BB Amplified set to rock

Staff Reporter
M-NET’S virtual Big Brother Africa reality TV show – this year’s season named Amplified and given some fizzy touch by Coca-Cola – kicked off last Sunday with 26 new housemates drawn from 14 African countries and a brand new Big Brother house.

Zimbabwe is this time around represented by Vimbai Mutinhiri and Wendall Parson in the race for the US$200 000 grand prize.
Vimbai, aged 24, is a professional model and is from Harare. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and speaks four languages – English, Shona, French and Basic Serbian!
Vimbai says her favourite place in Zimbabwe is Nyanga in the Eastern Highlands, because “it’s a fresh, peaceful place with plenty of great hotels, spas and golf courses”. She says the best thing about her country is the people: “We have been through ups and downs, yet every Zimbabwean still makes it through the day with a positive attitude and a smile”.
She entered Big Brother to re-launch her modeling and entertainment career on an African platform. If she wins the show, she’ll invest her winnings in her country and donate some to charity.
Vimbai says that viewers should watch her on Big Brother Amplified because she’s spontaneous, entertaining and all round fun-loving.
“You never know what’s coming next and that makes for great entertainment,” she says.
She likes sushi, apple pie and rice with peanut butter; her favourite TV shows include Keeping up with The Kardashians, Kendra, Tyra Banks, Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl; and her favourite movies are Due Date, Sex and The City and Valentine’s Day.
Her role model is one-time Miss World turned Bollywood star, Aishwarya Rai, and the best advice Vimbai has ever personally received comes from TB Joshua: “If you have not tasted poverty, you will not be able to manage blessing. If you have not tasted humiliation, you will not to be able to manage honour. All high places are slippery places.”
Whereas Wendall (23) is a pilot and also from Harare.
His favourite place in Zimbabwe is Kariba because he loves fishing and being in the sun with his friends. He says that the best thing about his country is “absolutely everything – the people, how beautiful our country is and how much it has to offer the world”.
The best advice he ever received is from his mother: “Live each day as if it were your last.” Along with “be grateful for everything and every opportunity you get in your life”. His greatest achievement is qualifying for his commercial pilot’s license and he lists his role model as US President Barack Obama.
He says he entered the reality show for the challenge and to represent his country. He promises viewers that he will take excitement and suspense to another level and should he win, he will invest his prize money into something he enjoys doing and start a business. His favourite previous Big Brother contestant is Munya because of the way he represented Zimbabwe “and he came so close to winning”.
He describes himself as loving, easy-going and fun to be with around, but step on my toes and you’ll suffer. His favourite foods are sushi, pizza and anything hot.
“Books never interested me, but FHM will do!” he said adding that his favourite TV shows are Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, Scare Tactics. To relax, Wendall goes to gym or socialises with friends. His personal motto is “you win some, you lose some” and while he jokes that while he doesn’t have any specific special talents, “you never know what might come out on a crazy night in the house!”