Women rule Big Brother Naija as Imisi wins

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The most unlikely housemate, Imisi, turned out to be the winner of season 10 of the Big Brother Naija reality show.

The 23-year-old fashion designer and actor, full name Imisioluwa Opeyemi Ayanwale, went from being the show’s wallflower to the last person standing, and winner of the ₦150 million (sh350m) prize.

Asked by show host Ebuka what she would do with the money if she won, Imisi said she would take her family for a day out. She became the fourth female to win the show in the last 6 years. Other female winners were Mercy Eke (2019), Ijeoma ‘Phyna’ Josephina (2022) and Ilebaye Odiniya (2023).

The season’s finale on Sunday night began with 9 housemates, 5 men and 4 women. ‘Seductress’ Isabella and Kaybobo were the first to be evicted, followed by Mensan and Jason Jae.

That left 3 women and 2 men in the Top 5, and soon Kola was evicted, followed by former frontrunner Sultana. Koyin was the last make standing, but he also soon left, leaving Dede and Imis as the Top 2. After a long suspense-filled wait, Imisi was finally declared the winner, and she broke down and cried.

The show started with a double launch night on July 27 and 28, and with an initial 29 housemates. It will probably go down as one of the most uninspiring shows, with none of the housemates making much of an impact. It started with a lot of promise, but ended up not delivering. What Nigerians typically refer to as ‘shakara’.