The heat keeps turning up in the "Big Brother Mzansi" house.
Sunday, March 2's live eviction show saw a dramatic change, as “Biggie” surprised the housemates by canceling the usual diary room nominations last week. As a result, all housemates except, Head of House, Mshini were put up for eviction.
Mandy, Philile, Tyrone and Melino did not survive the eviction and were recently booted from the house. The season started with 24 housemates and after the departure of these four, the official top 10 was assembled.
On Wednesday, February 26, Big Brother presented the housemates with the “Boiler Room” moment, bringing with it a wave of excitement, anxiety, and emotional moments.
The housemates were presented with two mystery envelopes, a black one with their name on it and a red one randomly selected from an inflatable pool.
The housemates were given 60 seconds to decide whether or not to purchase a message from their loved ones for R50,000. The messages were contained in a black envelope, along with instructions that only one message could be purchased.
The red envelopes held a gameplay ticket that allowed the recipient to buy a ticket to the final for R250 000. Melino, the housemate who received the gameplay ticket, did not hesitate and decided to purchase it.
Given that all the housemates were up for eviction, except the Head Of House, Mshini, the ticket was only redeemable next week. This means Melino could only redeem his ticket if he survived eviction but he unfortunately did not.
The options then changed when he was on stage with host, Smash Afrika and he was asked to either return the prize money or rip it, making it null and void. In a surprising move, the recent evictee chose to return it.
Biggie gave MELINO two options
1. Return the 250,000R to the prize money
2. Rip the envelope and make the 250,000 null and void.
MELINO chose 1 #BBMzansi #BBMzansi2025 #BBMzansiS5 pic.twitter.com/oBvJugxZO7
Hailing from Orlando East in Soweto, Melino, real name Mmelesi Mothei, explains why he returned the money instead of ripping it up.
In an exclusive interview, he revealed that his upbringing and values played a significant role in his decision.
“I was not raised like that,” he said. “I represent my family, and we know where we come from. We carry ourselves with integrity.” he added.
Melino also shared that he comes from a humble background and has always been taught to help those in need.
“I hate seeing people suffer, especially women,” he said.
“The grand prize is going to mean a lot to whoever wins it, and me tearing it apart would be selfish.”
For Melino, sparing the ticket was about sowing into someone's life and giving back. “Whatever you sow, so shall you reap,” he said.
“Maybe I’ll reap double the benefits in the future,” he added.
Melino's selfless act has earned him respect and admiration from fans, and his decision serves as a reminder of the importance of kindness and generosity.
His experience in the “Big Brother” house has also taught him valuable lessons about humility and gratitude.
As he moves forward, Melino plans to use the exposure from the show to pursue his passions and make a positive impact on his community. With his integrity and kindness intact, he is sure to make a lasting impression on those around him.