. . . as Big Brother brews another surprise

confusing note for viewers at the weekend, after more than the usual 14 housemates pitched up.
During the week, M-Net uploaded profiles of 14 housemates onto its website for the sixth season, but then a further 12 appeared during the launch show on Sunday.
Suddenly some countries, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria and Malawi had two contestants each.
It was later announced by Big Brother that all the contestants would go through an “audition week” to ensure their status as fully-fledged housemates.
Despite M-Net not willing to provide the TV ratings from the past five seasons of the reality show, there was a feeling that the show took a dip in popularity after the crowd-pulling “shower hour” was done away with two seasons ago.
But the show returned on Sunday, with another 91 days of scandal and back-stabbing, and, of course, to back their countrymen for the R1,3 million prize money.
Former South African season two contestant Lerato Sengadi admitted she wasn’t too thrilled with the show’s return.
She said yesterday: “I think it (Big Brother Africa) had it’s ups and downs. I’m just lucky to have been on seasons with very good viewership. I also know that if the vibe in the house isn’t working, they lose viewers and it picks again towards the final week.”
Sengadi said she would “probably watch the highlights” rather than watch religiously, but she gave a possible explanation to why the show was still on television.
“Being on (the show) is like being an experimental lab. You’re being poked and prodded to see how you react to certain situations, and that speaks to people’s hidden voyeuristic desires,” she said.
Self-confessed addict Patty Wenger, from Ghana, said apart from watching to see hot men, she also watched “to acquaint myself with how people live and socialise with others from different parts of the continent”.
Bloemfontein’s Kamohelo Tau said: “I watch for the controversy. All the conspiring among housemates and Biggy’s tricks.” – Sowetan.