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Ex-House of Stars reality TV show season two contestant, Emmanuel Crankson, better known as Amerikin Kwekua, has spoken openly about his experience both during and after the show, raising concerns about promises made by the CEO of the show, Valentine Mark Kings.
During a live video broadcast on social media, Amerikin shared that before entering the house, they were told by the CEO himself that each contestant would receive Le500 per day.
“Before we entered the house, they told us we would be paid Le500 every day,” he said. “But when we got inside, they changed the whole thing and said they won’t give us anything anymore.”
He said some contestants didn’t agree with the change and wanted to speak up. “Some people said no, that’s not what we were told. But they told us if you don’t agree, they’ll take you off the show. And nobody wanted to be taken off after being selected. So we all just had to accept it.”
Amerikin also said the application form for Season 2 cost 1.5 million old leones, while the Season 1 form was 1 million. “I thought the price would go down, but it went up instead,” he said.
He shared that he had high hopes for life after the show. “I was thinking after the show, maybe one or two of us would get some kind of connection or deal. I honestly thought it would open doors for all of us,” he said. “But since I came out, I’ve just been begging people, going online, doing videos, just trying to get help. It hasn’t been easy.”
He also spoke about the day he was evicted. “When I left the house, I was struggling to even get food at kings Empire hotel. I waited a long time just to get a car to take me home. I didn’t expect life to be like that after the show.”
He said when he tried to start a media campaign to get support or management before going into the show, people told him they wouldn’t support him because it was House of Stars. “They said if it was another show, they would support. But because it’s House of Stars, they wouldn’t.”
“Now I understand,” he added.
While he admitted the show helped make his name more known, Amerikin said there’s a lot the CEO needs to fix for the entertainment industry in Sierra Leone to move forward. He believes that better structure and support would help attract sponsors and actually benefit the people who go on the show
