Die another day . . .

Itai: Man with nine lives saves self
Zivisai Chagaka, Staff Reporter
IF there is anything that one could say about the performance of Itai, Zimbabwe’s remaining representative in M-Net’s Big Brother Revolution reality show, it is either curious or remarkable.
Though he started out on a good footing, he is seemingly finding the going tough as he staggers over the various pitfalls in the ultimate game show in Africa. He is someone who has survived largely on sheer luck; dodging evictions just by smelling them well before the nominations have started.
Strangely though, he has managed to keep pace with the rest of the housemates in their quest for the massive US$200 000 cash prize.
But he can also be credited for being a shrewd schemer who has left other housemates calling him names such as a “snake in the grass”. Not one housemate can minimally trust that he can keep his word, but they are charmed by his cool composure.
Such is his relationship in the house that he is one housemate who has received the most number of molotov cocktails as punishment from those that would have been evicted.
Only last Sunday, Leonel (Mozambique) named Itai as the recipient for the “punishment” — he was required to wear fins, a mask and a snorkel for an entire week. This was Itai’s third molotov after Erastus (Namibia) first made him go without alcohol for a whole week and then Kristal, his fellow country girl in the house, made him wash all the housemates’ clothes for a week.
One of his most notable moments, however, is when he assumed the head of the house role and used his “powers” to save  Kristal from eviction. This earned him admiration both among the fans as well as, to some extent, the housemates themselves who had expected him to do just that anyway.
This week, he was, once again, up for eviction together with Emma (Angola); and guess what!? He saved himself — simply because he is, for the second time around, the head of the house. He swapped himself with Geraldine (Nigeria).
Once he had made his way into the diary room in his full underwater regalia (part of the molotov cocktail he received from Leonel), Itai settled down and told Big Brother that he would, indeed, be saving himself and putting Geraldine up for eviction instead.
Geraldine had earlier told Big Brother that she felt that Itai would nominate her this week, as they had been fighting for the last few days. It was Emma who received the most nominations this week, getting the nod from Itai, Nkenna (Nigeria) , Edward (Namibia), Mzamo (Malawi) and Geraldine.
Itai explained that he had been nominating Emma for the last few weeks because he sensed that the rest of the housemates would be doing the same. He did this despite the fact that on Sunday night, after Leonel’s eviction, he made a deal with Emma that he would not nominate her and would try to save her if he could. His second nomination went to Geraldine for implicating him in a discussion about “serpentry” in the house.
But Itai has been feeling the pressure that comes with being the head of the house. He has repeatedly said that if the nomination decision he has to make was solely based on saving rather than saving and replacing, then it would be an easy one. He even told Mzamo that if he could, he would handover the title to someone else, but everyone knows he is playing the cards very, very close to his chest — and no one knows where his loyalties lie.
Big Brother Revolution is screened 24/7 live on DStv Channel 198 or 199. Also look out for Big Brother programmes on M-Net (DStv channel 102) and AfricaMagic (DStv channel 114) or log on to www.mnetafrica.com/bigbrother — Additional information courtesy of M-Net