Following speculation that the continental reality show Big Brother Africa will be put on hold this year, M-Net have confirmed that indeed the 2015 edition has been cancelled.
This means that Namibians with dreams of hitting it big on the show will have to shelve those ambitions, for now.
A number of Namibians have received tremendous exposure from the show, with Dillish Mathews being the biggest winner after emerging victorious in 2013’s ‘The Chase’. Others like Luis Munana, Lady May and Maria Nepembe have used the show to springboard their entertainment careers.
Despite the promise of fame and a hefty US$300 000 prize, the reality show has also received some backlash in its nine seasons of existence. Who could forget the infamous ‘finger-gate’ incident between housemates Richard and Ofunneka in the second season, or the fights that got Zeinab and DKB as well as Roki and Maneta evicted from season seven?
Although M-Net’s statement doesn’t state how long the show will be on hiatus, it does clarify that regional counterparts – Big Brother Angola and Big Brother Mzansi – will still be produced.
“Big Brother continues to captivate audiences in each market in which it is produced, and the move to regionalise the show allows producers to re-evaluate the direction of the show,” the statement reads.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the decision to cancel the show may have resulted from a lack of sponsors as organisers of the show, Africa Magic and Endemol, failed to secure sponsorship for one of African’s most popular TV shows.
Late last year the show hit a huge snag when the venue where Big Brother Africa ‘Hotshots’ was originally set to be filmed was destroyed by fire a week before the season launch.
– Additional information Sowetan Live; allAfrica.com
– rukee@namibian.com.na ; @rukeeveni on Twitter
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