Social critic Oluwagbemiga Onilenla has raised concerns over the declining quality of contestants on the popular reality TV show, Big Brother Naija. Noting a drop in viewership and a lack of memorable personalities in recent seasons.
This was made known in a recent Facebook post, Onilenla expressed his concerns regarding the decline in viewership and the absence of engaging personalities in the more recent seasons of Big Brother Naija. He urges the show’s organizers to reassess their casting strategies and overall production approach in order to revive interest and restore the show’s appeal to audiences.
“I think BBN organizers didn’t pay attention. This sudden reduction in viewers and hype is not sudden to me…
“The standards of contestants they bring keeps reducing year by year … I watched the BBN of the years of Miracle, Lolu, Alex, CeeC, Tobi, Seyi Awolowo , Laycon , Mike, Teddy A , Diane to mention but a few .. you will agree with me that the conversations were more solid those years , contestants from like 3 years ago are not just boring, they also lacked creativity.”, he wrote.
Onilenla pointed out that during the earlier seasons of Big Brother Naija, contestants who made it to the top five were almost guaranteed celebrity status upon leaving the show. He cited the example of Elozonam, who, despite not making it to the top three, has become a successful brand in his own right.
However, Onilenla believes that the show began to lose its luster during White Money’s season, with subsequent contestants like Saga and Liquorose struggling to maintain relevance. This decline in star power, Onilenla argues, has contributed to the overall drop in viewership and engagement with the show.
“Those years , if you make it to Top5… you are a celebrity already once you are out… People like Elozonam didn’t make Top3 and he’s a big brand today.
“I personally believes the substandard started since White money set but they still have small relevance today.. the likes of Saga, Liquorose”
Onilenla further criticized the show’s recent trajectory, stating that since Phyna’s victory in 2022, the overall quality has continued to decline. Even the runner-up from that season, Bryan, has not achieved significant success in his music career. Onilenla admitted that he only knows the winner’s name from the previous year but wouldn’t recognize her in public. He also confessed to not knowing any of the current season’s contestants’ names.
“But since 2022 wey Phyna win , Na so so water water. Even the runner up then BRYAN haven’t done well in his music career. Last year? I only know the winner name , if I see her for road , I no Sabi her. This year? I no Sabi any of them name.”
In conclusion, Onilenla attributed the show’s struggles to a combination of diminishing quality and economic factors. He strongly suggested that the production team revisit their strategies and make necessary changes to revitalize Big Brother Naija in future seasons.
“It’s a cumulation of reduction in quality and economic circumstances… They need to get back to drawing board after this year.”
The reality TV show, Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) returned for its ninth season on Sunday, July 28, 2024. The show still maintains its cash prize of N100 million and a brand new SUV, among other prizes.
This season however mark the first time contestants entered the game as pairs, setting the stage for unprecedented alliances and thrilling competition as it enter the third week.
