Katung: I almost Quit Big Brother House in 2006

Exactly 10 years ago, Katung Aduwak, emerged winner of the maiden Big Brother Nigeria (now renamed Big Brother Naija) reality TV show. As expected, he walked away with a cash prize of $100,000. Although all that cash may not have seemed a big deal to rich Nigerians, it certainly was a life line to the proud winner of the show, who already had his plans for the future laid out at the time.

During the media screening event of the second edition of the show, which was held on the opening day in Lagos a few days ago, guests were pleasantly surprised to find Katung, who looked quite dapper in a black designer’s top and white slacks, in charge as the master of ceremony.

Katung’s presence at the event also unearthed memories of the maiden show that had instantly transformed him into a celebrity. And in an interview with our correspondent, he confessed that his biggest challenge was living in confinement alongside other contestants in Big Brother’s House for three months at a stretch. For him, it was a very different experience.

The truth is that I being confined to the house was not an easy thing for me because I liked to move around. I called myself a free bird at the time. I liked to travel and I liked to be in different locations,” he said.

Recalling what it felt like staying in confinement alongside his fellow Housemates, he said that there was no access to information, not even a television nor radio set, beyond the walls of the House. What kept him and the others going was the fact that there was something to look forward to at the end of the show.

Katung also noted that when the evictions began and his Housemates started leaving, one after the other, the loneliness grew worse and almost intolerable at a point. Yet, he hung on because he had known at the outset that he would go far in the contest.

Just different people participate in shows of this kind for different reasons, in Katung’s case money was the major motivating factor for participating in the first edition of Big Brother Naija. Adventure and the opportunities that would likely accrue from the show were the other factors. “I wanted the money and I needed a platform that would propel me to achieve all that I planned to achieve,” he said.

Looking back at the moment he was announced winner of that show, Katung, who is currently a senior manager with MTV Base, described it as defining moment.