Seventy eight days after the Big Brother Naija reality show started, muscle man Bassey Ekpeyong was evicted from the show on Sunday evening. Hugging the rest of the housemates perfunctorily, Bassey, dressed in a black apparel with yellow trimmings, made perhaps the swiftest exit from the house.

Debie-Rise, Bassey, Bally and T-Boss had been up for eviction.

But Debie-Rise who was the first to be saved was in tears. Even as Bassey was being interviewed, the camera showed Debie-Rise sobbing. She was the closest to him in the house and they spent many hours making music together.

“She’s the only one person I was comfortable with,” said Bassey in response to how he felt about her. He also said Debie-Rise wanted to be “more emotional” with him but he “didn’t want to lead her on and break her.”

So, guitar playing Debie-Rise should forget any idea of dating Bassey because he curtly said, “I have a girlfriend.”

Upon being showed Debie-Rise sobbing over his eviction and asked what he’ll say to her if he could, Bassey said, “Debie-Rise, I’ll tell her, Debie, be strong. The battle is not to the strong or the most talented but it’s just God that shows mercy. She says that every day, so she should be strong.”

While Bassey confessed to “feel bad” about not winning, he said getting this far in the reality show “is all win-win for me.”

Bassey also confirmed Efe as a threat during the Payporte games.

“He is a fast person and calculative,” Bassey said.

The latest housemate to be evicted also said the toughest part was dealing with emotion.

“I had a couple of ladies that wanted to do stuff with me,” he said.

When asked who he liked between Debie-Rise and Uriel, Bassey responded, “I really like Debie, I’m not going to lie but I admire Uriel.”

Upon going out, he said he looks forward to working with Don Jazzy.

With Bassey’s eviction, six housemates – Bally, Efe, Marvis, Debie-Rise, T-Boss and Bisola – remain in the Big Brother Naija house.

Prior to the eviction, Marvis hesitatingly described Debie-Rise as not being a go-getter and Bally described as ‘indifferent’ whether he remained in the house or not.

The kicker in this week’s eviction, according to the BBN host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, is that four of the housemates would be nominated. However, by Wednesday, the remaining housemates would have a chance to save one of the nominated housemates. And should there be a stalemate, the remaining four housemates would still be up for eviction.

The show which started with 12 real housemates and two fake housemates, he added, would be rounded off on April 9 with one winner going home with the prize of N25 million and a Kia Sorento car.