$100,000 richer, Richard hopes his wife will take him back
TANZANIA'S 24-year-old Richard Bezuidenhout, after cheating on his newly-wed wife, surviving eviction five times and getting involved in a number of quarrels, walked out of the Big Brother house on Sunday $100,000 richer.
By Nigel Nassar
TANZANIA'S 24-year-old Richard Bezuidenhout, after cheating on his newly-wed wife, surviving eviction five times and getting involved in a number of quarrels, walked out of the Big Brother house on Sunday $100,000 richer.
The film student was the big-headed kid upon entry in the Big Brother house three months ago, always taking on Big Brother and questioning his supremacy over the 12 housemates that set out to compete for the jackpot. And no one expected him to last the entire 98 days of the show, given the level at which he always fell in trouble with Big Brother over breach of the game’s rules.
He had the most controversial personae in the house, winning himself bouts of criticism from viewers, specifically castigating him for falling in love with Angola’s housemate, Tatiana Durao, yet he had just walked down the aisle with his wife Ricki four months prior to the game.
But in a rare dramatic reversal, Richard beat fellow finalists; Tatiana and Nigeria’s Ofunneka Molokwu to the jackpot at the reality show’s grand finale in South Africa on Sunday.
Ofunneka, who was earlier deemed a bigger contender than Richard, took second place, losing out on the jackpot by a whisker. Tatiana came third, instantly winning a ticket to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, courtesy of MTN. Ofunneka too won a ticket to attend the World Cup.
Richard received votes from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia and the rest of Africa voted for Ofunneka, while Tatiana received only the vote from her country, Angola.
After the finalists spent a tensed Sunday preparing for their fate, Big Brother delivered them champagne 20 minutes to the finale. They looked trendy after make-up experts had styled them up right from their wardrobe to their facial appeal.
Joined by the DStv reality show’s host, Kabelo, they sipped at the champagne with sheer anxiety to know what was in store for them, while wondering how they made it to the top three.
Meanwhile, fans outside were being treated to a look back at some of the highlights of the last 98 days — the tasks, laughter and tears, pent house visits and romance.
The finalists kept their ears open to screams from crowds waiting to receive them outside the lavish house. And when it kicked off with bouts of fireworks amidst contemporary dance feats by South African Kwaito Stars, the finalists knew the time had come.
To release the tension, they danced to the faint tunes that penetrated the house from the live show.
The earlier evicted housemates too treated the crowd to an impressive musical performance. With Malawi’s Code and Zimbabwe’s Bertha leading the group with silky, emotional African rhythms, the crowds sang along and cheered loudly.
Then Kabelo went: “The tenth housemate to leave the Big Brother house is…â€
The finalists held each other’s hands tightly with their heads bowed down. “Tatiana,†Kabelo’s voice finally broke the silence. And the Angolan, calm and collected, walked out of the house with confidence. She did not seem hurt.
Asked whether she still plans to marry her fiancée Gustav, Tatiana said it would happen if Gustav allowed to take her back into his life. About her and Richard’s plans to take their romance to another level after the show, Tatiana said they would be together if their spouses refuse to give them clemency. “I do not play games. My love for Richard was real,†she said when asked whether she was just using Richard to win the money.
Then it was time to announce the winner.
Kabelo held the suspense for about 25 seconds before breaking the news. And when Richard was announced winner of the $100,000, he jumped from his seat in the lounge and screamed. Then he hugged a visibly lost Ofunneka, kissed her on the lips before she walked out of the house.
Alone in the house, he paced up and down, not believing the outcome. Meanwhile, Ofunneka tried so hard to conceal her disappointment while answering questions from Kabelo. But her teary eyes gave away a lot. Well, her joining the earlier evicted housemates helped make her composed just in time to see Richard come out of the house a rich young man.
Kabelo finally called him out. He composed himself, tied the button to his blazer, turned off the plasma screen in the lounge and sauntered out of the house to ululations from the crowds.
Fireworks filled the air as the Tanzanian, clad in a silver-grey suit over a black shirt and pink necktie, made a super star’s appearance.
He had earlier confided to Tatiana and Ofunneka that it was the second time Richard was wearing a suit after his first on his wedding day a few months ago. Could it be that there is something good for him every time he wears one?
Well, it turns out he was too overwhelmed to say any sense into Kabelo’s microphone during his post-victory interview.
“I love you all,†he told the crowd. “Whatever I do, I want to change people’s live positively. I will make the right decisions for everyone.â€
Asked what he will do with the money, Richard said, “I am going to drink beer and chill with the boys.â€
He hoped that his wife Ricki would accept him back into her life, saying: “I fell in love with Tatiana while in the house. But I love you baby.â€
Ricki, however, was not around to receive Richard. It was reported last week that she had flown back home to Canada owing to media pressure and speculations from people around her. But his brother and sister were there to seize the moment, hug and receive the briefcase stacked with the jackpot before he was joined by the other housemates.
The show climaxed with performances from Nigerian RnB duo, P-Square, while Ugandan fans who turned up for the MTN-sponsored grand finale party at Faze2 joined in the fun.
TANZANIA'S 24-year-old Richard Bezuidenhout, after cheating on his newly-wed wife, surviving eviction five times and getting involved in a number of quarrels, walked out of the Big Brother house on Sunday $100,000 richer.
The film student was the big-headed kid upon entry in the Big Brother house three months ago, always taking on Big Brother and questioning his supremacy over the 12 housemates that set out to compete for the jackpot. And no one expected him to last the entire 98 days of the show, given the level at which he always fell in trouble with Big Brother over breach of the game’s rules.
He had the most controversial personae in the house, winning himself bouts of criticism from viewers, specifically castigating him for falling in love with Angola’s housemate, Tatiana Durao, yet he had just walked down the aisle with his wife Ricki four months prior to the game.
But in a rare dramatic reversal, Richard beat fellow finalists; Tatiana and Nigeria’s Ofunneka Molokwu to the jackpot at the reality show’s grand finale in South Africa on Sunday.
Ofunneka, who was earlier deemed a bigger contender than Richard, took second place, losing out on the jackpot by a whisker. Tatiana came third, instantly winning a ticket to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, courtesy of MTN. Ofunneka too won a ticket to attend the World Cup.
Richard received votes from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia and the rest of Africa voted for Ofunneka, while Tatiana received only the vote from her country, Angola.
After the finalists spent a tensed Sunday preparing for their fate, Big Brother delivered them champagne 20 minutes to the finale. They looked trendy after make-up experts had styled them up right from their wardrobe to their facial appeal.
Joined by the DStv reality show’s host, Kabelo, they sipped at the champagne with sheer anxiety to know what was in store for them, while wondering how they made it to the top three.
Meanwhile, fans outside were being treated to a look back at some of the highlights of the last 98 days — the tasks, laughter and tears, pent house visits and romance.
The finalists kept their ears open to screams from crowds waiting to receive them outside the lavish house. And when it kicked off with bouts of fireworks amidst contemporary dance feats by South African Kwaito Stars, the finalists knew the time had come.
To release the tension, they danced to the faint tunes that penetrated the house from the live show.
The earlier evicted housemates too treated the crowd to an impressive musical performance. With Malawi’s Code and Zimbabwe’s Bertha leading the group with silky, emotional African rhythms, the crowds sang along and cheered loudly.
Then Kabelo went: “The tenth housemate to leave the Big Brother house is…â€
The finalists held each other’s hands tightly with their heads bowed down. “Tatiana,†Kabelo’s voice finally broke the silence. And the Angolan, calm and collected, walked out of the house with confidence. She did not seem hurt.
Asked whether she still plans to marry her fiancée Gustav, Tatiana said it would happen if Gustav allowed to take her back into his life. About her and Richard’s plans to take their romance to another level after the show, Tatiana said they would be together if their spouses refuse to give them clemency. “I do not play games. My love for Richard was real,†she said when asked whether she was just using Richard to win the money.
Then it was time to announce the winner.
Kabelo held the suspense for about 25 seconds before breaking the news. And when Richard was announced winner of the $100,000, he jumped from his seat in the lounge and screamed. Then he hugged a visibly lost Ofunneka, kissed her on the lips before she walked out of the house.
Alone in the house, he paced up and down, not believing the outcome. Meanwhile, Ofunneka tried so hard to conceal her disappointment while answering questions from Kabelo. But her teary eyes gave away a lot. Well, her joining the earlier evicted housemates helped make her composed just in time to see Richard come out of the house a rich young man.
Kabelo finally called him out. He composed himself, tied the button to his blazer, turned off the plasma screen in the lounge and sauntered out of the house to ululations from the crowds.
Fireworks filled the air as the Tanzanian, clad in a silver-grey suit over a black shirt and pink necktie, made a super star’s appearance.
He had earlier confided to Tatiana and Ofunneka that it was the second time Richard was wearing a suit after his first on his wedding day a few months ago. Could it be that there is something good for him every time he wears one?
Well, it turns out he was too overwhelmed to say any sense into Kabelo’s microphone during his post-victory interview.
“I love you all,†he told the crowd. “Whatever I do, I want to change people’s live positively. I will make the right decisions for everyone.â€
Asked what he will do with the money, Richard said, “I am going to drink beer and chill with the boys.â€
He hoped that his wife Ricki would accept him back into her life, saying: “I fell in love with Tatiana while in the house. But I love you baby.â€
Ricki, however, was not around to receive Richard. It was reported last week that she had flown back home to Canada owing to media pressure and speculations from people around her. But his brother and sister were there to seize the moment, hug and receive the briefcase stacked with the jackpot before he was joined by the other housemates.
The show climaxed with performances from Nigerian RnB duo, P-Square, while Ugandan fans who turned up for the MTN-sponsored grand finale party at Faze2 joined in the fun.