IN the big book of Big Brother and his All Stars, Zambian housemate Paloma carved out a dramatic chapter all of her own. Paloma, also nicknamed Psaloma, was probably the most spirit-driven housemate. If she wasn’t petitioning and calling on the Holy Spirit, she was fuelled by that spirit in a bottle – whisky! And boy, did her spirits have a field day given half a chance, from pulpit moments to the occasional glimpse of an inner Britney Spears.
The Sales Consultant from Kitwe exited The Barn on Sunday, alongside our Meryl, Jen and Code. She spoke to The Namibian on Monday about life, paint and tanzanite.
Paloma, how are you? How are you finding the outside world after being cooped up in the game for 77 days?
I’m fine, the outside world is amazing, it’s fun looking at the streets and all the cars.
This was your second time in BBA, how was this experience different from the first one?
This was a great experience because when I got to the show, I found out that I was going to be in the house with celebrities from previous seasons. I was a fan of all housemates before BBA All Stars and getting a chance to be with them in the game was nice.
What is your most memorable highlight from BBA All Stars?
Having dinner in the sky.
Paloma, is there really a paint named after you in your native Zambia?
Yes there is. My father owns a company that makes paint and he is the one that made the paint and named it after me, about four years ago. The paint is brownish in colour. I have no idea why out of all my siblings my father only chose me to name a paint after.
Could you shed more light on that night in the jacuzzi with you and Mwisho?
OMG!! You know what, that day we all came from having dinner in the sky and then Mwisho pushed me and I guess things just went crazy from there. There are no hard feelings or bitter words though. I was a fan of Mwisho during his first season of Big Brother. Nothing should really be made of that night, it was nothing.
Did you have any personal issues with any of the housemates, say Meryl maybe? The way you spoke about her especially, you seemed to regard her as nothing?
I don’t have anything personal against any of the housemates, not even Meryl. Meryl is an individual with a different character from mine, she’s a strong-headed person and I’m a strong-headed person as well, and sometimes strong-headed people get to clash. We were in a game and when you are cooped up in a house for all those days, you get to disagree with people sometimes. There are no hard feelings at all between Meryl and I.
What do you think about Meryl and Mwisho’s engagement?
They have taken a decision which they have to live by. Marriage is a life-long relationship and for them to get engaged on television was up to them. What I say or do not say has nothing to do with their decision because nothing anyone can say can make a difference. Some people will agree, others will disagree. All I can do is wish them all the best.
Why did you have such a fascination with the tanzanite ring Mwisho gave to Meryl. You kept carrying on about how cheap it is, do you perhaps have a personal hate for tanzanite?
I never said it was cheap, I just teased Meryl about it. As much as I might have made fun of the tanzanite ring, there are no hard feelings about it. At the end of the day, it all boils down to preferences, I guess, and I do not prefer tanzanite.
Has your friendship with Jen survived this BBA?
Oh yes, it’s survived. Through it all, we’ve argued, we’ve fought, we’ve even cried but we also made up. Jen will always be a part of my life. I respect her and I can basically say she held me together throughout this whole game. She was my strength and she spoke to me in a manner that was encouraging and for that I can rightly call her a dear sister and friend. I mean even sisters fight but that does not mean the end of their sisterhood.
Who’s your favourite male housemate?
I don’t have a favourite housemate per se but I like Uti, I find him a little insane though, but I love him. I find him to be a character.
And your favourite female housemate?
Tatiana. I loved her in her first BBA season, I was a fan who voted for her to stay on and I still love her. She is a strong-headed girl.
Who do you think is going to win and why?
I have no idea. All I can say is may the best man win.
Was it worth spending time in the barn?
Yes it was, it was definitely worth it. I have no regrets, I mean I got to know and grow closer to the housemates which I would have otherwise not done had the game ended for me back then when I got evicted out the house. Being in the barn was weird but cool, I mean we had barbecues and all. It was amazing.
– Keep watching all the Big Brother action go down 24/7 on DStv Channel 198. Also catch the daily highlights shows on M-Net Africa, Channel 102 daily at 18h30.
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