By Siya Sangweni-Fynn
It was very easy to reply ‘yes’ to the invitation, but the closer I got to the day I had to drive to the Big Brother house and give control away for 24 hours, the more my anxiety levels rose.
With the launch of the second season of Big Brother Mzansi, Mzansi Magic and Endemol SA invited a few members of media to stay in the newly-revamped house to truly get the Big Brother experience: no phones, no watches, you weren’t even allowed to carry in a pen or paper, oh and EVERYTHING was filmed on camera. The moment we got microphones fixed onto our clothes and signed many a consent form, reality really sunk in.
It was all fun and games, at first, as we spent our initial moments in the gorgeous house. We enjoyed the large garden, spacious bedrooms, jacuzzi and the fully-stocked fridge and cupboards in the open-plan kitchen. As the afternoon rolled by though, slight cabin fever set in and tension started to ensue. Personally, it seemed like the smallest things began to annoy me. I didn’t like the fact I was missing out on the latest with the Kardashians, I was annoyed I couldn’t lament on Twitter, nor could I make any sort of a move without sensing one of the 44 cameras gazing down on me.
Needless to say, I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. The rest of the housemates got to confide in Big Brother in the diary room about how they were feeling but after we got over our ‘freedom itch’, we ended up being able to truly have fun as we engaged in endless conversations and partook in games ordered by Biggie.
I can’t say what time we went to bed (for obvious reasons) but all I remember is being awakened by loud, random sound effects from Biggie. The morning had us simply enjoying our final moments in the house. Unfortunately for me, we even had a mock eviction and based on the fact that my singing annoyed some of the housemates, I would have been voted out.
And with Biggie’s final orders for us to pack our bags and exit the house, I oddly felt a bit sad to leave. Even though I was glad to shower without the prospect of being watched, I was definitely glad I spent a night in the house. From the eccentric characters I got to meet to the indirect technology detox, this was definitely one for the books!
