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BIG BROTHER NAIJA: The problem with becoming a reality star

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BIG BROTHER NAIJA: The problem with becoming a reality star

On Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24, the most watched Nigerian reality TV show, Big Brother Naija will kick off for a seventh edition. The show would get fascinated Nigerians talking again and produce the next coterie of superstars before they are put aside for another set of reality stars, then the cycle continues.

While the reality show has given former contestants the opportunity of a lifetime to see beautiful cities across the globe and travel beyond the shore of Nigeria, more-often-than-not, once the buzz dies, they are left to fend for themselves and rediscover their steps.

Should a prospective reality star go into the house without a proper plan for himself or herself once the show comes to a conclusion, they would be back to square one.

The pampering and fending in Big Brother’s House is only for two-three months, then the media team of the reality show takes care of their image and publicity for the next calendar year before they are allowed to dip their feet into the sea immediately after the reunion show of that season comes to a conclusion.

Once they are back to reality, they have to begin to struggle for endorsement deals, creating a more resourceful career path and becoming a person of value which was their initial aim and objective prior to heading into Big Brother’s House. However, they get lost in the excitement of being talked about for several weeks then fade away into obscurity.

It’s barely a year since WhiteMoney emerged winner of the 2021 Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eyes edition, albeit, his music career is yet to take off. Life outside the ‘kitchen’ is a different reality, when the fans are no longer watching, it is onerous to carve a career for oneself.

Aside from Liquorose who finished as the second runner-up of the BBNaija Shine Ya Eyes edition, no other housemate has been able to amass a noteworthy endorsement deal. This is because Liquorose already had a brand prior to going to the competition. It is safe to say she is the most resourceful from the 6th edition of BBNaija.

Also, she has continued to remain relevant on social media due to her value. Should she be able to evolve, she would attain her utmost potential.

Meanwhile, housemates such as JayPaul, Arin, Tega Dominic, Beatrice, Adeniyi Lawai, to name a few have been unable to carve a niche for themselves. As a matter of fact, they fizzled out prior to the conclusion of the show. Moreover, they had no storylines during the recently concluded BBNaija Shine Ya Eyes show; collectively, the show was weak.

This is why you do not enter the Big Brother competition with a ‘dream’, most times, it ends up being a ‘pipe dream’. The winner of the 2020 BBNaija Lockdown edition, Laycon showed the world what he was made of with his content and strategy.

Nobody saw him coming, he delivered a gauntlet attack on Nigerians. Gave Nigerians and viewers across the globe a fascinating show on television, then his music projects did the magic outside of the house.

In 2020, you could not escape Laycon. He was everywhere and won the show by a fine margin. The prospective housemates should learn from him, going into the competition means you are building on a foundation you already designed for yourself, your team and most importantly, the brand.

Read also: BBN REUNION: Ex-housemates accuse each other of sleeping with married men, illicit affairs

Alot of reality stars go into the competition with a ‘vague dream’, abstract to say the least, then they are surprised when nobody buys into their agenda or ploy.

What prospective housemates need to know?

On Saturday, July 23, Nigerians will be introduced to a new set of reality stars. The number of housemates is yet to be confirmed, however, by Sunday night viewers would become more familiar with the direction of the new season.

The buzz is fickle, hence, reality stars should enjoy the moment and their 15-minutes of fame. Afterwards, they will quickly be forgotten and neglected like the trash by the roadside, today, nobody remembers the previous numerous housemates just as stated above, hence, do not expect too much. Do your time and keep it moving.

Appearance on the BBNaija show has proved time and again that this does not translate into automatic success. We have seen numerous reality stars nagging about ‘feeling empty’ and depressed, some have gone under the knife to augment their body so as to delve into their ‘new career path’ while others drop inspirational quotes on Instagram to stay relevant.

It is infuriating working tirelessly to appear on mainstream television only to be evicted in the second week of the show then get disrespected by social media trolls.

Is becoming a reality star really worth it?

Nigerians should ruminate on the above question before thinking N100 million can change their lives forever. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with amassing wealth and becoming famous. However, the Parkinson’s law would always take effect.

Specifically, Parkinson’s Law says that your expenditures rise to meet your income. When you earn more money, your needs become more and you may end up spending more money. So, in order to make wealth, you need to break the Parkinson’s law by setting limits.

Hence, the N100 million is not sustainable. Reality stars do not earn N100 million every three months, hence, they resort to fake life on Instagram and unravelling what they rented as their reality.

Reality stars should become prudent and more creative in their methodologies going forward.

Ripples Nigeria would be giving reports as the show unravels in the coming days, stay updated and we congratulate the prospective housemates ahead of the challenge ahead.

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