Big Brother Naija is back! The 7th season aka the Level Up season has seen many twists and turns so far. The biggest twist: two different houses. The black and white house (Level 1) and the multi-coloured house (Level 2) had 2 different sets of 12 housemates, and 2 fake housemates were introduced to shake things up during the second week. An additional 2 were added during the 3rd week as spies for big brother. Several fresh elements make up the show this year but what has been most shocking is the rate at which romantic connections have been formed–The cast of this Level Up season would make great Love Island contestants tbh. From the very first week, connections were formed and several ships set sail even though they all currently tread rocky waters. Here’s why your fave BBN Level Up ship is probably toxic:
Beauty and Groovy
Even though this relationship ended in premium tears, Former Miss Nigeria, Beauty Tukura and upcoming musician, Groovy, found love in a hopeless place aka the Trenches house. The pair apparently got caught into a whirlwind romance, as many of the other couples did, and they seemed to get along really well. The cracks started to show during the party in the first week when Beauty’s jealousy and insecurities peaked through. She earned her first strike after a fight with fellow housemate, Ilebaye over her jealous tendencies. And by the next week, she had accumulated 2 more strikes after getting physically violent whilst drunk and angry. She went on a long drunken spiel about her relationship with Groovy, how physically intimate they’d gotten and even body shamed him. This resulted in her being disqualified the very next day. It has become more apparent that Groovy might be quite the player but, his boyish and seemingly clueless tendencies have babes like Amaka and Phyna crumbling at his feet.
Sheggz and Bella
This relationship reminds me of secondary school love, and not in a cute way. They give SS3 boy moving to JS3 girl energy. Sheggz, IJGB footballer and aspiring actor, and Bella, self-declared last born are caught in the most interesting situationship. Sheggz has been full on about Bella since day 2 and although she’s been rather reluctant, she’s evidently starting to give into his “charming” ways. Her hard guy persona seems to mask a certain naivety while Sheggz has a rather faux innocence. It also doesn’t help that he’s constantly all over her like a fly around a pile of shit. It’s really just a bit much, especially just for a couple of days of knowing each other. He has also had a few red-flag-raising conversations with Bella that have made viewers wonder what his game really is. A few of their fellow housemates, Diana, Adekunle and Giddifiya have shared their sentiments regarding Sheggz and Bella as well–they believe it’s a tactic too. In previous seasons, strong romantic ships have helped people stay in the house longer. Couples such as Neo & Vee, Kidd & Erica, Khafi & Gedoni were saved during evictions because of the content they provided. Although it’s still too soon to tell, I believe Sheggz’s intentions will be revealed in due time.
Khalid and Daniella
These two were actually quite cute, I can give them that. They seemed to match each other’s energy as well. Their banter and similar interests made them appear well suited. I was convinced they were on track to giving us our first BBN baby with the way they were frequently going at it. That said, these two bunnies are from different religious backgrounds and there seems to be a small but pretty major bone of contention. Khalid is a muslim, and has made it clear to Daniella that if she keeps drinking alcohol he might have to end things with her. Now, Daniella doesn’t seem like one who likes to be told what to do. And frankly, a man you’ve barely known for 2 weeks telling you to stop drinking is rather…ballsy. It did seem like there was potential for them to grow together but now we’ll never know because Khalid was evicted in week 3. When asked about his relationship with Daniella, he admitted to it being serious. I wonder if there’s more in store for these lovebirds outside of the house.
Cyph and Doyin
Even BBN housemates can’t escape long distance relationships and such was the case for recently evicted level 2 housemate, Cyph and level 1 housemate, Doyin. The pair sparked up a short-lived romance at the first Saturday party of the season. He left her with something to remember him by – a passionately choking kiss – at the very end. During the week, they were only able to interact during shared challenges such as HOH and wager tasks. And on the night of the second party, they were back in each other’s arms. This Romeo and Juliette-esque forbidden affair ended rather abruptly on the first eviction night when Cyph was evicted. Doyin wasn’t even made aware of this until she noticed the absence of her long distance beau during the HoH task. Anyway, like a true hot girl, my good sis is back on the streets and is open to whatever new connections come her way.
Phyna and Groovy
It is important to note that this ship started shortly after Amaka confided in Phyna about her feelings for Groovy. In fact, she requested that Phyna act as her wingwoman, but somehow along the line, Phyna and Groovy ended up in bed together. There are so many things wrong with this ship. For one, Groovy has expressed more interest in Chormzy from Level 1 than he has in Phyna. Secondly, he keeps getting physical with her even though he’s aware he doesn’t have that much interest in her. Even Ilebaye warned him about leading Phyna on because she has her best interests at heart but it doesn’t seem like Groovy does as well. Finally, Groovy’s woe is me complex when it comes to women, is so strong. He constantly acts helpless when he’s involved in a complicated situation when he could really just make things clear.
These pairings are liable to change or even scatter before the show ends. There are 2 months left in the house and we’re yet to see the full extent of everybody’s character. Will this season give us another BBN marriage? Or will it just be situationships galore? Or will everyone eventually decide to focus on the 100 million naira they’re in there for? Stay tuned to find out!