BBNaija Season 10: Why fans settled for Imisi over other housemates
By Habiba Kaita
When the final votes were announced on Sunday night, Imisioluwa Eniola Ayanwale, popularly known as Imisi, emerged as the winner of Big Brother Naija Season 10 with 42.8 percent of the votes leaving a large gap between her and her rival, Precious Ashiogwu, known on the show as Dede who finished second with 15.94 percent.
Imisi’s win came from her authenticity and the connection she built with viewers. She was open, real and people saw her as someone they could relate to and the fact that she represented the everyday Nigerian made fans love her.
A lot of viewers also noted her cultural pride. Imisi often mixed Yoruba with English when she spoke, showing how proud she is of where she comes from.
Her background in fashion also added to her public image. At the Big Brother Naija Season 10 grand finale award night, Imisi wore a beautiful aso-oke (traditional Yoruba outfit). She paired it with a matching gele (head tie) wrapped nicely on her head. Her dress showed how proud she is of her Yoruba culture and made her stand out on stage. It made her feel more authentic and strengthened her relationship with the audience.
She reportedly studied Fashion Design at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH). Some sources link her to the University of Ibadan, but that has not been confirmed.
Imisi’s humour, honesty, and unfiltered personality, made her come across as real and relatable, which helped her stand out from the rest.
Dede, the season’s runner-up, was admired for being calm and composed, but it was Imisi who truly won the hearts of viewers all over the country. Fans felt a strong connection with her, they loved her unfiltered and sociable personality which made her win their support.
Her fanbase, known as the Imistars, were very active throughout the season, organising online voting drives, creating trending hashtags, and defended her on social media and their efforts proved fruitful when she won.
Imisi also got support from a few Nigerian celebrities like Nigerian singer Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko popularly known as Adekunle Gold, who showed his support for her on social media, praising her confidence and being herself. Some other celebrities and influencers also shared videos and encouraged people to vote and that helped her a lot during the last week of the competition.
Imisi stayed the same from the beginning to the end of the show. Many connected with that, and in the end, it showed in the support she got.
