Not everyone believes in superstitions, but when situations that back up a certain unusual occurrence begin to rise, you start to pay attention and question everything you believe or in this case, don’t believe. A certain situation that gave rise to superstitious beliefs is the curious case of how the first Housemate/Team that takes on challenges never wins. Over and over again, Housemates competed against one another and for some reason the first contestant/team was always unlucky. The fact that this scenario kept repeating itself made it quite believable that there was a jinx in the House.
The Birth of the Jinx.
It all started at the first Bet9ja Friday Arena Games where the white team made up of Khafi, Jeff, Ella, Frodd, Avala, Ike and Mike were the first to lose in a major challenge. This loss gave birth to the jinx of the first try. This jinx partly saw to the early exit of Isilomo and Avala. They probably would still be in the House if their team had won and they had amassed enough Bet 9ja Coins to keep them from Eviction.
Giving Credence to the Jinx Rumour
If Housemates weren’t convinced about the existence of a jinx, the next couple of Friday Arena Games ended up giving them all the proof they needed to believe. The next victim was Omashola. Finishing the fantasy challenge in 1 minute, 35 seconds had him feeling on top of the world until Sir Dee and Mike came to clear his record in 45 and 44 seconds respectively.
Resident Gangsta, Ike wasn’t immune to the jinx either. Enduring the pain of watching Seyi and Omashola clear his 1 minute, 44 seconds record in 50 and 43 seconds in the circus challenge, the reality of the jinx soon dawned on him. Mike was also a victim of the jinx that saw him losing out in the football challenge.
With every Friday Arena Game, the jinx gained credibility and Housemates dreaded going first for any Challenge. Quite recently, Frodd was a victim of this jinx. He knew right from the moment Biggie called him up to go first at the ancient Egypt challenge that something was going to go wrong and he was right. Not only did he fail to complete the Task early, but he also got an additional 30 seconds added to his finish time for flouting the rules of the game.Â
A Rationale Explanation
Quite often, we tend to categorise things we have no explanation for as supernatural, but what if in this case, it isn’t. What if it’s just a case of the Housemates learning from the first Housemate that undertakes the challenge and learns not to repeat his/her mistake? What if it’s a case of the Housemates using the first Housemate’s score as a benchmark for theirs? Answers to these questions could give a rational explanation as to why the Housemate/Team that goes first during competitions often loses.
Although we won’t be quick to categorize this as a superstition, it did get us asking questions. Was it really an unusual occurrence worth building conspiracy theories on or another random case? Either way, the seed of this superstitious belief has already been sown, let’s see how far it will grow.
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