Housemate reality show: A new world for celebrities on screen

Celebrities like their comfort zones and would do anything to stay in there. But here is a show, a new reality television show that has taken 12 acting, music and comic celebrities out of their comfort zones into a home, where they would co-habit and be placed on series of daily challenges and tasks aimed at enhancing their entrepreneurial acumen.

Powered by Kemi Otegbade’s Heartlink Ventures and sponsored by FlyforValue and Amen Estate, among others, the show, Celebrity Housemates, kicked off on January 12 with the 12 celebrity housemates.

They are Yomi Fash-Lanso; Funky Mallam; Doris Simeon; Ruggedman; Muma Gee; Ade Ameh; Chelsea Eze; Junior Pope; Eniola Badmus; Jaywon; Ogenna Ekwubiri and Fredrick Leonard.

The show, which is expected to climax on February 11, has been streaming live on all scheduled online media platforms, with one-hour daily show on national terrestrial television and cable stations. The unique reality show has so far seen three housemates with the lowest votes by viewers- Ada Ameh, Ogenna Ekwubiri and Funky Mallam- evicted.

Doris Simeon
NOLLYWOOD actress, Doris Simeon, is regarded as one of the housemates to beat in the show, especially being popular amongst the English and Yoruba movie crowd. She also enjoys a huge following on television as presenter of the interesting talk show in Yoruba, Faaji Extra.

A multi-award winning actress and winner of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in the indigenous actress category in 2009, Doris, who doubles as a producer, started her career on television, featuring in the hit comic series, Papa Ajasco. She moved from there to mainstream movie production and has not looked back since joining in a little near a decade and half ago. In her movie pouch are such hit flicks as Alakada, Modupe Temi, Oloju Ede, Onitemi, Silence and Ten Million Naira.

Chelsea Eze
BORN and raised in Kano, Chelsea Ada Ezerioha, or Chelsea Eze for short, is another starlet in the house.Delectable and friendly, the native of Umahia in Abia State came into prominence after she interpreted delightful the role of Ella in the 2009 hit movie, Silent Scandal, also featuring Majid Michel and
Genevieve Nnaji.

It was on the back of that portrayal that she won the award of the most promising actress at the 2009 edition of the AMAA. An old girl of Federal Government Girls College, Minjibir, and St. Louis Secondary School, both in Kano, Chelsea studied English and Linguistics at the University of Maiduguri. She started out as a model before taking a detour after an encounter with producer of Silent Scandal producer, Vivian Ejike. She has so far featured in a number of movies, including Two Brides and a Baby, Murder at Prime Suites, Hoodrush, Timeless Passion, Twist, Closed Door and Tears of Passion.

Eniola Badmus
PLUMY actress, Eniola Badmus, is one of those housemates that observers have picked as likely winner of the celebrity reality show. They argue that she has a huge fan base and she is quite popular amongst the crowd that watches both English and Yoruba movies.She shot to prominence after she featured in two hit Yoruba movies, Jenifa and Omo Ghetto.

A native of Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, where she was also born, Eniola attended the University of Ibadan and the Lagos State University for her first and second degrees in Theatre Arts and Economics, respectively.The witty actress joined the industry in 2008 and has since then been busy sparring in several Yoruba and English movies, including Angelina, Blackberry Babes, Village Babes, Oreke Temi, Visa Lottery, Police Academy, Omo Jesu and Wicked Step-mother.

Yomi Fash Lanso
THE Ogun State indigene, Oluyomi Fash Lanso, who studied Business Administration at the University of Lagos, had a stint as a banker before venturing headlong into the movie industry.

An award-winning actor highly regarded in the Yoruba movie production circle, the handsome dude has featured in countless movie productions and has received countless nomination in his near two decades involvement in screen acting. A protégé of the late movie director and actor, Lekan Oladipupo, who is popular as Lekinson, movies that have had the benefit of his believable portrayals include Omolade, Dazzling Mirage, Omo Elemosho, which earned him an AMAA nomination in 2014, Opolo, Kadar Mi, Tani Kin Fe and Temidun, amongst a hundred others. Observers pick him as a possible winner of the reality show due to his huge fan base that would keep voting for him to remain in the house.

Fredrick Leonard
AN actor and model, Fredrick Leonard studied Biochemistry, but started his acting career in 2001. A native of Anambra State, who is the first of two children, Fredrick was combining acting with modeling and schooling, but returned to the turf to stay in 2008 and since then, he has been earning steady roles, featuring as the lead act in most of them.

Tall and handsome, Fredrick has featured in some critically-acclaimed movies, such as Before Getting Married, Promise Beyond and Beyond Love.Hailed as one of the hottest actors in Nollywood, Fredrick has had a good run, starring in the hit television series, Disclosure, Deadly Plot, Haunted Love, Target, as well as Teco Benson’s Accident. Observers say he is a serious contender for the top prize of the show, which the organisers have put at N7million.