, but all that was for the benefit of the cameras. In the heat of the game, they never thought twice about hauling verbal missiles at each other.
For all Roki cared, Maneta was only a beauty without brains. "She is somebody you will only love to look at," he told Big Brother. Maneta returned the 'compliments': "He is a disgrace to my country, and he is weird". For her to err is human and to forgive is also human. She endlessly sought ways to repay him for his antic at constantly nominating her, causing her so much pain and never bothering to show any 'remorse'  about it. For Roki, he was resolved to get her out of the way, and he did all he could to convince viewers of her guilt. "She is trying to break-up Keita and Mildred. I dislike her and she pretends to be strong," he told Big Brother.
Even though he claimed to have protected her from being a victim of  Prezzo during her alcohol meltdown on a Thursday night, he made a pact with himself to get her out of the Big Brother Stargame. But the pit of eviction he dug for her eventually swallowed him up. After unbalancing the dance queen emotionally by ensuring that he got friends to nominate her for possible eviction, he would go ahead and 'provoke' her by pouring water on her head.
After sensing that she may not be third-time lucky, having survived previous evictions, Maneta decided to take her pound of flesh for the 'water provocation'. She was undecided about stabbing him, but Barbz came to the rescue by taking the knives from her. Pouring bleach on his eyes 'seemed perfect'. Amidst the cries, shouts, and tears and she let him have a peace of her mind. She did not spare either of Prezzo, Gold and Keita.
For Roki, it was the hard way to learn not to push your luck under any circumstance. It was a hard lesson learnt- with a hefty $300,000 prize money now beyond his reach.

Not Just Sex

There is plenty to explore for young men. Their make-up, grooming and awareness give room for plenty of adventure. And for every exploration and adventure there is a prize. It is believed that the prospect of having a woman as a reward of any adventure is fascinating for men.  Thus, it’s no surprise that girls are groomed to be wary of the men around them. They are brought up to believe that the men who come around them have ulterior motives.

The cases of many men in wolf’s skins have done little for men’s reputation. The provable stories of girls who were naive with men, being taken advantage of, have also not enhanced men’s profiles. Violations, rape, incest, unwanted pregnancies...all have the imprints of men; very damning imprints. But will it be right to brand all men as birds of a feather, leopards who will not change their spots and cunning foxes whenever a woman is involved?

It is a hard call; nonetheless, it is also a worthy one - men are not only thinking about sex around women. It is depressing to hear the cliché ‘all men are the same’. That’s a big lie that has been sold to female folk over the years.  Without any advocacy tone, men do have a life outside women and sex and being freaky. Men do have a sense of destiny. And this can make men go the whole hog without any sexual demands. Men do act without any strings attached. They do mean well for women when they mean well.

Playing the numbers game for sexual offences will not do any favours to men, agreed. But there are also plenty of men who genuinely desire to see woman get the best out of life. Men exist who want to be a part of the answers to a woman’s prayer. Definitely they do not want to add to a woman’s tears and anguish at any point. Moments of disappointment in the relationship will occur, but the disappointments will not be along the lines of ‘even you, I never expected this?’

There are few good men we have also heard. But these few good men are directly proportional to the few good women around. That a woman expects every man to ask for sexual gratifications for help received from men does her psyche no good. This takes the shine of a rewarding friendship and adds to the man’s frustrations. Men can be men: responsible and visionary. This is what drives them and makes them want to lay their all.

It is pathetic thinking that all-men-are-no-good. It is very disappointing seeing that women offer themselves as a thank-you gift for all you have done’ to men. Men do derive pleasure from helping out. They do find fulfilment in shaping a woman’s destiny. They would gladly put their resources and manpower to work to see that good is perpetuated in the land.

Men are not animals, they are created beings: to effect and affect change. They do care for women a lot. This should not be misconstrued to mean they are after sex every time. For them, there are many pleasurable things than sexual pleasures: a good name, a life well spent and making heaven. This is true.

It takes more than beauty

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Oh my! there are many beauties to behold in life. I mean dead gorgeous beautiful damsels that can keep you drooling. The beauty that makes you wonder ‘where on earth did this one appear from?’ is one that always catches our fancy. It is one that can make us tingle and keep us on the edge. Such is this beauty that makes many a young man ask ‘how did I get myself entangled in this?’

There are the hunks too – the tall-dark-and- handsome and so handsome ones. Those with the six-packs can put many a young lady’s desires to test. They turn the heads of all who desire a strong man to be there for them to hold them. But beyond all of the good looks and strong arms is there more to be desired.

Yes! We always want the best and good looking folks to be our buddies, pals, friends, confidant, spouses and ... What of the rest of the ‘fearfully-made‘ and the just okay folks, do they have something in store for us? Can we see things in them that we may never find in the beautiful ones that have been born? Head-to-head, wit-for-wit, heart–to-heart, will they measure up? Despite the seeming face-to-face, curve-for-curve, bicep-for- bicep deficiencies, will they give us any sense of worth?

Beauty, just like riches can be deceitful. All that glitters is not gold. That‘s the reason we may need to pause and ponder when beauty plays on our sensitivities and choices. That beauty is fleeting is a no-brainer. This is because all the nice curves and muscles will eventually turn to flab. All of them ‘pointed things’ and ‘fleshy curves’ will obey gravity’s call sooner or later. When this happens, will we still be turned on by our beauty-clouded minds?

Substance and worth is from within. These can be contained in a beautiful and a just-okay body with or without curves. This should inform most of our choices and preferences. Substance is what is required on the job. Character is needed to build a dream career. Good homes are built on a strong sense of value. Great friendships and relationships outlast good looks.

If we will take a moment and think it through, it takes more than beauty to make it in life. Beauty may get us some favours in the now and may also do us some disservice when it all wears out. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. We can choose to behold beauty in the most unlikely of persons with the most unlikely of looks and still be happy. Joy, fulfilment and pride can still be ours if we will chose substance above beauty. Be assured of this, you will never miss out on life: in this age and at all times.

Let them know they can go far

Yes! It’s all coming back to me. The words are still very clear nearly twenty-five years after they were first spoken to me. “The school you are going to...nobody comes second, everybody comes first,” my mom told me. She added, “They give prizes and certificates to all who come first.” I was on the verge of changing primary schools and those words were a tonic. I took them, hook, line and sinker. “I’ve got to be first too then,” I told myself. “And receive the gifts and certificates.”

That was all I needed for a swell time in my educational pursuits. It was a rallying point that saw me make progress from the fifth position, through fourth to second and eventually first in four consecutive terms. I was over the roof. One day, I heard these words “that’s the boy that came first” from another classmate, even as she pointed my way. I felt good and also kept my place at the top throughout primary school.

In secondary school, I needed no additional impetus. I needed to stay tops. Though it was in bits and pieces, those pieces were the most crucial attention grabbing ones. The bits also came with plenty of publicity with numerous accolades to show for them. I did just enough to be considered as one of the brightest in academic work.

University posed its challenges, but I was never going to give in. No never! I had come too far; I just could not give up. “I’ve got to make it. I just have to,” I kept telling myself. I did just that.  In the midst of turmoil, I picked up some courage and pulled through in the tightest of situations.

I had been set up by my mum. I just could not afford to bungle the great belief my mother had in me. I knew my mother trusted me to pull through even the tightest of angles, if it came to my academics. Even in these days, she does that subtly. She makes me know that my place is at the top - before mean men. These days I feel, I’m even closer than I can imagine. Step by step, my mom had set me up. She had put some self belief in me and told me of the immense potentials and backings I had at my disposal. She made me think special about myself.

Every day that comes my way, I believe I’ve got it inside of me to pull through. The days I could not brace up, God did step in. I can go that far, to highest pinnacle of every endeavour. I was told and supported along those lines. I’ve got to spread the word to my siblings, friends, relations, children, colleagues, associates. I have to let them know they can go that far - to the very top of their dreams and visions.

No need to live in doubt

The tough moments of life shake us to our foundations. Because these moments come tailor-made, it looks like no one will ever understand. This sets us up in frenzy. And as we turn every corner, we consciously or otherwise tend to look for solutions. These solutions, we seek never seem to be on time. And so we set ourselves up against the tide, and become forlorn. This is where we become vulnerable and retreat only into our world.

When doubt sets in, it can become a huge struggle to shake it off. For us, the world is as ‘it is’ - always setting us up against ourselves. We refuse to see the world as ‘it should be’. We lose track of our surroundings. We stop dreaming. We refuse to believe. “Whatever will be, will be,” we declare to ourselves.

Doubt set us up to brood over life. We forget that life itself has been designed for ups and downs. And that our down moments don’t have strangle-holds on our up moments. Most times we doubt because we have allowed circumstances and happenstances erode our faith -our self confidence and our God confidence. We try to put the puzzle together and never seem to do it right. We try to get answers from outside sources that are at best ephemeral.

Doubt can set us up to self destruct. We can fall prey to vices such as pornography, stealing, smoking, drinking, sex and the likes. Really, doubt in all of its ramifications is the enemy within. It is the ‘us in us’ that want to stop us from getting all that have been lined up in store for us. Doubt tells us our tomorrow is bleak and that our chances of making it are equally as bleak. Doubt tells us that we need a Godfather to make it. It shouts from the rooftops that life can only get harder. Its ultimate goal is to knock and snuff the life out of us, so it has us where it wants-six feet deep! Yes, that’s how fatal doubt can become if we live in it. Living in doubt and dying in doubt won’t be too surprising eh? God forbid! No way, we can’t let that be the story of our lives.

We have many days with plenty of sunshine outside our moments. We simply can’t continue in our naivety and ruin a good day. We are much more than doubt says. We can speak to the atmosphere-the sun, moon, stars, and galaxies-to brighten up even our darkest days. Surely, God will let them illuminate our soul, and our bodies and our spirit. There’s no need to live in doubt; even for a minute.