Big Brother Naija All-Stars has ended, with 22-year-old Ilebaye Odiniya, emerging as the winner. This win makes her the ultimate BBNaija star of all time as she took the crown for a season featuring some of Big Brother’s most prominent alumni on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
Ilebaye, who remained in news headlines and on trend tables throughout the season, took home the cash prize of ₦120,000,000 alongside a brand new SUV and other rewards after garnering 30.08% of votes from viewers across Africa.
The native of Kogi State beat 19 other competing housemates to clinch the prize after an intensely competitive 70 days. Ilebaye’s win makes it the third time a female housemate will be declared the winner of Big Brother Naija. This season also saw the first-ever female top-3 emerge.
Ilebaye was the third housemate to be evicted during her first run in the Biggieverse. Fans and housemates alike didn’t think she was a threat when the season began, but that soon changed after fans started to fall in love with the housemate who many believed was being bullied. Soon, the Gen-Z baddie developed a new fanbase – The Arisers. After being one of the most victorious housemates this season with house tasks, she has grabbed the ultimate prize, even though she didn’t expect it.
Six finalists headed to the finale polls to compete and win the All-Stars season after a gruelling semi-final live show last Sunday. Mercy, the queen of highlights, was the first runner-up with 23.48 per cent of the votes. CeeC came in third after polling 23.41 per cent of the votes. Others in the top six include Adekunle, who gathered 12.61 per cent of the votes and came in fourth. Pere, who was fifth with 5.82 per cent, and Cross finished sixth with 4.6 per cent.
Ilebaye joins Phyna, Whitemoney, Laycon, Mercy, Miracle, Efe and Katung in the highly coveted list of BBNaija winners. After successfully winning the title in a season where other former housemates with already established fanbases had seemingly greater chances, the world’s eyes are on her to see how she would leverage the opportunity the BBNaija platform is offering for her career.
After her win, Ilebaye thanked fans and MultiChoice for their support. She said, “I am very grateful for this win. When I returned to Biggie’s house, I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t think this would happen. It’s the best surprise and gift. I’m very thankful to the fans who voted and made this happen and MultiChoice for the opportunity.”
Commenting on the show’s success, the Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice, Dr. Busola Tejumola, said, “Big Brother Naija All-Stars has been an interesting journey. We knew having the fan-favourite housemates return to the house would make for great content, but we got more than we bargained for in a good way. The housemates filled all 70 days of the show with what the kids will call premium drama, gbas-gbos, and all-around great content. We at MultiChoice are very proud of this moment, and we thank the fans, our dear customers and all the sponsors for the successful season.”
The BBNaija All-Stars finale was a star-studded affair, with performances from some of Africa’s top musicians – Skales and Bnxn. The viewing party in Lagos also drew appearances from past Big Brother Naija and Titans stars like Giddyfia, Boma, Sandra, Yemi Cregx, and Eloswag. Toke Makinwa hosted the event that also saw Nigerian Idol stars – Progress, Victory and Precious Mac make appearances.
The All-Stars edition of the BBNaija franchise will go down in history as the most successful iteration yet. It broke social media engagement records. The innovative changes to the show and twists had viewers on their toes and constantly trying to figure out Big Brother’s next move.
The ₦120 Million cash prize for this season’s winner is the largest yet. Still, it comes with a brand new Innoson IVM G5, a weekend getaway trip for two courtesy TravelBeta, a brand new Tecno Phantom V-Fold, and electronics from Nexus. The winner will also get a year’s supply of Pepsi, Arla dairy products, MunchIt, Oriflame products, Titus sardines, Hawaii soap, WAW detergent and Lush Hair.
