BBB 24: ‘We are rivals only within the arena’, says Isabelle’s opponent at the Parintins Festival

Rivals, but not enemies. This is how Marciele Albuquerque, the sister-in-law of Boi Caprichoso, defines Isabelle Nogueira, the participant of BBB 24 (Globo) who occupies the same position as her, only on the rival Boi Garantido. The two associations compete every year in the Parintins Festival, which has taken place since 1965 in the Amazonian municipality of the same name.

For those who don’t know, it’s worth explaining that the rivalry between the Bois owes nothing to that of football fans in a classic like Flamengo and Fluminense, or to a heated discussion on social media about whether it’s right to be “biscuit or biscuit”. For this reason, it was surprising when “cunhã”, as she was nicknamed in the reality show, received public support from Caprichoso when she was nominated for the wall.

“The rivalry of who is better is very big, but we are rivals inside the arena. We have no problems outside”, says Marciele, who also explains that the term cunhã-poranga comes from Tupi and means “pretty girl”. In the presentation, they represent the feminine strength within indigenous peoples, and the evaluation criteria are movements, friendliness, clothing and beauty, among others.

Marciele says that, precisely because they are opponents, she needs to watch Isabelle’s performances, and never fails to praise the Amazonian, whom she defines as a good dancer. Due to their positions, the two also work together on campaigns and attend events as representatives of their respective groups.

“She is very determined, she makes the movements very well defined, with precision. We are colleagues, we are not friends, but we have respect. The rivalry is that one wants to dance better than the other, but we never argue”, he says. And he emphasizes: “This provocation exists only among fans.”

The official color of the Boi Caprichoso is blue, while that of the Garantido is red. From the Munduruku people, who frequently use the colors yellow and red, Marciele says that now she no longer uses the tone or anything that comes close, like pink. But she says she doesn’t miss it.

“Red has never been in my color palette. When I go to Juruti [sua cidade natal, no Pará], I only use yellow. If I wore my rival’s color, people would say: ‘You’re guaranteed shame'”, he says, laughing.

Marciele, 30, says she moved to Manaus to study administration and graduated in 2016. Since 2017, she has been the muse of Boi Caprichoso. She says she has always supported the group due to her family’s influence and Juruti’s proximity to the city of Parintins, where she has attended the festival since she was a child.

According to her, most of her friends support Garantido, “but in terms of [cunhã-poranga] They’re rooting for Caprichoso.” Already at BBB, even she’s been thrilled since she found out that Isabelle was competing for a spot on the reality show — she even campaigned for her rival to be chosen for Puxadinho on social media.

For her, having a cunhã-poranga on the most watched reality show in Brazil is a way of valuing local culture. “I felt proud, she is making the Festival known to other regions with mastery”, she assesses. “It’s something we fight a lot for. Outside the arena, we are united by Amazonas.”