Big Brother has always been more than a competition. Since it first arrived on South African screens in the early 2000s and later found its home on Mzansi Magic, it has functioned as something closer to a national mirror – reflecting our appetite for drama, our obsessions with identity and class, and our very specific brand of parasocial investment in people we’ve never met.
Every season delivers its share of high-stakes confrontations, unlikely alliances, and moments that spill well beyond the confines of the house.
Big Brother Housemates become household names overnight. Bot campaigns on X can make or break a favourite. And the conversations the show sparks – about race, relationships, fame, and authenticity – tend to linger long after the final eviction.
Big Brother gets the podcast treatment
On the debut episode of The Lifestyle Scene, The Citizen‘s new weekly lifestyle and entertainment podcast, host and award-winning journalist Kaunda Selisho sits down with entertainment reviewer and TikTok sensation Nombulelo Fox to unpack the cultural phenomenon that is Big Brother.
Together, they dig into what makes the show so enduringly watchable, the biggest stars to emerge from it, its most infamous scandals, whether the bot-voting and bot-driven social media culture has changed the game, and whether aspiring entertainers should still consider it a viable launchpad in 2026.
The Big Brother Unpacked episode also features the first instalment of the ICYMI segment – a quick-fire round-up of the week’s most talked-about lifestyle and entertainment moments.
About The Lifestyle Scene
The Lifestyle Scene is The Citizen‘s official lifestyle and entertainment podcast, hosted by Kaunda Selisho. New episodes drop weekly and are available wherever you get your podcasts. Each episode unpacks the moments, trends, and cultural conversations shaping Mzansi’s lifestyle scene – from reality TV and celebrity culture to fashion, music, and everything in between.
Listen to Episode 1 and subscribe to stay up to date.
Host: Kaunda Selisho
Podcast Producer: Kaunda Selisho
Director, Editor, Engineer: Shaun Holland
Production Assistant, Second Camera: Casilan Scott
