The eighth edition of Africa’s biggest reality series Big Brother Africa  kicks off in May and already fans of are asking…who will the new housemates be? Who will find their name and their faces gracing newspapers, their profiles loaded to websites and blogs? Who will become the subject of drive time radio and who will find themselves heating up the Twitter-sphere?

At this time there is no way to know this but if you meet the entry requirements and enter between now and Valentine’s Day on 14 February 2013, you may well be among the superstars in waiting and may find yourself flirting with fame and fortune!

This year, entry is open to the same 14 countries as the year before with the only exception being Liberia which will be replaced by Ethiopia for this year.

As a result of the change, participating countries this year are: Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Entry is open to persons over the age of 21, who are citizens of one of the participating countries and who either have a valid passport or will be able to obtain one by the end of March. Producers are looking for persons who are fluent in English, entertaining and passionate about the Big Brother experience. Of particular importance to the selection team are the qualities of tolerance, determination and enthusiasm. If you are open-minded, bold and adventurous, that’s even better!

Entry forms are available immediately at www.africamagic.tv/bigbrother so visit the website and complete the online submission form. Printed entry forms will also be available at MultiChoice offices in the participating countries from 1 February 2013.

As with previous editions of Big Brother Africa, the new season will have a twist…and according to M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi, who has helmed the production for the past four years, the big surprise this year is one that audiences are expected to fall in love with. “As always, we won’t say much about the new season but I can confirm that we’ve added a new element that I think will get the hearts of viewers racing. The fact that the fans truly adore the show is all the motivation we need to keep it fresh and fun!”

Previous editions of Big Brother Africa have boasted huge cash prizes for winners and this year the winner will walk away with USD 300 000.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a Big Brother Housemate?