From Double HoHs to Duo Contestants: A Rundown of the BBNaija Twists Through the Years

The countdown to Big Brother Naija’s ninth season is officially on, with the grand premiere set for Sunday, July 28. Known for its unexpected twists, this year’s edition promises to be no different.

In a surprising announcement, Big Brother Naija revealed a new season nine format: contestants must enter the house in pairs. Auditions will require duos, adding an exciting new dynamic to the show. Since the 2020 lockdown, Big Brother Naija has consistently delivered thrilling twists and turns, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Let’s recap some of the twists from previous seasons:

Big Brother Naija Season 5 – 2020

The COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 forced a major overhaul of the Big Brother Naija format, leading to the aptly named “Lockdown” season. For the first time, auditions went virtual, with contestants submitting two-minute videos to pitch themselves. The eviction process also underwent a significant change. Instead of housemates nominating each other, the public’s votes determined the initial nominees. The housemates then decided which nominee to evict.

The twists:

Deputy HOH: After an HOH is crowned, they would be allowed to choose a deputy HOH to assist them in their HOH duties. The Deputy HOH would also be immune.
Format change: For the first six weeks of the game, an HOH and a deputy HOH would be crowned. They would both be immune from eviction. The remaining housemates would compete in the public vote, and the four housemates with the least amount of votes would be nominated for eviction. The remaining housemates must vote to evict at least one of the four nominees.

The housemates were: Laycon, Dorathy Bachor, Nengi, Neo Akpofure, Vee, Ozo, Trikytee, Prince, Kiddwaya, Lucy, Erica, Brighto, Wathoni, Tolanibaj, Praise, and Kaisha. The winner of the season was Laycon.

Big Brother Naija Season 6 – 2021

Big Brother Naija’s sixth season, dubbed “Shine Ya Eye,” premiered in a two-night event on July 24 and 25, 2021, introducing 22 housemates. The show added a twist by introducing four new housemates on day 14. Unlike previous seasons, voting was exclusively digital, accessible through the Big Brother Naija website and mobile apps.

The twists:

Increased cash prize: The winning prize was boosted to ₦90,000,000.
Two-Night premiere: For the first time in Big Brother Naija history, the premiere took place over two days, with the 11 male housemates moving in on Night 1, and the 11 female housemates moving in on Night 2.
Wildcard entries: Two secret housemates were introduced, with the power to become full-fledged contestants if not identified by other housemates.

The contestants were Tega, Pere Egbi, Angel, Yerins, Saskay, Peace Ogor, Whitemoney, Princess, Sammie, Jackie Bent, Jaypaul, Nini, Emmanuel Umoh, Arin, Boma Akpore, Maria Chike, Adeoluwa Okusaga, Liquorose, Yousef, Beatrice, Cross, and Adeniyi Lawai.

The winner of the sixth season was Hazel Oyeze Onou aka Whitemoney.

Big Brother Naija Season 7 – 2022

Big Brother Naija’s seventh season, “Level Up,” kicked off with a double premiere on July 23 and 24, 2022, introducing 24 housemates. The season featured two additional entries, with two new housemates joining on day 7 and another pair on day 14.

The twists:

Two-night premiere: Similar to Big Brother Nigeria 6, the premiere took place over two days. Half of the contestants would enter the house each night.
Teams: The housemates were divided into two teams of 12: “Level 1” and “Level 2” based on their entry date.
Team immunity: The Head of House’s win provided immunity for their entire team.
Revamped HOH format: Instead of a Deputy Head of House, a “Tail of the House” was introduced, facing potential penalties or rewards

Ijeoma Josephina Otabor, Phyna, Bryann, Bella, Adekunle, Chichi, Daniella, Chizzy, Rachel, Hermes, Sheggz, Groovy, Dotun, Allysyn, Chomzy, Eloswag, Doyin, Giddyfia, Diana, Amaka, Modella, Pharmsavi, Kess, Deji, Khalid, Ilebaye, Cyph, Christy, and Beauty.

Phyna was crowned the winner of the seventh season.

Big Brother Naija Season 8 – 2023

This season of Big Brother was a fusion of Big Brother Naija and Big Brother Mzansi in a maiden edition of Big Brother Titans, tagged “Ziyakhala Wahala.”

Co-hosted by Nigeria’s Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and South Africa’s Lawrence Maleka, the show featured Nigerian and South African contestants and premiered in January 2023.

The twists:

Increased cash prize: The winning prize money for the winner of the first season was $100,000 (R1.8 million/₦46 million)
New housemates introduced: A few days into the show, four new housemates were introduced to the show, Blue Avia, Sandra, Miracle OP and Theo Traw
Bigger house: Instead of single beds, bedroom 1 had double bunk beds, and bedroom 2 had side-by-side beds. The room for the head of house, swimming pool, party room, and arena were also bigger
Paired housemates: Housemates were put into pairs until Week 7. Each pair had a male and a female and both countries represented

The housemates were Blaqboi, Ebubu, Ipeleng, Jaypee, Jenni O, Juicy Jay, Justin, Kanaga Jnr, Khosi, Lukay, Marvin, Mmeli, Nana, Nelisa, Olivia, Thabang, Tsatsii, Yaya, Yemi Cregx, Yvonne, and the four added contestants.

The winner was Khosi.

Big Brother Season 8: All-Stars Edition – 2023

Following the success of the first edition of “Big Brother Titans,” DSTV announced a new season featuring all-star housemates. The show premiered on July 23, 2023, for a 10-week run.

The twists:

Increased cash prize: The winning prize was boosted to ₦120,000,000.
Returning housemates: Former Big Brother Naija contestants competed against each other.
Black envelope challenge: Housemates could find envelopes containing advantages, including immunity.
Pardon me please: Housemates voted to grant immunity to one fellow contestant.
Eviction jury: Former housemates determined the first three evictions.

Other housemates include; Uriel, Pere, Frodd, OmaShola, Kim Oprah, Cee C, Cross, Lucy, Prince, Kiddwaya, Uriel, Princess, Soma, Angel, Neo, Alex, Seyi, Ilebaye, Ike, Venita, Adekunle, Tolanibaj, Cross, Mercy, and Whitemoney.