READ FIVE REASONS YOU SHOULD (NOT) WATCH JIM IYKE: UNSCRIPTED

For several months, the airwaves have been awash with ad campaigns for what would become Nigeria’s first male attempt at a reality T.V. show — Jim Iyke: Unscripted.

 The self-acclaimed bad boy of Nollywood is not controversy shy. Thriving vigorously on negative publicity, he has created a brand that has proven troublesome in recent times, generating juicy news for tabloids and blogs; and so rather than have strangers and the media tell his story on his behalf, Jim decides to allow a no-holds-barred access into his world, giving him the chance to present the facts of his life on his own terms.

“For once, I want people to see me with perspective devoid of prejudice and bias,” he said. “I want to give people an unguarded access to the entirety of my life.”

The show premiered on Thursday the 17th April and though it is only the first two episodes of a 13-week series, here are a number of facts we think you may like to know to help you decide whether to watch or not.


Jim Iyke’s Aggressiveness: Jim Iyke claims he agreed to the show because he felt the need to clear up some of the many rumours trailing the tabloids about him, saying: “The entirety of my person has always been from the point of view of others and people have drawn conclusions from it … so I decided for once to tell my story unscripted.” Among such rumours are the tales of his numerous fights with different people from policemen to bouncers, from Lagos to Kenya. However, if this show was targeted at dispelling such rumours, it is an epic fail as in the pilot, we see Jim Iyke engage in an almost-violent exchange with his girlfriend of five years Keturah Hamilton, a Jamaican model. Our very first interaction with Jim Iyke on his own terms and we see him yell vigorously at his woman? To be fair, we see Keturah pull Jim by the neck, which would set most guys off, but he could have handled the situation with a little more finesse. Oh well, that’s the Jim Iyke he so desperately wants us to see, but he doesn't appear different from the one we are all accustomed to, does he?

Nudity on Display: Speaking to press at the launch of the show, Jim Iyke explained that there will be some times during the series where aspects of his body may have to be blurred for the convenience of younger viewers. “I walk around my house naked and since it’s an unscripted show about me, I figured why not let the cameras in on every aspect of my life; so yes, there will be nudity.” So ladies, if you are into that sort of thing, you just might want to keep your eyes glued to your screens.

Alcohol to go round: Unlike Omotola’s show where all she does is globetrot and have cameras follow her to shoots and meetings, with Jim, you get a whole lot more than boring interviews and church services. He goes partying in different clubs with his wild friends where they try to pick girls up while getting high on booze. Though Jim sticks to bottled water, he engages his friends and encourages them to get high and approach ladies on his behalf.

Love Story gone sour: So Jim Iyke doesn’t just play the lover boy on television, he is apparently in a turbulent relationship with girlfriend, Keturah, who is desperate to take things to the next level but Jim Iyke is obviously not ready to settle down as he is seen asking one of his friends at a club to help him retrieve another girl’s number while Keturah was distracted. Two episodes down and both show him engaged in a lovers brawl with his girl. Sounds like a Nollywood script gone bad right? Wrong! Its Jim Iyke’s life and times on full display.

Unscripted? More like script gone bad: If Jim’s idea of an unscripted reality series was to embarrass his Jamaican girlfriend, then he was spot-on, as since the series debut, she has been the butt of many jokes on blogs. Why? The Jamaican model aggressively attacked Jim Iyke just outside a club, claiming that he had ignored her all night acting like he was single. Well, if anyone was acting, it would have been Keturah, as she looked as though she was only playing out a role on a movie set. The fight didn't look legit as she yanked at her lover from behind, screaming and creating a scene, giving life to the banter that the show is actually scripted.


Whether watching to see Jim Iyke’s bare chest or to laugh at some of the ridiculous moments bound to occur in the show, the ratings seem very promising and will probably keep escalating simply because trouble appears to be synonymous with Jim and audiences love a good beat down any day...

Ese Grage