Big Brother (franchise)

Big Brother
International logo of Big Brother
Also known as	Secret Story Celebrity/VIP Big Brother Teen Big Brother Ultimate Big Brother
Genre	Entertainment Reality television
Created by	John de Mol
Developed by	John de Mol Endemol
Composer(s)	Vanacore Music
Country of origin	Netherlands
Distributor	Endemol
Release
Original network	Veronica
Original release	16 September 1999 (1999-09-16) – present
External links
Big Brother on Endemol	www.endemol.com/programme/big-brother

Big Brother is a reality game show franchise created by John de Mol, originally broadcast in the Netherlands and subsequently syndicated internationally.^[1] As of 11 November 2016, there have been 387 seasons of Big Brother in over 54 franchise countries and regions.

In the show, contestants called "housemates" (or "house guests") live together in a specially-constructed house that is isolated from the outside world. Housemates are voted out (usually on a weekly basis) until only one remains and wins the cash prize. During their stay in the house, contestants are continuously monitored by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones.

English-language editions of the program are often referred to as "BB".^[2] Many Spanish-language editions of the program are called Gran Hermano (GH).

Premise

At regular intervals, the housemates privately nominate a number of their fellow housemates whom they wish to be evicted from the house.^[3] 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. 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 (who communicate with the housemates via the omnipresent authority figure known to them only as "Big Brother"). The tasks are designed to test their teamwork abilities and community spirit. In some countries, the housemates' shopping budget or weekly allowance (to buy food and other essentials) 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.^[1] 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" (or "Confession 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 US version adopted a different format during its 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. In 2011, the UK version controversially adapted the discussion of nominations before reversing this rule after a poll by Big Brother broadcaster Channel 5.^[4]

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 (having different opinions or ideals, or from a different socioeconomic group). The viewer has the opportunity to see how a person reacts from the outside (through the constant recording of their actions) and the inside (in the Diary or Confession Room). 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 (often including romantic interludes).

The show is notable for involving the Internet. Although the show typically broadcasts daily updates during the evening (sometimes criticized by viewers and former contestants for heavy editing by producers),^[5] 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 minute delay to allow libelous or unacceptable content (such as references to people not participating in the program who have not consented to having personal information broadcast) 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 (usually as a reward for winning at a task). 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 (such as lipstick or eyeliner). 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.

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 counseling 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 (includes Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe), Big Brother: الرئيس of the Middle East (includes Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria and Tunisia), Gran Hermano del Pacífico of South America (includes Chile, Ecuador and Peru), Big Brother of Scandinavia (includes Norway and Sweden) and Veliki brat of the Balkans (includes Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia). 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 Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil and Kannada 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 (in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013), Albania (in 2010), Australia (in 2003 and 2013), Balkan States (in VIP 2010 and 2011), Brazil (in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014), Canada (2013–present), Denmark (in 2003), Finland (in 2009 and 2014), France (in 2009, 2011–present), Germany (in 2003, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008 and 2008–09), Greece (in 2003), India (in 2012 and 2013), Israel (in 2009), Italy (in 2006 and 2007), Norway (in 2003), Philippines (in 2009, Teen 2010 and 2011), Poland (in 2002), Portugal (in VIP 2013 and 2016), Slovakia (in 2005), Slovenia (in 2008, 2015 and 2016), Scandinavia (in 2005), South Africa (in 2014), Spain (in VIP 2004, 2008, 2009–10 and 2010), United Kingdom (in 2002, Celebrity 2007, 2008, Celebrity 2013 and 2016) and United States (2009–present).

In 2011–12, the seventh Argentine series added La Casa de al Lado ("The House Next Door"), 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 (which of course could be seen by the public).^[6]

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.

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 house guests were required to unanimously decide which of them to bring back into the house.

Evil Big Brother

In 2004, the fifth UK series introduced an 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, the 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 five weeks. This twist was reused in the seventeenth US season with an easier task of successfully changing places for five weeks without being evicted.

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 (in 2005), Germany (in 2005–06), Bulgaria (in 2006 and 2012), United Kingdom (in 2007, Celebrity 2011, Celebrity 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and Celebrity 2017), France (in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016), Spain (in 2007 and 2013), Poland (in 2007), India (in 2008), Africa (in 2009), Balkan Region (in 2009 and 2013), Philippines (in 2009, Teen 2012 and 2014), Portugal (in 2010 and 2012), Israel (in 2011), Ukraine (in 2011), Argentina (in 2011 and 2016) and Albania (in 2013).

Pairs competitions

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 US season added a romantic theme by pairing up the housemates and having them compete as couples. In the second celebrity edition of the Philippine version, two housemates related by profession or family played as one, while on their seventh season, one housemate related by profession played as one. The second season of the Philippine teen edition 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. The thirteenth US season introduced Dynamic Duos, where contestants formed pairs that would be nominated together; the nominee not evicted would be immune from further nomination until the final 10 when pairs were dissolved. The fourth Greek season was dubbed "Big Mother", and featured nine housemates accompanied by their mothers. In the ninth season of Indian big brother, "Bigg Boss: Double Trouble", contestants entered the house tied up in pairs by the waist. They had joint chairs, beds, spoons, and even mugs. In the ninth Albania series all the housemates where in couples and for the first time in the history of Big Brother the winner will be only a couple and that couple was Danjel Dedndreaj & Fotini Derxho.

Secret missions

Secret missions are a common element of the show since their introduction during the sixth UK series. During these missions, one or more housemates are set a task from Big Brother with the reward of luxuries for the household and/or a personal reward if the task is successful. Some versions of Big Brother have secret tasks presented by another character who lives in plain sight of the housemate. Such characters include Marsha the Moose (from BB Canada) and Surly the Fish (from BB Australia).

The eighth US season introduced "America's Player", where a selected house guest must complete various tasks (determined by public vote) 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 (determined by public voting) 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 (which typically no other housemate could hear). The order could be beneficial or detrimental, but a refused order resulted in nomination for eviction. If nobody picked up the call, the whole house would be nominated for eviction.^[7]

Opening night twists

Since Big Brother 2, the UK series has opened with a twist. This has included having three finalists (Big Brother 2); public voting for least-favourite housemates, with the housemates choosing between two nominees to evict (Big Brother 3); first-night nominations (Big Brother 4); suitcase nominations (Big Brother 5); Unlucky Housemate 13 (Big Brother 6); Big Brother Hood (Big Brother 7); an all-female house and a set of twins as contestants (Big Brother 8); a couple entering as housemates, who must hide their relationship (Big Brother 9); housemates having to earn housemate status (Big Brother 10); a mole entering the house with an impossible task (Big Brother 11); Pamela Anderson entering as a guest for 5 days (Big Brother 12); first-night nominations and a public vote for a wildcard to become a housemate (Big Brother 13); a professional actor posing as a housemate and a mother and daughter as contestants (Big Brother 14); one contestant gets a pass to the final (Big Brother 15); first night eviction (Big Brother 16); two houses with "the other house" featuring enemies from the main house housemates past (Big Brother 17); Jackie Stallone entering a house containing her son's ex-wife Brigitte Nielsen (Celebrity Big Brother 3); a non-celebrity in a celebrity edition (Celebrity Big Brother 4); a visit from Jade Goody's family (Celebrity Big Brother 5) and unlocked bedrooms allowing housemates to immediately claim beds^[8] with the last housemate becoming the Head of House (Celebrity Big Brother 6).

A common opening twist is to only introduce 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.

Fake evictions

The fifth UK series introduced fake evictions, where one or two housemates are "evicted". In the eighth UK series one housemate was evicted, interviewed and sent back into the house.

In the fifth Philippine edition, 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 first Turkish series, there is a fake eviction in week 10.

Coaches

The fourteenth US season 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.^[9] 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 Celebrity Hijack UK, 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 house guest for eviction (in addition to the two selected by the Head of Household). In a further twist, the viewers themselves decided who the third nominee would be. Like many such twists, this was ended halfway into the season as the pool of contestants shrank.

Multiple heads of household

The sixteenth US season and seventeenth US season featured two Heads of Household every week and had four house guests 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 was also used on Big Brother Brasil 16 and Big Brother Brasil 17 where the HOH's had to nominate one person and they had to choose between 10 thousand dollars or immunity

Multiple winners

In 2011, Big Brother Africa 6 was the first season of Big Brother to have two winners, each getting US$200,000. In 2015, the sixth Philippine season, also had two winners; one from the teens and one from the regular adults. Each of which received PHP1,000,000. Bigg Boss 8 ( India ) ended with a twist, where the top five contestants were crowned 'champions' . The season was extended by 35 days (total 135) .. as a spin off called Bigg Boss:Halla Bol, where ex contestants from previous seasons entered the house to compete with the five champions.

In 2016, on season 4 of Big Brother Canada brothers Nick and Phil Paquette won the season, playing together as one.

Reserve house mates

The fourth Philippine season introduced reserved housemates, short-listed auditioners who were given a chance to be a housemate by completing tasks assigned by Big Brother. This was also done in Argentina's seventh season and Brazil's ninth season.

Twists involving multiple franchises

Housemate exchanges

In 2002, the Mexican and Spanish editions (BBM1 and GH3) 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 (GH11 and GF10). 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 (GH3) and Spain (GH4), Ecuador (GH1) and Mexico (BBM2), and Africa (BBA1) and United Kingdom (BB4) in 2003; Scandinavia (BB2) and Thailand (BBT2) in 2006; Philippines (PBB2) and Slovenia (BB1), and Argentina (GH5) and Spain (GH9) in 2007; Africa (BBA3) and Finland (BB4) in 2008; Finland (BB5) and Philippines (PBB3) in 2009; Finland (BB6) and Slovenia (BBS1) in 2010; Spain (GH12) and Israel (HH3) in 2010–11; Finland (BB7) and Norway (BB4) in 2011; Argentina (GH7) and Israel (HH4) in 2012; and Mexico (BB4) and Spain (GH16) in 2015; Spain (GHVIP5) and Brazil (BBB17) in 2017.

Evicted housemate exchanges

In 2003, Mexico's Isabel Madow (BB VIP2) and Spain's Aída Nízar (GH5) were swapped for 7 days. This twist was also done between Russia (BBR1) and Pacific (GHP1) in 2005, and Argentina (GH4) and Brazil (BBB7) 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 (from BBB12) 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 Graham 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 Big Boss India.

Evicted housemate visits

Anouska Golebiewski, an evicted housemate from the United Kingdom (housemate from BB4) visited Australia (BB3) in 2003. In 2005, United Kingdom (Nadia Almada of BB5) visited Australia (BB5) again. In 2006, United Kingdom (Chantelle Houghton of CBB4) visited Germany (BBG6). This twist was used in later years by other countries: Africa (Ricardo Ferreira of BBA3) visited Brazil (BBB9) in 2009; Germany (Annina Ucatis and Sascha Schwan of BBG9) visited the Philippines (PBB3), and Italy (George Leonard and Veronica Ciardi of GF10) visited Albania (BB3) in 2010; Sweden (Martin Granetoft and Peter OrrmyrSara Jonsson of BB5) visited Norway (BB4) in 2011; Brazil (Rafael Cordeiro of BBB12) visited Spain (GH12), and Argentina (Agustín Belforte of GH4) visited Colombia (GH2) in 2012; United States (Dan Gheesling of BB10/BB14) visited Canada (BB1 and the BB2 Jury) in 2013; Canada (Emmett Blois of BB1) visited South Africa (BBM3) in 2014; and Spain (Paula Gonzalez of GH 15) visited Mexico (BBM4) in 2015.

A similar event took place between the United States and Canada in 2014 wherein Rachel Reilly (from BB12/BB13) made a video chat to Canada (BB2). Rachel Reilly also appeared on Big Brother Canada's 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 (SS3) competed in Portugal (SS1); Daniel Mkongo of France (SS5) competed in Italy (GF12); Brigitte Nielsen of Denmark (BB VIP) competed in the United Kingdom (CBB3); Jade Goody of the United Kingdom (BB3, BB Panto, and CCB5) competed in India (BB2); Sava Radović of Germany (BB4) competed in the Balkan States (VB1); Nikola Nasteski of the Balkan States (VB4) competed in Bulgaria (BB All-Stars 1); Žarko Stojanović of France (SS5) competed in the Balkan States (VB VIP5); Željko Stojanović of France (SS5) competed in the Balkan States (VB VIP5); Kelly Baron of Brazil (BBB13) competed in Portugal (BB VIP); Lucy Diakovska of Bulgaria (VIP B4) competed in Germany (PBB1); Leila Ben Khalifa of Italy (GF6) competed in France (SS8); Priya Malik of Australia (BB11) competed in India (BB9); Tim Dormer of Australia (BB10) and Nikki Grahame of the United Kingdom (BB7, UBB) competed in Canada (BB4); Leonel Estevao-Luto of Africa (BB4) competed in Angola & Mozambique (BB3); Frankie Grande of the United States (BB16) competed in the United Kingdom (CBB18); Fanny Rodrigues of Portugal (SS2) competed in France (SS10); and Tucha Anita of Angola (BB3) and Amor Romeira of Spain (GH9) competed in Portugal (SS6).

Multiple-franchise competitions

Eurovision Song Contest

Team and Song	Jury's points				Dates					Winner
	GF11	BB5	GH6	Total	Tests	Performance	Performance	Ratings	Closed
GH12: "A-Ba-Ni-Bi"	12	12	12	36	30 Dec 2010 to 4 Jan 2011	5 Jan 2011	6 Jan 2011	7 Jan 2011	8 Jan 2011	GH12
HH3: "Bandido"	10	10	10	30

FIFA World Cup

Series participants	Prize	Points	Winner	Date
BB10 Germany BB11 United Kingdom	A screening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup (Round of 16) Germany vs. England game	After five penalties, the score was 1–1 and the game went to sudden death. After 36 penalties, German housemate Robert shot the ball wide and UK housemate Ife scored, winning 2–1.	BB11	26 June 2010

Special editions

Celebrity and VIP Big Brother

The Big Brother format has been adapted 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. The celebrity version has become particularly popular in the UK, causing UK broadcaster Channel 5 to extend its deal with Endemol enabling them to air two celebrity series in addition to the civilian version every year from 2012.^[10] As of 2016 the UK has aired 20 celebrity series with the current Celebrity Big Brother 20 from 1 August 2017. The sure is due to stay on air until at less 2018. In August 2017 the U.K Celebrity series celebrated it's 20th series. In Bulgaria, VIP Brother has replaced the original format of the show and more seasons of the celebrity edition have been produced than the regular one. Due to the show's popularity there, it lasts for two months unlike most countries where it only airs for a month.

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 Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack. 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.^[11]

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. 9 out of 10 seasons of Bigg boss ( India ) have been celebrity-only seasons . The 10th one had celebrities put up against commoners, where a commoner ulitmately won

US and English Canadian formats

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 encouraged to openly strategize and form alliances.

In this format, HouseGuests vote each other out and choose the winner. Each week, one HouseGuest is chosen (usually by competition) as the Head of Household (HoH), who sleeps in a luxurious bedroom and nominates two fellow HouseGuests for eviction in a formal ceremony. HoH also chooses Haves, who enjoy luxury foods and other special privileges, and Have-Nots, who must eat "slop" (a fortified oatmeal), sleep in designated uncomfortable beds, and take cold showers. Before the sixteenth US season, HouseGuests competed in a Have/Have-Not challenge similar to the shopping tasks on Big Brother UK and other international editions.

The winner of the Power of Veto (PoV), introduced in the third US season, has the option to save one nominee (including him/herself) from eviction, forcing the HoH to nominate another HouseGuest in the former nominee's place. The HouseGuests then vote to evict one of the nominees. When only two contestants remain, a jury of the most recently evicted HouseGuests (generally seven or nine) decides which of the two finalists wins the grand prize. Beginning in the fourth (2003) 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.

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 (2015) 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. In 2017, Global announced that Big Brother Canada was going "on hiatus." However, Arisa Cox announced that there would be a sixth season of BBCAN.^[12] 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 Haves/Have-Nots. HoH nominates one housemate for eviction, while the rest of the house nominates a second housemate. Power of Immunity is similar to the US/Canada PoV, with the winner getting to choose not only someone to "take off the block" but also someone to punish.

The pilot for Big Brother China, which premiered exclusively online in 2015, had housemates voting on evictions but the public voting for the winner.^[13] The same format was used for Big Brother: Over the Top, an online-only spinoff of the US series that ran in 2016.

Other editions

The Big Brother format has been otherwise modified in some countries:

• Big Brother: All-Stars (Belgium, 21 days; Bulgaria: Season 1–4, 27–29 days; United States, 72 days; United Kingdom, 18 days; French Canada, 64 days; Africa, 91 days; Spain, 56 days; Portugal Secret Story: Season 1–4, 22–50 days): Previous housemates from previous seasons compete. Belgium was the first country to have an All-Stars season (2003). Bulgaria was the first country to complete 3 All-Stars seasons (2014). Portugal was the first country to complete 4 All-Stars seasons (2015). Following the end of Celebrity Big Brother 18 in the UK, there have been many rumors about an all-star Celebrity Big Brother 20.
• Big Brother: Reality All-Stars (Sweden, 6 days; Denmark, 32 days; Spain, 56 days): Contestants from different reality shows, including Big Brother, compete.
• Big Brother: You Decide / Big Brother: Back in the House / Big Brother: Try Out (Poland: Season 1–2, 7–13 days; Norway, 9 days; Serbia, 7 days): Housemates, new or old, compete for a spot in the next regular season without nominations or evictions.
• Teen Big Brother (United Kingdom, 10 days; Philippines: Season 1–4, 42–91 days): Teenagers 13 and older compete.
• Big Brother: All In (Philippines: Season 11,13): A mix of teenagers, regular adults, and celebrities compete in one season. A variaton, Big Brother: Lucky 7, has three 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 (France, Lithuania, Portugal, Netherlands, Peru & Albania): Each housemate has a secret.
• Big Brother Panto (United Kingdom, 11 days): Housemates from previous series spent time in the Big Brother House to perform a pantomime at the series' end.
• Big Brother – The Village (Germany: Season 6, 363 days): 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 (Bulgaria: 81 days): 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.

There are also "test runs", with a group of celebrities (or journalists) living in the house for several days to test it. There are occasions where people who have auditioned for the show are also put in the house, most notably in the British edition, where many housemates claim to have met before. These series have been televised in Argentina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, the Pacific region, the Philippines and Spain. In some cases, it is not broadcast, but in others, such as the US edition, it is used as a promotional tool.

Versions

As of 28 July 2017, Big Brother has produced 407 winners in over 54 franchises. The most recent winner is Isabelle Warburton from  United Kingdom.

     Currently airing (4)

     An upcoming season (12)

     Status unknown (7)

     No longer airing (33)

Country/Region	Local title	Network(s)	Winner(s)	Presenter(s)
Africa	Big Brother Africa	M-Net DStv (live)	Season 1, 2003: Cherise Makubale Season 2, 2007: Richard Dyle Bezuidenhout Season 3, 2008: Ricardo Venancio Season 4, 2009: Kevin Chuwang Season 5, 2010: Uti Nwachukwu Season 6, 2011: Karen Igho & Wendall Parsons Season 7, 2012: Keagan Petersen Season 8, 2013: Dillish Matthews Season 9, 2014: Idris Sultan Season 10, TBA: Upcoming season	Current Ikponmwosa Osakioduwa (4–present) Former Kabelo Ngakane (2–3) Mark Pilgrim (1)
Albania  Kosovo	Big Brother Albania	Top Channel Digit-Alb	Season 1, 2008: Arbër Çepani Season 2, 2009: Qetsor Ferunaj Season 3, 2010: Jetmir Salaj Season 4, 2010-11: Ermela Mezuraj Season 5, 2012: Arbër Zeka Season 6, 2013: Anaidi Kaloti Season 7, 2014: Nevila Omeri Season 8, 2015: Vesel Kurtishaj Season 9, 2017: Danjel Dedndreaj & Fotini Derxho	Arbana Osmani (1–7, 9) Ledion Liço (8)
Angola  Mozambique[14]	Big Brother Angola[15]	DStv[15]	Season 1, 2014: Larama da Silva Season 2, 2015: Luna Vambano & Mr. Norway Vunge	Dicla Burity (1–) Emerson Miranda (3)
	Big Brother Angola e Moçambique		Season 3, 2016: Anderson Mistake & Papetchulo
Arab World	Big Brother: الرئيس Big Brother: The Boss	MBC 2	Season 1, 2004: Discontinued[16]	Razan Moughrabi
Argentina	Gran Hermano	Telefe Canal 4 DirecTV (live;1–3, 6–8) Cablevisión (live; 4–5, 8)	Season 1, 2001: Marcelo Corazza Season 2, 2001: Roberto Parra Season 3, 2002–03: Viviana Colmenero Season 4, 2007: Marianela Mirra Season 5, 2007: Esteban Morais Season 6, 2010–11: Cristian Urrizaga Season 7, 2011–12: Rodrigo Fernández	Main host: Soledad Silveyra (1–3) Jorge Rial (4–6, 8-9) Mariano Peluffo (7) Debate: Pamela David (8–9)
		América TV	Season 8, 2015: Francisco Delgado Season 9, 2016: Luis Fabián Galessio Season 10, 2017: Upcoming season
	Gran Hermano Famosos	Telefe Cablevisión (live)	Season 1, 2007: Diego Leonardi Season 2, 2017: Upcoming season	Jorge Rial (1)
Australia	Big Brother Australia	Network Ten TV2 (1–3, 5) Prime (4)	Season 1, 2001: Ben Williams Season 2, 2002: Peter Corbett Season 3, 2003: Regina Bird Season 4, 2004: Trevor Butler Season 5, 2005: Greg Matthew Season 6, 2006: Jamie Brooksby Season 7, 2007: Aleisha Cowcher Season 8, 2008: Terri Munro	Gretel Killeen (1-7) Kyle Sandilands (8) Jackie O (8)
		Nine Network TV3 (10–11)	Season 9, 2012: Benjamin Norris Season 10, 2013: Tim Dormer Season 11, 2014: Ryan Ginns	Sonia Kruger
	Celebrity Big Brother	Network Ten	Season 1, 2002: Dylan Lewis	Gretel Killeen
Balkans	Veliki Brat – Big Brother	RTL (4–5) B92 (1–3, 5) OBN (5) RTRS (5) Sitel (5) Prva (5) Pink BH (1–4) Pink M (1–4) Pink (4) A1 (3)	Season 1, 2006: Ivan Ljuba Season 2, 2007: Discontinued[17] Season 3, 2009: Vladimir Arsić Season 4, 2011: Marijana Čvrljak Season 5, 2015: Darko Petkovski	Marijana Mićić (1, 3–4) Antonija Blaće (4–5) Ana Grubin (2) Sky Wikluh (5)
	Veliki Brat VIP	B92 (1–2, 5) BN (5) Prva (5) OBN (5) Sitel (5) Pink (3–4) Pink M (1–4) Pink BH (1–4) A1 (4)	Season 1, 2007: Saša Ćurčić Season 2, 2008: Mimi Đurović Season 3, 2009: Miki Đuričić Season 4, 2010: Milan Marić Season 5, 2013: Žarko Stojanović	Marijana Mićić (3–5) Milan Kalinić (2–3) Ana Grubin (1–2)
	Veliki Brat – Generalna proba[18]	B92	Season 1, 2006: Jelena Provči & Marko Miljković	Marijana Mićić
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	No Presenters
	Big Brother All-Stars	Kanaal Twee	Season 1, 2003: Heidi Zutterman	Walter Grootaers
Brazil	Big Brother Brasil	Rede Globo Multishow Canal BBB (live on PPV)	Season 1, 2002: Kléber Bambam Season 2, 2002: Rodrigo Leonel Season 3, 2003: Dhomini Ferreira Season 4, 2004: Cida dos Santos Season 5, 2005: Jean Wyllys Season 6, 2006: Mara Viana Season 7, 2007: Diego Gasques Season 8, 2008: Rafinha Ribeiro Season 9, 2009: Max Porto Season 10, 2010: Marcelo Dourado Season 11, 2011: Maria Melillo Season 12, 2012: Fael Cordeiro Season 13, 2013: Fernanda Keulla Season 14, 2014: Vanessa Mesquita Season 15, 2015: Cézar Lima Season 16, 2016: Munik Nunes Season 17, 2017: Emilly Araújo Season 18, 2018: Upcoming season	Current Tiago Leifert (17–present) Former Pedro Bial (1–16) Marisa Orth (1)
Bulgaria	Big Brother	Nova Television Nova+ (live; 1–4) Diema Family (live; 5)	Season 1, 2004–05: Zdravko Vasilev Season 2, 2005: Miroslav Atanasov Season 3, 2006: Lyubov Stancheva Season 4, 2008: Georgi Alurkov Season 5, 2015: Nikita Jönsson	Main host: Niki Kunchev (1–3, 5) Milen Tsvetkov (4) Co-host: Evelina Pavlova (1–2) Aleksandra Sarchadjieva (5)
	Big Brother Family	Nova Television Diema Family (live)	Season 1, 2010: Eli & Veselin Kuzmovi	Main host: Niki Kunchev
	VIP Brother	Nova Television Nova+ (live; 1–2) Diema 2 (live; 3) Diema Family (live; 4)	Season 1, 2006: Konstantin Slavov Season 2, 2007: Hristina Stefanova Season 3, 2009: Deyan Slavchev Season 4, 2012: Orlin Pavlov Season 5, 2013: Stanka Zlateva Season 6, 2014: Vladislav Karamfilov Season 7, 2015: Gino Tashev Season 8, 2016: Miglena Angelova Season 9, 2017: Upcoming Season	Main host: Niki Kunchev Co-host: Evelina Pavlova (1) Dimitar Rachkov (3) Maria Ignatova (3) Aleksandra Sarchadjieva (4–present)
	Big Brother All Stars	Nova Television Diema Family (live; 1)	Season 1, 2012: Nikola Nasteski - Lester Season 2, 2013: Zlatka Dimitrova Season 3, 2014: Todor Slavkov Season 4, 2015: Desislava	Main host: Niki Kunchev Co-host: Aleksandra Sarchadjieva
Canada (English)	Big Brother Canada	Slice	Season 1, 2013: Jillian MacLaughlin Season 2, 2014: Jon Pardy	Arisa Cox
		Global	Season 3, 2015: Sarah Hanlon Season 4, 2016: Nicholas & Philippe Paquette Season 5, 2017: Kevin Martin Season 6, 2018: Upcoming Season
Canada (French)	Loft Story	TQS[19]	Season 1, 2003: Julie Lemay & Samuel Tissot Season 2, 2006: Mathieu Baron & Stéphanie Bélanger Season 3, 2006: Shawn-Edward, Jean-Philippe Anwar & Kim Rusk Season 4, 2007: Mathieu Surprenant Season 5, 2008: Charles-Éric Boncoeur	Marie Plourde (3–5) Isabelle Maréchal (2) Renée-Claude Brazeau (1)
	Loft Story: La Revanche		Season 6, 2009: Sébastien Tremblay	Pierre-Yves Lord
	Big Brother	V	Season 1, 2010: Vincent Durand Dubé	Chéli Sauvé-Castonguay
China	室友一起宅: 先导季 Big Brother China: Pilot Season	Youku Tudou	Season 1, 2015-16: Tan Xiangjun	Zhou Wentao (Live Final)
Colombia	Gran Hermano	Caracol TV	Season 1, 2003: Mónica Patricia Tejón	Adriana Arango
		Citytv Bogotá[20]	Season 2, 2012: Diana Hernández	Agmeth Escaf
Croatia	Big Brother	RTL	Season 1, 2004: Saša Tkalčević Season 2, 2005: Hamdija Seferović Season 3, 2006: Danijel Rimanić Season 4, 2007: Vedran Lovrenčić Season 5, 2008: Krešimir Duvančić Season 6, 2016: Romano Obilinović	Daria Knez (1) Neno Pavinčić (1) Boris Mirković (1–3) Renata Sopek (2–4) Filip Brajković (4) Marko Lušić (5) Korana Gvozdić (5) Antonija Blaće (2–5) Marijana Batinić (6–present)
	Celebrity Big Brother		Season 1, 2008: Danijela Dvornik	Antonija Blaće Marko Lušić
Czech Republic	Big Brother	TV NOVA	Season 1, 2005: David Šín	Eva Aichmajerová Lejla Abbasová Leoš Mareš
Denmark	Big Brother	TV Danmark	Season 1, 2001: Jill Liv Nielsen Season 2, 2002: Carsten B. Berthelsen Season 3, 2004: Johnni Johansen	Lisbeth Janniche
		Kanal 5	Season 4, 2012: Amanda Heisel Season 5, 2013: Bjørn Clausen Season 6, 2014: David Feldstedt	Oliver Bjerrehuus (6) Anne Kejser (5) Marie Egede (4)
	Big Brother VIP	TV Danmark	Season 1, 2003: Thomas Bickham	Lisbeth Janniche
	Big Brother Reality All-Stars		Season 1, 2005: Jill Liv Nielsen	Lisbeth Janniche
Ecuador	Gran Hermano	Ecuavisa	Season 1, 2003: David Burbano	Toty Rodríguez
Finland	Big Brother	Sub	Season 1, 2005: Perttu Sirviö Season 2, 2006: Sari Nygren Season 3, 2007: Sauli Koskinen Season 4, 2008: Anniina Mustajärvi Season 5, 2009: Aso Alanso Season 6, 2010: Niko Nousiainen Season 7, 2011: Janica Kortman Season 8, 2012: Teija Kurvinen Season 9, 2014: Andte Gaup-Juuso	Elina Viitanen (6–8) Susanna Laine (6–7) Vappu Pimiä (3–5) Mari Sainio (Kakko) (1–2, 9)
	Julkkis Big Brother		Season 1, 2013: Jori Kopponen	Mari Sainio
France	Loft Story	M6	Season 1, 2001: Christophe Mercy & Loana Petrucciani Season 2, 2002: Karine Delgado & Thomas Saillofest	Benjamin Castaldi
	Secret Story	TF1 NT1 (Daily recaps: 9–) CanalSat (live; 1)	Season 1, 2007: Marjorie, Cyrielle & Johanna Bluteau Season 2, 2008: Matthias Pohl Season 3, 2009: Emilie Nefnaf Season 4, 2010: Benoit Dubois Season 5, 2011: Marie Garet Season 6, 2012: Nadège Jones Season 7, 2013: Anaïs Camizuli Season 8, 2014: Leila Ben Khalifa Season 9, 2015: Émilie Fiorelli	Current Christophe Beaugrand (9–present) Former Benjamin Castaldi (1–8) After Secret Adrien Lemaître (3–) Leila Ben Khalifa (9–) Julie Taton (9–) Nadège Lacroix (7) Emilie Fiorelli(10–)
		NT1	Season 10, 2016: Julien Geloën Season 11, 2017: Upcoming season
Germany	Big Brother	RTL 2 Sky (live; 10–11) Premiere (live; 5–9) VIVA (5, 9) 9Live (8) Tele 5 (4–6) MTV2 Pop (4–5) RTL (2–3) Single TV (2)	Season 1, 2000: John Milz Season 2, 2000: Alida Nadine Kurras Season 3, 2001: Karina Schreiber Season 4, 2003: Jan Geilhufe Season 5, 2004–05: Sascha Sirtl Season 6, 2005–06: Michael Knopf Season 7, 2007: Michael Carstensen Season 8, 2008: Silke Kaufmann Season 9, 2008–09: Daniel Schöller Season 10, 2010: Timo Grätsch Season 11, 2011: Marc Sonnen	Aleksandra Bechtel (4, 10–11) Sonja Zietlow (Opening show, 11) Miriam Pielhau (8–9) Charlotte Karlinder (7–8) Oliver Petszokat (6) Ruth Moschner (5–6) Oliver Geissen (2–3) Percy Hoven (1)
		sixx Sky (live)	Season 12, 2015: Lusy Skaya	Jochen Bendel
	Promi Big Brother	Sat.1 sixx (2–) Bild (live; 4) Sky (live; 3) maxdome (live; 2) Sky (live 3 hours; 1) Sat.1 emotions (1)	Season 1, 2013: Jenny Elvers Season 2, 2014: Aaron Troschke Season 3, 2015: David Odonkor Season 4, 2016: Ben Tewaag Season 5, 2017: Upcoming Season	Jochen Schropp (2–) Jochen Bendel (5) Cindy aus Marzahn (1) Oliver Pocher (1)
Greece  Cyprus	Big Brother Greece	ANT1	Season 1, 2001: Giorgos Triantafyllidis Season 2, 2002: Alexandros Moskhos Season 3, 2003: Thodores Jspógloy Season 4, 2005: Nikos Papadopoulos	Andreas Mikroutsikos (1–3) Tatiana Stefanidou (4)
		Alpha TV Sigma TV	Season 5, 2010–11: Giannis Foukakis	Roula Koromila
Hungary	Big Brother – Nagy testvér	TV2	Season 1, 2002: Éva Párkányi Season 2, 2003: Zsófi Tóth	Claudia Liptai Attila Till
	Big Brother VIP		Season 1, 2003: Gábor Bochkor Season 2, 2003: Lajos Boros Season 3, 2003: Zolee Ganxsta
	Való Világ powered by Big Brother[21]	RTL II	Season 8, 2016: Soma Farkas Season 9, 2017: Upcoming season	Istenes Bence (6–) Nádai Anikó (8)
India	Bigg Boss (Hindi Version)	SET	Season 1, 2006–07: Rahul Roy	Arshad Warsi
		Colors TV	Season 2, 2008: Ashutosh Kaushik Season 3, 2009: Vindu Dara Singh Season 4, 2010–11: Shweta Tiwari Season 5, 2011–12: Juhi Parmar Season 6, 2012–13: Urvashi Dholakia Season 7, 2013: Gauhar Khan Season 8, 2014–15: Ali Quli Mirza, Dimpy Mahajan, Gautam Gulati, Karishma Tanna & Pritam Singh Season 9, 2015–16: Prince Narula Season 10, 2016–17: Manveer Gurjar Season 11, 2017–18: Upcoming season	Current Salman Khan (4–10) Former Shilpa Shetty (2) Amitabh Bachchan (3) Sanjay Dutt (5)
	Bigg Boss Halla Bol! (Hindi Spin-Off)		Season 1, 2015:Gautam Gulati	Farah Khan
	Bigg Boss Kannada (Kannada Version)	ETV Kannada	Season 1, 2013: Vijay Raghavendra	Sudeep
		Suvarna TV	Season 2, 2014: Akul Balaji
		Colors Kannada	Season 3, 2015–16: Shruthi Season 4, 2016–17: Pratham Season 5, 2017–18: Upcoming season
	Bigg Boss Bangla (Bengali Version)	ETV Bangla	Season 1, 2013: Aneek Dhar	Mithun Chakraborty
		Colors Bangla	Season 2, 2016: Joyjeet Banerjee	Jeet
	Bigg Boss Tamil (Tamil Version)	Star Vijay	Season 1, 2017: Current season	Kamal Haasan
	Bigg Boss Telugu (Telugu Version)	Star Maa	Season 1, 2017: Current season	Jr. NTR
Indonesia	Big Brother Indonesia	Trans TV	Season 1, 2011: Alan Wangsa	Ferdi Hassan Indra Herlambang Sarah Sechan Shara Aryo
Israel	האח הגדול HaAh HaGadol	Channel 2-Keshet HOT (live) Yes (live)	Season 1, 2008: Shifra Cornfeld Season 2, 2009–10: Eliraz Sadeh Season 3, 2010–11: Yaakov Menahem Season 4, 2012: Yekutiel Sebbag Season 5, 2013: Tahounia Rubel Season 6, 2014: Tal Gilboa Season 7, 2015–16: Shay Mika Ifrah Season 8, 2016–17: Avihai Ohana	Erez Tal Korin Gideon (7–8) Assi Azar (1–6)
		Channel 2-Reshet	Season 9, 2017-18: Upcoming Season	TBA
	VIP האח הגדול HaAh HaGadol VIP	Channel 2-Keshet HOT (live) Yes (live)	Season 1, 2009: Dudi Melitz Season 2, 2015: Moshik Afia	Erez Tal Assi Azar (1–2)
Italy	Grande Fratello	Canale 5 Stream TV (live; 1–3) SKY (live; 4–5, 8–9) Mediaset Premium (live; 6–12)	Season 1, 2000: Cristina Plevani Season 2, 2001: Flavio Montrucchio Season 3, 2003: Floriana Secondi Season 4, 2004: Serena Garitta Season 5, 2004: Jonathan Kashanian Season 6, 2006: Augusto De Megni Season 7, 2007: Milo Coretti Season 8, 2008: Mario Ferretti Season 9, 2009: Ferdi Berisa Season 10, 2009–10: Mauro Marin Season 11, 2010–11: Andrea Cocco Season 12, 2011–12: Sabrina Mbarek Season 13, 2014: Mirco Petrilli Season 14, 2015: Federica Lepanto	Current Alessia Marcuzzi (6–) Former Barbara D'Urso (3–5) Daria Bignardi (1–2)
	Grande Fratello VIP	Canale 5	Season 1, 2016: Alessia Macari Season 2, 2017: Upcoming season	Ilary Blasi
Lithuania	Paslapčių namai The House of Secrets	TV3 Lithuania	Season 1, 2013: Gintautas Katulis	Agnė Grigaliūnienė Marijus Mikutavičius
Mexico	Big Brother México	Televisa SKY (live)	Season 1, 2002: Rocío Cárdenas Season 2, 2003: Silvia Irabien Season 3, 2005: Evelyn Nieto	Verónica Castro (3) Adela Micha (1–2)
	Big Brother PM	Canal 5 SKY (live)	Season 4, 2015: Eduardo "Chile" Miranda	Adela Micha
	Big Brother VIP	Televisa SKY (live)	Season 1, 2002: Galilea Montijo Season 2, 2003: Omar Chaparro Season 3, 2004: Eduardo Videgaray Season 4, 2004: Roxanna Castellanos Season 5, 2005: Sasha Sökol	Verónica Castro (2–4) Víctor Trujillo (1)
Netherlands	Big Brother	Veronica	Season 1, 1999: Bart Spring in 't Veld Season 2, 2000: Bianca Hagenbeek	Esther Duller (2) Beau Van Erven Dorens (2) Rolf Wouters (1) Daphne Deckers (1)
		Yorin	Season 3, 2001: Sandy Boots Season 4, 2002: Jeanette Godefroy	Martijn Krabbé (4) Patty Brard (3)
		Talpa	Season 5, 2005: Joost Hoebink Season 6, 2006: Jeroen Visser	Bridget Maasland (5–6) Ruud de Wild (5)
	Big Brother VIPs	Veronica	Season 1, 2000: No winner	Unknown
		Talpa	Season 2, 2006: No winner	Caroline Tensen
	Secret Story	NET 5	Season 1, 2011: Sharon Hooijkaas	Renate Verbaan Bart Boonstra
Nigeria	Big Brother Nigeria	M-Net DStv (live)	Season 1, 2006: Katung Aduwak	Olisa Adibua Michelle Dede
	Big Brother Naija	GOtv DStv (live)	Season 2, 2017: Efe Ejeba	Ebuka Obi-Uchendu
Norway	Big Brother Norge	TVN	Season 1, 2001: Lars Joakim Ringom Season 2, 2002: Veronica Agnes Roso Season 3, 2003: Eva Lill Baukhol	Trygve Rønningen (3) Arve Juritzen (1–2)
		TV 2 Bliss	Season 4, 2011: Tine Barstad	Petter Pilgaard Sarah Natasha Melbye
Pacific Region	Gran Hermano del Pacífico	RedTeleSistema RedTV ATV	Season 1, 2005: Juan Sebastián López	Lorena Meritano (Main) Álvaro Ballera & Álvaro García (Regional) Janine Leal (Regional) Juan Francisco Escobar (Regional)
Panama	Big Brother Panamá	TVN Canal 2	Season 1, 2016: Katherine Sandoval	Rolando Sterling Gaby Garrido
Peru	La Casa de Los Secretos The House of Secrets	Frecuencia Latina	Season 1, 2012: Álvaro de la Torre	Carla García Jason Day
Philippines	Pinoy Big Brother	ABS-CBN TFC (Worldwide) SkyCable (live) Studio 23 (live; 1–3)	Season 1, 2005: Nene Tamayo Season 2, 2007: Beatriz Saw Season 3, 2009–10: Melisa Cantiveros Season 4, 2011–12: Slater Young	Current Toni Gonzaga (1–4) Bianca Gonzalez (1–4) Robi Domingo (4) Mariel Rodriguez (1–3) Former Willie Revillame (1)
	Pinoy Big Brother (Special Edition)		Season 5, 2014: Daniel Matsunaga Season 6, 2015: Miho Nishida & Jimboy Martin Season 7, 2016–17: Maymay Entrata	Current Bianca Gonzalez (5–) Mariel Rodriguez (7–) Toni Gonzaga (5–) Robi Domingo (5–) Former John Prats (5) Enchong Dee (6)
	Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition		Season 1, 2006: Keanna Reeves Season 2, 2007–08: Ruben Gonzaga	Current Toni Gonzaga (1–2) Mariel Rodriguez (1–2) Bianca Gonzalez (2) Former Luis Manzano (1)
	Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition		Season 1, 2006: Kim Chiu Season 2, 2008: Ejay Falcon Season 3, 2010: James Reid Season 4, 2012: Myrtle Abigail Sarrosa	Current Bianca Gonzalez (1–4) Toni Gonzaga (2–4) Robi Domingo (4) John Prats (4) Former Mariel Rodriguez (1–3) Luis Manzano (2)
Poland	Big Brother	TVN	Season 1, 2001: Janusz Dzięcioł Season 2, 2001: Marzena Wieczorek Season 3, 2002: Piotr Borucki	Grzegorz Miecugow Martyna Wojciechowska (1–3) Andrzej Sołtysik (2–3)
		TV4	Season 4, 2007: Jolanta Rutowicz Season 5 (part 2), 2008: Janusz Strączek	Kuba Klawiter (4–5) Małgorzata Kosik (5) Karina Kunkiewicz (4)
	Big Brother: Ty Wybierasz	TVN	Season 1, 2001: Małgorzata Maier & Sebastian Florek Season 2, 2001: Barbara Knap & Jakub Jankowski	Martyna Wojciechowska Grzegorz Miecugow Andrzej Sołtysik (2)
	Big Brother VIP	TV4	Season 5 (part 1), 2008: Jarek Jakimowicz	Kuba Klawiter Małgorzata Kosik
Portugal	Big Brother	TVI TVI Eventos (live; 1)	Season 1, 2000: Zé Maria Seleiro Season 2, 2001: Henrique Guimarães Season 3, 2001: Catarina Cabral Season 4, 2003: Fernando Geraldes	Teresa Guilherme
	Big Brother Famosos	TVI TVI Direct (live; VIP)	Season 1, 2002: Ricardo Vieira Season 2, 2002: Vítor Norte
	Big Brother VIP		Season 3, 2013: Pedro Guedes
	Secret Story: Casa dos Segredos	TVI TVI Direct (live; 1–5) TVI Reality (live; 6–)	Season 1, 2010: António Queirós Season 2, 2011: João Mota Season 3, 2012: Rúben Boa Nova Season 4, 2013: Luís Nascimento Season 5, 2014: Elisabete Moutinho Season 6, 2016: Helena Isabel	Teresa Guilherme (2–) Júlia Pinheiro (1)
	Secret Story: Desafio Final		Season 1, 2013: Cátia Palhinha Season 2, 2014: Érica Silva Season 3, 2015: Sofia Sousa Season 4, 2017: Carlos Sousa	Teresa Guilherme
	Secret Story: Luta Pelo Poder		Season 1, 2015: Bruno Sousa
Romania	Big Brother	Prima TV	Season 1, 2003: Sorin Pavel Fisteag Season 2, 2004: Iustin Popovici	Andreea Raicu Virgil Ianțu
Russia	Большой брат Big Brother	TNT	Season 1, 2005: Anastasia Yagaylova	Ingeborga Dapkunaite
Scandinavia[22]	Big Brother	Kanal5 FEM	Season 1, 2005: Britt Goodwin Season 2, 2006: Jessica Lindgren	Brita Møystad Engseth Hannah Rosander (2) Adam Alsing (1)
		Kanal 9 FEM	Season 3, 2014: Anders Olsson	Pia Lykke Adam Alsing
Second Life	Big Brother Second Life	World Wide Web	Season 1, 2006: Madlen Flint	None
Slovakia	Big Brother Súboj	TV Markíza	Season 1, 2005: Richard Tkáč	Zuzana Belohorcová
Slovenia	Big Brother	Kanal A	Season 1, 2007: Andrej Novak Season 2, 2008: Naske Mehić Season 3, 2015: Pia Filipčič Season 4, 2016: Mirela Lapanović	Hosts: Nina Osenar (1–2) Ana Maria Mitič (3) Manja Plešnar (4) Co-hosts: Matej Grm - Gušti (2) Emi Nikočević (4) Tibor Baiee (4)
	Big Brother Slavnih	POP TV	Season 1, 2010: Jože Činč	Nina Osenar
South Africa	Big Brother South Africa	M-Net DStv (live)	Season 1, 2001: Ferdinand Rabie Season 2, 2002: Richard Cawood	Mark Pilgrim Gerry Rantseli
	Big Brother Mzansi		Season 3, 2014: Mandla Hlatshwayo Season 4, 2015: Ace Khumalo & Ntombi Tshabalala	Lungile Radu
	Celebrity Big Brother		Season 1, 2002: Bill Flynn	Mark Pilgrim Gerry Rantseli
Spain	Gran Hermano	Telecinco (Main program and debate) Divinity (daily highlights) Mitele.es (24h live free)	Season 1, 2000: Ismael Beiro Season 2, 2001: Sabrina Mahí Season 3, 2002: Javito García Season 4, 2002–03: Pedro Oliva Season 5, 2003–04: Nuria Yáñez Season 6, 2004: Juanjo Mateo Season 7, 2005–06: Pepe Herrero Season 8, 2006: Naiala Melo Season 9, 2007: Judit Iglesias Season 10, 2008–09: Iván Madrazo Season 11, 2009–10: Ángel Muñoz Season 12, 2010–11: Laura Campos Season 13, 2012: Pepe Flores Season 14, 2013: Susana Molina Season 15, 2014: Paula González Season 16, 2015: Sofía Suescún Season 17, 2016: Beatriz Retamal Season 18, 2017: Upcoming season	Current Jorge Javier Vázquez (17) Former Mercedes Milá (1-2, 4-16) Pepe Navarro (3)
	Gran Hermano VIP		Season 1, 2004: Marlène Mourreau Season 2, 2005: Ivonne Armand Season 3, 2015: Belén Esteban Season 4, 2016: Laura Matamoros Season 5, 2017: Alyson Eckmann	Current Jordi González (3–5) Former Jesús Vázquez (1–2)
	Gran Hermano: El Reencuentro		Season 1, 2010: Pepe Herrero & Raquel López Season 2, 2011: Juan Miguel Martínez & Yola Berrocal	Jordi González (2) Mercedes Milá (1)
	Gran Hermano: La Revuelta		Season 1, 2012: Alessandro Livi	Mercedes Milá
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
		TV11	Season 5, 2011: Simon Danielsson Season 6, 2012: Hanna Johansson	Gry Forssell
		Kanal 11	Season 7, 2015: Christian Sahlström	Adam Alsing
	Big Brother Stjärnveckan	Kanal5	Season 1, 2002: Anki Lundberg	Adam Alsing
Switzerland	Big Brother Switzerland	TV3 Switzerland	Season 1, 2000: Daniela Kanton Season 2, 2001: Christian Ponleitner	Eva Wannemacher (2) Daniel Fohrler (1)
Thailand	Big Brother Thailand	iTV	Season 1, 2005: Nipon Perktim Season 2, 2006: Arisa Sonthirod	Saranyu Vonkarjun Nana Raibeena (2)
Turkey	Big Brother Türkiye[23]	Star TV	Season 1, 2015–16: Sinan Aydemir	Asuman Krause[24]
Ukraine	Big Brother Україна	K1	Season 1, 2011: Kristina Kotvickaja	Olga Gorbacheva Oleksey Kurban
United Kingdom	Big Brother	Channel 4 and S4C (1–10) TVN Lingua	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: Rachel Rice Series 10, 2009: Sophie Reade Series 11, 2010: Josie Gibson	Davina McCall
		Channel 5 MTV (16–) TV3 (16–)	Series 12, 2011: Aaron Allard-Morgan Series 13, 2012: Luke Anderson Series 14, 2013: Sam Evans Series 15, 2014: Helen Wood Series 16, 2015: Chloe Wilburn Series 17, 2016: Jason Burrill Series 18, 2017: Isabelle Warburton	Current Emma Willis (14–present) Former Brian Dowling (12–13)
	Celebrity Big Brother	Channel 4 and S4C (2–7)	Series 1, 2001: Jack Dee Series 2, 2002: Mark Owen Series 3, 2005: Bez Series 4, 2006: Chantelle Houghton Series 5, 2007: Shilpa Shetty Series 6, 2009: Ulrika Jonsson Series 7, 2010: Alex Reid	Davina McCall
		Channel 5 MTV (15–) TV3 (16–18) 3e (19–)	Series 8, 2011: Paddy Doherty Series 9, 2012: Denise Welch Series 10, 2012: Julian Clary Series 11, 2013: Rylan Clark Series 12, 2013: Charlotte Crosby Series 13, 2014: Jim Davidson Series 14, 2014: Gary Busey Series 15, 2015: Katie Price Series 16, 2015: James Hill Series 17, 2016: Scotty T Series 18, 2016: Stephen Bear Series 19, 2017: Coleen Nolan Series 20, 2017: Current series	Current Emma Willis (12–present) Former Brian Dowling (8–11)
	Teen Big Brother	Channel 4/E4 and S4C	Series 1, 2003: Paul Brennan	Dermot O'Leary
	Big Brother Panto		Series 1, 2004–05: No winner	Jeff Brazier June Sarpong
	Celebrity Hijack		Series 1, 2008: John Loughton	Dermot O'Leary
	Ultimate Big Brother		Series 1, 2010: Brian Dowling	Davina McCall
United States (English)	Big Brother (Broadcast Edition)	CBS (1–) Showtime 2 (8–14) Pop (15–) Slice Global Global Reality Channel[25] E4 (4, 9)	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: Adam Jasinski Season 10, 2008: Dan Gheesling Season 11, 2009: Jordan Lloyd Season 12, 2010: Hayden Moss Season 13, 2011: Rachel Reilly Season 14, 2012: Ian Terry Season 15, 2013: Andy Herren Season 16, 2014: Derrick Levasseur Season 17, 2015: Steve Moses Season 18, 2016: Nicole Franzel Season 19, 2017: Current Season[26] Season 20, 2018: Upcoming season[26]	Julie Chen
	Big Brother: All-Stars		Season 7, 2006: Mike Malin
Big Brother: Over The Top (Digital Edition)	CBS All Access	Season 1, 2016: Morgan Willett
United States (Spanish)	Gran Hermano USA	Telemundo	Season 1, 2016: Pedro Orta[27]	Giselle Blondet
Vietnam	Người giấu mặt	VTV6	Season 1, 2013–14: Hoàng Sơn Việt	Huy Khánh

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.^[28] The court later dismissed the lawsuit filed by Castaway against de Mol and Endemol. The Survive! reality television format was later turned into Survivor.^[29]

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 Nineteen Eighty-Four and its trademarks. After a series of court rulings adverse to the defendants (CBS and Endemol), the case was settled for an undisclosed amount of money on the eve of trial.^{[30][31][32][33][34]}

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 having sex with him. (Under South African law, this act would be constituted as rape.)^[35] 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".^[36] As a result, the male housemate was later escorted out of the Big Brother house by the federal police.

References

Bibliography

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