Maureen Odubeng
9 October 2008
Despite being the third evictee from the Big Brother Africa 3 house, Nigeria's Uti Nwachukwu is not bitter about his early exit, but is actually grateful for the exposure he got from the show.
Speaking to Showbiz a day after his eviction, Uti said that while he went in hoping to walk away with the whooping USD 100 000 (about P670 000) prize money, his early exit "does not necessarily mean all is lost". He said that now that he is out of the house, his priority is going back to school to complete his degree in Computer Science and Education. The affable Nigerian stated that he has set his mind on making it big in the entertainment industry.
While some of the housemates might have gone into the house solely to compete for the ultimate prize, Uti's decision to enter the show seems to have been influenced by two factors - the prize money, and the necessary exposure he would get if he is to successfully penetrate the global entertainment industry. The young man is no doubt a rare breed and an optimist, who is adamant about his success. He noted that he was grateful for being a part of Big Brother Africa 3, explaining that he believes that he is on the right track to success.
"You saw me exhibiting my skills on Big Brother, I will be waiting for those calls," he jokingly said.
While he thanks those who supported him during his stay in the house, he promised everyone that they were not seeing the last of him because he has the passion for acting too, and the confidence to make it. He said he is eager to go into acting immediately, be it in films, soaps/series, adding that viewers will definitely see him in one of their favourite television series.
"Let me give you a hint, Jacob's Cross," he said with yet another light laugh.
However, Uti is not only looking at penetrating the African acting scenes, but also at making it to Hollywood in Los Angeles, United States of America (US). He said acting is not his only passion in the entertainment sector. He also intends to venture into modelling, quickly noting that "I am not talking small time cheap modelling", but modelling in sophisticated arenas.
"I want to get paid doing what I enjoy doing," he said.
For those who saw Uti on screen, it is not doubtful that he has potential to make it big in the entertainment industry.
Uti is one of the housemates who got mixed reviews from viewers, while some saw him as an ill-mannered individual, who did not choose words when addressing other housemates, others saw him as the "the entertainer in the house". Uti, of course ruffled a few feathers during his stay in the house, and one incident that was fresh in the memories of most viewers was his heated argument with Ghana's Wihelmina Abu-Andani, who goes by the name Mimi in the house. In that confrontation he ended up telling Mimi off about her physical appearance, in particular her big belly. When asked if he thought his abrasiveness might have contributed to his in-house nominations, he acknowledged that that was a probability, but declared:
"I am blunt, that is just me."
Uti further explained that even his friends know him as a "say it as it is individual". While not totally certain that his blunt, easy-going character might have contributed to Africa voting him out, he noted that the competition is an intense one because "you don't really know what Africa wants". He noted that people could take offence at trivial things that were not even meant in bad faith.
Unlike, other housemates who insist they did not walk into the house with strategies, Uti confessed that he actually had a strategy. He told Showbiz that his strategy centred on making sure he did not engage in any romantic relationships, which would have distracted him from the actual goal. He further explained that this was just to make sure that emotions did not come into play when making certain decisions. He also said part of his strategy was making sure that he came up with fresh ideas in the house. Uti also noted that most of all he went into the house, intending to make the best of it, enjoy the game, and make people laugh. When asked if he was acting for the audience, he simply said "what the viewers saw on television was just me".
"I actually had to suppress certain things about myself, other than that I would say what viewers saw was a 100 percent Uti."
On whether his connection with Kenya's Sheila Kwamboka was purely friendship, he stated after a short laugh that there he was slightly attracted to her romantically, but noted that he had to keep to his strategy of not being romantically involved with anyone.
Uti sometimes came across as uncooperative, especially with house chores, as he would bluntly refuse to help. On this, he simply explained that he is not used to working under pressure, adding that he is used to doing things his own way.
He noted that he was happy to leave the house at the top of his game, and at a time when he could feel he was losing his grip on the show.
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