Big Brother International, latest news & gossip from BB overseas.

The latest news, gossip & developments from international versions of BB.

Big Brother Nigeria : On Its Way!

The show is to be produced by the Nigerian production team Storm Vision Limited, in association with Endemol Nigeria . Scheduled to run for 91 days, starting in March 2006, Big Brother Nigeria will involve 12 Nigerian contestants sharing one home, while 68 microphones and 27 cameras capture their lives for a continental television audience. At the end of the competition, after multiple rounds of public voting and contestant elimination, one winner will walk away with a prize of USD $100 000.

According to the Chairman of Storm Vision Limited, Obi Asika, the show will be must-watch TV. “The Big Brother concept has worked exceedingly well across the globe, with audiences tuning in to follow the romances, conflicts and joys of the contestants. I'm extremely proud that a Nigerian company is at the forefront of bringing this phenomenal TV concept to the country. We will create a production mindful of our audiences' needs and we will aim to always entertain them. I believe this production can unify Nigerians and it can give others a better understanding of Nigeria .”

He goes on to say, “We wanted to do this specific show because it takes ordinary people with no special talent and makes them the stars of the show. It's the ultimate spotlight experience – to be famous, to be noticed, to be appreciated for your abilities, your flaws, your personality, the whole package. Contestants seek this and audiences understand this - this is the appeal of Big Brother.”

Glen Marques, CEO of M-Net, agrees with Asika's outlook. In addition, he says M-Net is looking forward to continental interest in the show. “Every step we've taken, our DStv audiences in Africa have taken with us. Now with Big Brother Nigeria , we turn our attention and the attention of our continental audiences to the Nigerian landscape. Nigeria , with its dynamic pioneering spirit and growing economic presence, is the perfect home for one of the world's biggest television success stories. We are committed to this production that originates in the heart of Nigeria but will resonate across the continent.”

In addition to being filmed in Nigeria with Nigerian contestants, Big Brother Nigeria will include 80 Nigerian crew. This massive production team will operate in association with 16 South African crew.

Audiences in West and East Africa will be able to tune in for a 30-minute Monday night nomination program, a one-hour Wednesday night highlights show and a one-hour live eviction show every Sunday evening. South African viewers will be able to watch Big Brother Nigeria 20 hours a day on DStv's Channel 37.

The BB Nigeria site is here.

Click on the BB Nigeria site's home-page for their view of the our recent Celebrity BB edition.

Another Big Brother Baby?

Fri 24/02/06 - There's a real possibility that a baby will be born in the Flemish Big Brother House. One of the contestants in the reality soap series is seven months pregnant.
(picture AP) The new series starts on Sunday evening. A group of people will spend three months locked up in the Flemish Big Brother House in Vilvoorde (Flemish Brabant).

Some of the group - all volunteers - will be ejected before the end of the series, but it's quite possible that the pregnant participant will still be in the Big Brother House when she goes into labour.

A violation of children's rights
A spokesman for the commercial TV station broadcasting the series wonders what all the commotion is about. Mark Van Lombeek says that children are born in very different circumstances all over the world.

The station underlines that the Mum-to-be will receive all the professional care that she needs. What facilities will be available is not quite clear.

The Flemish children's rights commissioner Ankie Vandekerckhove argues that the well-being of a child cannot be reconciled with the ratings battle.

Vandermeersch wonders if the producers have struck a deal with the Labour Inspection, since there are legal restrictions on the use of children in TV programmes.

Philosopher Etienne Vermeersch of Ghent University says this is a clear violation of children's rights.

Flanders News, 24/02/06.

BB Belguim.

The official site is here, with all the usual stuff & a tour of their House.

Click here.

A HOUSE UNLIKE ANY OTHER!


With just days to go before M-Net launches BIG BROTHER NIGERIA on March 5th, fans across the continent are eagerly waiting to find out just who the 12 selected housemates are.

Built in just 3 months, the BIG BROTHER NIGERIA house is equipped to follow the adventures of the housemates as they spend 13 weeks in seclusion competing for public affection and a US$ 100 000 grand prize.

With 27 cameras, 68 microphones and 21 kilometers of cabling, the house is a fully functional, habitable live studio. In addition, the house is completely capable of operating at night as well, with 4 infrared cameras geared to work in darkness.

There are two main bedrooms, one communal bathroom, a state of the art kitchen with all the modern conveniences, a lounge area and a garden. There is also a diary room, which is the only room in the house where the housemates will ever be totally alone as they interact on a one-on-one basis with Big Brother.

Designed to reflect the dominant color of the Nigerian flag, the entire BIG BROTHER NIGERIA house is shaded in tones of refreshing and dramatic green. The theme of the décor is bright, energetic and colorful and the entire house is infused with Nigerian arts and crafts. In fact, the show's producers were so determined to reflect the country's diverse culture that the directors undertook a countrywide tour to find various paintings, sculptures and artifacts.

In addition, the Big Brother Nigeria housemates will find a calming garden for their use which includes a leafy old tree, a relax area and a plunge pool. Plus the house will include a 'reward and treat' room where the housemates will be congratulated if they complete the set tasks well.

Meanwhile controlling the Big Brother Nigeria house and broadcast is a dynamic production facility which includes a main control room. The MCR is home to the show's producers and contains an impressive 35 television screens which will monitor all the activity in the house and its surrounding garden. And that's not even the tip of the iceberg when considering that almost 19 tonnes of high tech machinery and components have already been installed into this remarkable facility.

In total, the Big Brother Nigeria house is 200 square meters in floor space. The entire structure is surrounded by a 6 meter perimeter wall within which the housemates must spend the 91 day duration of the show - until they are evicted or they walk away as the ultimate winner.

Accra Daily Mail, 02/03/06.

Big Brother Nigeria goes on air

Big Brother Nigeria, the latest version of the global television reality show, has gone on air for the first time.
Twelve contestants entered the house, where they will spend up to 91 days, on Sunday night.

They will be voted off in turn by viewers of South African channel M-Net and the last one will win $100,000.

An Africa-wide Big Brother caused controversy three years ago - Malawi pulled it off air deeming it immoral, but its High Court overturned the ban.

There have also been South African versions of the reality show.

'Don't hold back'

Zambian Cherise Makubale, who was crowned winner of Big Brother Africa, attended the launch of Big Brother Nigeria.

She advised the six men and women entering the house to enjoy "every minute of it".

"Don't hold back, but always remember, it is a game and somebody other than you wants to win it as well," she said.

The competitors will live together in the Big Brother house where 27 cameras film their every move and a behind-the-scenes production crew give them daily chores.

All the contestants are over 21 years of age - they were chosen from 13,000 candidates. Flight attendant Joseph is the oldest at 32.

Ms Makubale says Nigeria's version of Big Brother looks promising.

"If the Nigerian movies are anything to go by, I think it will be very interesting. I am definitely looking forward," she said.

And an early conversation amongst the contestants turned to Nigeria's film industry, Nollywood, reports the Big Brother website.

Twenty one-year-old Chem felt it was unreal that Nollywood actresses playing women wake up in bed in the morning with full make-up and with perfect hair.

BBC News, 06/03/06.

Fame eludes winner of ultimate 'Big Brother'

It was the reality show that would never end. But a year on it's been canned and the winner is ignored by the paparazzi, the media and even his neighbours. What went wrong? Ruth Elkins meets Michael Knopf

"It'd be nice to get out of the house," admits Michael Knopf, when I ring to arrange a meeting. "I haven't got much to do at the moment." That just doesn't make sense. For a freshly crowned Big Brother winner, Knopf, 34, has way too much time on his hands.

It was not meant to turn out this way, of course. Last week, Knopf became the winner of the world's first real-life Truman Show, a twist on the Big Brother formula that was supposed to last for ever ...

Full article, the Independent, 07/03/06.

Sexy power cut for BB housemates

Contestants on Belgium's version of Big Brother reportedly took advantage of a power cut to have sex.

Married couple Nathalie and Bart had to suspend their conjugal rights since moving into the house.

The only alternative would have been to have their love making broadcast to the nation by dozens of night vision enabled cameras.

But they jumped on the chance to slip between the sheets when the village of Vilvoorde, where the Big Brother house is situated, suffered a power cut, according to daily Het Laatste Nieuws.

Ananova, 08/03/06.

Australian BB starts soon and they have said ""Remember, when Big Brother returns in 2006 it's no more Mr Nice Guy""

Australian link

Who knows if any Eye is " The Eye of 2006 "

I really enjoyed Oz BB last year - hope they still have the Free Computer link...

Yes, I'm looking forward to it too.

'Big Brother' shocks with toddler

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Reuters) -- Bulgarian media and broadcasting authorities criticized a popular reality television show on Thursday for letting a toddler live in a house with 12 frolicking adults ...

Full article, CNN, 16/03/06.

Gae, Tapuwa, Abby Talk About Big Brother Nigeria

The former Big Brother Africa contestants give their thoughts on the recently launched Big Brother Nigeria version and relive their days in the (at times) chaotic BBA house ...

full article at allafrica.com, 20/03/06.

BB Australia.

BB6 Australia begins on 23rd April 2006. Here are the first adverts:

Advert 1.

Advert 2.

Advert 3.

Great news Eddy - Thanks..

Lets hope I can get it on the computer like last year.

Italy's Big Brother inmates released to vote

Contestants in the Italian version of reality TV show Big Brother were briefly allowed out of their house on Sunday to let them vote in the general election.

After 80 days of seclusion, the Big Brother inmates were driven to their home towns around Italy accompanied by bodyguards to ensure they had as little contact as possible with the outside world, news agency ANSA reported.

They were returned to the "house", in the confines of Rome's Cinecitta movie studios, immediately after casting their ballot.

Big Brother is broadcast on Canale 5, one of three TV stations owned by Mediaset, controlled by Silvio Berlusconi, the centre-right prime minister who is battling to retain power in the election which takes place on Sunday and Monday.

Contestents on Big Brother and two other reality shows, "Music Farm" and "La Fattoria" ("The Farm"), who cannot watch TV or read newspapers, were given information on the parties' manifestos before being let out to vote, Il Giornale daily said.

Yahoo News, 09/04/06.

BB USA, favourite past contestants to compete again.

' ... Paging Dr. Kirby, Chicken George, and the faaaabulous Marcellas Reynolds! EW has learned that CBS will air an all-star version of Big Brother when it returns for a seventh season this summer. In the current issue of EW, we say who we'd like to see back in the hot tub this summer, but for the first time ever fans will get to choose who participates in the game from a pool of 20 former houseguests (BB6's Kaysar Ridha, stay by your phone!). CBS has yet to announce how or when voting will occur.

So far, the basic rules will remain unchanged for the all-star version: One by one, the houseguests will vote each other out of the house and at the end of three months, the last remaining houseguest will receive $500,000. And yes, Julie Chen will return as host.'

entertainment Weekly, 11/04/06.

BB Australia.

Sanitised Big Brother? True!
Sandra McLean

THE producers of Big Brother 2006 have promised to curtail last year's headline-making acts involving exposure, nudity and bullying – but they won't rule out they won't happen.

"Things happen in the Big Brother house that cause a lot of publicity but we never plan them," said Kris Noble, executive producer of the Channel 10 reality series that returns for a new season on April 23 at 7.30pm.

"We never set out to be controversial and we don't want to break the rules but we want to be entertaining.

"We have to pop our heads out the window and see what the temperature is. We have very healthy debates on what we can and can't show. But you put a bunch of people in the house and after that it is a matter of chemistry."

Mr Noble said the show wanted to abide by the rules set down by the Australian Media and Communications Authority.

"We have given people in the control room extra training on public opinions on sexual harassment and bullying and just what can and cannot be allowed to be shown," he said. "We have also briefed the housemates and told them they just can't do what they like."

But last year the pictures did go to air, including a particularly offensive scene where a male contestant exposed his ***** while massaging a female "inmate" of the house. These scenes caused a political ruckus with Coalition MPs, including Christopher Pyne, parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Ageing and Health, describing Big Brother Uncut as "crass, ghastly and inappropriate". AMCA ruled last year that three episodes of Big Brother Uncut contained material that exceeded the MA15+ classification standard.

Earlier this year AMCA issued a veiled warning to Big Brother when it vowed to sharpen up its investigations into risque television programming.

This year's Big Brother will feature 14 housemates. Two of the housemates are from Queensland. Their identities will be secret until they enter the house on April 23.

Big Brother has already evicted one of the housemates before they even crossed the threshold at the show's Dreamworld base. The potential housemate was evicted for giving false information.

This is ironic as Channel 10 has made a habit of spreading rumours about the nature of the housemates and the tone of this year's show.

Some of the rumours include plans to televise a housemate giving birth "live", a stunt attempted in Holland.

Another rumour is that a former nun has been cast as one of this year's housemates. "I can say that each year we do have a lot of people audition for the show who are very religious," Mr Noble said.

"They see there is a way to keep their faith and do Big Brother.

"We have had nuns audition before and priests. I will not say if there is a nun amongst this year's housemates or not – it has to be a surprise on the night."

The Courier, 15/04/06.

"We have had nuns audition before and priests. I will not say if there is a nun amongst this year's housemates or not – it has to be a surprise on the night."


Won't be a surprize now ..haha

Nun may join Big Bro house

IT'S less than a week before the next series of Big Brother starts on Channel 10, like it or loathe it.

On the show's official website there are several rumours about exactly what is going to happen in the house this year.
Two of the more interesting ones are that a nun will enter the house and the Australian Big Brother will have an exchange with the British Big Brother house.

Herald Sun, 17/04/06.

BB Belguim.

There are 4 free live feeds to choose from.

They are here.

The BB6 Australia website gets launched for the new series

It's here.

Back better than ever

Welcome back to the BB website for series 06. With less than a week to go until the series kicks off (this Sunday at 7.30pm on TEN) we are gearing up for what promises to be the best BB series ever!
The website team is ready to once again give you 24/7 coverage of the House and everything BB related. While you can expect daily news stories and the same up-to-the-minute reporting from the new and improved BB diary, this year we are taking a giant leap forward with our live streaming and video-on-demand coverage.

The new Big Brother Premium section will give website members the option to pay for the ultimate BB website experience including:

- unlimited streaming from the House

- loads of daily highlight packages of all the best action in the House

- exclusive web access the to the Adults Only area of the website

- behind-the-scenes footage, TV out-takes and other exclusive video

- an exclusive Premium forum and exclusive Premium member competitions

For those not wanting to pay the extra cash for Premium (or not able to due to the age restrictions) you will still be able to access limited free streaming from the House as well as regular video highlights. You'll also be able to access all your old favourites such as the forums, trivia and housemate profiles.

We've got plenty of other surprises up our sleeves which will be revealed in the coming weeks, but you'll just have to sit tight to see what they are.

BB Australia.

BB Australia is now live. It is being discussed here.

BB USA.

"Big Brother 7: All Stars," hosted by Julie Chen, premieres Thursday, July 6, at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

TV Week.

BB USA

CBS has revealed additional details about its upcoming Big Brother 7: All-Stars series, announcing that it will reveal the identities of the twenty former houseguests that viewers will be able to vote into this summer's house during a casting special that it will broadcast on Wednesday, June 21 at 8PM ET/PT.
Dubbed Brother All-Stars: America's Choice, the special will feature interviews with each of the former houseguests, during which they will state their cases as to why they feel viewers should vote them onto Big Brother 7: All-Stars' cast. According to Daily Variety, all twenty former houseguests have already been informed of their finalist status ...

Reality TV World, 16/05/06.

BB Nigeria comes to an end.

AFTER 91 days, the premier prime-time reality television show in Nigeria- Big Brother Nigeria (BBN)- came to a fitting climax on Sunday, June 4. At the end, 26-year-old Katung Aduwak, a political science graduate from Kaduna State, walked away with the prize money of $100,000 (about N14 million) and a giant plasma TV set.

BBN is a Nigerian variant of the Big Brother show which had been shot in South Africa and the United Kingdom with a wide audience spread over 70 countries worldwide. The Nigerian edition was beamed to African audience by its promoters on digital satellite television, popularly called DSTV.

In many ways, BBN had certain uniqueness. It was the first time it was being shot in Nigeria. And it had a cast of 14 as against the traditional cast of 12 in other Big Brother shows. Again, it was the first Big Brother show that has received international rating as the most conservative in the sense that it did not assault the moral sensibilities of many.

Though the BBN was produced for adult audience, it grabbed the fancy and passion of both the young and the old, thus throwing up the challenge of viewer discretion for many families.

Essentially, it was conceived to promote our Nigerianness, foster unity, self worth and self-discovery. It achieved all and even much more. From the testimonies of the participants- seven male, seven female- the BBN provided them a platform to imbibe the virtues of patience, sincerity, self-esteem, team-work, people management skills and much more ...

allafrica, con, 08/06/06.