The announcement of the fifth edition of the Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) show further confirms that reality TV shows have begun to gain acceptance in the minds of lovers of video and TV entertainment, because of how it delves deep into the real-life behaviour of participants.
Africa’s biggest and most loved storyteller, MultiChoice has over the years, shown its commitment to providing viewers with quality entertainment by creating platforms for love and romance to thrive with reality TV shows on DStv and GOtv
Here are 4 reality TV shows promoting love, romance, and relationships in Nigeria
Date My Family
The recently concluded reality TV show followed a unique path – a selected participant would have dinner with the different families of three potential dates. The person would eventually choose one date based on their experience with the date’s family members. In Date My Family, the suitor only got to see their date at the eventual couple’s dinner.
While the first season of the Date My Family show ended in April, we’re anticipating that real love relationships will spring up between the participants.
Ultimate Love
The first edition of Ultimate Love premiered on February 9, 2020, just five days to Valentine’s Day. The show ran for 50 days and ended on March 29, 2020. On Ultimate Love, eight men and eight women lived together in an isolated house called the Love Pad and were placed under 24-hour surveillance with the hopes that they would find true love that would eventually lead to marriage.
The ultimate couple would win a lavish, all-expenses-paid wedding and a fully furnished apartment. The winning pair in the love pad would also win a cash prize of N5 Million after being married for 1 year.
One of the striking features of the Ultimate Love show was the presence of ‘Auntie’, who reminded us of ‘Big Brother’ in the Big Brother Naija house. Auntie’s physical presence served to counsel and advise guests in the Love Pad on how to find love, while also giving them tasks to perform.
On March 29, 2020, Rosie and Kachi, aka Roksie, became the ultimate couple, after amassing the highest number of votes from viewers. Iykeresa (Iyke and Theresa) and Bolar (Bolanle and Arnold) were the first and second runners-up, respectively. Kachi proposed to Rosie at the live show finale and Rosie said ‘’yes’’, to the approval of viewers watching from all over Nigeria.
We really hope that the Ultimate Love guests also find love from their connections in the Love Pad.
Big Brother Naija
The first edition of Big Brother Naija premiered on DStv M-Net on March 5th, 2006. Eleven years later, on January 22nd, 2017, the Big Brother Naija show returned for season two, which also premiered on DStv. The show has been running every year since then, growing bigger and more popular with subsequent editions. In fact, Big Brother Naija recently won the ‘Most Popular Event’ award in the recently concluded NET Honours People’s Choice Awards for the second year running.
The Big Brother Naija reality show is a competition between housemates to win the grand prize, but it is not far-fetched that housemates would fall in love with each other during the show. Season three of Big Brother Naija show birthed the love relationship between Oluwabamike Olawunmi ‘BamBam’ and Temidayo Adenibuyan ‘TeddyA’. They eventually became the first romantically involved BBNaija couple who would go on to marry each other after the show.
The Big Brother Naija season four ‘Pepper Dem’ housemates also seem to have found true love during their time in the house. Big Brother Naija ex-housemates, Khafi Kareem and Gedoni Ekpata got engaged last December 2019 during a Christmas vacation in Cape-Verde. Khafi and Gedoni were popular on the show for their frequent romantic escapades. After being evicted from the BBNaija house, Gedoni assured his fans that his relationship with Khafi would not end with his time on the show. Khafi and Gedoni would have gotten married in April, but they have had to postpone their wedding to a later date because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mercy & Ike Show
The Big Brother Naija season four ‘Pepper Dem’ edition created an opportunity for Mercy Eke, the winner of the season, and Ike Onyema, another housemate to connect. Since Mercy & Ike left the house in 2019, their relationship has been under intense public scrutiny, with fans wondering if they were still together or not.
It came as a shock to many when Mercy and Ike announced the premiere of the Mercy & Ike reality TV show on Africa Magic on April 26th, 2020. The show follows the love lives of Mercy Eke and Ike Onyema as they continue their relationship after the Big Brother Naija house. Their unlikely bond during the show makes for a great love story as they continue to entertain viewers with their pranks and suspense-filled episodes. Mercy and Ike currently airs every Sunday on DStv Africa Magic Showcase Channel 151, at 6:30 PM.
Which reality TV show couple are you rooting for?
