Big Brother Mzansi
- Date of launch: 2 February 2014
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 63 (season 1), 56 (season 2), 71 (season 3)
- Genre: Reality, competition
- Language: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, and others
- Country of origin: South Africa
- Produced by: Endemol (season 1 and 2), Banijay and Red Pepper Pictures (season 3)
Big Brother Mzansi is a South African reality TV show that follows the international Big Brother format. The show involves a group of strangers who live together in a house that is cut off from the outside world while being monitored by cameras and microphones around the clock. The housemates compete for a cash prize by avoiding weekly evictions, which are based on public votes and other twists.
Cast and awards
The show has had three different hosts over the three seasons. Lungile Radu hosted the first season, while Thando Thabethe and Lungile Radu co-hosted the second season. Lawrence Maleka hosted the third season.
The winners of each season are as follows:
- Season one: Mandla Hlatshwayo was the winner of the R1 million cash prize, and Iris Miya was the runner-up
- Season two: Ntombi Tshabalala and Ace Khumalo were the winners of the R2 million cash prize, and Blue Mbombo and K2 were the runner-ups
- Season three: Mphowabadimo Mthombeni was the winner of the R2 million cash prize, and Gashwan Brandon Mthombeni was the runner-up
Seasons
The show has been one of the most popular and controversial shows on South African television, attracting millions of viewers and sparking debates on social media. The show has also faced some controversies, such as sexual assault allegations, racism accusations, and legal disputes.
The ratings for each season are as follows:
- Season one premiered on 2 February 2014 and concluded on 6 April 2014
- Season two premiered on 29 March 2015 and concluded on 17 May 2015
- Season three premiered on 23 January 2022 and concluded on 3 April 2022
Main characters and actors
The main characters of the show are the housemates who participate in each season. Here are some details on the main characters and actors of the third season:
- Mphowabadimo Mthombeni: She is a makeup artist and adult content creator from Johannesburg. She entered the house with her boyfriend, Gash1. She won the third season with 36.45% of the final vote.
- Gashwan Brandon Mthombeni: He is a tattoo artist from Johannesburg. He is also known as Gash1 or Gashy. He entered the house with his girlfriend, Mphowabadimo. He was the runner-up of the third season with 28.67% of the final vote.
- Themba Karabo Mabaso: He is a salesperson, personal trainer, and IT graduate from King William’s Town. He is also known as Themba or TK. He entered the house with his best friend, Libo. He was evicted in week nine with 9.87% of the vote.
- Libo Njomba: He is a radio DJ, voice-over artist, and actor from East London. He is also known as Libo or Libz. He entered the house with his best friend, Themba. He was evicted in week eight with 6.34% of the vote.
- Nokuthula Nkosi: She is a nurse and model from Durban. She is also known as Nokuthula or Noku. She entered the house as a solo player. She was evicted in week 10 with 10.23% of the vote.
- Sipho Mabaso: He is a rapper and entrepreneur from Soweto. He is also known as Sipho or Sips. He entered the house as a solo player. He was evicted in week seven with 7.89% of the vote.
