The all-singing, all-dancing 9th edition of Big Brother Africa kicked off on DStv on Sunday, 5 October as the 26 housemates showed off their talents to the continent – giving millions of viewers a glimpse into what makes them Hotshots.

Viewers met the housemates who will be competing for the USD300 000 prize over the next 63 days, one-by-one, as they showcased their talents, live on stage, in one-minute slots. The studio audience scored each performance with a mark out of 100, and right at the end of the show, Big Brother called the excited housemates together and revealed the reason – the housemate who scored the highest would be named as Head of House and would be the only housemate not up for eviction next Sunday. Tanzania’s Laveda led a Top 6 that included Sabina, M’am Bea, Lilian, Arthur and JJ, meaning she is the only one not in danger of going home next week.

GHANA’S MA’M BEA

The house seems to be full of musicians and singers, with Kenya’s Sabina and Rwanda’s Arthur breaking the mould with comedy routines, Ghana’s M’am Bea showcasing her fashion design talents and Laveda picking up top marks with her saxophone solo. Not to be outdone by the housemates, presenter IK kicked things off with a cabaret-style singing performance of his own – and the show only got hotter from there.

The housemates’ performances showed their talent– and some other continental superstars also got to showcase their own swagger. Keeping the musical theme going were Emmy Gee, AB Crazy & DJ Dimplez with their smash hit Rands and Nairas, South African hip-hop sensation Cassper Nyovest with Doc Shebeleza and Nigeria’s own BET Award winner Davido with Skelewu.

IK promised viewers a host of twists and turns in true Big Brother style, revealing one up-front: during a new Saturday night task, viewers will get the chance to vote to award one housemate with immunity from being nominated each week!

With the news sinking in that all but one of their number are in danger of heading home next week, the housemates set about getting to know each other over snacks and drinks laid on by Biggie – and with a first dip in the jacuzzi.

Daily Highlights Shows are broadcast Monday-Friday on AfricaMagic Showcase at 20:00 CAT, on Maisha Magic at 20:30 CAT and on AfricaMagic Family, AfricaMagic World & GOtv at 21:30 CAT. The Saturday Highlights Show, which showcases all the best moments from the entire week, is broadcast at 21:00 CAT on AfricaMagic Showcase in South Africa, 20:00 CAT on AfricaMagic Showcase for the rest of the continent, at 19:30 CAT on Maisha Magic, at 21:00 on AfricaMagic Family and 21:30 on AfricaMagic World & GOtv.

If 24/7 TV isn’t enough for you, stay in touch with Big Brother Hotshots on social media. Follow Big Brother Hotshots on Twitter @bigbroafrica, on Instagram @bigbro_africa and on facebook.com/bigbrotherafrica. Big Brother Hotshots is produced by Endemol South Africa.

Voting information

Voting opened immediately after the launch show and runs until next Sunday morning. The more you vote for your favourite nominated housemate, the better their chance of staying in the house and being named as the winner. There are four ways to vote for your favourite housemate each week:

1. Via SMS

2. Via WeChat

3. Via www.bigbrotherafrica.com

4. Via the mobisite on your mobile phone

SMS Voting

To vote via SMS: Text the keyword ‘Vote’, followed by the name of the housemate to the short code number for your country. For example SMS “Vote Uti” to 22626. SMS’s are charged as applicable per specific network tariff. VAS rates apply. Free minutes do not apply. Please note that you can vote 100 times by SMS per mobile number during each voting period.

The SMS numbers for each country are:

Ghana

Operator Tariff Short Code

MTN GHS 0.60 1474

Vodafone GHS 0.60 1474

GLO GHS 0.60 1474

Tigo GHS 0.60 1474

Airtel GHS 0.60 1474

WeChat Voting

Voting on WeChat is free. To vote via WeChat on your mobile phone, go to your app store and download the WeChat app. Create your profile, then search for BigBrotherAfrica and add the account. You can then start voting on WeChat, up to 100 times per mobile phone number during a valid voting period.

Website and mobile site voting

Voting on the website and on the mobile site is free and you are allowed to vote 100 times per cellphone number on the website and again 100 times per cellphone number on the mobile site during a valid voting period.

Visit www.bigbrotherafrica.com for more information and for the terms and conditions.