Let’s rally behind Wendell, Vimbai

television as housemates from the 14 participating countries were revealed.
The scenario was similar to the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. It became something of a spectacle.
We felt sorry for the Tanzanian housemate Lotus who missed her step on stage and fell. I am sure that will be one of her highlights in this season of Big Brother Amplified.
When M-Net announced that this season would be called Amplified, we didn’t know exactly what they were promising but at least after Sunday’s opening show, we realised that they meant that the big Brother house was bloated.
In Shona there is a proverb that says “Mbeva zhinji hadzina mashe” which loosely translates to “too many cooks spoil the broth”.
Imagine we have 28 housemates in the house and the majority are women and that says a lot about the show.
I believe there is going to be confusion. Are there going to be nominations within the first week?
At least this was the impression I got from the start. I also noticed that Amplified was just another way of rebranding the Big Brother All Stars season.
This is because the housemates are all celebrities in their respective countries and the fact that there are more women in the house goes to show the affirmative action by M-Net.
It wouldn’t be surprising if a woman wins the US$200 000 up for grabs. Personally, I would be more than happy to see that since all the previous winners, except for Cherise Mukabale of Zambia, were men.
Also notable in the house are Zimbabwean housemates Wendell Parson and Vimbai Mutinhiri.
Vimbai is a professional model. She is not just a pretty face – the young lady from Harare has a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and speaks four languages – English, Shona, French and Basic Serbian!
Her favourite place in Zimbabwe is Nyanga in the Eastern Highlands, because “it’s a fresh, peaceful place with plenty of great hotels, spas and golf courses”.
She says the best thing about her country is the people: “We have been through ups and downs, yet every Zimbabwean still makes it through the day with a positive attitude and a smile”.
Vimbai’s role model is one-time Miss World turned Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai, and the best advice Vimbai has ever personally received comes from Prophet TB Joshua: “If you have not tasted poverty, you will not be able to manage blessing. If you have not tasted humiliation, you will not be able to manage honour. All high places are slippery places.”
She entered Big Brother Amplified to relaunch a new modelling and entertainment career for herself on an African platform, and if she wins the show, she’ll invest her winnings in her country and donate some to charity. Vimbai says that viewers should watch her on Big Brother Amplified because she’s spontaneous, entertaining and all- round fun-loving.
“You never know what’s coming next and that makes for GREAT entertainment!” she says.
If there is one housemate to watch out for this season it has to be Wendell. From the outset you can see that he’s going to give hard time to other housemates as he chases the prize money just like Munyaradzi Chidzonga did during last season’s Big Brother All Stars.
Wendell is a pilot from Harare.
His favourite place in Zimbabwe is Kariba because he loves fishing and being in the sun with his friends.
He says that the best thing about his country is “absolutely everything – people, how beautiful our country is and how much it has to offer the world”.
The best advice he ever received was “live each day as if it were your last” from his mother, along with “be grateful for everything and every opportunity you get in your life”.
His greatest achievement is qualifying for his commercial pilot’s licence and he lists his role model as United States President Barack Obama.
Wendell entered Big Brother Amplified for the challenge and to represent his country.
He promises viewers that he will take excitement and suspense to another level and should he win, he will invest his prize money into something he enjoys doing and start a business.
His favourite previous Big Brother contestant is Munya because of the way he represented Zimbabwe “and he came so close to winning”.
To relax, Wendell goes to gym or socialises with his friends. His personal motto is “you win some, you lose some” and while he jokes that he doesn’t have any specific special talents, “you never know what might come out on a crazy night in the house!”
Now that we know who is representing Zimbabwe let’s all rally behind our housemates by voting them throughout the show.
It appears Zimbabwe is off to a good start and we hope to make it until the end. The show is screened on DStv’s channel 198 24/7.
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