For a housemate to be discussed on ‘The Buzz’, such person is doing something right — Toke Makinwa

Toke Makinwa is a celebrated fashion icon, TV personality and the host of hugely watched BBNaija review show on Showmax, ‘The Buzz’. In a recent interview, she told ROTIMI IGE about what makes her show tick and what to expect in the new season. Excerpts:

 

You are returning for second season, what should fans of the show be expecting from you?

Yes, I am back and the show is usually very interesting because we always have interactive guests who would stop by and are also fans of the BBNaija franchise. They would comment on various happenings on the show as you know it; the buzz is usually clips that haven’t been seen yet or happenings that the producers don’t show the audience. We talk about it and one never knows what to expect because each week is different. The housemates are always giving us issues to discuss so they leave us with no choice but to delve into everything; from the ships to the crazy moments and the intrigues.

 

Tell us about the various segments of the show this year.

The Buzz for this season has different segments. It has different ones than it did last season so we can have our guest come in to their views about what they think about the selections this year. So, you will discover that this season would likely be different from what you know from the previous seasons.

Most definitely, this season will be exceptional because the first season, we were new and trying to test the waters but now we are fully in so it’s definitely going to be an interactive one. This is a show where everything is said and discussed and we don’t miss anything.

 

What were your takeaways from the first season?

The first season was very engaging. I loved the fact that the housemates gave a lot of circumstances, issues, topics every time we resumed on the show. We just didn’t know what we were going to get, whether it was what Whitemoney was doing or someone else. There was always something to talk about and it was very engaging. So, my takeaway from that was definitely the engagement, a lot of talks even on twitter because it was a new show. The fan base is always like a thing you know… When you say something about their favourite and it’s not exactly what they want to hear, they talk.

I realised from last season that many times when you have guests they tend to lean towards a particular housemate and it sometimes make fans think such a housemate may be favoured to win. How are you going to try to ensure that your guests do not do that this season.

I feel like there’s not much we can do about that because again, we are inviting people who are fans of the show and before they get on here, they already have their favourite people and even those tweeting as well already have their favourites.

I welcome every opinion and we try to keep it balanced. I am not going to have people sit and bash a particular housemate. You know I always said to people last year that the fact that we are talking about your favourites on the show, that means they are doing something right. they could easily be in that house and the buzz is not talking about them so people need to be less personal and enjoy the show.

If we talk about this person this week it doesn’t mean we don’t like them. It just means that they gave us something to talk about.

 

What do you see coming up from this season?

I feel like this is one season that we already have a lot of drama from the first episode. I feel like in the selection this year, Big Brother didn’t hold back on everyone on the show. No one is the underdog, everyone is literally in your face expressive and with that you’re always going to have stuff to talk about. So, we have already seen a couple of heated moments and I mean for the first time, we are opening a show where a housemate has been given a strike in the first week. It’s going to be absolutely interesting this season.

 

What about the fake housemates…

It is always very interesting because of the whole suspense. If the housemates are smart enough, they would know that Biggie is used to adding surprises as the show goes by, so we never know what we are going to hear next. You know, we may meet another new housemate coming in but I like the fact that when Deji walked in, he scattered everything we thought was safe already and so of the relationships reset. That’s what the show is all about. You just never know what’s coming up next.

 

What parts of The Buzz should fans look out for?

I think they should look out for the crazy moments and we are introducing a last word segment where we would share a shocking or incredibly wow moment from our housemates and leave it open for the viewers at home to decide on.

Personally, which of the housemates do you think is going to create the most buzz on the show this year?

I think it’s too early to decide because one moment you are thinking maybe this person and then the next moment it is like everyone came ready to show and want their camera time in their moment.

I think it’s too early to tell who because sometimes you can predict these things and at the end, the person you are so sure of ends up not delivering as much as you think. So, I’ll leave that open so that at the end of the season we all shocked.

Showmax has expanded to different countries with different expectations from the fans of BBNaija. How do you intend to balance all that?

Big Brother is Big Brother and apart from that I am excited that Showmax is continously expanding. I hope that we get more subscribers on the buzz this season.