Big Brother (franchise)
Big Brother is a Dutch reality competition television franchise created by John de Mol Jr., first broadcast in the Netherlands in 1999, and subsequently syndicated internationally. The show features contestants called "housemates" or "House Guests" who live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world. The name is inspired by Big Brother from George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the housemates are continuously monitored during their stay in the house by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones. Throughout the course of the competition, they are voted out until only one remains and wins the cash prize.
, there have been 448 seasons of Big Brother in over 54 franchise countries and regions. English-language editions of the program are often referred to by its initials "BB". The title of many Spanish-language editions of the program is translated as Gran Hermano.
Premise
At regular intervals, the housemates privately nominate a number of their fellow housemates whom they wish to be evicted from the house. The housemates with the most nominations are then announced, and viewers are given the opportunity to vote via telephone for the nominee they wish to be evicted or saved from eviction. The last person remaining is declared the winner.Some more recent editions have since included additional methods of voting, such as voting through social media and smartphone applications. Occasionally, non-standard votes occur, where two houseguests are evicted at once or no one is voted out. In the earlier series of Big Brother, there were 10 contestants with evictions every two weeks. However, the UK version introduced a larger number of contestants with weekly evictions. Most versions of Big Brother follow the weekly eviction format, broadcast over approximately three months for 16 contestants.
The contestants are required to do housework and are assigned tasks by the producers of the show. The tasks are designed to test their teamwork abilities and community spirit. In some countries, the housemates' shopping budget or weekly allowance depends on the outcome of assigned tasks.
History
Name
The term Big Brother originates from George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, with its theme of continuous oppressive surveillance. The program also relies on other techniques, such as a stripped back-to-basic environment, evictions, weekly tasks and competitions set by Big Brother, and the "Diary Room" where housemates convey their private thoughts to the camera and reveal their nominees for eviction.Creation
The first version of Big Brother was broadcast in 1999 on Veronica in the Netherlands. In the first season of Big Brother, the house 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 a survivalist element to the show, increasing the potential for social tension. Nearly all later series provide a modern house for the contest with a Jacuzzi, sauna, VIP suite, loft, and other luxuries.International expansion
The format has become an international TV franchise. While each country or region has its own variation, the common theme is that the contestants are confined to the house and have their every action recorded by cameras and microphones and that no contact with the outside world is permitted.Most international versions of the show remain quite similar to each other: their main format remains true to the original fly on the wall observational style with the emphasis on human relationships, to the extent that contestants usually are forbidden from discussing nominations or voting strategy. In 2001, the American version adopted a different format since the second season, where the contestants are encouraged to strategize to advance in the game; in this format, the contestants themselves vote to evict each other. Big Brother Canada, introduced in 2013, also follows the American format. In 2011, the UK version controversially adapted the discussion of nominations before reversing this rule after a poll by Big Brother broadcaster Channel 5.
With the cancellation of the UK edition in 2018 and the 2020 rebooted Australian series following the American format, Big Brother Naija is the only English-speaking edition in the franchise that follows the original international format.
Reception
Overview
From a sociological and demographic perspective, Big Brother allows an analysis of how people react when forced into close confinement with people outside of their comfort zone. The viewer has the opportunity to see how a person reacts from the outside and the inside. The Diary Room is where contestants can privately express their feelings about the game, strategy and the other contestants. The results range from violent or angry confrontations to genuine and tender connections.The show is notable for involving the Internet. Although the show typically broadcasts daily updates during the evening, viewers can also watch a continuous feed from multiple cameras on the Web in most countries. These websites were successful, even after some national series began charging for access to the video stream. In some countries, Internet broadcasting was supplemented by updates via email, WAP and SMS. The house is shown live on satellite television, although in some countries there is a 10–15 minutes delay to allow libelous or unacceptable content to be removed.
Contestants occasionally develop sexual relationships; the level of sexual explicitness allowed to be shown in broadcast and Internet-feed varies according to the country's broadcasting standards.
Isolation
Big Brother contestants are isolated in the house, without access to television, radio, or the Internet. They are not permitted routine communication with the outside world. This was an important issue for most earlier series of the show. In more-recent series, contestants are occasionally allowed to view televised events. In most versions of the program, books and writing materials are also forbidden, although exceptions are sometimes made for religious materials such as the Bible, Tanakh or the Qur'an. Some versions ban all writing implements, even items that can be used to write. Despite the housemates' isolation, some contestants are occasionally allowed to leave the house as part of tasks. Contestants are permitted to leave the house in an emergency.News from the outside world may occasionally be given as a reward. Additionally, news of extraordinary events from the outside world may be given to the Housemates if such information is considered important, such notable past examples include that of national election results, the September 11 attacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contestants have regularly-scheduled interactions with the show's host on eviction nights. Throughout each day, the program's producer, in the "Big Brother" voice, issues directives and commands to contestants. Some versions of the show allow private counselling sessions with a psychologist. These are allowed at any time and are often conducted by telephone from the Diary Room.
Format changes and twists
Regional versions
Due to the intelligibility of certain languages across several nations, it has been possible to make regional versions of Big Brother. All of these follow the normal Big Brother rules, except that contestants must come from each of the countries in the region where it airs: Big Brother Albania of Albania and Kosovo, Big Brother Angola e Moçambique of Angola and Mozambique, Big Brother Africa of Africa, of the Middle East, Gran Hermano del Pacífico of South America, Big Brother of Scandinavia and Veliki brat of the Balkans. The British version of the show accepts Irish applicants and was available between 2000 and 2010 as Channel 4 was available; as of 2015 the show returned to Irish screens as TV3 bought the rights from UK broadcaster Channel 5 to air the show.On the other hand, some countries have multiple franchises based on language. India has the most regional-based versions Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam language versions; Canada has French- and English-language versions; and the United States has English- and Spanish-language versions of the show.
Twists involving single franchises
Multiple areas and houses
In 2001, Big Brother 3 of the Netherlands introduced the "Rich and Poor" concept, wherein the house is separated into a luxurious half and a poor half and two teams of housemates compete for a place in the luxurious half. The Dutch version continued this concept until its fourth season. Other versions later followed and introduced a similar concept, of which some have their own twists: Africa, Albania, Australia, Balkan States, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Scandinavia, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom and United States.In 2011–12, the seventh Argentine series added La Casa de al Lado, a smaller, more luxurious house which served multiple functions. The first week it hosted 4 potential housemates, and the public voted for two of them to enter the main house. The second week, two pairs of twins competed in the same fashion, with only one pair allowed in. Later, the 3rd, 4th and 5th evicted contestants were given the choice of staying on their way out and they competed for the public's vote to reenter the house. Months later, after one of the contestants left the house voluntarily, the House Next Door reopened for four contestants who wanted to reenter and had not been in such a playoff before. The House Next Door was also used in other occasions to accommodate contestants from the main house for limited periods of time, especially to have more privacy.
The ninth Brazilian season featured the "Bubble": a glass house in a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro where four potential housemates lived for a week. Later in the season, a bubble was built inside the Big Brother house, with another two housemates living in it for a week until they were voted in and the glass house dismantled. The Glass House was reused in the eleventh season, featuring five evicted housemates competing for a chance to join the house again, and in the thirteenth season, with six potential housemates competing for two places in the main house. A dividing wall from the ninth season was reused in the fourteenth Brazilian season, when mothers and aunts of the housemates entered for International Women's Day and stayed in the house for 6 days, though they could not be seen by the housemates. Every season brings back the glass house. Some editions also featured an all white panic room, where contestants where held until one of them decided to quit the show.
In the fourth English-Canadian season, two house guests were evicted and moved into a special suite where they were able to watch the remaining house guests. A week later, the houseguests were required to unanimously decide which of them to bring back into the house.
Evil Big Brother
In 2004, the fifth UK series introduced a villainous Big Brother with harsher punishments, such as taking away prize money, more difficult tasks and secret tricks. This concept has also been used in Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, South America, Scandinavia, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, Philippines and Mexico.Twin or triplet housemates
In 2004, the fifth US season introduced twins who were tasked with secretly switching back and forth in the house; they were allowed to play the game as individual house guests after succeeding at the deception for four weeks. This twist was reused in the seventeenth US season without the deception element - the pair simply needed survive five weeks without being evicted. HouseGuests who discovered this twist could use the twins to their strategic advantage.This twin or triplet twist was used in several countries. Some made modifications to this twist; others have had twins in the house together without this element of secrecy. The following are the countries that have featured twins or triplets: Australia, Germany, Bulgaria, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Poland, India, Africa, Balkan Region, Philippines, Portugal, Israel, Ukraine, Argentina and Albania.
Pairs competitions
Several versions of the program feature variations of the housemates competing in pairs:- In sixth American season, each HouseGuest had a secret partner with whom had a pre-existing relationship. While each player was nominated and evicted as an individual, each pair had the goal of reaching being the Final 2 HouseGuests remaining. Should a secret pair succeed in this goal, the prize money awarded to the winner and runner-up would jackpot – the winner's prize doubling from $500,000 to $1,000,000 and the runner-up's prize quintupling from $50,000 to $250,000.
- During the tenth week of the seventh UK series, the housemates were paired with their "best friend" in the house and had to nominate and face eviction as couples.
- * The ninth American season added a romantic theme by pairing up the HouseGuests with their "Soulmate" and having them compete as couples. This twist was active for the first 3 weeks of the season.
- * The 13th American season featured a further twist to the pairs format by introducing the "Dynamic Duos" twist, where contestants formed pairs that would be nominated together but evicted separately. The nominee not evicted would be immune from further nomination until there were 10 HouseGuests remaining, at which point the pairs were dissolved.
- The second season of the also featured the parents or guardians of the teens staying in the house; if a teen housemate was evicted, the coinciding parent or guardian would also be evicted. A similar twist was used on the fourth Greek season was dubbed "Big Mother", and featured housemates accompanied by their mothers.
- In the ninth season of Indian Big Brother, "Big Boss: Double Trouble", contestants entered the house tied up in pairs by the waist. They had joint chairs, beds, spoons, and even mugs. The twelfth season of Indian Big Brother "Bigg Boss 12" also featured pairs 'jodis' who were Teacher-Student, Policeman-Lawyer, sister-sister, etc.
- In the ninth Albania season all the housemates wherever were in couples and for the first time in the history of Big Brother, the winner was a couple.
Secret missions
The third Belgian season introduced a mole. This housemate was given secret missions by Big Brother.
The eighth US season introduced "America's Player", where a selected house guest must complete various tasks in secret for the duration of their stay in the house in exchange for a cash reward. It was repeated in the tenth US season for a week. The eleventh US season featured Pandora's Box, in which the winning head of household was tempted to open a box, with unintended consequences for the house. The twelfth US season featured a saboteur, who entered the house to wreak havoc with tasks suggested by viewers. The sixteenth US season featured "Team America", in which 3 houseguests were selected to work as a team to complete tasks for a cash reward; this continued for the entire season despite the eviction of a team member.
The fourth Argentine series added a telephone in the living room. This telephone rang once a week for ten seconds, and the person to pick up the receiver was given an order or news from Big Brother. The order could be beneficial or detrimental, but a refused order resulted in the nomination for eviction. If nobody picked up the call, the whole house would be nominated for eviction.
Opening night twists
Since Big Brother 2, the UK series has opened with a twist. This has included having three finalists ; public voting for least-favourite housemates, with the housemates choosing between two nominees to evict ; first-night nominations ; suitcase nominations ; Unlucky Housemate 13 ; Big Brother Hood ; an all-female house and a set of twins as contestants ; a couple entering as housemates, who must hide their relationship ; housemates having to earn housemate status ; a mole entering the house with an impossible task ; Pamela Anderson entering as a guest for 5 days ; first-night nominations and a public vote for a wildcard to become a housemate ; a professional actor posing as a housemate and a mother and daughter as contestants ; one contestant gets a pass to the final ; first night eviction ; two houses with "the other house" featuring enemies from the main house housemates past ; Jackie Stallone entering a house containing her son's ex-wife Brigitte Nielsen ; a non-celebrity in a celebrity edition ; a visit from Jade Goody's family and unlocked bedrooms allowing housemates to immediately claim beds with the last housemate becoming the Head of House.A common opening twist is to only introduce a cast of a single-sex on the premiere of the show while having members of the opposite sex introduced over the next few days. The eighth UK series first used this twist with an initial all-female house, adding a male housemate two days later. The same twist was used in the fourth Bulgarian series, and an all-male premiere was used on Big Brother Africa 4. The second Belgian season was used a similar twist in 2001, where eleven male housemates and one female housemate entered the house on launch night and the second female housemate entered the house on the third day.
Fake evictions
The fifth UK series introduced fake evictions, where Big Brother misleads housemates that eviction has taken place, only for the "evicted" housemate to reenter the house sometime later.In the eighth UK series, one housemate was evicted, interviewed and sent back into the house.
In the, four housemates were fake-evicted and stayed in a place called bodega.
In the tenth Australian season, Benjamin Zabel was fake-evicted for 24 hours before being returned to the house with immunity from eviction for that week. In the eleventh Australian season Travis Lunardi was fake-evicted and received advice from Benjamin Zabel for 24 hours; Travis returned to the house after a 3-day absence with immunity from eviction for that week.
In the thirteenth Brazilian series, Anamara Barreira was fake-evicted. She was removed and put into a small private apartment without the other housemates knowing she was still in the house. After 24 hours, she returned to the house as Head of Household and with immunity from eviction that week. In the sixteenth Brazilian series, Ana Paula Renault was similarly fake-evicted, put into a small private apartment, and returned after 48 hours with immunity from eviction that week. In the eighteen Brazilian series, Gleici Damasceno was similarly fake-evicted, put into a small private apartment, and returned after 72 hours with immunity from eviction and with the power to put someone to eviction.
In the first Turkish series, there is a fake eviction in week 10.
The Indian version Bigg Boss sees frequent fake evictions. In Kannada Bigg Boss season 4, winner Pratham and co-contestant Malavika were kept in secret room after fake eviction for one week and they were both allowed in the Bigg Boss house.
Similarly in Kannada Bigg Boss season 5, firstly Jaya Srinivasan and Sameer Acharya were put into the secret room after fake eviction for one week and then Sameer Acharya was allowed into the house but Jaya Srinivasan was evicted from the secret room itself. In the same season, the runner up Divakar was put into the secret room after fake eviction for one week.
Coaches
had four house guests from past seasons return to coach twelve new house guests, playing for a separate prize of $100,000. However, in a reset twist, they opted to join the normal game alongside the other house guests.Red button
The seventh Argentine series incorporated a red button into the Confession Room, which would sound an alarm throughout the house. This button was to be used when a contestant wanted to leave the house voluntarily, and the contestant would be given five minutes to leave the house. A red button is also used in Secret Story series, however in this case whoever presses the button will try to guess someone's secret.Legacy rewards or penalties
In , evicted housemates were given the opportunity to choose if a "ninja" delivered good or bad gifts to the house. Later that year, the eighth Australian series introduced the Housemate Hand Grenade, where an evicted housemate decided which remaining housemate received a penalty. A similar punishment used on Big Brother Africa was called the Molotov Cocktail, Dagger or Fuse.Most valuable player
The fifteenth US season allowed viewers to vote for a house guest to be made M.V.P., who then secretly nominates a third houseguest for eviction.In a further twist introduced part-way through the MVP twist, the viewers themselves decided who the third nominee would be, with the HouseGuests still thinking one of their own is the MVP. Like many such twists, this was ended halfway into the season as the pool of contestants shrank.
Multiple heads of household
The sixteenth and seventeenth US seasons featured two Heads of Household every week and had four houseguests nominated for eviction. There was also a "Battle of the Block" competition where the two sets of nominees competed to save themselves; the winning pair not only saved themselves but dethroned the Head of Household who nominated them, who was then vulnerable as a replacement nominee if a veto was used. It is also used in specific weeks in Brazil since Big Brother Brasil 16 where the HOH's have to choose which HoH will get 10 thousand reals and who is the one that will win immunity.Multiple winners
In 2011, Big Brother Africa was the first season of Big Brother to have two winners, each getting US$200,000. In 2015, the, also had two winners; one from the teens and one from the regular adults. Each of which received PHP1,000,000.Bigg Boss 8 ended with a twist, where the top five contestants were crowned 'champions'. The season was extended by 35 days as a spin-off called Bigg Boss: Halla Bol, where ex-contestants from previous seasons entered the house to compete with the five champions.
Reserve housemates
The introduced the concept of having reserved housemates, those of whom are short-listed auditioners who were given a chance to be a housemate by completing tasks assigned by Big Brother. It was eventually done also in the where the reserved housemates were placed in a camp and a that reserved housemate must compete amongst other reserved housemates while gaining points by participating in various tasks, including those that required the participation of doing such tasks outside of the Big Brother House premises. As the eviction was done weekly, once an official housemate is evicted from the Main House, the with the most points earned for that particular week crossovers to the Main House and becomes an official housemate.This reserved housemates twist was also used in Argentina's seventh season and Brazil's ninth season.
Big Brother Zoom
In 2020, due the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Brother Portugal revival started with a twist, where all the contestants were isolated in different apartments for 14 days, in line with World Health Organisation recommendations. Cameras will be filming them 24 hours a day as usual, and they will be able to communicate with each other and presenter Cláudio Ramos using tablets.Twists involving multiple franchises
Housemate exchanges
In 2002, the Mexican and Spanish editions made temporary housemate exchanges. Mexico's Eduardo Orozco swapped with Spain's Andrés Barreiro for 7 days. In 2010, the first 2-housemate exchange was held by Spain and Italy. Gerardo Prager and Saray Pereira from Spain were swapped with Carmela Gualtieri and Massimo Scattarella of Italy for 7 days.In later years, several housemate exchanges were done around the world: Argentina and Spain, Ecuador and Mexico, and Africa and United Kingdom in 2003; Scandinavia and Thailand in 2006; Philippines and Slovenia, and Argentina and Spain in 2007; Africa and Finland in 2008; Finland and Philippines in 2009; Finland and Slovenia in 2010; Spain and Israel in 2010–11; Finland and Norway in 2011; Argentina and Israel in 2012; and Mexico and Spain in 2015; Spain and Brazil in 2017.
Evicted housemate exchanges
In 2003, Mexico's Isabel Madow and Spain's Aída Nízar were swapped for 7 days. This twist was also done between Russia and Pacific in 2005, and Argentina and Brazil in 2007.Other exchanges
In 2009, as part of the casting process for Italy's GF9, Doroti Polito and Leonia Coccia visited Spain's GH10.In 2012, four contestants from Denmark's BB4 visited Sweden's BB6 and competed in a Viking-themed challenge. The Danish team won and 'kidnapped' Swedish contestant Annica Englund to the Denmark house for the following week.
In 2012, evicted housemate Laisa Portella of Brazil was a guest on Spain's Gran Hermano 13 for a week; the following week, non-evicted Noemí Merino of GH13 stayed in the Brazilian Big Brother house for 5 days.
In 2016, Big Brother UK housemate Nikki Grahame and Big Brother Australia housemate Tim Dormer were voted in by Canada to be houseguests on the 4th season of Big Brother Canada. Similarly, Big Brother UK housemate Jade Goody appeared as a housemate on Bigg Boss India.
Big Brother Australia contestant Priya Malik joined Bigg Boss 9 the same year as a wild card.
In 2017, GHVIP5 contestant Elettra Lamborghini visited Brazil's BBB17.
In 2019, the winner of Italy's GF15, Alberto Mezzetti visited Brazil's BBB19.
After winning the debut season of Bigg Boss Marathi, winner Megha Dhade made her entry in Bigg Boss season 12 as a wild card contestant.
Evicted housemate visits
Anouska Golebiewski, an evicted housemate from the United Kingdom visited Australia in 2003. In 2005, United Kingdom visited Australia again. In 2006, United Kingdom visited Germany. This twist was used in later years by other countries: Africa visited Brazil in 2009; Germany visited the Philippines, and Italy visited Albania in 2010; Sweden visited Norway in 2011; Brazil visited Spain, and Argentina visited Colombia in 2012; United States visited Canada in 2013; Canada visited South Africa in 2014; and Spain visited Mexico in 2015.A similar event took place between the United States and Canada in 2014 wherein Rachel Reilly made a video chat to Canada. Rachel Reilly also appeared on Big Brother Canadas side show, which airs after the eviction episode.
Housemates competing in another country
There were occasions that a former housemate from one franchise participated and competed in a different franchise: Daniela Martins of France competed in Portugal ; Daniel Mkongo of France competed in Italy ; Brigitte Nielsen of Denmark competed in the United Kingdom ; Jade Goody of the United Kingdom competed in India ; Sava Radović of Germany competed in the Balkan States ; Nikola Nasteski of the Balkan States competed in Bulgaria ; Žarko Stojanović of France competed in the Balkan States ; Željko Stojanović of France competed in the Balkan States ; Kelly Baron of Brazil competed in Portugal ; Lucy Diakovska of Bulgaria competed in Germany ; Leila Ben Khalifa of Italy competed in France ; Priya Malik of Australia competed in India ; Tim Dormer of Australia and Nikki Grahame of the United Kingdom competed in Canada ; Leonel Estevao-Luto of Africa competed in Angola & Mozambique ; Frankie Grande of the United States competed in the United Kingdom ; Fanny Rodrigues of Portugal competed in France ; and Tucha Anita of Angola ; Amor Romeira of Spain competed in Portugal and Alain Rochette of Spain competed in France ; Despite being American, Brandi Glanville competed first in the United Kingdom then later competed in first Celebrity series in the United States ; Aída Nizar of Spain competed in Italy ; Ivana Icardi of Argentina competed in Italy ; Giamarco Onestini of Italy competed in Spain.Multiple-franchise competitions
Eurovision Song Contest
FIFA World Cup
Special editions
''Celebrity'' and ''VIP'' Big Brother
The Big Brother format has been adopted in some countries; the housemates are local celebrities, and the shows are called Celebrity Big Brother or Big Brother VIP. 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 rules are nearly the same as those of the original version.Variations
The 2006 Netherlands series was entitled Hotel Big Brother. This variation introduced a group of celebrity hoteliers and a Big Boss, who run a hotel and collect money for charity without nominations, evictions or a winner.Another variation appeared in the UK in early 2008, entitled . Instead of being housemates the celebrities became Big Brother himself, creating tasks and holding nominations with the help of Big Brother. The housemates were considered by the producers "Britain's most exceptional and extraordinary" 18- to 21-year-olds. The prize for the winner of the series was £50,000.
In 2009, VIP Brother 3 Bulgaria introduced the concept of celebrities competing for charitable causes, which changed each week. Housemates were sometimes allowed to leave the house to raise money for the charity. Ten out of Thirteen seasons of Bigg Boss have been celebrity-only seasons. The 10th season of Big Boss had celebrities put up against commoners, where a commoner ultimately won.
American format
The US and Canadian versions of Big Brother differ from most global versions of the series. The US series began in 2000 with the original Dutch format—i.e., housemates, or HouseGuests, as they are styled in the US, nominating each other for eviction and the public voting on evictions and the eventual winner. But due to both poor ratings and the concurrent popularity of Survivor, a gameplay-oriented format was introduced in the second season, with HouseGuests allowed to strategize, politic and collude to survive eviction, with the entire nomination and eviction process being determined by the HouseGuest themselves.Each week the HouseGuests compete in several competitions in order to win power and safety inside the house, before voting off one of the HouseGuests on during the eviction. The main elements of the format are as follows:
- Head of Household : At the start of each week in the house, the HouseGuests compete for the title of Head of Household, often shortened to simply HoH. The Head of Household for each week is given luxuries such as their own personal bedroom and the use of an MP3 player, but is responsible for nominating two of their fellow HouseGuests for eviction. The Head of Household would not be able to compete in the following week's Head of Household competition; this excludes the final Head of Household competition of the season.
- Power of Veto : After the nominees are determined, the Power of Veto competition is played, with the winner receiving the Power of Veto. If a HouseGuest chooses to exercise the Power of Veto, the Head of Household is responsible for naming a replacement nominee. The holder of the Power of Veto is saved from being nominated as the replacement nominee. Only six of the HouseGuests compete for the Power of Veto each week; the Head of Household and both nominations compete, as well as three others selected by a random draw. The PoV was introduced in the third American season
- Eviction: On eviction night, all HouseGuests must vote to evict one of the nominees, with the exception of the nominees and the Head of Household. The eviction vote is by secret ballot, with HouseGuests casting their votes orally in the Diary Room to the show's host. In the event of a tied vote, the Head of Household will cast a tie-breaking vote publicly. The nominee with the majority of the votes is evicted from the house.
When only two contestants remain, a jury formed of the most recently evicted HouseGuests votes which of the two finalists wins the grand prize. Beginning in the fourth US season, jury members were sequestered off-site so that they would not be privy to the day-to-day goings-on in the house.. The final Head of Household competition is split into three parts; the winners of the first two rounds compete in the third and final round. Once only two HouseGuests remain, the members of the jury cast their votes for who should win the series.
In addition, US and Canadian Big Brother do not air a live launch show, as is customary in international editions—by the time the network show and live online feeds begin airing, it is not uncommon for at least one HouseGuest to already have been evicted. Also, the North American editions currently air only three times a week, compared with daily or six days a week for the recently cancelled UK franchise. As a result, the TV episodes focus primarily on the main events regarding the gameplay and house politics versus the day-to-day goings-on in the house; to see the latter, watching the live feeds is necessary.
In 2013, English-speaking Canada introduced its own version of the show on the cable channel Slice; the series moved to Global TV for its third season. The show followed the US format, but with more elaborate twists and greater viewer participation in the game. Secret tasks were introduced, usually presented by the show's mascot, "Marsha the Moose"; also, as in most global franchises, Big Brother was a distinct character who interacted with the HouseGuests. The French Canadian version mostly followed the US/Anglophone Canadian format, but the public could evict a housemate on some occasions and decided the winner.
Big Brother Brasil combines the US/Canada and international formats. Brazil votes on evictions and the winner, but housemates compete for HoH, Power of Immunity, and Power of Veto; there is also a weekly shopping competition. HoH nominates one housemate for eviction, while the rest of the house nominates a second housemate. The winner of the Power of Immunity competition gets to choose someone to be safe from nomination.
The pilot for ', which premiered exclusively online in 2015, had housemates voting on evictions but the public voting for the winner. A similar format was used for ', an online-only spin-off of the US series that ran in 2016.
The 2020 revival of the Big Brother Australia series adopted a slightly altered version of the American format while pre-recording the series months in advance. A Nominations Challenge is held to determine who holds the power to nominate for that round, with the winner naming three Nominationts for Eviction. During each eviction, all Housemates vote to evict. There is no rule prohibiting consecutive the Nominating Housemate and no Power of Veto is held. The Australian public will still decide the winner between the final 3.
Other editions
The Big Brother format has been otherwise modified in some countries:- Big Brother: All-Stars : Previous housemates from previous seasons compete. Belgium was the first country to have an All-Stars season. Bulgaria was the first country to complete 3 All-Stars seasons. Portugal was the first country to complete 4 All-Stars seasons. Portugal was the first country to complete 5 All-Stars seasons. Portugal was the first country to complete 6 All-Stars seasons.
- Big Brother: Reality All-Stars : Contestants from different reality shows, including Big Brother, compete.
- Big Brother: You Decide / Big Brother: Back in the House / Big Brother: Try Out : Housemates, new or old, compete for a spot in the next regular season without nominations or evictions.
- ' : Teenagers 13 and older compete.
- ' : A mix of teenagers, regular adults, and celebrities compete in one season. A variation, ' and ', has three to four batch of housemates stay inside until a number for each batch is left, and is joined by other members of other batches to form one new batch.
- Secret Story : Each housemate has a secret.
- Big Brother Panto : Housemates from the previous series spent time in the Big Brother House to perform a pantomime at the series' end.
- Big Brother – The Village : The village had a class system of bosses, assistants and servants, living in separate houses, who competed in mixed teams; winning bosses could promote employees, while losing bosses became servants. Cash prizes were awarded weekly in an ongoing contest.
- Big Brother Family : Whole families entered the house with their spouses, children and relatives. They received a salary for their stay and the winning family received a cash prize, a car and an apartment.
Versions
, Big Brother has produced 484 winners in over 55 franchises.| Africa | Big Brother Africa | M-Net Africa Magic Mzansi Magic DStv | ||
| Albania Kosovo | Big Brother Albania | Top Channel DigitAlb | ||
| Albania Kosovo | Big Brother VIP | Top Channel DigitAlb | Season 1, TBA: Unknown | TBA |
| Angola Mozambique | Big Brother Angola Big Brother Angola and Moçambique | DStv Jango Magic | ||
| Arab world | Big Brother: The Boss | MBC 2 | : Discontinued | Razan Moughrabi |
| Argentina | Gran Hermano | Telefe DirecTV Cablevisión Multicanal TDT | Main host: Debate: | |
| Argentina | Gran Hermano | América TV DirecTV Cablevisión | Main host: Debate: | |
| Argentina | Gran Hermano Famosos | Telefe Cablevisión Multicanal | Main host: Debate: | |
| Australia | Big Brother Australia | Network Ten TV2 Prime | Gretel Killeen Kyle Sandilands Jackie O | |
| Australia | Big Brother Australia | Nine Network TV3 | Sonia Kruger | |
| Australia | Big Brother Australia | Seven Network Three | Sonia Kruger | |
| Australia | Celebrity Big Brother | Network Ten | Season 1, 2002: Dylan Lewis | Gretel Killeen |
| Balkans | Veliki Brat Big Brother | Pink BH Pink M B92 A1 Pink RTL OBN RTRS Sitel Prva | ||
| Balkans | Veliki Brat VIP Big Brother VIP | Pink M Pink BH B92 Pink A1 BN Prva OBN Sitel | ||
| Balkans | Veliki Brat: Generalna Proba Veliki Brat: General Rehearsal | B92 | : Jelena Provči & Marko Miljković | Marijana Mićić |
| Belgium | Big Brother | Kanaal Twee | Walter Grootaers | |
| Belgium | Big Brother | VIER VIJF | Season 7, 2021: Upcoming season | TBA |
| Belgium | Big Brother VIPs | vtm Kanaal Twee | No Presenters | |
| Belgium | Big Brother All-Stars | Kanaal Twee | Season 1, 2003: Heidi Zutterman | Walter Grootaers |
| Brazil | Big Brother Brasil | Rede Globo Multishow Canal BBB | ||
| Bulgaria | Big Brother | Nova Television Nova+ Diema Family | Main host: Niki Kunchev Milen Tsvetkov Co-host: Evelina Pavlova Aleksandra Sarchadjieva | |
| Bulgaria | Big Brother Family | Nova Television Diema Family | Niki Kunchev | |
| Bulgaria | VIP Brother | Nova Television Nova+ Diema 2 Diema Family | Main host: Niki Kunchev Co-host: Evelina Pavlova Dimitar Rachkov Maria Ignatova Aleksandra Sarchadjieva Miglena Angelova Azis | |
| Bulgaria | Big Brother All Stars Big Brother: Most Wanted | Nova Television Diema Family | Main host: Niki Kunchev Co-host: Aleksandra Sarchadjieva Azis | |
| Canada ' | Big Brother Canada | Slice | Arisa Cox | |
| Canada ' | Big Brother Canada | Global | Arisa Cox | |
| Canada ' | Loft Story | TQS | ||
| Canada ' | Loft Story: La Revanche Loft Story: The Revenge | TQS | Season 6, 2009: Sébastien Tremblay | Pierre-Yves Lord |
| Canada ' | Big Brother | V | Season 1, 2010: Vincent Durand Dubé | Chéli Sauvé-Castonguay |
| China | ' Big Brother China: Pilot Season | Youku.com Tudou.com | : Tan Xiangjun | Zhou Wentao Yang Ruilei |
| Colombia | Gran Hermano | Caracol TV | Season 1, 2003: Mónica Patricia Tejón | Adriana Arango |
| Colombia | Gran Hermano | Citytv Bogotá | Season 2, 2012: Diana Hernández | Agmeth Escaf |
| Croatia | Big Brother | RTL | ||
| Croatia | Celebrity Big Brother | RTL | Season 1, 2008: Danijela Dvornik | Antonija Blaće Marko Lušić |
| Czech Republic | Big Brother | TV NOVA | Season 1, 2005: David Šín | |
| Denmark | Big Brother | TV Danmark | Lisbeth Janniche | |
| Denmark | Big Brother | Kanal 5 The Voice TV 7'eren | ||
| Denmark | Big Brother VIP | TV Danmark | Season 1, 2003: Thomas Bickham | Lisbeth Janniche |
| Denmark | Big Brother Reality All-Stars | TV Danmark | Season 1, 2005: Jill Liv Nielsen | Lisbeth Janniche |
| Ecuador | Gran Hermano | Ecuavisa | Season 1, 2003: David Burbano | Toty Rodríguez |
| Finland | Big Brother | Sub | ||
| Finland | Big Brother | Jim Nelonen Ruutu.fi | ||
| Finland | Julkkis Big Brother Celebrity Big Brother | Sub | Season 9, 2013: Jori Kopponen | Mari Sainio |
| France | Loft Story | M6 | Benjamin Castaldi | |
| France | Secret Story | TF1 NT1 CanalSat | ||
| France | Secret Story | NT1 | ||
| Germany | Big Brother | RTL II Single TV RTL MTV2 Pop Tele 5 9Live VIVA Premiere Clipfish Sky | ||
| Germany | Big Brother | sixx Sky :de: Joyn |7TV | ||
| Germany | Big Brother | Sat.1 :de: Joyn |Joyn | ||
| Germany | Promi Big Brother | Sat.1 sixx :de: Sat.1 emotions|Sat.1 emotions Sky :de: maxdome|maxdome Bild :de: Joyn |Joyn | ||
| Greece Cyprus | Big Brother Greece | ANT1 | ||
| Greece Cyprus | Big Brother Greece | Alpha TV Sigma TV Nova Greece | ||
| Greece Cyprus | Big Brother Greece | Skai TV Sigma TV | ||
| Hungary | Big Brother | TV2 | ||
| Hungary | Big Brother VIP | TV2 | ||
| Hungary | Való Világ powered by Big Brother | RTL II | ||
| India | Bigg Boss | SET | Season 1, 2006–07: Rahul Roy | Arshad Warsi |
| India | Bigg Boss | Colors TV | ||
| India | Bigg Boss Halla Bol! | Colors TV | ||
| India | Bigg Boss Kannada | ETV Kannada | Season 1, 2013: Vijay Raghavendra | Sudeep |
| India | Bigg Boss Kannada | Suvarna TV | Season 2, 2014: Akul Balaji | Sudeep |
| India | Bigg Boss Kannada | Colors Kannada Colors Super | Sudeep | |
| India | Bigg Boss Bangla | ETV Bangla | Season 1, 2013: Aneek Dhar | Mithun Chakraborty |
| India | Bigg Boss Bangla | Colors Bangla | Season 2, 2016: Joyjeet Banerjee | Jeet |
| India | Bigg Boss Tamil | Star Vijay | Kamal Haasan | |
| India | Bigg Boss | Star Maa | ||
| India | Bigg Boss Marathi | Colors Marathi | ||
| India | Bigg Boss | Asianet | Mohanlal | |
| Indonesia | Big Brother Indonesia | Trans TV | Season 1, 2011: Alan Wangsa | |
| Israel | האח הגדול HaAh HaGadol | Channel 2-Keshet HOT Yes | ||
| Israel | האח הגדול HaAh HaGadol | Channel 13 Channel 26 | ||
| Israel | VIP האח הגדול HaAh HaGadol VIP | Channel 2-Keshet HOT Yes | ||
| Israel | VIP האח הגדול HaAh HaGadol VIP | Channel 13 Channel 26 | ||
| Italy | Grande Fratello | Canale 5 Italia 1 Stream TV SKY Mediaset Premium Mediaset Extra La5 | ||
| Italy | Grande Fratello VIP | Canale 5 Italia 1 Mediaset Extra La5 | ||
| Lithuania | Paslapčių namai The House of Secrets | TV3 Lithuania | Season 1, 2013: Gintautas Katulis | |
| Mexico | Big Brother México | Televisa SKY | ||
| Mexico | Big Brother PM | Canal 5 SKY | Adela Micha | |
| Mexico | Big Brother VIP | Televisa SKY | ||
| Netherlands | Big Brother ' | Veronica | ||
| Netherlands | Big Brother ' | Yorin | ||
| Netherlands | Big Brother ' | Talpa | ||
| Netherlands | Big Brother | RTL 5 Videoland | Season 7, 2021: Upcoming season | TBA |
| Netherlands | Big Brother VIPs | Veronica | Season 1, 2000: No winner | Unknown |
| Netherlands | Big Brother VIPs | Talpa | Season 2, 2006: No winner | Caroline Tensen |
| Netherlands | Secret Story | NET 5 | Season 1, 2011: Sharon Hooijkaas | |
| Nigeria | Big Brother Nigeria | M-Net DStv | Season 1, 2006: Katung Aduwak | |
| Nigeria | Big Brother Naija | Africa Magic GOtv DStv | Ebuka Obi-Uchendu | |
| Norway | Big Brother | TVN | ||
| Norway | Big Brother | TV 2 Bliss | Season 4, 2011: Tine Barstad | |
| Pacific Region | Gran Hermano del Pacífico | RedTeleSistema RedTV ATV | Season 1, 2005: Juan Sebastián López | |
| Panama | Big Brother Panamá | TVN Canal 2 | Season 1, 2016: Katherine Sandoval | |
| Peru | La Casa de Los Secretos The House of Secrets | Frecuencia Latina | Season 1, 2012: Álvaro de la Torre | |
| Philippines | Pinoy Big Brother | ABS-CBN TFC SkyCable Studio 23 | ||
| Philippines | Pinoy Big Brother | ABS-CBN TFC SkyCable Studio 23 | ||
| Philippines | ' | ABS-CBN TFC SkyCable Studio 23 | ||
| Philippines | ' | ABS-CBN TFC SkyCable Studio 23 | ||
| Poland | Big Brother | TVN | ||
| Poland | Big Brother | TV4 | ||
| Poland | Big Brother | TVN 7 | Current Gabi Drzewiecka Former Agnieszka Woźniak-Starak | |
| Poland | Big Brother VIP | TV4 | : Jarek Jakimowicz | |
| Portugal | Big Brother | TVI :pt:TVI Reality|TVI Reality TVI Internacional TVI Eventos | Current Cláudio Ramos Former :pt:Teresa Guilherme|Teresa Guilherme | |
| Portugal | Big Brother Famosos | TVI TVI Direct | :pt:Teresa Guilherme|Teresa Guilherme | |
| Portugal | Big Brother VIP | TVI TVI Direct | :pt:Teresa Guilherme|Teresa Guilherme | |
| Portugal | Secret Story: Casa dos Segredos Secret Story: House of Secrets | TVI :pt:TVI Reality|TVI Reality TVI Direct | ||
| Portugal | Secret Story: Desafio Final Secret Story: Final Challenge | TVI :pt:TVI Reality|TVI Reality TVI Direct | :pt:Teresa Guilherme|Teresa Guilherme | |
| Portugal | Secret Story: Luta Pelo Poder Secret Story: Power Struggle | TVI :pt:TVI Reality|TVI Reality TVI Direct | : Bruno Sousa | :pt:Teresa Guilherme|Teresa Guilherme |
| Portugal | Secret Story: O Reencontro Secret Story: The Reunion | TVI :pt:TVI Reality|TVI Reality TVI Direct | : Carina Ferreira | Manuel Luís Goucha |
| Romania | Big Brother | Prima TV | ||
| Russia | Большой брат Big Brother | TNT | Season 1, 2005: Anastasia Yagaylova | Ingeborga Dapkunaite |
| Scandinavia | Big Brother | Kanal5 FEM | ||
| Scandinavia | Big Brother | Kanal 9 FEM | Season 3, 2014: Sweden Anders Olsson | |
| Second Life | Big Brother Second Life | World Wide Web | Season 1, 2006: Madlen Flint | None |
| Slovakia | Big Brother: Súboj Big Brother: Duel | TV Markíza | Season 1, 2005: Richard Tkáč | Zuzana Belohorcová |
| Slovenia | Big Brother | Kanal A | ||
| Slovenia | Big Brother Slavnih Big Brother Famous | POP TV | Nina Osenar | |
| South Africa | Big Brother South Africa | M-Net Mzansi Magic DStv | ||
| South Africa | Big Brother Mzansi | M-Net Mzansi Magic DStv | Lungile Radu | |
| South Africa | Celebrity Big Brother | M-Net Mzansi Magic DStv | Season 1, 2002: Bill Flynn | |
| Spain | Gran Hermano | Telecinco Telecinco Estrellas Telecinco 2 LaSiete Nueve Divinity Be Mad Quiero TV :es:Vía Digital|Vía Digital Digital+ :es:Gran Hermano 24 horas|GH 24H Mitele.es | Mercedes Milá Pepe Navarro Jorge Javier Vázquez | |
| Spain | Gran Hermano VIP | Telecinco Cuatro Divinity Be Mad Mitele.es | Current Jorge Javier Vázquez Jordi González Former Jesús Vázquez | |
| Spain | Gran Hermano: El Reencuentro Gran Hermano: The Reunion | Telecinco LaSiete Digital+ | ||
| Spain | ' Gran Hermano 12+1: The Revolt | Telecinco LaSiete Mitele.es | Season 1, 2012: Alessandro Livi | Mercedes Milá |
| Spain | Gran Hermano Dúo | Telecinco Divinity Be Mad Mitele.es CincoMAS | Season 1, 2019: María Jesús Ruiz | Jorge Javier Vázquez Jordi González |
| Spain | El Tiempo del Descuento | Telecinco CincoMAS | Season 1, 2020: Gianmarco Onestini | Jorge Javier Vázquez |
| Sweden | Big Brother | Kanal5 | Adam Alsing | |
| Sweden | Big Brother | TV11 | Gry Forssell | |
| Sweden | Big Brother | Kanal 11 | Season 7, 2015: Christian Sahlström | Adam Alsing |
| Sweden | Big Brother | TV4 Sjuan TV4 Play C More | Season 8, 2020: Sami Jakobsson | Malin Stenbäck Adrian Boberg |
| Sweden | Big Brother Stjärnveckan Big Brother Week of the Stars | Kanal5 | Season 1, 2002: Anki Lundberg | Adam Alsing |
| Switzerland | Big Brother Schweiz | TV3 | ||
| Thailand | Big Brother Thailand | iTV | ||
| Turkey | Big Brother Türkiye | Star TV | Season 1, 2015–16: Sinan Aydemir | Asuman Krause |
| Ukraine | Big Brother Україна | K1 | Season 1, 2011: Kristina Kotvickaja | |
| United Kingdom | Big Brother | Channel 4 S4C TVN Lingua | Davina McCall | |
| United Kingdom | Big Brother | Channel 5 MTV TV3 Virgin Media One | ||
| United Kingdom | Celebrity Big Brother | Channel 4 BBC One S4C | Davina McCall | |
| United Kingdom | Celebrity Big Brother | Channel 5 MTV TV3 3e Virgin Media Two | ||
| United Kingdom | ' | Channel 4/E4 S4C | : Paul Brennan | Dermot O'Leary |
| United Kingdom | Big Brother Panto | Channel 4/E4 S4C | Series 1, 2004–05: No winner | Jeff Brazier June Sarpong |
| United Kingdom | ' | Channel 4/E4 S4C | : John Loughton | Dermot O'Leary |
| United Kingdom | Ultimate Big Brother | Channel 4/E4 S4C | Series 1, 2010: Brian Dowling | Davina McCall |
| United States ' | Big Brother | CBS Showtime 2 Pop Slice Global Global Reality Channel E4 | ||
| United States ' | Big Brother: All-Stars | CBS Showtime 2 Pop Slice Global Global Reality Channel E4 | ||
| United States ' | ' | CBS All Access | : Morgan Willett | Julie Chen Moonves |
| United States ' | Celebrity Big Brother | CBS Pop Global 9Now 9Go! | Julie Chen Moonves | |
| United States ' | Gran Hermano | Telemundo | Season 1, 2016: Pedro Orta | Giselle Blondet |
| Vietnam | Người giấu mặt'' | VTV6 | Season 1, 2013–14: Hoàng Sơn Việt | Huy Khánh |
Mobile game
On 5 May 2020, Endemol Shine Group announced that an official Big Brother mobile game named "Big Brother: The Game" developed by 9th Impact will be available worldwide for both iOS and Android devices later this year.Controversies
Legal
In April 2000, Castaway, an independent production company, filed a lawsuit against John de Mol and Endemol for stealing the concepts of their own show called Survive!, a reality television show where contestants are placed on a deserted island and have to take care of themselves alone. These contestants were also filmed by cameras around them. The court later dismissed the lawsuit filed by Castaway against de Mol and Endemol. The Survive! reality television format was later turned into Survivor.In 2000, the estate of George Orwell sued CBS Television and Endemol for copyright and trademark infringement, claiming that the program infringed on the Orwell novel 1984 and its trademarks. After a series of court rulings adverse to the defendants, the case was settled for an undisclosed amount of money on the evening of the trial.
Sexual assault
There have been two documented occurrences of possible rape happening during the show. In Big Brother South Africa, a male housemate was accused of assaulting a fellow housemate while she was asleep. The pair were filmed kissing and cuddling in bed before the cameras moved away and the male housemate reportedly claimed to housemates the next day that he had intercourse with the contestant. However, the female housemate was apparently shocked by the claims and informed female housemates that she had not consented to have sex with him. This male housemate was expelled immediately after the allegations surfaced, while the female housemate was removed from the house for her own protection and counselling.In Big Brother Brasil, many viewers reported that they watched a male housemate allegedly force himself on a female housemate while she was passed-out drunk after a "boozy party".
Additionally, an incident of sexual assault occurred in the Australian Big Brother house in 2006, during the show's sixth season. Contestant Michael "John" Bric held down fellow contestant Camilla Severi in her bed while a second man, Michael "Ashley" Cox, "slapped" her in the face with his penis. The incident was shown on the 'adults-only' late-night segment, Big Brother: Adults Only, leading to the show's cancellation. Both men involved in the incident were removed from the house.