Big Brother Mzansi: Another Week of Eviction Drama: Young Papi and Lerato Modise Speak
After a week full of unexpected developments in the Big Brother Mzansi House, with Lerato Modise evicting herself in the Fate Room last Monday and Yolanda being disqualified a few days later, it was Young Papi that was next to bite the dust as per the viewer’s votes.
And just a couple of hours before the live eviction show, where his name was called out by host Lawrence Maleka, the 22-year-old confided in Big Brother that if he were to be evicted that very night, he wouldn’t be surprised.
Speaking to Frontpage, he said: “I low-key had a day where I felt it was time, and even how Big Brother was speaking to me (during the diary session) made me feel like I was leaving even though I didn’t know if he had the results with him or not,” adding that the realities of the past week’s occurrences made it real.
“Being in the house prepared me for life, I think. You never know what to expect, but you still have to be prepared for anything, and that is exactly what life is about. But it was exciting at the same time, always activating your mind to solve issues and fight your way on top,” he added.
Papi described himself as a mediator and he just couldn’t understand why McJunior didn’t like him.
“I think he thought that I was two-faced and I wanted to be a good guy for the sake of the show, but little did he know that I actually hate fights and strife. I prefer peace, and that is who I portrayed in the house. I like pushing positivity, and that didn’t sit well with him, I guess.”
Young Papi shares that he is rooting for Willy and Zee (obviously) adding that: “that girl is a really smart girl. She never forgot that she was in a game, and she played it 100%. I hope she continues to play the game and not slack.”
About his experience, he said, “Just being on the show is a proud moment for me, and I hope the motivation I wanted to build for my hometown is achieved. I want them (back at home in Kimberly) to look at me and realize that every dream is valid and that we too are worthy of being stars. I always used to tell people that I would end up on TV, and being from my hometown, it always seemed like a distant dream. And that is the whole motivation behind me going onto the show.”
Lerato Modise has been on her own lockdown for a week after the unexpected eviction last week, only getting to engage with the world today. The 30-year-old was quick to comment that she missed the house but not the character that she played, and she couldn’t wait for Papa Ghost to come back.
Yes, she was playing the villainous character. One that is far from who she really is, she said, describing herself as caring, loving, generous, and doing a lot of charity work.
“My journey was a true testament to what I wanted it to be—an educational experiment that was aiming to challenge the essence of good and bad. The people that kept me in the house are probably the ones who understood what I was doing. I can safely say that I ticked the boxes of how I wanted to be viewed and the conversations I wanted to spark in the house,” she said.
Lerato is a philanthropist who does a lot of good work within her community, working with disabled children, among other things. She reveals that bringing this character to life took weeks of designing and practicing, because her true character would have gotten kicked out early on in the game.
“Papa Ghost is an amazing person; he’s sweet, and he had to support the bad girl that I wanted to be. I had to pull him in like, ‘You can’t be nice’ and he said, ‘Okay, let’s act. Lights, camera, action’.
Explaining the strategy, she said, “So you must remember that I walked into that house still as Miss Robot, and I deal with kids of all backgrounds. We have kids who are mean to other kids; some bully others; some don’t know how to speak to other kids and are simply rude. I had to put myself in all these kids’ shoes, and it was easy because I’ve been bullied. People have called me names, and I’ve never said anything about it.
“So I wanted to portray the ‘right’ kid, this bully, so people can hopefully see themselves in me and teach their kids better and strive to be better. But it was draining at some point; I missed who I was, but I had to keep up the pretense,” she said.
She said she has yet to find out the narrative that was put out about her or whether her strategy was effective in people’s minds.
Lerato and Young Papi both share that they are ready to take on the world.