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Websites

Big Brother official website

Network Ten Australia

Big Brother is a reality television show. In each series, which lasts for around three months, a number of people (normally fewer than fifteen at any one time) live together full-time in a "Big Brother House", isolated from the outside world but under the continuous gaze of television cameras. The housemates try to win a cash prize by avoiding periodic, usually publicly-voted, evictions from the house. The "real life soap" was invented by the Dutchman John de Mol and developed by his production company, Endemol. It has been a prime-time hit in almost 70 different countries. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which Big Brother is the all-seeing leader of the dystopian Oceania.

Format

The first series of Big Brother was broadcast in the Netherlands in September 1999, and the show was subsequently adapted to virtually every other part of the world. Though each country has made its own adaptations and changes to the format, the general concept has stayed the same: "housemates" are confined to a specially designed house where their every action is recorded by cameras and microphones at all times; and the housemates are not permitted any contact with the outside world (although some exceptions have been made; see isolation).

In most versions, at regular intervals, normally once weekly (although in most early series it was every two weeks), the public is invited to vote to have one of a number of nominated housemates evicted from the House. In some cases, two housemates may be evicted simultaneously (a "double eviction"), or rarely, no housemates will be removed for that week. At the end of the game, the last remaining housemate is declared winner of that particular series, and receives prizes; often including a large amount of money, a car, a holiday, and in some editions, a house.

From a sociological perspective, this format can be analyzed to see how people react when brought into contact to and forced into close confinement with people who lie outside their "comfort zone", since they may hold different opinions to other contestants, express different ideals, or simply be from a different group of people that a contestant is used to. The format is ideally suited because the viewer sees how a person reacts on the outside through the constant recording of their actions, and also what they feel on the inside through the Diary Room. The results can often result in violent or angry confrontations, which not only proves a theory that people are likely to react to threats through outbursts of violence or loud expressions of opinion, but also provides entertainment to a baying public.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Isolation of housemates

The housemates are, for the most part, completely isolated within the house. They are allowed no access to television, radio or the Internet, and are not allowed any form of communications with the outside world, or other media. In some shows, even books and writing material are not permitted, with the exception of religious materials such as the Bible. Part of the reason for this is the nature of the social experiment, which aims to discover how people act in isolation from "normal" outside influences, and also to prevent introverts from hiding in a book or movie to escape the other contestants. A second reason is to ensure fairness within the game. A great deal of content is available to the public either on TV or the Internet, allowing viewers to understand much more than the players, so providing players with media access could allow them to gain an unfair advantage in the game.

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

Variations in the format

* There are six special pan-regional versions of Big Brother. All these follow the normal Big Brother rules with the exception that contestants come from different countries in the region where it airs:
o Africa: Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
o Balkans: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia
o Middle East: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria and Tunisia.
o Pacific: Chile, Ecuador and Peru.
o Scandinavia: Norway and Sweden.
o United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales, Nothern Ireland and Ireland
* In the third UK series, Big Brother set live tasks for the housemate on a Saturday night in order to win treats. This format was discontinued in the fifth series due to poor ratings. This format has been used in Australia in the form of Friday Night Live.
* The fifth UK edition introduced the "Evil" touch, whereby the character of Big Brother became almost a villain. Big Brother was establishing punishments and was proposing hard tasks and secret tricks. This was also seen in Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Pacific, Scandinavia, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, Philippines, and Mexico.
* The sixth UK series introduced secret missions where housemate would be able to win luxuries if they completed a secret task set by Big Brother.
* In the seventh UK series, Big Brother became "twisted". Every week, housemates mental states were put to the test as Big Brother tried to break them. As a result of this many housemates broke down and one even threaten to commit suicide.
* The eighth UK Series saw an all-female house however 3 days later 1 male housemate entered
* The UK series alway opens with a twist which have included First Night Nominations (BB4), Transexual enters & Suit Case Nominations (BB5), Unlucky Housemate 13 (BB6), Big Brother Hood & Person suffering From Tourette (BB7), All Female House & Twins enter (BB8), Jackie Stallone is Announced to be Entering (CBB3), Non Celebrity Enters (CBB4) and Jade Goody and Family are Announced to be Entering (CBB5). Many countries have followed opening night twists such as Australia and the United States.
* The fifth UK edition introduced "Fake evictions" where 1 or 2 housemates are "Evicted" however unbeknown to the housemates they have in fact not been evicted. the housemate/s usually are put into a secret house where numerous twist happen. in the eighth UK Series one housemate was evicted, interview then sent straight back into the house however the housemates in the house got to see all of the interview live.
* In France and Canada, the format has been developed using couples. Twelve single people stay in the same house until only the winning couple are left.
* Big Brother USA currently uses a different set of rules that began with the second season (the first season used the traditional format). Nominations are done by one houseguest, the Head of Household (HoH) and the houseguests vote for which nominee to evict, not the viewers. The third season introduced the Power of Veto, where a houseguest can save a nominee causing the Head of Household to name a replacement nominee. It's been adapted in Brazil and Africa and since then some countries modified their nominations rules.
* The eighth American season, introduced "America's Player", a houseguest that is given assignments, unknown to the other houseguests, through votes from the viewing public. Included in the public voting is which nominated houseguest America's Player should vote off and campaign to get evicted.
* The third Dutch edition introduced the notion of "The Battle", in which the house is separated into a luxurious half and a poor half, with two teams of housemates constantly fighting for time in the luxurious half. Separated houses have also been used in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Scandinavia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Australia, Italy and Mexico added punishment zones to their houses.
* In 2004, the fifth German edition was the first version to run for 365 days consecutively. In this season, the contestants were separated into three teams (rich, regular, survivor) and equivalent living areas. The ultimate winner got a prize of 1,000,000 €.
* Also in Germany a new version of the show started: Big Brother - Das Dorf (Big Brother - The Village). It was the sixth season and started the same day season 5 ended. This was the first version supposed to run for years (without a predetermined end). It was set in a small artificial village including a church tower, a marketplace, 3 houses, 3 working areas (farm, car garage, dressmaking and later a small hotel, where celebrities from the real world could move into), a matcharena, a pub and a fitness room. The season ended after 363 days in February 2006 because of low ratings. In season seven RTL II switched back to a traditional version.
* The Voice Graph system in BB Argentina, BB Australia & BB Germany.
* The fourth Greek season introduced a new element: the mother. In Big Mother nine housemates take part in the game with their mothers, with whom they must coexist during the contest. The "mamas" were not able to win the prize but they would stay with their children until their eviction. However, this proved to be a failure with the shows audience and the show switched back to the traditional Big Brother format in mid-season.
* Introduced in the fifth season of the American series, several countries have included twins, and in some cases triplets, in their shows. Usually, the siblings enter the show as one Housemate, and after making it to a certain point in the game, they split up as individuals. Series that have used Housemates who are twins or triplets are:
o USA, 2004, Adria Montgomery-Klein and Natalie Montgomery-Carroll, 7th (Natalie) and 8th (Adria) Evicted, Used Name: "Adria".
o Australia, 2005, David and Greg Matthew, 14th Evicted (David) and Winner (Greg, although the prize money was split), Used Name: "Logan" (Middle name of both Twins).
o Bulgaria, 2006, Lyubov, Nadejda, and Vyara Stancheva, 7th (Nadejda) and 9th (Vyara) Evicted, Winner (Lyubov), Used Name: "Vyara".
o UK, 2007, Amanda and Sam Marchant, 2nd Place (Both were treated separately until Day 68 when they became one).
o France, 2007, Marjorie, Cyrielle and Johanna Bluteau, Winner (Marjorie, as she was the only one eligible for the grand prize).
o Spain, 2007, Conchi and Pamela De Los Santos, 2nd Place, Used Name: "Rosa".
o Poland, 2007, Aneta and Martyna Bielecka, 4th Evicted (They were discovered as twins), Used Name: "Martyna".
* The seventh season of Big Brother Australia focused upon environmental issues, the house fitted with rainwater tanks and a majority of the furniture being built entirely from recycled materials.

Housemate exchange

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

Special editions of Big Brother

Big Brother VIP / Celebrity Big Brother

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

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

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

Other editions

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

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

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

Big Brother Incidents

There have been a few incidents from different countries involving Big Brother contestants, the show, and the way the program is run in general.

Australia

In Big Brother 6, two housemates, Ashley (real name Michael Cox) and John (Michael Bric), were removed from the house for allegedly sexually assaulting a female housemate, Camilla Severi, in a season of the series that had already attracted significant controversy. Following the incident the live feed was temporarily replaced by an old UpLate update of the housemates completing their football task, continuously looped, and the forums on the Big Brother website were removed. Queensland Police were shown the relevant footage but opted not to conduct a criminal investigation. Camilla finished runner-up for the series. Subsequent to this incident former housemate Rita Lazzarotto reported that she had been subjected to a similar incident during her time in the Big Brother house in the 2005 series.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard asked for Big Brother to be canceled, saying, "Here's a great opportunity for Network Ten to do a bit of self-regulation and get this stupid program off the air"; Leader of the Opposition Kim Beazley and Senator Steve Fielding supported this view. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie argued that the show employed many Australians in production and that, because of the already diminished size of the Australian television industry, the show should continue.

Brazil

Big Brother 3 began on January 14, 2003, and caused controversy. Among the participants was Miss Brazil 2002, Joseane. Rules of the Miss Brazil contest forbid participation of married women, and when Joseane participated, she stated she was single. With her exposure in BBB, some magazines discovered she was married even before winning the beauty contest. Once the marriage was proven, Joseane was stripped of her crown, and Thaisa Tomsem was crowned Miss Brazil 2002. Also, participant Dilson, not knowing Joseane was married, tried to start a romantic relationship with her during the show. Due to her refusals, he felt unmotivated and left the show voluntarily. Participant Harry replaced him at February 26, and became the first participant not to enter the show on its first day.

Philippines

In PBB Season 2, it remarks as one of the most controversial series on Philippine TV that involved the housemates. On Day 113, Gee-Ann heard the results of the informal survey conducted days before. Hearing Bruce and Wendy scornful remarks against her, Gee-Ann Abrahan revealed to Big Brother about her uneasiness and grievances against Wendy. To let her recover from her trauma she had experienced, Big Brother put her in the secret room with Mickey who did accompany her. But instead of calming down, Gee-Ann continued to tell Mickey about Wendy's remarks against her, even telling him that Wendy is "manipulating" the other housemates. Later, when Big Brother asked the housemates on who they think isn't fit to join the Final Four, most of the housemates answered Bruce and Wendy. This set off a chain of events that would change the relationship between the housemates: Wendy's sudden unwillingness to talk, Gee-Ann's further breakdown, and the rift between the three remaining females. On Day 115, the rift between Gee-Ann, Beatriz, and Wendy had already reached a crescendo to the point that everyone is not in speaking terms. Big Brother decided to intervene, telling the housemates that the "fake nomination" was just a test of friendship and they failed on that account. He also chided Gee-Ann about being as equally "unfair" as Wendy (Wendy was evicted, then returned; Gee-Ann received some "special treatment") and about belittling her achievements and Bruce for his full focus on Wendy. Although the men convinced the females to make up, Bea and Gee-Ann settled their differences with Wendy and the three ultimately reconciled. This was not however a full reconciliation as Wendy still had reservations.

Portugal

In Big Brother 1 housemate Marco kicked fellow housemate Sónia in the stomach - this led to his ejection from the Big Brother house for aggressive behavior.

Serbia

During the second season on the evening of December 28th, three Evicted Housemates, Stevan Zecevic, Zorica Lazic, and Elmir Kuduzovic died in a car accident near city of Obrenovac, when the car they were in crushed down into river Vukodraz. The producers of the show made the decision to end the show abruptly with seven remaining Housemates in the house. The housmates were informed of their death. There was no winner, with the choice being made to split the money between all the Housemates.

United Kingdom

During Big Brother 4 there was a bomb scare. At 7:58 on Day 43, Big Brother asked all housemates to go to the boys bedroom until further notice because of a security alert inside the studios. The staff had left 20 minutes earlier, except for senior members of the production team who watched the housemates from behind the mirrors. The Big Brother gallery was unmanned after police advised staff to leave the house. At 8:43, Police advised the house be evacuated. But since the gallery was unmanned, Big Brother had no method of communicating with the house, so staff had to enter. Senior members of the production team lead the housemates out via the camera runs, and they were taken to a secure area on the perimeter of the studio complex with 2 chaperones and 4 security guards. At 12:49am, the housemates were allowed to return after police gave the all clear. The eviction took place the following day.

In Big Brother 5, on what is commonly referred to as 'Fight Night', volatile ex-housemates Emma Greenwood and Michelle Bass returned to the Big Brother house after a fake eviction. Some of the housemates were extremely displeased, and after a series of arguments, Greenwood and Bass along with Jason Cowan, Marco Sabba, eventual winner Nadia Almada, Vanessa Nimmo and Victor Ebuwa became involved in an aggressive brawl. Viewers of live streaming called the police to inform them of the violent activity and, for the first time in the show's history, on-set security guards were called into the house to break up the arguments.

Big Brother 6, Throughout this series there was much discussion of housemates influencing other housemates nomination. Makosi claimed that Derek had told her to turn off her microphone to discuss nominations and that Derek wrote two S's on her toes. Later on in the series Craig and Derek accused Vanessa of writing initials on their feet, however this was never proven. Big Brother 6 was also heavily criticised for the amount of nudity shown on the show; after a midnight "romp" in the pool housemate Makosi Musambasi claimed to have conceived Anthony Hutton's child and asked for a pregnancy test. In addition housemate Kinga Karolczak masturbated herself with a wine bottle in the garden.

In Celebrity Big Brother 4, housemate Pete Burns claimed that his coat was made from gorilla skin; after viewers called in to Ofcom, police removed the coat for testing. Ownership of products made from gorilla is illegal in the UK without a license. Tests found the coat was in fact made of Colobus monkeys, another endangered species. As a result the case was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service who determined that the pelts used to make the coat were imported before 1975 (when it became illegal to import Colobus fur) and as such did not press charges. This greatly upset animal rights campaigners.

Big Brother 7 came under criticism when critics claimed that Big Brother had deliberately put unstable people into the house. Housemate Shahbaz Chauhdry referred to himself as a "Paki poof" in his audition video, upsetting the British Asian community. He also threatened to commit suicide as well as stealing all the food out of the kitchen. He decided to walk on day 4 and admitted that he was mentally unstable. 7 days into the show, housemate Dawn Blake received a message in the house from her family, via Big Brother, saying "your sister is ill". This turned out to be a code message that Dawn had organised with her family before entering the Big Brother House, that the family promised they would send to her in the house if any newspapers, magazines or other media had made disparaging comments or judgements about Dawn in the outside world, so that Dawn could then leave. Dawn let her housemates know about this to some extent when she was heard whispering to them "I have a code". The producers of the show eventually caught on, and although Dawn said she was leaving anyway, when she was called to the Diary Room the following day Big Brother told her that she had broken a major rule by being in contact with the outside world, and that she was being ejected from the house. When the housemates were made aware of Dawn's rule-breaking and ejection from the house, they surmised that any person who goes into the Big Brother house is going to have both good and bad comments made about them by the media and public, and that Dawn was naïve to enter the house in the first place if this was not her expectation. Channel 4 received 500 complaints from viewers about this matter, and Media watchdog Ofcom confirmed that it had received over 1,000 complaints and referred viewers to ICSTIS. Soon after the four ex-housemates entered the House Next Door, ICSTIS released a statement confirming that it was dealing with over 2,500 complaints[19] and launched an official investigation. On October 5, 2006, they ruled that Channel 4 had breached its code and imposed £50,000 'administrative charges'.

In Celebrity Big Brother 5, a worldwide debate was created by housemates Jade Goody (who had appeared on the non-celebrity version of the show four years previously), singer Jo O'Meara and model Danielle Lloyd. The row was sparked when alleged racist comments were made about Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who was also a housemate in the show. A record number of 45,000 complaints were recorded for the unfair behaviour, bullying and racism in the UK Big Brother House, with protests across India. The then Chancellor of the Exchequer (Now Prime Minister) Gordon Brown, visiting India at the time, found himself answering questions on Big Brother throughout his trip, and a wider debate on racism in the UK was raised by the media. The 3 housmates involved were not removed from the house, and faced eviction in the normal way, although during Jade's eviction, no crowd was present. For all 3, the normally lighthearted eviction interview was serious in tone, and began by showing clips of international news bulletins and newspaper front pages. Shilpa emerged as the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2007. Following the incident, Channel 4 was heavily criticized by Ofcom for not acting quickly enough, and was forced to apologize on air three times. See also Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy.

In Big Brother 8, the next regular series after the race row back in January, housemate Emily Parr was removed from the house hours after using the word "nigger" towards housemate Charley Uchea. This swift action was seen as a sign from the producers that they have learned from the criticism following the Shilpa Shetty incident. During the series, the fire alarm sounded resulting in the housemates having to evacuate the building via the fire exit in the bedroom. After waiting at the security gate, they were told that everywhere had been checked and that it was safe to re-enter the house.

United States

In Big Brother 2 HouseGuest Justin Sebik was expelled on Day 10 for breaking Big Brother rules. Justin threatened his fellow HouseGuest with physical violence and intimidation, a violation of one of the most serious House rules.

Julie Chen, host of Big Brother, explained that Justin was given an official warning that such behavior was not appropriate in the Big Brother house. Justin repeated the warning, proving that he understood the rule. His behavior included destruction of house property, culminated in a final incident when he and Krista were kissing on the kitchen table and picked up a metal carpet sweeper and said to her "Would you get mad if I cracked you over the head with this?" He swung the carpet sweeper towards Krista but put it down and kissed her. He walked away from her in the kitchen and says "Would you get mad if I killed you?" He picked up a large knife, returned to Krista and while they kissed he placed the knife against her throat. He briefly took the knife away from her throat but with Krista's encouragement returned the knife to her throat and they begun kissing again. As the kiss ends he puts the knife down.

After a confrontation with the show psychologist, it was decided that Justin would be expelled from the Big Brother house. Krista Stegall later sued CBS over the incident.

In Big Brother 4 HouseGuest Scott Weintraub was expelled on Day 8 after having a violent outburst in the house relating to the season twist, X-Factor. Scott tossed furniture around the House, delivered an expletive-laden rant, and refused to go to the Diary Room when called. He later apologized to his fellow HouseGuests who were uncomfortable with his actions in the house. Once Scott went to the Diary Room he was removed from the house and expelled.

In Big Brother 6 HouseGuest Eric and Michael get into a confrontation about Michael talking badly about Eric's family. Earlier in the evening, Rachel who was eavesdropping on Janelle and Michael in the Gold Room overheard Michael make a poor joke about Eric's grandparents to Janelle. Rachel told Eric that she heard them badmouthing his family. Later that night Eric and Ivette are outside discussing the incident when Michael goes outside. Eric provokes Michael who retorts, calling Eric "a midget with a small penis." Eric loses all control going after Michael. The other HouseGuests blocked Eric's attack at Michael. Big Brother intervenes telling Eric to leave the backyard and telling Michael to go to the storage room. Shortly after, Ivette attacks Kaysar and his beliefs, Big Brother intervenes again giving warnings to all HouseGuests. Eric apologizes to his fellow HouseGuests, saying he would never hurt anyone.

In Big Brother 8 HouseGuest Richard "Evel Dick" came under some controversy for his loud abusive behavior towards women HouseGuests especially Jen. This culminated in an event in which Dick poured iced tea on Jen's head while she was engaged in an argument with HouseGuests Nick and Dick's daughter Daniele. This led some fans and the National Organization for Women to call for his expulsion from the house. He went on to be the winner of Big Brother 8.

Another HouseGuest, Amber, who has admitted to a previous addiction to meth, garnered national attention after making what were considered anti-Semitic statements. Hollywood news conglomeration Defamer criticized Amber's sentiments. Notably, aggregate TMZ reported about Amber's remarks, especially those about being able to recognize a Jew by the size of their nose or their last name.

Near-copies of Big Brother

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

The Farm, created by the Swedish producer house Strix. This is the fourth biggest 'people-living-together' reality show on Earth, only exceeded by Star Academy / Operación Triunfo (France/Spain, 2001, Endemol) broadcast in 52 countries; Survivor (Sweden, 1997, Strix), shown in 65 countries and Big Brother itself.

* Countries: Algeria, Bahrein, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK and Yemen.

The Bar, another format from Strix.

* Countries: Argentina, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Uruguay - Planned.

Endemol format's in cooperation with Strix.

Protagonistas..., a format from the Spanish producer house GloboMedia, developed by its subsidiary in America, Promofilm. It's a mixture among Big Brother and Star Academy and has had a huge success in different Latin countries, as Chile, Brazil (formerly known as Casa dos Artistas), Venezuela, Colombia or Mexico. It also had its own version in Spain and in the U.S., for the Spanish-speaking market, airing on Telemundo.

There are also some local formats that in one or other way are similar to Endemol's Big Brother:

* Albania, Kafazi i Arte; Syri Magjik
* Austria, Taxi Orange
* Bolivia, Uno Busca
* Bosnia and Herzegovina, 60 Sati
* Brazil, Casa dos Artistas
* Canada, Occupation Double
* Chile, La Casa
* Czech Republic VyVolení
* France, Les Colocataires; Nice People
* Germany, Girls Camp; Der Container Exklusiv
* Hungary, Való Világ
* Indonesia, Penghuni Terakhir
* Iraq, Bait Beut
* Ireland, Cabin Fever
* Israel, Project Y; The Yacht
* Korea, Twenty Eyes
* Latvia, Fabrika; Barbarossa
* Netherlands, De Bus;[21] 7 Plagen;[21] De Gouden Kooi
* Norway, Singel 24-7
* Peru, La Casa De Gisela; Gran Hermano De Chollywood
* Poland, Dwa Swiaty, Amazonki, Gladiatorzy, Lysi i blondynki
* Puerto Rico, 360 Estudio
* Russia, 12 Negrityat; Dom; Golod; Za Steklom
* Serbia, Cirkus funtastic voajer
* Slovakia, VyVolení;
* Spain, El Bus; Hotel Glamour; La Casa De Tu Vida;Unan1mous, Libertad Vigilada
* Turkey, Biri Bizi Gözetliyor and Otel
* UK, Back To Reality, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Unanimous, Fame Academy, Shattered
* U.S., Unan1mous
* Ukraine, Dom

Online Versions

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

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