Reality shows in Nigeria come in different forms and serve as a platform for participants to showcase their talents in a variety of ways while the sponsors use the medium to promote their brands. In this piece, SOLOMON NDA-ISAIAH, Abuja and SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos take a post-show look at past winners of reality shows in the country and report that they have experienced? mixed fortunes after the klieg lights dimmed on the shows. ??
A Reality Show is a television programme which presents unscripted actual events involving ordinary people, instead of professional actors, usually in a contest where a prize is awarded. Although dating back to the 1940s, the genre exploded as a phenomenon between 1999 and the year 2000 with the success of such television series as Big Brother and Survivor.
Reality shows often portray a modified and highly influenced form of day-to-day life and utilise sensationalism to attract viewers.
According to wikipedia, “participants are often placed in exotic locations or abnormal situations, and are often persuaded to act in specific scripted ways by off-screen “story editors” or “segment television producers”, with the portrayal of events and speech manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality through direction and post-production editing techniques.”
Television stations in Nigeria joined the reality show bandwagon in the middle of the last decade, ably supported by companies in the country who saw it as a veritable way to brand their products and services, especially among the youth segment of the nation’s consumer market. Some of these shows include the family oriented Maltina Dance All, Big Brother Africa, Nigerian Idols and Gulder Ultimate Search.
The allure of fame and fortune exuded by these reality shows naturally appeal to many young Nigerians who often throng audition venues in their thousands to get on the shows.?
Many hitherto unknown talents who hit stardom through these shows have gone ahead to higher fame in the country’s burgeoning entertainment industry while some have actually fizzled out after their “fifteen minute of fame” on the reality shows.
The post-reality show success or failure, it appears, depends on a number of factors, none the least being the sponsors supporting the winner as often loudly pledged. Mr. Timi Dakolo, won the maiden edition of the “Idols West Africa Show” in 2007.
Obviously talented and considered a worthy winner of the show, Dakolo, however, found it difficult to transit from a reality show star to a musician. The sponsors of the show allegedly reneged on the cash prize reward and a recording contract with Sony BMG that ought to go with it.
After recovering from this shock, which apparently took a while, the 26-year-old singer managed to release a single, titled “There’s a cry’ in 2011.
Ironically though, the first and second runners up to Dakolo on the Reality Show, Omawumi Magbele and Temitayo George, appear to be more visible in the country’s music scene, with Omawumi even enjoying fame beyond the shores of the country, especially in Ghana and South Africa.
But fortune smiled on 22-year-old Chidinma Ekile following her triumph on the MTN Project Fame West Africa Season 3 in 2010. Besides carting away N2.5 million in prize money and a Toyota Rav4 for her effort on the reality show, Chidinma has also cashed in on her fame to release two singles back to back and is now one of the young rising musicians in the entertainment industry.
Apart from Chidinma, another promising star on the Nigerian music scene, Iyanya, won the 2008 edition of “Project Fame West Africa.” He is currently enjoying massive airplay and commercial success with his single titled, Kukere.?
Although Azizat Sadiq won the maiden edition of the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) reality show, which promised to make a movie star out of her, Azizat’s career in Nollywood has practically floundered after the AMBO reality show.
Despite going on immediately to act in the lead role in a Nollywood flick titled Sitanda, and working with powerhouses like BBC World Service Trust and MNET Africa on projects like Wetin Dey? and “Edge of Paradise,'' Azizat’s acting career failed to hit full flight.
Consequently, she relocated to the United Kingdom where she reportedly studied music. Zeeza is now back in the country, trying to reinvent herself as a singer.
Although winner of the second AMBO, Melvin Okechukwu Ukeje, was blooming into something akin to a movie star after his triumph with appearances in a number of soap opera, the gifted actor’s career appears nowhere near top flight now.
And with the exception of the third edition winner, Bhaira McWizu, who has managed to appear in a few movie productions, the other AMBO winners seem to have gone into oblivion.?
The reality is that after six years and five seasons of the AMBO though, no winner of that reality show has been able to crack Nollywood, the Nigerian movie industry, as hyped by the show’s promoters. Its sponsors have apparently reconsidered their support for the show and failed to put Session Six on the podium last year.
Mr. Kevin Pam won the 2009 edition of the Big Brother Africa (BBA) reality show and received $200,000 prize money. But like the hook in Notorious B.I.G.’s More Money, More Problem track, Pam told LEADERSHIP Weekend that “life after BBA has been filled with unprecedented ups and downs. I must confess it hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be, having to fit in to a new lifestyle all together.”
For the positives of winning the show, Pam said: “I got married to my house mate from Tanzania (Elizabeth) and we are blessed with a baby girl (Malaika). I have been highly favoured to have found love, fame and fortune at the same time.”
Apparently cashing in on his BBA fame, Pam has also delved into charity work. He said: “I started an NGO called “Naija Pikin” after BBA. Naija Pikin is an outreach to the African child using the Nigerian child as a point of contact. We have done a lot of humanitarian work like distribution of insecticide-treated nets, orphanage visits, distribution of relief materials, awareness programmes among a host of other events of such nature. It has been a thing of joy giving back to the society and contributing my own quota to development and re-orientation.”
Pam has also ventured into the music industry and event planning. According to him, “I also started an entertainment outfit called Down to Earth Entertainment, where we manage artistes, events and the likes. I released my first single titled Thank You under the label and signed a couple of acts. I am also signed to the label and have been managed as a Master of Ceremony (MC), actor and presenter.
“As an MC, I have been the anchor for ‘Sprite Triple Slam’ since 2010 to date. I also do MC at other events like corporate launch and weddings. I’m also shooting my new TV series that would go on air by the first quarter of next year.
“Also I'm launching my book of poetry titled “Tales of a hungry soul” this year. I have just released another single track titled, In the Air.
Pam has these words for fellow reality show winners and the starry-eyed Nigerian youth out there dreaming of following in his footsteps: “I will advise winners of reality shows to remain who they really are because fame and fortune have a way of changing or making people derail from the main ideas they have had ever since. A wise man once said ‘money doesn't change real people; it changes those around them.’ So, they have to pray for wisdom and focus.
“And to those aspiring to walk this path, they would need hard work, diligence, patience. Divine favour and wisdom should be what they pray for when they get on their knees…I wish them the best! God bless.”