Young, Famous & African has officially returned for its highly anticipated third season, and let’s just say, when I played its first episode on Netflix, I didn’t expect to stay glued to my screen till there were no episodes left.
If you aren’t already familiar, the reality show gives viewers a sneak peek into the inner friendship circle of African celebrities, including Ini Edo, Diamond Platnumz, Annie Macaulay-Idibia, Kefilwe Mabote and Zari the Boss Lady.
If you thought seasons 1 and 2 left you reeling, season 3 ups the ante in ways that will have you screaming at your screen (and possibly pausing to process a scene that made you go ‘wtf’. Season 3 was MESSY—reality gold. Every scene had me STRESSED but boy oh boy, I was thoroughly entertained.
There’s soooooo much to unpack in season 3 of Young, Famous, African, from Annie’s awkward speech at Zari’s wedding to Fantana crashing Diamond’s date with Kefilwe, where do we even begin?

Annie’s awkward speech at Zari’s wedding
The amount of secondhand embarrassment and cringe I went through watching Annie’s speech? Good Lord! Whatever street cred I thought this woman had left instantly vanished—the lameness of the speech and her incoherence? It was painful to witness.

First of all, what made her think gossiping about Zari and Shakib at their wedding was a good idea? Given her man’s track record, why should she think talking about any person’s husband anywhere is a good idea?
After her obviously not well thought out snarky comments on Shakib’s age and the wedding being a cheaper version of hers, why the hell is volunteering to say a speech for the couple she literally just shat on?. At the point when the speech began, I was genuinely worried for her. Her comportment kept me wondering: IS SHE DRUNK? I kept praying to God that she would not say something irremediably stupid—but then again I realized she doesn’t have the balls to. From this season 3, you could tell Annie only knows how to throw stones and hide her hands behind her back.
Watching Zari say during her diary session that the speech touched her and made her want to be closer to Annie, I hoped that some how some how, no one would tell Zari about the comments Annie made during her wedding. But I obviously knew that wouldn’t happen.
Luis and Fantana’s Altercation At Kefilwe’s Tea Party
Naked said that the disagreement between Luis and Fanta was a result of sexual tension. And you know what? I wholeheartedly disagree. If you’ve ever had a man try to toast you, and you refused, then he decided to try with several other women within close proximity to you (and kept messing it up) you most likely will be irritated by him. I think that’s what happened to Fantana at the Tea Party. Still, she shouldn’t have gotten too into his business because she rejected him anyway (and I can bet a million bucks she never expected him to react to her)
Anyways, this moment is when Fantana and the viewers find out the hard way that Luis is trying to retire his position as the punching bag of the group—I think he has successfully passed that crown to Annie. Yeah, Luis is no longer Mr. Nice Guy. And while that’s good for him, he’s falling into a similar pattern retiring people pleasers get stuck in at the early stages of setting boundaries; They go from a doormat to a raging dick head, before finding a balance where they can be assertive without behaving rudely. I mean, did you catch how he tried to slut-shame Fantana when he said that he never liked her but just wanted to sleep with her? Very distasteful.

The transition from Luis asking Naked to name three of Fantana’s songs to Fantana saying Naked probably has her whole EP on his phone to Naked asking if she has three songs is NASTY WORK. In this scene, Luis ate Fantana up.
Zari and Annie’s Showdown At Kayleigh’s Dinner
When I say this episode made me scream at the top of my lungs? I am not even joking. I couldn’t believe we were getting that kind of chaos barely 3 full episodes in—reality TV is so back.
3 episodes in and everyone (including Michael Jackson) is asking the same question: Is Annie okay? At Annie’s big age, what made her think Fantana OF ALL PEOPLE was a safe space for her to talk about your beef with others without bothering to form a genuine bond with the listener? I think by now she should get the memo that her and Swanky’s friendship is over so why did she expect him to step in when she was being confronted? Annie: “Swanky are you really going to sit there and watch Zari talk to me like that?” Swanky:

Lastly, why is Annie putting a carpet on her head in the name of frontal? It’s all giving pathetic.
Damn, Zari finished Annie. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel bad for Annie when she referred to how her night went after the dinner. She lamented: “If you know what I went through”.

Saying that Mr. Guilty Innocent Idibia has stained Annie’s white would be a gross understatement. He’s cheating— a running theme since season—has visibly ruined her self-esteem. She literally can’t have a conversation without mentioning Guilty Innocent and when others use her cheating man to insult her, she becomes defenseless. Oh chim. Zari came out guns blazing with every right to defend her family. While I understand Annie feeling ganged up on by Zari, Swanky, Nadia, and Fantana (who I feel really stand on business in showing her pepper because she has unresolved emotional baggage), it should be a big lesson for her to stop throwing stones when she lives in the glassiest glass house.
As a side note, Annie needs to stop repeating the voice note incident, especially since she conceded earlier to Swanky. Still, a small part of me wonders if truly there never was a voice note or a time she insulted Swanky without knowing he was listening in; Maybe, she conceded only because she was tired of the matter still dragging and wanted to move forward. It happens.
Naked asking Kayleigh to marry him
Kayleigh is our sweetheart of the Young, African, and Famous Cast. Can we all agree she deserves better than a man who’s scared of committing? The man clearly had ZERO DESIRE to be married again. Yet, Kayleigh would sometimes gaslight herself that he doesn’t want to get married at the moment. I need those 2 in the Ultimatum South Africa—that is where they will shine.
Kudos to her though, for taking active steps—looking for her apartment— to show Naked she wasn’t playing anymore.
But that really doesn’t matter anymore because Naked has now put a ring on her finger!!! Still what Ini Edo told Kayleigh when they were discussing her relationship still rings in my head: that Kayleigh shouldn’t marry Naked even if he proposed. To Ini, it would be like Naked was forced into the marriage, and marriages like that never end well. Was a point made? Congratulations to the couple though!
Diamond and Kefilwe’s Date
A wise woman once said, Men will leave you in the desert without water. Yoh, Diamond was hilarious this season, and everyone (except Fantana) blatantly saw how much of a playboy Diamond is.
I’m extremely glad Kefilwe delivered justice though because I was exhausted of Diamond thinking he’s so smooth with it.
Initially, I was a bit let down (before finding out her agenda) when Kefilwe agreed to go on a date with Diamond. I was like girl, you’re too classy to entertain Diamond’s childish games. So, her invitation to Fantana was the last thing I saw coming. Diamond was RATTLED, and I would give anything to experience the satisfaction I felt when Fantana walked into that restaurant.

We all know how things eventually played out for Diamond and Fantana—na who put mouth inside another person’s relationship matter go fuck up.
Also, did anyone notice Diamond age-shamed Kefilwe when he said ‘That’s why I don’t go for the old ladies’(which is kinda insane because he and Kefilwe are literally age-mates). But seriously, from Diamond’s comment can we now agree that older men know what they are doing when they go for women who are younger than them: it is because younger women are easier to manipulate. Case in point: Fantana.
Luis Inviting Ini Edo To Choose His Surrogate
While I understand that surrogacy is a last option for many women who desire children of their own but can’t get pregnant or carry the pregnancy to full term, there’s something dystopian about paying another woman to carry a child that isn’t hers.
Luis calling a bunch of women he finds attractive to audition to be his ‘just-in-case-love-doesn’t-work-out-for-me’ surrogate and asking Nollywood legend, Ini Edo who had previously been vocal about her fertility journey, to act as co-judge, was tone-deaf, irritating and quite frankly, disrespectful. What really made my blood boil was how Luis dismissed Ini even after she expressed her displeasure. Only for Mr. Surrogacy to still be exchanging words with Ini at another dinner.
Ini did a good thing by forgiving him when he apologised—a better woman than I am because I will always give him a bombastic side-eye. Personally, I am not sure why the women in the group were not more irritated by Luis and his antics. Such a weirdo or am I overthinking it?
Luis’s ‘friendly’ hug with Zari
Honestly, Luis was a menace in his own creepy way this Season 3. I can’t even shout. Ladies, was the hug between Zari and Luis, in front of her man Shakib, okay? To me, he lingered way more than necessary, and I hate how he tried to invalidate Shakib’s reservations about the hug.
Annie’s reconciliation dinner gone wrong
It’s quite a miserable time when you’re fighting with all your friends, so I rooted for Annie to be on a clean slate with the Young African and Famous gang. Unfortunately, the reconciliation dinner she orchestrated with Naked only worsened things.
When Nadia found out that Annie, instead of Naked, was the host, she got heated up (wouldn’t you be too if you were in mourning and were tricked into leaving your comfort zone for an event to celebrate an enemy?). Kudos to Ini Edo for trying to calm Nadia even though she wasn’t having it. But that’s where I think Ini, flustered by Nadia’s visible annoyance, added to the already messy situation.
Yes, Ini intervened with the initial plan of speaking on Annie’s behalf, perhaps as a precursor to Annie’s plea for forgiveness, but when Nadia got visibly upset, Ini backtracked and asked Annie to take the floor. (Huh)
Annie is the host, so it threw me off that Ini tried to force Annie to address the elephant in the room. After this, the Nollywood superstar declared in front of their other friends that Annie never even planned on mending things with them. But madam Ini, that’s literally why the event was set up!!! This wasn’t a good look for Ini Edo—she made matters worse for Annie, someone she calls her friend, especially since we all know she doesn’t even know the other members of the gang like that. I was disappointed and surprised,
Kefilwe throwing a drink at Zari
Ugh, why did Kefilwe let Zari get under her skin? Still, no one can ever make me hate Zari The Boss Lady—but I digress.
Kefilwe, was it a fake marriage or not? Choose an answer, if you’re too pressed, support your response with evidence and keep it going. What you shouldn’t do though is throw a drink at another woman who has kept her hands to herself. Not demure, not mindful. Also, who loved how Shakib stealthily moved to protect his woman?