Sizzling bunch of contestants for 'Big Brother Africa'
May 26, 2003 Edition -1
By Janet Smith
For once, a white man has found himself outnumbered on a TV reality show.
Around the world - on adventures like Survivor, Fear Factor and Idols - white men have not only stirred the most controversy, but often won.
But will the attention really be on 21-year-old breakdancer Stefan Ludik, from Namibia, as the palest member of the Big Brother Africa house?
The forensic psychophysiologist from Windhoek has loads of competition from his housemates, who all face the pressure of wooing a possible continental viewing audience of 20-million for the prize of $100 000 (about R780 000).
What is undoubtedly the most exciting edition of the Big Brother franchise internationally got under way at M-Net's Randburg studios last night, and, as a sociological exercise this could be captivating television.
For the next 106 days, exclusively on DStv, M-Net will seek to expand its reach into a massive fan base in 42 countries, with contestants also from Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
South Africa's contestant, Abergail Plaatjes, should be able to see through any pretence on her housemates' part, as she is a fraud consultant.
Still, the radiant 25-year-old Durbanite will have to rely on more than just sex appeal - if the message in her tight red bikini in her publicity shots means anything.
Previous BB winners Ferdinand Rabie and Richard Cawood were far from physically alluring. And the women who fluttered their eyelashes and shook their booties - like Margaret van der Westhuizen, Nina Zani and Ilse-Mari Hanekom - failed to make the top three.
Besides, the four other women contestants - from Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe - are both smart and sexy ... surely an irresistible combination to the seven men in the house. Only two of the five women say they are involved, so anything could happen.
Brains rule, though, with five contestants having degrees and all but four having tertiary qualifications in pursuits ranging from theatre to journalism.
Nigeria's Bayo Okoh, a well-built 28-year-old with a degree in economics, has already set himself up as the resident scene-sizzler, though. He says he's a nudist and promises "raw entertainment - Nigerian-style".
And while handsome dreadlocked rugby player Mwisho Mwampamba (22), from Tanzania, may say his greatest fear is "showing my naked butt", there's no such phobia for fellow rugby fan Alexander Holi (21), from Kenya, who allowed the film crew to give us an early taste of a promising Shower Hour season during his memorable introduction video.
Early odds of male interest are on Angola's beautiful young singer Bruna Estivao - who says she brought plenty of bikinis along - and Zambia's seductive beauty pageant runner-up Cherry Makabale, who got Big Brother Africa host Mark Pilgrim swinging his hips in the studio.
Eviction procedure
Big Brother Africa's first eviction is on June 22. Viewers in the 12 participating countries will be able to vote on country-specific telephone and SMS numbers, with each country entitled to a vote. Whoever the majority of viewers in a country vote for, that's who the country's vote will go to.
