Kenya’s Jeremy Ndirangu became the 16th participant to be evicted from the Big Brother Africa house November 1 2009. The 22-year-old Telecommunication and Information Technology student at the Kenyatta University entered Big Brother Revolution because it presented him with a chance to do something new, unconventional and extraordinary.

Jeremy was the fifth and longest staying Kenyan Big Brother participant. Other BBA participants in the past have been Alex Holi BBA1, third person to be evicted, Jeff Omondi BBA2, second person to be evicted, Sheila Kwamboka BBA3, fourth person to be evicted and Teddy Muthusi first person to be evicted from BBA4.

Jeremy’s eviction ended the show’s longest-standing relationship, leaving Emma, his love interest, red-eyed, wet-nosed and determined to plot her revenge. In this exclusive, interview with Capital Lifestyle, Jeremy shares the ups and downs of being in the house.

What has been your strategy?
My strategy was to be myself as much as possible, not to get into any arguments, to stay under the radar and to be in a good alliance. I love to exercise, I am sure you saw a lot of that in the house. Some people are saying I did too much of that. That was just me.

How did you feel about being with a fellow Kenyan in the house?
When I found out Teddy (evicted in week one) was in the house as well I was a bit shocked. “I was like yo! Me and another Kenyan in the house, that means when we are all up for nomination. He is gonna leave or I am gonna leave. Teddy was very good at what he did. He had an amazing character, his impersonations. I was intimidated by Teddy. When I stayed, it was relief, but sad that I lost a countryman.

There is a woman in the BB house calling herself a widow and there is a woman in Kenya calling herself your girlfriend?
In Kenya I do not have a girlfriend in Kenya. When I left Kenya, I was single. I broke up with her partly because of BB, but even before I went to the house, we had our own differences, before I got into the house.

What about the woman calling herself a widow in the house?
Emma? Obviously, we did get close. I had a good relationship with Emma (Angola). There was a mutual attraction. I liked her very much and I believe it was mutual, but at the end of the day we thought about it and the reality was we probably would not go very far, after BBA4.

How close were you and Emma?
We might have taken it slightly beyond the friendship line, but we never got to the relationship area.

Who was your least and most favourite housemate and why?
Obviously, for personal reasons and for other reasons, Nkenna (Nigeria) is high up on my list of least favourite people. However, she played her game and she got me out. I cannot blame her or hold grudges against her because that is what you are supposed to do. Favourite housemate was Quinn. I actually spent the two days after my eviction hanging out with him in South Africa as I did my round of press interviews.

Which housemate did you have difficulties getting along with?
One guy I had issues with is K1 (Kaone) from Botswana. At some point we were not getting along men. When you start arguing with K1, he can push. When he starts he does not want to stop. He could make it difficult for you to maintain your cool. I am happy I did.

Most memorable moment
My most memorable moment was when Keri Hilson came into the house. That was totally amazing, totally unexpected. We were listening to her music all day. She is a superstar. She spoke about Neyo and Pdiddy and it felt like we could relate to her, it was amazing. 

Any regrets?
The night when Quinn, myself and Kristal had this drinking game. It just got out of control. I was trying to beat them, but it caught up with me (laughs).

What was your undoing?
Erm…Probably, my relationship with Emma. I think we isolated ourselves from the house and it did not play out very well. I did isolate myself from Quinn to some extent. I also found out I was named boremy. I think Africa thought I was boring. I was just trying to be me. I wish I could have stayed longer. But I did the best I could.

Given a chance, what would you change or want improved about the house?
Haha. I was relieved there was no shower hour. But if I had to change anything it would be to get a big pool. The pool was like a pond. Very small. They should carry on the unpredictability. If they can keep that up it would be great.

Who do you think is the strongest contender for the money?
Right now my money is on Kevin. Kevin (Nigeria) has auditioned five times to be in Big Brother Africa. He is determined. Eddie (Namibia) is a close second, but right now my money is on Kevin.

Having been in Big Brother, which Kenyans do you think would do well?
Comedian Churchill would be very good in Big Brother. Humour is very good, it works for you. Kevin is very humorous, if you can entertain people and make them laugh, I think you can stay in the house for very long. Capital FM presenter Cess Mutungi who has a strong personality would do well.
 
Has participating in BBA made you more of an African citizen?
It has opened up my mind a bit. I had never left Kenya before going to the Big Brother Show. It was my first time abroad.  For me I got to learn something about other African countries. I cannot say I learnt too much. We were there playing a game so we did not have many country specific conversations. There are opportunities out there. South Africa received me very well. With this relationship I have with Quinn, I am hoping that I can make a mark out there as well.

What happens after Big Brother?
I want to go back to school. I was doing some modelling for advertising before. The niche I carved out in the show was in the area of sports and physical fitness, if I can get into that area of brand endorsements, it would be awesome, because I really enjoy it. If I can get into TV or Radio that would be awesome. For me what I need to do is to keep close to the people who knew me before I went into the house, because those are the people who probably have my best interests at heart.