Media personality and host of Big Brother Naija, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, has recalled how a dare from his sister prompted him to audition for the first season of Big Brother Nigeria.
Ebuka noted this during an interview on the latest episode of the Menisms Podcast, he recounted his humble beginnings as one of the housemates in the first season back in 2006, stressing that he never intended to become popular.
He said, “I was 23 when I first started Big Brother. We were in the first season of Big Brother Nigeria. It was even called Big Brother ‘Nigeria’ then, not ‘Naija’. Naija wasn’t a thing then and I feel like we were just guinea pigs because nobody knew what the show was going to be like if they were going to watch, what to expect and all that.
“I didn’t go in to blow, which is what you get now. Now it’s like a path to entertainment for people. Back then the prize was even $100,000 and they still advertised in newspapers because there wasn’t social media then.
“So I saw the ad in the newspaper and it wasn’t something I would have ever done. I was a lawyer then and my sister dared me to do it, so I auditioned, they called me and I saw mad babes and I was like ‘I have to do this’. But the main motivation was the money. I wanted to win the money, go to Yankee and get my master’s. That was the plan I had at the time and there was no entertainment in my path,” he added.