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Best Spin-Off Reality TV Shows In Africa

Best Spin-Off Reality TV Shows In Africa

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No matter where you are in the world, you’ll never be able to get away from the pervasiveness of reality TV. Whether you’re an outright fan or someone that outwardly mocks their friends for their trashy TV preferences but secretly catches everything online the next day (let’s face it, those are the only two options), there will always be a wide enough variety to suit everyone. African countries have been getting on the reality TV bandwagon in recent years, and some of the most popular programming on the continent come from “reality.”

BellaNaija.com
BellaNaija.com

Idols West Africa/Nigerian Idol The Idols series found a following in West Africa, inviting people from all over the region to participate. Though most contestants came from Nigeria, and most of the episodes were filmed there – occasionally it would travel to Ghana – it was open to many nations. It was later just renamed “Nigerian Idol,” and continued to have a wide audience throughout the country.

CapitalFM.co.ke
CapitalFM.co.ke

Africa’s Next Top Model The spin-off of Tyra Banks’s “America’s Next Top Model,” “Africa’s Next Top Model” is set to premiere on Nov. 10 to a wide audience. It is going to be hosted by Oluchi Orlandi, an international supermodel from Nigeria, and will air pan-regionally (it is going to be hosted in South Africa). Contestants hail from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Angola, and Tanzania, and it is expected that this season will be just the first of many to come!

En.Wikipedia.org
En.Wikipedia.org

Who Wants to be a Millionaire Nigeria Nigeria’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” had contestants competing for the ₦10,000,000 top prize, which was only won once in the history of the show. Aroma Ufodike became the first and only person to win this, answering the final question based on personal experience. When asked to name a particular Nigerian football referee, it turned out that the man in question, Linus Mbah, had once lived upstairs to Ufodike. Not a bad swing of fate!

TeeVeeTee.Blogspot.com
TeeVeeTee.Blogspot.com

Strictly Come Dancing South Africa Based on the U.K. show by the same name, “Strictly Come Dancing South Africa” is a reality dance competition filmed in Johannesburg that has become extremely popular among South Africans. South African celebrities  and past contestants have included Miss South Africa 2004 – Claudia Henkel; actor Freedom Hadebe; singer Patricia Lewis; and countless others. They are partnered with professional dancers and perform a routine each week. Judges and audiences vote following each performance, and the show has grown in popularity each season.

Facebook.com
Facebook.com

The Apprentice Africa Biodun Shobanjo took over for Donald Trump as the host on the African version of “The Apprentice.” Shobanjo is an advertising magnate, co-founder of Insight Communications, and CEO of Troyka Group. Contestants from Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon, and Guinea competed in business tasks to impress Shobanjo and win a place in his company. Filmed in Lagos, Nigeria, it aired across the continent as thousands tuned in to see who would be fired next.

Jestina-George.com
Jestina-George.com

Growing Up African Based on the premise of the American show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “Growing Up African” follows a Tanzanian family of five siblings and a single mother as they live their lives in the U.S. It struck a chord with East Africans to see a family portrayed on screen that they could relate to, and the show is filming more seasons.

TVSA.co.za
TVSA.co.za

Survivor South Africa There have been five seasons of the popular “Survivor South Africa,” as contestants compete to win the million rand ($100,000) grand prize. Though contestants and audiences are South African, in order to film in remote locations, the show traveled to Panama, Malaysia, Mozambique, the Maldives and more. The fifth season is to be a champions season, with returners and all stars competing against one another. It’s expected to draw a wide audience.

ParkerFordChurch.com
ParkerFordChurch.com

South Africa’s Got Talent/Nigeria’s Got Talent The Got Talent franchise has found homes in both South Africa and Nigeria, and has developed broad audiences in both countries and beyond. The Nigerian version has had just one season so far, with the grand prize going to 8-year-old dancer Amarachi Uyenne from Delta – who then become Nigeria’s youngest millionaire after taking home the ₦10,000,000 prize. South Africa has had four seasons to date, and continues to grow.

ScoopEmpire.com
ScoopEmpire.com

El-Bernameg with Bassem Youssef Though it’s not the traditional reality show, Bassem Youssef’s “El-Bernameg” (“The Program”) is modeled after “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart as a political satire. Made in Egypt, it falls somewhere in the category of news program mixed with humor, and is billed more as fake news than anything else. Youssef’s program is wildly popular, but the stance it has taken in mocking the government has been the source of much controversy – even landing Youssef in jail for some time.

JColeNation.com
JColeNation.com

Big Brother Africa By far the most popular reality show on the continent has to be “Big Brother Africa,” involving contestants from Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Contestants live in an isolated house and try to avoid being evicted by viewers. The final win is a massive cash prize at the end, and the show is watched by millions daily. It’s hosted by Ikponmwosa “IK” Osakioduwa, and is thought to be the most popular TV option, reality or not, in Africa.