Can a relationship survive the big brother virus?

Oct 04, 2007

BY now you should know better than to ever allow your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend to participate in Big Brother - not just Big Brother Africa, but the whole concept, regardless of where it is screening.

By Nigel Nassar

BY now you should know better than to ever allow your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend to participate in Big Brother - not just Big Brother Africa, but the whole concept, regardless of where it is screening.

Proximity has more often been the sole cause of romantic intimacy. Why do you think it is usually the girl next door (or is it next desk) that ends up baited?

Blame it on proximity. It is just that you have the luxury of blaming it on proximity and getting away with it when you are not attached, or better still, married.

And this proximity of the Big Brother house is not your work-place type, where you could survive the love bug since you have a chance to go back home to your loved one and have the screws tightened.

The type in a Big Brother setting is more tightfisted since it is that person you are seeing at every turn. And before you know it, you are hooked and seemingly oblivious of the outside world because in there, you feel secure.

That is where the proverbial ostrich thinks by burying its head in the sand, it will be safe, only to find itself on its way down the lion’s rectum.

That is the dilemma our poor coupled housemates are having to stomach and perhaps try to walk out of if they have retained a bit of senses to stand up against it.

For beginners, poor Zambia’s Maxwell Chongo makes the whole of Africa hate him, and actually evict him from the show two weeks ago. Then he goes home and there are no fans at the airport to receive him – just his sisters and brother showed up.

And just before he is used to the idea of being voted out by the whole of Africa apart from his own country, word seeps through that his fiancée, Suli Sinkala, has dumped him for what she termed as foolish behaviour while in the house.

In fact Zambian newspaper, The Post, quoted her on September 18: “I don’t want anything to do with Maxwell because his relationship with Lerato has spoiled everything that was between us… and when I come to Lusaka (Zambia’s capital), I will find time to tell his mother who also I am sure is disappointed with his behaviour.”

She went on to read The Riot Act: “He slept with Lerato (South African housemate) in his sober state and how do I take that as a lady? Fine, when he first kissed her, I did not get offended because I knew it was a game.”

Poor woman, they always do know it is game when it happens once. Then twice becomes what, an obsession? I wish Suli could tell.

Well, the last we are hearing of this relationship is that Maxwell is trying to reach her by phone, which, apparently got spoilt.

And I am thinking: “What happened to these cheap phones?” Who knows? Maxwell can perhaps bank on a second chance – for now.

Meanwhile, word reaching us is that our very own Maureen Namatovu’s so-called boyfriend, Moses Oga, has also thrown in the towel. We hear he had tried to keep away from the television for some time.

But Bingo! The time he sits to watch last week is when Maureen and her house companion Malawi’s Code are enjoying her head-of-house treat in the compromising penthouse. And it is not just a penthouse scene, but a bathtub scene in which Code is massaging Maureen to a tingle in her spine, visibly seen on the face.

That is when our Oga severs relations. Meanwhile, Maureen had earlier found soft landing in the name of her boyfriend (we are not sure whether she meant Oga) not taking care to call her hotel in South Africa the day she set off to join the show.

Whether this meant resume to throw him out, or have an excuse when she leaves the house, is not clear. But at least we are seeing another relationship on the rocks.

Now a more complex scenario involving a married one comes into the equation. Richard claims he assured his Canadian wife, Ricki, whom he has been married to for five months, that he would not kiss anyone in the house.

Now he is always surviving by a whisker to end up having sex with Angola’s Tatiana, who also has a fiancé liable of snapping to their larger-than-life romance.

Meanwhile, Tatiana on Tuesday night hinted on her fiancé’s inability to forgive her when she leaves the house. She was trying to console Richard, whose desperate attempt to salvage his marriage seems to be hitting a snag.

He told Tatiana that he is walking out on her to stop breaking down the vows he made to his wife. And I knew those were the last kicks of a ready-to-be-jilted Richard.

Because I am convinced that woman could be halfway done with the divorce procedure. And I am thinking, “Who will be the mother figure in the life of this nit-picking lost lover?”

So much for the big brothel in Big Brother. Evict Bertha. Type Vote Bertha and send to 15626 (MTN), 5626 (UTL), 0903015626 (Celtel). You can also vote online at www.mnetafrica.co.za/bigbrother.

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