KOKO MANSION WEEK 3-EVICTION

Bidemi: Bidding a Life of Drama Goodbye [pt.1]

For Bidemi Jolayemi, it didn’t really come as a shocker to her when she was shortlisted for eviction, because she had this feeling that the viewers were only voting for the mansion-mates who were frequently involved in one skirmish or another over trivial things, “ I was just being myself in the mansion, I never got into heated arguments with anyone, I never played to the cameras – I wasn’t dancing like the other girls, I wasn’t rushing off to the kitchen to fight over my turn to cook and all that, but I think the viewers were actually entertained by the ladies who did that, they must have been voting for someone more dramatic than myself – and I don’t blame them, and I can’t blame myself either – all in all I had a good time in the mansion, now it’s time for me to go back to home to a family I’ve missed so much”

Already musing about how she’d spend her first day at home with her friends and family after three emotionally-charged weeks, Bidemi revealed that she would however miss Bolanle for the genuine friendship she shared with her in the mansion. A friendship she stood the test of pettiness, at a time when her fellow mansion mates wanted to tear them apart during one of their infamous “after 10 pm” specials. She recalls, “one night, I was cat-walking in the room, dreaming about modeling, and I said, ‘I’m sure I have what it takes to be an international model’ and Bolanle muttered, ‘yeah right’ followed by Shona who said ‘amen’ – I remember Chidinma wanting to make a big fuss out of what Bolanle said to me, telling me that Bolanle had no right to say ‘yeah right’ to my dream, just as if she was saying, ‘keep dreaming you fool’ and then the other girls joined in condemning Bolanle for saying that, but then I knew that Bolanle couldn’t have said it in a spiteful manner – I knew she was just saying ‘yeah right’ maybe as a dare, not because she didn’t believe I could make it like the girls were making it sound”. Her friendship with Bolanle survived that night and to her will still continue even outside the mansion.

She also fondly recalls Banky W’s visit to the mansion as one of the most inspirational, “Banky W was one celebrity that made sure he drummed it into our head that being a celebrity wasn’t just about the glitz and the glamour, but a challenge that requires a lot of hard work, patience, and perseverance – he also let us know that with focus nothing was impossible, and that kind of spoke directly to me, since I’m really determined to become a big time runway model – I’ve kept his words very close to my heart”

What about some mansion drama she would never forget? “ At a point in time, after the ladies discovered that it was actually the viewers voting to keep them in the mansion,” Bidemi began in a conspiratorial tone, “ the ladies reckoned that the more time they spent in the kitchen the more likely they were to attract the viewers’ votes – so everyday, you’d find the ladies fighting over who was going to cook, and who was going to do the dishes, just so they’d come across as homely and ideal – I still don’t get it – well, since I wasn’t cut out for fighting, I never got my fair share of kitchen time and maybe that’s why the viewers never voted me as much” she concludes with a very hearty laugh.

Bidemi: Bidding a Life of Drama Goodbye [pt.2]

From the exclusive mansion-drama expose, Bidemi launched into a genuine endorsement of her love for Bukky Ajayi, whom she describes as “unforgettable” – saying that Bukky Ajayi spoke to her like a wise grand mother would – forcing her to pause and ponder on the need for a woman in the entertainment business to be disciplined, focused, and uncompromising with her moral values.

The fact that she’s been evicted does not deter her from wishing some of her former mansion mates well, “I want Bolanle to win this competition – she’s real, she’s intelligent, and she’s reasonable – she is the ideal woman”, from Bolanle, she dropped a few good words for Rita, “irrespective of the way she speaks, Rita is intelligent, funny, and real”, not just Rita, but she appears to be fond of Rekana too, “Rekana is another individual who’s being herself – she’s brilliant in my own point of view, and she doesn’t care about what everybody else says about her”

Being a hardcore believer in staying positive despite the odds, Bidemi states as a matter of fact that, “All the ladies in that mansion if given the opportunity to win are strong enough to perform as a near-perfect representation of an ideal Nigerian woman”

But then, if she was given the opportunity to pick one housemate to be evicted in her place, she says, “I would have picked Chidinma to go in my place because I feel she doesn’t know how to talk to people – in as much as Rekana and Shona are blunt sometimes, Chidinma is just plain disrespectful of other people’s feelings”

Bidemi believes that her mansion experience has made her a stronger, more equipped individual, arming her with the prerequisite attitude to achieve her dreams, and even as she bows out of the competition very gracefully, she remains very grateful to D’banj for providing young ladies in her shoes with this rare opportunity to discover what it really takes to be considered an ideal woman in the society.

Thanks to-James Amuta