The minute we heard quite a few of the Shine Ya Eyes Housemates declare they were single and open to forging romantic relationships in the House, we knew we would have enthralling love stories, as well as a few entanglements and triangles.
What we didn’t expect (or maybe we did) was a rollercoaster ride of passionate, complicated, puzzling, downright wild and freaky interconnected romantic and flirtatious alliances.
How do we explain this…?
Picture driving on an expressway with drivers randomly swerving into each other, some bumping into other cars just for the fun of it, and others suddenly stopping in the middle of the fast lane and stating they aren't moving again, only to change their minds and get moving, stat! Yes! It was that chaotic in the Shine Ya Eye House and even more chaotic for anyone invested in any of the ships. It was a fine mess that had us at the edge of our seats stanning, unstanning and restanning. Any couple(s) come to mind? Plenty, we're sure!
Let’s break it down for you.
The Shipwrecked
Angel and Sammie were the first pair to hit it off – and not only were their fellow Housemates rooting for them, but people outside of the House too. However, there was one nagging question - what did the two of them have in common? Angel admitted that although she liked him, she didn't think they were mentally connected. Although we went along with it, this ship was marred by fights and mistrust from the start, and it was over before it even set sail.
Then there was Yousef who was smitten by Saskay and probably got ahead of himself by acting jealous and talking about Saskay sharing a bed with Jaypaul. In return, Saskay revealed the hard truth to him. She told him that she just didn't feel a connection and avoided him so as to not lead him on.
It’s complicated
As it turned out, our Wildcards had a thing for each other, but it was quite complicated especially since they both had other romantic partners outside the House. Pere seemed ready to damn the consequences and trade it all for Maria’s affection, but she didn’t feel exactly the same (or so she said).
Maria always tried to brush off what she had with Pere insisting she didn’t like him in a romantic way but watching her express hurt over Pere and Queen’s closeness betrayed her ‘hard guy’ stance. When Pere revealed something intimate they allegedly shared, it drove a wedge between them and when she was Evicted early, it put an end to whatever they may have had.
Watching Michael and Jackie B’s relationship blossom in a matter of days was a delight to watch and it seemed our BBNaija fam had found a ship they could call home, but the frequent fights, mistrust, silent treatment and flirtatious Housemates, almost marred what they had.
The flirts & the cruisers
Angel, Cross, Boma, Sammie and JMK sit comfortably in this category. Angel had already been vocal about her crush on Michael, but unfortunately, her attempts to flirt were rebuffed. That didn’t stop this hot girl from having the time of her life cruising with most of the Shine Ya Eye guys including Cross, Boma and Yousef. Although Yousef looked ready to throw everything into it, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was all a cruise to her, and Cross being in the picture didn't help either. Sammie also wanted as much action as he could get. He clearly wanted to eat his cake and have it. While he was with Angel, he tried flirting with Peace, but she wasn’t entertaining it.
JMK clearly came for the cruise as she had Emmanuel ready to risk it all and Whitemoney showing interest.
There's a reason why Boma was called Okra. According to him, women can’t stick to him. They slide right off of him. He had quite a time in the House with the female Housemates. From Queen to Angel and Tega, and even a not-so-subtle attempt at Peace.
Cross also had his fair share of cruises. From crushing on Nini at the start of the Season to wanting Sasakay, Angel, Maria and JMK. He had his eyes set on different cookie jars and he would have loved to dip his hands in them.
Acting lovers
Nini had on many occasions made it clear that she had a boyfriend outside the House but that didn’t stop Saga from sticking like glue to her. He basically performed all the roles of an ideal lover and on some occasions, Nini might have embraced the role too. Their time apart during Nini's prank really put a strain on their relationship, and everyone began to suspect there might be more to this than just a friendship. Saga however, also mentioned earlier on that he was into Arin and Saskay.
After her brief stint with Boma that left her hurt, Queen wasn’t going to hand her heart out to just anyone, so when she eventually found comfort with Whitemoney, it was a delight to see. When asked what was going on, she raved about what endeared her to him and how he has been able to fill in the role of acting boyfriend. They both seemed to understand each other and carried on in peace… on some days. She did get upset when she found out her acting boyfriend had a crush on Jackie B.
The crushes
Of course, there were cases where Housemates openly admitted to having affection for other Housemates. ‘Whitemoney was quite open about being attracted to Maria and Jackie B's personalities. He went as far as telling Jackie B but her heart seemed to lie with someone else and when she was asked by Ebuka how she felt about him, she said he gave off fatherly vibes and that was that. Pere had a lot of admiration for Saskay especially with the way she carried herself and how she tackled Tasks. He never explicitly stated that he had a crush on her, but his frequent admiration of her personality said everything we needed to know.
Shipping
Liquorose and Emmanuel aptly called EmmaRose were the highlight of the Season. They might be the one true Ship this Season gave us. They did have their altercations too and it almost seemed like they weren’t going to sail when it was revealed that Emmanuel thought Liquorose was the Wildcard and he wasn't giving the same energy Liquourose was giving to their relationship. They eventually got over it and became one of the most romantic couples of the Season. They were closely followed by Jaypaul and Saskay.
Triangle
Jaypaul and Saskay didn’t have it easy from the start either. Interestingly, it started out as a triangle with Cross involved. In addition, Saskay did not seem interested in dating in the House. Also, she had someone outside. However, she loved Cross and Jaypaul's company. After days of complaining about Cross not pulling his weight like someone who truly wants to be with her, she finally found comfort in the arms of Jaypaul who seemed up to the Task.
The ’What a wow’
Though many did not expect it, we have seen situations similar to this before, but nevertheless, it was shocking. Watching Boma, head honcho of the Okra geng go after Tega who was married had the BBNaija fam unsettled. When videos of them in intimate and passionate moments got out, the internet went into a frenzy. Both eventually got Evicted the same day and we wonder if their shenanigans played a role in it.
What could have been
Cross and Angel spent most of their time in the House giving us some of the most sensual vibes ever. From making out and dancing seductively, they looked like they’d be a perfect item, but a lot of their affection was lost in cruise and it was hard to tell if there was something real to hold on to.
Cross was convinced at one point that Angel was all about strategy, especially with him, a notion she refuted, explaining that half the things she did in the House for Cross, she wouldn’t have done for anyone else. She explained how she thought Cross was crazy, but in a good way and that was one of the reasons she could relate and build a bond with him. When asked at the Finale what the future holds for them, none of them seemed certain that what they shared in the House was going to evolve beyond that. Fingers crossed: anything could still happen.
Watch the Shine Ya Eye Ships here
Our Ships kept us entertained all Season-long and gave us much to talk about. Which Ship did you stan?
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