Hazel Warren: Came close to winning Big Brother Africa 3

As the search for Big Brother Africa (BBA) season 4 housemates takes place in the 14 participating nations across the continent, dozens of individuals in Malawi attended auditions at Protea Ryalls Hotel in the commercial capital Blantyre.

Besides taking into account the US$200,000 (about K28 million) mouth-watering prize money at stake, nobody would definitely let go the one-shot opportunity that comes along with the BBA, a yearly 91-day experience that is becoming Africa’s most popular reality TV show beamed by M-Net on DStv.

Consequently, it was not surprising at all to note that a good number of Malawian celebrities, mostly from the country’s public and private radio stations sneaked out or probably excused themselves from their respective workplaces to try their fate during the auditions conducted by series producers Endemol SA and M-Net’s team of six selectors.

As Nyasa Times visited the auditioning venue, notable personalities seen at the open casting search that started around 8am and ended in the evening, were one of the country’s ex- beauty queen, soap actors and actresses, musicians, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Capital FM and Joy Radio presenters and DJs, among others.

In separate snap interviews, aspirants expressed why they should be picked as Malawi’s flag carrier in this year’s BBA show starting on September 6, after Zein Dudha, Code Sangala and Hazel Warren represented the country in the previous seasons, respectively, but failed to bring home the much sought ultimate captivating prize.

“I should be the ideal housemate for the country in the 2009 Big Brother because being a Miss Malawi before, I know what it takes to be a good ambassador for the country,” says the former beauty queen (name withheld for selection purposes as stipulated by organizers’ rules).

“Getting into the house is something elite, it’s a starting point for different endeavours and the money is just a bonus to it,” observes another probable contender who adds, “There are a lot of things that Malawi needs to showcase out there and BBA is that platform. I could use that chance to market the country if I went into the house.”

Further, a different applicant says “We need a spokesperson for Malawi in areas of HIV/AIDS, MDGs [Millennium Development Goals] as well as human trafficking. There is so much that the international community has to learn about our nation and I would surely take that crucial role as the country’s ambassador.”

“I want to go to BBA because I have the welfare of the underprivileged at heart, especially those struggling to finish their tertiary education. There are a lot of intelligent youngsters out there who are dying to go to college but are facing challenges to raise school fees and I would fight hard to win the money to help them build a life,” adds another BBA hopeful.

But having missed the prize money by a whisker through Hazel last year, what representative does Malawi need this year to bring home the K28 million come December 6?

“Much as we appreciate Hazel’s survival until the last day in the house, this year Malawi needs a housemate with charisma, a person who can bring excitement to the house.

“Yes Hazel was good morally, but you know most of the viewers of BBA are youths, fun-loving people, that’s why we have to send someone of the Ricco type,” says a Lilongwe-based BBA ardent viewer.

Another Blantyre-based viewer observes that after there was a tie between Malawi’s Hazel and Angolan Ricco last year, the latter was declared winner considering the animation he displayed during his stay in the house, a thing that made him win the majority of votes across the region.

“Thus Malawi has to send a representative with good morals, wise and thrilling because it won’t be only Malawians voting, it will be Malawi and the rest of the continent.”

Looking at the new voting system introduced by the organizers, which viewers will be voting for housemates they want to remain in the house, totally different from the previous seasons when audiences were voting for housemates to be evicted, most people who have described the system as very tricky say “housemates now ought to be absolutely vibrant to keep the fire burning in the house.”

Even the sensational series organizers have said it: With an “add [of] 40 ‘all-seeing, all-knowing’ cameras and 100 microphones, the new season has almost twice as much sight and sound capability as seasons 1,2 and 3”, therefore BBA 4 promises to be twice as exciting as the previous seasons, therefore needs captivating housemates than ever before.

Nevertheless, viewers in the different participating countries will have to grasp their breath waiting for September 6 when their respective ambassadors will be known because after the auditions, representatives are never publicized until the first night of BBA.

Different from the first three seasons which had 12 contestants, this year’s BBA dubbed ‘The Revolution’ is expected to have 14 housemates with the entrance of Ethiopia and Mozambique.

The other participating nations include Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.