Former Big Brother Naija ‘Pepper Dem’ housemate, Ike Onyema, has admitted that one of his biggest regrets from his time on the reality show was not playing the game emotionally to win the show.
Speaking during a recent interview with Kaptain Jeff TV, the reality TV star reflected on his strategy in the house, saying he would have done “anything” to win the grand prize if he had better understood how the competition worked.
“I regret not crying. If I knew what the show was, guy, I’d have been in that house doing emotional displays, crying up and down. But I thought if I went in there, won all my challenges and kept winning, I’d win the money,” he said.
The US-born entrepreneur revealed he earned less than ₦4 million from his first appearance despite winning several tasks, with rewards coming in small increments.
“The first time, I can’t remember, but it shouldn’t be more than four million. It should be three point something million,” he said, explaining that most of the rewards came in bits of “₦500,000 here, ₦300,000 there.”
Reflecting on his relationship in the house, Onyema, who dated the winner of the show, Mercy Eke, said he had no regrets about the relationship, insisting it was genuine rather than a strategy for the cameras.
“For me, it was a normal relationship. I even think I tried because, normally, like I said, I’m not really a relationship person. I’m focused on business. How can I make this? How can I do that?” he said.
Asked whether he regretted the relationship, Onyema replied, “How am I going to regret it? I enjoyed it for the time it lasted. The only thing I would change is I would try to win that money.
“See, I would try different ways. I would win that money. But other than that, I wouldn’t change anything.”
