Big Brother (franchise)

Big Brother a reality television show. In each series, which lasts for around three months, a number of people (normally fewer than fifteen at any one time) live together full-time in the "Big Brother House", isolated from the outside world but under the continuous gaze of television cameras. The roommates try to win a cash prize by avoiding periodic, usually publicly-voted, evictions from the house. The idea for "Big Brother" came during a brainstorm session at the production house of John de Mol Produkties (an independent part of Endemol) on Thursday, September 4, 1997. The first Big Brother broadcast was in the Netherlands in 1999 on the Veronica TV channel. It has been a prime-time hit in almost 70 different countries. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which Big Brother is the leader of the dystopian Oceania.

Format

Though each country has made its own adaptations and changes to the format, the general concept has stayed the same: "housemates" are confined to a specially designed house where their every action is recorded by cameras and microphones at all times, and the housemates are not permitted any contact with the outside world. In most versions, at regular intervals, normally once weekly (although in most early series it was every two weeks), the public is invited to vote to have one of a number of nominated housemates evicted from the House. In some cases, two housemates may be evicted simultaneously (a "double eviction"), or rarely, no housemates will be removed for that week. At the end of the game, the last remaining housemate is declared winner of that particular series, and receives prizes; often including a large amount of money, a car, a holiday, and in some editions, a house.

From a sociological perspective, this format can be analyzed to see how people react when brought into contact to and forced into close confinement with people who lie outside their "comfort zone", since they may hold different opinions from other contestants, express different ideals, or simply be from a different group of people that a contestant is used to. The format is ideally suited because the viewer sees how a person reacts on the outside through the constant recording of their actions, and also what they feel on the inside through the Diary Room. The results can often result in violent or angry confrontations, providing entertainment to a paying public.

Besides living together under continuous observation, which is the major attraction of the contest, the program relies on four basic props: the stripped-bare back-to-basics environment in which they live, the evictions, the weekly tasks set by Big Brother, and the "Diary Room", in which the housemates individually convey their thoughts, feelings, frustrations and their eviction nominees.

In the first of most Big Brother seasons, the House that the housemates had to live in for the duration of the competition was very basic. Although essential amenities such as running water, furniture and a limited ration of food were provided, luxury items were often forbidden. This added an element of survival into the show, thus increasing the potential for tensions within the house. Now almost every country has a modern house for the contest, with a jacuzzi, a sauna, a VIP suite, a loft, and other luxuries.

The housemates are required to do any housework as they see fit, and are set tasks by the producers of the show, who communicate with the housemates via the omnipresent authority figure known only to them as "Big Brother". The tasks set are designed to test their team-working abilities and community spirit, and in some countries the housemates' shopping budget or weekly allowance often depends on the outcome of any set tasks. The housemates have a weekly allowance with which they can buy food and other essentials.

At regular intervals, the housemates each privately nominate a number of fellow housemates that they wish to see evicted from the house. The housemates with the most nomination points are then announced, and viewers are given the opportunity to vote for whom they wish to see evicted. After the votes are tallied, the "evictee" leaves the house and is interviewed live by the host of the show, usually in front of a live studio audience.

The series is notable for involving the Internet. Although the show typically broadcasts daily updates in the evening, sometimes criticized for its heavy editing, viewers can also watch a continuous, 24-hour feed from multiple cameras on the web. These websites were highly successful, even after some national series started charging for access to the video stream. In some countries, the Internet broadcasting was supplemented by updates via email, WAP and SMS. The House is even shown live on satellite television, although in some countries (such as the UK) with a 10-15 minute delay, to allow libelous or unacceptable content — such as references to people who are not taking part in the program and have therefore not consented to have personal information about them broadcast — to be removed.

Despite derision from many intellectuals and other critics, the show has been a commercial success around the world. More generally, the voyeuristic nature of the show, where contestants volunteer to surrender their privacy in return for minor celebrity status and a comparatively small cash prize, has attracted much scorn. On numerous occasions, participants in the various series have become sexually involved with each other, sometimes engaging in intercourse in front of Big Brother's cameras. This recordered material typically not broadcast due to its explicit nature, as with the case of the British and American editions. Other editions, however, such as the German version, do. The Internet stream also captures such moments. This had led to some controversy with some jurisdictions such as Greece attempting to have the show removed from the airwaves.

Most international versions of the show remain quite similar to each other in that their main format remains true to the original fly on the wall, observational style, with the emphasis being on human relationships. This is carried out to the extent of where contestants are forbidden from discussing nominations or voting strategy altogether. The U.S. version, however, has since 2001 taken on a significantly different format from the others, with a far stronger emphasis on strategy, competition and voting.

Isolation of housemates

The housemates are, for the most part, isolated within the house. They are allowed no access to television, radio or the Internet, and are not allowed any form of communications with the outside world, or other media. In some shows, even books and writing material are not permitted, with the exception of religious materials such as the Bible or Quran.

Contestants are not completely isolated. They have regular scheduled interactions with the show's host, and throughout each day the program's producer, via the "Big Brother" voice, instructs the contestants in various matters, and sometimes issues tasks and commands them to take certain actions. Private chats with a psychologist are allowed at any time, often by means of a telephone in the Diary Room.

Variations in the format

Location of different versions of Big Brother

• There are five special pan-regional versions of Big Brother. All these follow the normal Big Brother rules with the exception that contestants must come from each of the different countries in the region where it airs:
  • Africa: Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • Balkans: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania
  • Middle East: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria and Tunisia.
  • Pacific: Chile, Ecuador and Peru.
  • Scandinavia: Norway and Sweden.

• In the third UK series, Big Brother set live tasks for the housemate on a Saturday night in order to win treats. This format was discontinued in the fifth series due to poor ratings. This format has been used in Australia in the form of Friday Night Live.
• The fifth UK edition introduced the "Evil" touch, whereby the character of Big Brother became almost a villain. Big Brother was establishing punishments and was proposing hard tasks and secret tricks. This was also seen in Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Pacific, Scandinavia, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, Philippines, and Mexico.
• The sixth UK series introduced secret missions where housemate would be able to win luxuries if they completed a secret task set by Big Brother.
• In the seventh UK series, Big Brother became "twisted". Every week, housemates mental states were put to the test as Big Brother tried to break them. As a result of this many housemates broke down and one even threatened to commit suicide.
• The eighth UK Series saw an all-female house however 3 days later 1 male housemate entered
• The UK series always opens with a twist which have included First Night Nominations (BB4), Transexual entrances and Suit Case Nominations (BB5), Unlucky Housemate 13 (BB6), Big Brother Hood and a person suffering From Tourette's (BB7), an all-female House and twins' entrance (BB8), Jackie Stallone rumored to be entering(CBB3), entrance of a non-celebrity in a celebrity edition (CBB4) Jade Goody's family announced to be visiting. (CBB5). Many countries have followed these opening night twists such as Australia and the United States.
• The fifth UK edition introduced "Fake evictions" where one or two housemates are "evicted"; however, unbeknownst to the housemates, they have in fact not been evicted. The housemate/s usually are put into a secret house where numerous twists happen. In the eighth UK Series one housemate was evicted, interviewed, and then sent straight back into the house. The housemates in the house got to see everything live, though.
• In France and Canada, the format has been developed using couples. Twelve single people stay in the same house until only the winning couple are left.
• Big Brother USA currently uses a different set of rules that began with the second season (the first season used the traditional format). Nominations are done by one houseguest, the Head of Household (HoH) and the houseguests vote for which nominee to evict, not the viewers. The third season introduced the Power of Veto, where a houseguest can save a nominee causing the Head of Household to name a replacement nominee. It's been adapted in Brazil and Africa and since then some countries modified their nominations rules.
• The eighth American season, introduced "America's Player", a houseguest that is given assignments, unknown to the other houseguests, through votes from the viewing public. Included in the public voting is which nominated houseguest America's Player should vote off and campaign to get evicted.
• The third Dutch edition introduced the notion of "The Battle", in which the house is separated into a luxurious half and a poor half, with two teams of housemates constantly fighting for time in the luxurious half. Separated houses have also been used in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Scandinavia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Australia, Italy, Philippines and Mexico added punishment zones to their houses.
• In 2004, the fifth German edition was the first version to run for 365 days consecutively. In this season, the contestants were separated into three teams (rich, regular, survivor) and equivalent living areas. The ultimate winner got a prize of 1,000,000 €.
• Also in Germany a new version of the show started: Big Brother - Das Dorf (Big Brother - The Village). It was the sixth season and started the same day season 5 ended. This was the first version supposed to run for years (without a predetermined end). It was set in a small artificial village including a church tower, a marketplace, 3 houses, 3 working areas (farm, car garage, dressmaking and later a small hotel, where celebrities from the real world could move into), a matcharena, a pub and a fitness room. The season ended after 363 days in February 2006 because of low ratings. In season seven RTL II switched back to a traditional version.
• The Voice Graph system in BB Argentina, BB Australia & BB Germany.
• The fourth Greek season introduced a new element: the mother. In Big Mother nine housemates take part in the game with their mothers, with whom they must coexist during the contest. The "mamas" were not able to win the prize but they would stay with their children until their eviction. However, this proved to be a failure with the show's audience and the show switched back to the traditional Big Brother format in mid-season. This concept is now being used in the second Philippine teen edition, but in this case, the housemates' guardians are not necessarily mothers and they will stay for a limited amount of time.
• Introduced in the fifth season of the American series, several countries have included twins, and in some cases triplets, in their shows. Series that have used Housemates who are twins or triplets are:
  • USA, 2004, Adria Montgomery-Klein and Natalie Montgomery-Carroll, 7th (Natalie) and 8th (Adria) Evicted, Used Name: "Adria".
  • Australia, 2005, David and Greg Matthew, 14th Evicted (David) and Winner (Greg, although the prize money was split), Used Name: "Logan" (Middle name of both Twins).
  • Bulgaria, 2006, Lyubov, Nadejda, and Vyara Stancheva, 7th (Nadejda) and 9th (Vyara) Evicted, Winner (Lyubov), Used Name: "Vyara".
  • UK, 2007, Amanda and Sam Marchant, 2nd Place (Both were treated separately until Day 68 when they became one).
  • France, 2007, Marjorie, Cyrielle and Johanna Bluteau, Winners (They competed as a team).
  • Spain, 2007, Conchi and Pamela De Los Santos, 2nd Place, Used Name: "Rosa".
  • Poland, 2007, Aneta and Martyna Bielecka, 4th Evicted (They were discovered as twins), Used Name: "Martyna".

Special editions of Big Brother

Big Brother VIP / Celebrity Big Brother

The Big Brother format has been adapted in some countries in that the housemates are locally known celebrities. These shows are called Celebrity Big Brother or Big Brother VIP, depending on where the series is. In some countries, the prize money normally awarded to the winning housemate is donated to a charity, and all celebrities are paid to appear in the show as long as they do not voluntarily leave before their eviction or the end of the series. The rest of the format rules are almost the same as the ones from the original version, although in many occasions they are not so strict due to the exceptional character of the program. The series has been a prime-time hit in many countries and was aired for the first time in 2000, in the Netherlands.

• A second variant appeared in the Netherlands in 2006: Hotel Big Brother. A group of celebrity hoteliers and a Big Boss run a hotel, collecting money for charity without nominations, evictions or winner.

• A third variant appeared in the UK in early 2008: Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack, replacing the 2008 edition of Celebrity Big Brother. Instead of the celebrities playing the role of housemates, the celebrities in fact become Big Brother himself. The celebrities create tasks, hold nominations, etc. with the help of Big Brother. The housemates of the show are considered by the producers "Britain's most exceptional and extraordinary" 18-21 year olds. The prize for the winner of the series was £50,000.

Other editions

The Big Brother format has been extensively modified in some countries, most often to the point where the housemates are either teenagers or housemates from previous seasons. The winners of these seasons are often eligible to win the prize for themselves, unlike most of the celebrity edition versions.

• Big Brother: Ty wybierasz (Big Brother: You Decide - Poland, season 1: 13 days; season 2: 7 days). A group of people -10 in season 1 and 6 in season 2- living together and competing for a pair of spots in the next regular season. It was made before the first two main Big Brother seasons. Without nominations or evictions.
• Big Brother, Tilbake I Huset (Big Brother, Back In The House - Norway, 9 days). The BB1 Norway housemates living together again. They also welcome 4 new housemates, who are competing for a spot in the next regular season. Without nominations or evictions.
• Big Brother Stjärnveckan (Big Brother, Week Of Stars - Sweden, 6 days); Big Brother, Reality All Star (Denmark, 32 days). Season with contestants from several reality shows, including Big Brother.
• Big Brother Panto (United Kingdom, 11 days). Housemate from previous series spent time in the Big Brother House in order to perform a pantomime at the end of the series.
• Teen Big Brother (United Kingdom, 10 days; Philippines, 42 days). Teenage housemates competing in a BB house.
• Big Brother: All-Stars (Belgium, 21 days; United States, 72 days). Big Brother where all the housemates come from previous seasons of the contest.
• Veliki Brat: Generalna Proba (Big Brother Try Out - Serbia, 7 days). Twelve Serbian contestants competing for a spot in the next Big Brother Balkans season. Without nominations or evictions.
• Big Brother: The Housemates Strike Back (Bulgaria). Big Brother brought together Housemates from all Big Brother and VIP Brother seasons in Bulgaria and gave them their last task - to destroy the House. The new Housemates will be living in a new one.

Also, there are a series of pre-seasons with the only objective of testing the house. A group of celebrities or journalists living together in the house during a few days. No competition nor winner. It has been made in Argentina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Pacific, Philippines, Spain and many other countries. In some cases, it is not broadcast) eg UK .

Big Brother series

Region/Country	Local Title	Network	Winners	Main Presenters
African Continent	Big Brother Africa	M-Net E4 (UK)	Season 1, 2003: Cherise Makubale Season 2, 2007: Richard Dyle Bezuidenhout Season 3, 2008: Upcoming season	Mark Pilgrim (2003) Kabelo "KB" Ngakane (2007)
Albania	Big Brother	Top Channel	Season 1, 2008: Current season	Arbana Osmani
Argentina	Gran Hermano	Telefe	Season 1, 2001: Marcelo Corazza Season 2, 2001: Roberto Parra Season 3, 2002-2003: Viviana Colmenero Season 4, 2007: Marianela Mirra Season 5, 2007: Esteban Morais Season 6, 2009: Upcoming Season	Soledad Silveira (2001-2003) Jorge Rial (2007)
	Gran Hermano Famosos		Season 1, 2007: Diego Leonardi
Australia	Big Brother Australia	Network Ten TV 2 (New Zealand)	Season 1, 2001: Ben Williams Season 2, 2002: Peter Corbett Season 3, 2003: Regina Bird Season 4, 2004: Trevor Butler Season 5, 2005: The Logan Twins Season 6, 2006: Jamie Brooksby Season 7, 2007: Aleisha Cowcher Season 8, 2008: Upcoming Season	Gretel Killeen (2001-2007) Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O (2008-)
	Celebrity Big Brother	Network Ten	Season 1, 2002: Dylan Lewis
Belgium	Big Brother	Kanaal Twee	Season 1, 2000: Steven Spillebeen Season 2, 2001: Ellen Dufour Season 3, 2002: Kelly Vandevenne Season 4, 2003: Kristof van Camp Season 5, 2006: Kirsten Janssens Season 6, 2007: Diana Ferrante	Walter Grootaers
	Big Brother VIPs	VTM Kanaal Twee	Season 1, 2001: Sam Gooris Season 2, 2006: Pim Symoens
	Big Brother All Stars	Kanaal Twee	Season 1, 2003: Heidi Zutterman
Brazil	Big Brother Brasil	Rede Globo	Season 1, 2002: Kléber de Paula Season 2, 2002: Rodrigo Leonel Fraga Season 3, 2003: Dhomini Ferreira Season 4, 2004: Cida da Silva Season 5, 2005: Jean Wyllys Season 6, 2006: Mara Viana Season 7, 2007: Diego Bissolati Gasques Season 8, 2008: Rafael Ribeiro Season 9, 2009: Upcoming season	Pedro Bial
Bulgaria	Big Brother	NTV	Season 1, 2004-2005: Zdravko Vasilev Season 2, 2005: Miroslav Atanasov Season 3, 2006: Lyubov Stancheva Season 4, 2008: Upcoming season	Niki Kunchev (2004-) and Evelina Pavlova (2004-2005)
	VIP Brother	NTV	Season 1, 2006: Konstantin Slavov Season 2, 2007: Hristina Stefanova Season 3, 2008: Upcoming season	Niki Kunchev (2006-) and Evelina Pavlova (2006).
Canada	Loft Story	TQS	Season 1, 2003: Julie Lemay & Samuel Tissot Season 2, 2006: Mathieu Baron & Stéphanie Bélanger Season 3, 2006: Jean-Philippe Anwar & Kim Rusk Season 4, 2007: Mathieu Surprenant Season 5, 2008: Upcoming season	Virginie Coossa
Colombia	Gran Hermano	Caracol TV	Season 1, 2003: Mónica Tejón	Adriana Arango Carlos Calero
Croatia	Big Brother	RTL	Season 1, 2004: Saša Tkalčević Season 2, 2005: Hamdija Seferović Season 3, 2006: Danijel Rimanić Season 4, 2007: Vedran Lovrenčić	Daria Knez (2004) Antonija Blaće (2005-2007)
	Celebrity Big Brother	RTL	Season 1, 2008: Danijela Dvornik	Antonija Blaće
Czech Republic	Big Brother	TV NOVA	Season 1, 2005: David Šín	Eva Aichmajerová, Lejla Abbasová and Leoš Mareš
Denmark	Big Brother	TV Danmark	Season 1, 2001: Jill Liv Nielsen Season 2, 2001: Carsten B. Berthelsen Season 3, 2003: Johnni Madsen	Lisbeth Janniche
	Big Brother VIP	TV Danmark	Season 1, 2003: Thomas Bickham
	Big Brother All Stars	TV Danmark	Season 1, 2004: Jill Liv Nielsen
Ecuador	Gran Hermano	Ecuavisa	Season 1, 2003: David Burbano
Finland	Big Brother Suomi	Sub	Season 1, 2005: Perttu Sirviö Season 2, 2006: Sari Nygren Season 3, 2007: Sauli Koskinen Season 4, 2008: Upcoming Season	Vappu Pimiä (2005-) Mari Kakko (2005-2006) Janne Kataja (2007-)
France	Loft Story	M6	Season 1, 2001: Christophe Mercy & Loana Petrucciani Season 2, 2002: Karine Delgado & Thomas Saillofest	Benjamin Castaldi
	Secret Story	TF1	Season 1, 2007: Marjorie, Cyrielle and Johanna Bluteau ("Les Triplées") Season 2, 2008: Upcoming season
Germany	Big Brother	RTL RTL II Tele5 Premiere 9Live	Season 1, 2000: John Milz Season 2, 2000: Alida Kurras Season 3, 2001: Karina Schreiber Season 4, 2003: Jan Geilhufe Season 5, 2004-2005: Sascha Sirtl Season 6, 2005-2006: Michael Knopf Season 7, 2007: Michael Carstensen Season 8, 2008: Current Season	Percy Hoven (2000) Sophie Rosentreter (2000) Oliver Geißen (2000-2001) Aleks Bechtel (2000-2003) Ruth Moschner (2004-2005) Oliver Petszokat (2004-2006) Charlotte Karlinder (2007 - 2008) Jürgen Milski (2007 - 2008) Miriam Pielhau (2008)
Greece and Cyprus	Big Brother	ANT1	Season 1, 2001: Giorgos Triantafyllidis Season 2, 2002: Alexandros Moskhos Season 3, 2003: Thodores Jspógloy Season 4, 2005: Nikos Papadopoulos	Andreas Mikroutsikos (2001-2002) Tatiana Stefanidou (2005)
Hungary	Big Brother Nagy Testvér	TV2	Season 1, 2002: Éva Párkányi Season 2, 2003: Zsófi Horváth	Claudia Liptai Attila Till
	Big Brother VIP	TV2	Season 1, 2003: Zolee Ganxsta
Italy	Grande Fratello	Canale 5 Sky (Live) Mediaset Premium (Live) TRE Italia (Live on Mobile)	Season 1, 2000: Cristina Plevani Season 2, 2001: Flavio Montrucchio Season 3, 2003: Floriana Secondi Season 4, 2004: Serena Garitta Season 5, 2005: Jonathan Kashanian Season 6, 2006: Augusto De Megni Season 7, 2007: Milo Coretti Season 8, 2008: Mario Ferretti	Daria Bignardi (2000-2001) Barbara D'Urso (2003-2004) Alessia Marcuzzi (2006-)
India	Bigg Boss	SET	Season 1, 2006-2007: Rahul Roy Season 2, 2008: Upcoming season	Arshad Warsi
Mexico	Big Brother México	Televisa	Season 1, 2002: Rocío Cárdenas Season 2, 2003: Silvia Irabien Season 3, 2005: Evelyn Nieto	Adela Micha (2002-2003) Verónica Castro (2005)
	Big Brother VIP	Televisa	Season 1, 2002: Galilea Montijo Season 2, 2003: Omar Chaparro Season 3.1, 2004: Eduardo Videgaray Season 3.2, 2004: Roxanna Castellanos Season 4, 2005: Sasha Sökol	Víctor Trujillo (2002) Verónica Castro (2003-2005)
Middle East	Big Brother الرئيس	MBC	Season 1, 2004: Discontinued
Netherlands	Big Brother	Veronica (1999-2000) Yorin (2001-2002) Talpa (2005-2006)	Season 1, 1999: Bart Spring in 't Veld Season 2, 2000: Bianca Hagenbeek Season 3, 2001: Sandy Boots Season 4, 2002: Jeanette Godefroy Season 5, 2005: Joost Hoebink Season 6, 2006: Jeroen Visser	Rolf Wouters (1999) Daphne Deckers (1999) Esther Duller (2000) Beau Van Erven Doren (2000) Patty Brard (2001) Martijn Krabbé (2002) Ruud de Wild (2005) Bridget Maasland (2005-2006)
	Big Brother VIPs	Veronica (2000) Talpa (2006)	Season 1, 2000: No winner Season 2, 2006: No winner	Caroline Tensen (2006)
Nigeria	Big Brother Nigeria	M-Net	Season 1, 2006: Katung Aduwak	Olisa Adibua & Michelle Dede
Norway	Big Brother Norge	TVN	Season 1, 2001: Lars Joakim Ringom Season 2, 2002: Veronica Agnes Roso Season 3, 2003: Eva Lill Baukhol	Arve Juritzen (2001-02) Trygve Rønningen (2003)
	Big Brother: Tilbake I Huset	TVN	Season 1, 2001: Leena Brekke
Pacific Region	Gran Hermano del Pacífico	Telesistema (Ecuador) RedTV (Chile) ATV (Peru)	Season 1, 2005: Juan Sebastián López	Álvaro García
Philippines	Pinoy Big Brother	ABS-CBN	Season 1, 2005: Nene Tamayo Season 2, 2007: Beatriz Saw Season 3, 2008: Upcoming Season	Willie Revillame (2005) Toni Gonzaga
	Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition	ABS-CBN	Season 1, 2006: Keanna Reeves Season 2, 2007-08: Ruben Gonzaga
	Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition	ABS-CBN	Season 1, 2006: Kim Chiu Season 2, 2008: Current Season	Mariel Rodriguez (2006) Toni Gonzaga & Luis Manzano (2008)
Poland	Big Brother	TVN (2001-2002) TV4 (2007-present)	Season 1, 2001: Janusz Dzięcioł Season 2, 2001: Marzena Wieczorek Season 3, 2002: Piotr Borucki Season 4.1, 2007: Jolanta Rutowicz Season 5, 2008: Current season	Martyna Wojciechowska (2001-2002) Grzegorz Miecugow (2001) Andrzej Sołtysik (2001-2002) Karina Kunkiewicz (2007) Kuba Klawiter (2007-2008) Małgorzata Kosik (2008)
	Big Brother: Ty wybierasz	TVN	Season 1, 2001: Małgorzata Maier & Sebastian Florek Season 2, 2001: Barbara Knap & Jakub Jankowski	Martyna Wojciechowska Grzegorz Miecugow
	Big Brother VIP	TV4	Season 1, 2008: Jarek Jakimowicz	Kuba Klawiter Małgorzata Kosik
Portugal	Big Brother	TVI	Season 1, 2000-2001: Zé Maria Seleiro Season 2, 2001: Henrique Guimarães Season 3, 2001: Catarina Cabral Season 4, 2003: Nando Geraldes Season 5, 2008-2009: Upcoming Season	Teresa Guilherme
	Big Brother Famosos	TVI	Season 1, 2002: Ricardo Vieira Season 2, 2002: Vítor Norte
Romania	Big Brother	Prima TV	Season 1, 2003: Soso Joi Season 2, 2004: Iustin Popovici	Andreea Raicu Virgil Ianțu
Russia	большой брат	TNT	Season 1, 2005: Anastasia Yagaylova	Ingeboga Dapkunaite
Scandinavian Peninsula	Big Brother	Kanal5 (Sweden) TVN (Norway)	Season 1, 2005: Britt Goodwin Season 2, 2006: Jessica Lindgren	Brita Møystad Engseth (Norway) Adam Alsing (Sweden) (2005)
Second Life	Big Brother Second Life	World Wide Web	Season 1, 2006: Madlen Flint
Slovakia	Big Brother Súboj	TV Markíza	Season 1, 2005: Richard Tkáč
Slovenia	Big Brother	Kanal A	Season 1, 2007: Andrej Novak Season 2, 2008: Current Season	Nina Osenar
South Africa	Big Brother South Africa	M-Net	Season 1, 2001: Ferdinand Rabie Season 2, 2002: Richard Cawood	Mark Pilgrim Gerry Rantseli
	Celebrity Big Brother	M-Net	Season 1, 2002: Bill Flynn
Spain	Gran Hermano	Telecinco	Season 1, 2000: Ismael Beiro Season 2, 2001: Sabrina Mahi Season 3, 2002: Javito García Season 4, 2002-2003: Pedro Oliva Season 5, 2003-2004: Nuria Yáñez Season 6, 2004: Juan José Rocamora Season 7, 2005-2006: Pepe Herrero Season 8, 2006: Naiala Melo Season 9, 2007: Judit Iglesias Season 10, 2008: Upcoming Season	Mercedes Milá (2000-2001, 2002-present) Pepe Navarro (2002)
	Gran hermano VIP	Telecinco	Season 1, 2004: Marlene Mourreau Season 2, 2005: Ivonne Armand	Jesús Vázquez
Sweden	Big Brother Sverige	Kanal5	Season 1, 2000: Angelica Freij Season 2, 2002: Ulrica Andersson Season 3, 2003: Danne Sörensen Season 4, 2004: Carolina Gynning	Adam Alsing Viktoria Tolstoy
	Big Brother Stjärnveckan	Kanal5	Season 1, 2002: Anki Lundberg (Baren)
Switzerland	Big Brother Schweiz	TV3	Season 1, 2000: Daniela Kanton Season 2, 2001: Christian Ponleitner	Daniel Fohrler (2000) Karin Lanz (2000) Eva Wannemacher (2001) Yves Schifferle (2001)
Thailand	Big Brother Thailand	iTV	Season 1, 2005: Nipon Perktim Season 2, 2006: Arisa Sonthirod	Saranyu Vonkarjun
United Kingdom	Big Brother	Channel 4 Channel 4 +1 S4C (Wales) E4 M-Net (Africa) TVN Lingua (Poland)	Series 1, 2000: Craig Phillips Series 2, 2001: Brian Dowling Series 3, 2002: Kate Lawler Series 4, 2003: Cameron Stout Series 5, 2004: Nadia Almada Series 6, 2005: Anthony Hutton Series 7, 2006: Pete Bennett Series 8, 2007: Brian Belo Series 9, 2008: Upcoming Series	Davina McCall
	Celebrity Big Brother	BBC One Channel 4 E4 S4C (Wales)	Series 1, 2001: Jack Dee Series 2, 2002: Mark Owen Series 3, 2005: Bez Berry Series 4, 2006: Chantelle Houghton Series 5, 2007: Shilpa Shetty Series 6, 2009: Upcoming series
	Teen Big Brother	Channel 4 E4 S4C	Series 1, 2003: Paul Brennan	Dermot O'Leary
	Panto Big Brother	Channel 4 E4 S4C (Wales)	Series 1, 2004: No Winner	Jeff Brazier
	Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack	E4 Channel 4 Channel 4 +1 S4C (Wales)	Series 1, 2008: John Loughton	Dermot O'Leary
United States	Big Brother	CBS Global (Canada) E4 (UK)	Season 1, 2000: Eddie McGee Season 2, 2001: Will Kirby Season 3, 2002: Lisa Donahue Season 4, 2003: Jun Song Season 5, 2004: Drew Daniel Season 6, 2005: Maggie Ausburn Season 8, 2007: Dick Donato Season 9, 2008: Current season Season 10, 2008: Upcoming season	Julie Chen
	Big Brother: All-Stars	CBS Global (Canada)	Season 7, 2006: Mike "Boogie" Malin
Western Balkans	Veliki brat	Pink BH (Bosnia-Herzegovina) Pink M (Montenegro) B92 (Serbia)	Season 1, 2006: Ivan Ljuba Season 2, 2007: Stopped Season 3, 2009: Upcoming season	Marijana Mićić Ana Mihajlovski Irina Radović Milan Kalinić
	Veliki brat Proba	B92	Season 1, 2006: Jelena Provči & Marko Miljković
	Veliki brat VIP	Pink BH (Bosnia-Herzegovina) Pink M (Montenegro) B92 (Serbia)	Season 1, 2007: Saša Ćurčić Season 2, 2008: Mirjana Đurović

Housemate exchange

When two seasons in different countries are taking place simultaneously, housemates are sometimes temporarily exchanged between them.

Big Brother series	Housemates involved	Year	Duration
BB1 Mexico swapped with GH3 Spain	Eduardo Ozorco 'El Doc' swapped with Andrés Barreiro 'Ness'	2002	7 days
GH3 Argentina swapped with GH4 Spain	Eduardo Carrera swapped with Inmaculada González	2003	7 days
GH1 Ecuador swapped with BB2 Mexico	Álvaro swapped with Eduardo Enríquez	2003	7 days
BB1 Africa swapped with BB4 UK	Gaetano Juko Kagwa swapped with Cameron Stout	2003	4 Days
BB2 Scandinavia swapped with BB2 Thailand	Anton Granlund swapped with Boo	2006	7 Days
PBB2 Philippines swapped with BB1 Slovenia	Bruce Quebral swapped with Tina Semolič	2007	5 days
GH5 Argentina swapped with GH9 Spain	Soledad Melli swapped with Eneko Van Horenbeke	2007	7 days

Ex-Housemate exchange

Big Brother series	Housemates involved	Year
BB4 UK Housemate Visited BB3 Australia	Annouska	2003
VIP2 Mexico swapped with GH5 Spain	Isabel swapped with Aída	2003
BR1 Russia Housemate Visited GH1 Pacific	Ivan swapped with Gianmarco	2005
BB5 UK Housemate Visited BB5 Australia	Nadia	2005
CBB4 UK Housemate Visited BB6 Germany	Chantelle	2006
GH4 Argentina swapped with BB7 Brazil	Pablo swapped with Íris	2007

Big Brother Subtitles

These are some of the subtitles of Big Brother shows around the world. These are not the local title of the show.

Region / Country	Season	Subtitle
Belgium	3	Big Brother Anders
	5	Zero Privacy
	6
Croatia	1	Vidi sve (Sees Everything)
	2	Gola istina (Naked Truth)
	3	Do kraja (To The End)
	4	Bez milosti! (No Mercy!)
Germany	4	The Battle
	6	Das Dorf (The Village)
Greece	3	The Wall
	4	Big Mother
Netherlands	3	The Battle
	VIP 2	Big Brother Hotel
Norway	3	The Wall
Philippines	Teen 2	Plus
Poland	1	Wielki Brat
	2
	3	Bitwa (The Battle)
Portugal	1	O Grande Irmão
	2
	3
Romania	1	Fratele Cel Mare
Serbia	2	Očekuj neočekivano (Expect the Unexpected)
Spain	VIP	El Desafío (The Challenge)
UK	Celebrity 1	In Aid of Comic Relief
	Teen 1	The Experiment
	5	Big Brother Gets Evil
	Celebrity 3
	7	Big Brother Gets Twisted
US	4	The X-Factor
	5	Project DNA - Do Not Assume
	6	Summer Of Secrets
	7	All-Stars
	9	'Til Death Do You Part

Near-copies of Big Brother

There are a number of different formats around the globe that use rules similar to Big Brother, here are the most notable:

• Back To Reality
• Cabin Fever
• Fame Academy
• I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
• Occupation Double
• Protagonistas...
• Taxi Orange
• The Bar
• The Farm
• De Gouden Kooi
• Shattered
• Unan1mous
• Unanimous
• VyVolení
• Za Steklom
• Vanity Lair

Online Versions

Shortly following the initial debut of Big Brother and other major reality shows such as Survivor and The Amazing Race, a multitude of online reality games based on Big Brother surfaced on the web in which fans of the show competed against each other. One person would "host" the game, coming up with challenges, twists, etc., and the players cast for the show would communicate via AIM or some other messaging service and would compete in Veto and Head of Household challenges to earn power, much like on the real show. Player(s) would also be evicted each week just like on the show, until there was just a final 2 players remaining. Then a jury of those players voted off immediately before the Final 2 would vote on the winner of the game to whom the title of Big Brother champion would be awarded. These games were extremely popular in the early days of Big Brother, and though their popularity slowly declined over the years, they are still widely played today along with online reality games based on other reality shows.

Bibliography

• Johnson-woods, Toni (2002). Big Bother: Why Did That Reality TV Show Become Such a Phenomenon?. Australia: University of Queensland Press. p. 256. ISBN 0-7022-3315-3.

Notes

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