Former Big Brother Naija Pepper Dem housemate, Ike Onyema, has admitted that he regrets not showing more emotion during the 2019 reality show, saying he would have done “anything” to win the grand prize had he better understood how the competition worked.

Onyema made the revelation in an interview with Kaptain Jeff TV posted on Monday, explaining that he initially believed winning tasks and challenges would be enough to secure victory.

“I regret not crying. If I knew what the show was, guy, I’d have been in that house doing emotional displays, crying up and down. But I thought if I went in there, won all my challenges and kept winning, I’d win the money,” he said.

The reality TV star disclosed that he earned less than ₦4 million from his first appearance on the show despite winning several tasks.

“The first time, I can’t remember, but it shouldn’t be more than four million. It should be three point something million,” he said, adding that most of the rewards came in bits of “₦500,000 here, ₦300,000 there.”

Reflecting on his relationship with a fellow housemate during the show, Onyema insisted it was genuine and not a strategy to attract votes.

“For me, it was a normal relationship. I even think I tried because, normally, like I said, I’m not really a relationship person. I’m focused on business. How can I make this? How can I do that?” he said.

Asked if he regretted the relationship, Onyema said he had no such regrets, maintaining that his only wish was to have adopted a different strategy to win the competition.

“How am I going to regret it? I enjoyed it for the time it lasted. The only thing I would change is I would try to win that money.

“See, I would try different ways. I would win that money. But other than that, I wouldn’t change anything,” he said.

The entrepreneur also explained that he relocated to Nigeria despite being born in the United States because he believes the country offers entrepreneurs greater opportunities and fewer regulatory hurdles, citing the ease of obtaining a liquor licence compared to the US.