Despite the fact that reality TV is wildly popular in America, Kenya has a shortage of it. Consequently, Kenyans with the appetite for this type of content are left with no choice but to follow ‘Bahati Reality’. It’s a show that documents the life of youthful Gospel singer Bahati. To put it better, it’s a show that reminds you how dull your life is compared to the lives of celebrities.
When you have limited options, you settle for what you have. It’s like the days when KBC was the only television channel. You had no choice but to watch re-runs of national celebrations and local productions even if you would have preferred to be told about excessive preservatives in meat.
This isn’t to say that the ‘Being Bahati’ reality show is dreadful. It’s not. There are just a few exasperating elements in it. Lately, Kenyans have noticed that some portions of the show are too unrealistic. In a recent episode, Bahati’s wife Diana hired a new houseboy who ended up doing some terrible acting that could make 50 Cent look like Al Pacino. In another episode, Bahati changed his hairstyle for the first time since he was born. He had switched to dreadlocks but Diana ended up cutting them while he was asleep, like the biblical Delilah. Could this be the reason why Bahati has lacked ideas lately? Were the ideas located in his hair?
At this point, we should expect anything. Don’t be surprised if dragons pop out of Diana’s kitchen, like they do in Game of Thrones. Bahati might even rob the central bank like in the popular TV series Money Heist.
Isn’t it ironical that the show became more fictional just after it was renamed from ‘Being Bahati’ to Bahati Reality? It’s like they knew the kind of mischief they were going to get into, so they had to emphasize. “This is reality. Don’t doubt it, people.” It’s like when a man tells you he’s a gentleman or a woman tells you she’s ‘wifey material.’ You definitely know that they are not.
We can cut Bahati some slack too. Most reality shows are scripted to add to the drama. In a show like Love And Hip Hop, people fight for the silliest of reasons. You can say ‘hello’ to someone and they punch you. Like “Girl, why are you saying hello to me? Why are you disrespecting me like that? I’m gonna smack you in the face.”
All in all, Bahati has to be lauded for coming up with something that keeps Kenyans entertained. Most artistes usually lack the drive to do something extra, something that complements their music. Bahati has done that. My advice to him would be to hire better scriptwriters who can make the show seem as real as possible.
At the moment, the storylines are laughable. The show should even be ending with the words ‘TO GOD BE THE GLORY’, just like Nigerian movies.