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Big Brother is a reality television show, where, in each series, a group of people live together in the Big Brother House, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 16 participants. The housemates try to win a cash prize by avoiding periodic evictions from the house. The idea for the show came during a brainstorm session at the production house of John de Mol Produkties (an independent part of Endemol) on September 4, 1997. The first Big Brother broadcast was in the Netherlands in 1999 on the Veronica TV channel. It has been a prime-time hit in almost 70 countries. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (see Big Brother).

Contents 1 Format 1.1 Isolation of housemates 1.2 Variations in the format 2 Special editions of Big Brother 2.1 Big Brother VIP / Celebrity Big Brother 2.2 Other editions 3 Big Brother series 3.1 Housemate exchange 3.2 Ex-Housemate exchange 3.3 Big Brother Subtitles 4 Most Big Brother Series in One Country 5 Near-copies of Big Brother 6 Bibliography 7 Notes 8 Official sites

[edit] Format

Though each country has made its own adaptations and changes to the format, the general concept has stayed the same: "housemates" are confined to a specially designed house where their every action is recorded by cameras and microphones at all times and they are not permitted any contact with the outside world.

In most versions, at regular intervals, normally once weekly (introduced in the UK version, although in most early series it was every two weeks), the housemates are 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 and demographic perspective, this format can be analyzed to see how people react when forced into close confinement with people who lie outside their comfort zone, since they may hold different opinions or ideals from other contestants, or simply be from a different group of people than a contestant is used to. Indeed, the format is ideally suited to such analysis 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 be violent or angry confrontations, providing entertainment to the public.

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

In the first season of most series of Big Brother, the house that the housemates had to live in 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 to the show, increasing the potential for tensions within the house. Nowadays almost all series provide a modern house for the contest, with a jacuzzi, sauna, VIP suite, 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 to them only as "Big Brother". The tasks set are designed to test their team-working abilities and community spirit, and in some countries the housemates' shopping budget or weekly allowance often depends on the outcome of any set tasks. The housemates have a weekly allowance with which they can buy food and other essentials.

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

The series is notable for involving the Internet. Although the show typically broadcasts daily updates in the evening (which are sometimes criticized for their 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, 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 libellous 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.^[1] On numerous occasions, participants in the various series have become sexually involved with each other, sometimes engaging in intercourse in front of Big Brother's cameras. This recorded material is typically not broadcast due to its explicit nature, as in the Australian and American editions. Other editions, however, such as the German and British versions, do broadcast it. The Internet stream also captures such moments, which has led to some controversy, with certain jurisdictions such as Greece attempting to have the show removed from the airwaves.^[1]

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 taken to the extent 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 in their second season, with a far stronger emphasis on strategy, competition and voting.

[edit] Isolation of housemates

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

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

[edit] 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 must come from each of the different countries in the region where it airs:
  • Africa: Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • Balkans:Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia
  • Arab States: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria and Tunisia.
  • Pacific: Chile, Ecuador and Peru.
  • Scandinavia: Norway and Sweden.
  • United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of 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.
• The eighth UK series saw an all-female house. However, three days later, one male housemate entered.
• The UK series always opens with a twist which have included First Night Nominations (BB4), Suit Case Nominations (BB5), Unlucky Housemate 13 (BB6), Big Brother Hood (BB7), an all-female House and the first inclusion of twins as contestants (BB8), the first couple to enter as housemates and set a secret task to hide their real relationship (BB9), Jackie Stallone entering a house containing her son's ex-wife (CBB3), entrance of a non-celebrity in a celebrity edition (CBB4) Jade Goody's family announced to be visiting. (CBB5) and most recently, Many countries have followed these opening night twists such as Australia and the United States.
• The fifth UK edition introduced "Fake evictions" where one or two housemates are "evicted"; however, unbeknownst to the housemates, they have in fact not been evicted. The housemate/s usually are put into a secret house where numerous twists happen. In the eighth UK Series one housemate was evicted, interviewed, and then sent straight back into the house. The housemates in the house got to see everything live, though.
• In France and Canada, the format has been developed using couples. Twelve single people stay in the same house until only the winning couple are left.
• Big Brother USA currently uses a different set of rules that began with the second season (the first season used the traditional format). Nominations are done by one houseguest, the Head of Household (HoH) and the houseguests vote for which nominee to evict, not the viewers. The third season introduced the Power of Veto, where a houseguest can save a nominee causing the Head of Household to name a replacement nominee. It's been adapted in Brazil and Africa and since then some countries modified their nominations rules.
• The eighth American season, introduced "America's Player", a houseguest that is given assignments, unknown to the other houseguests, through votes from the viewing public. Included in the public voting is which nominated houseguest America's Player should vote off and campaign to get evicted. (Dan was "America's Player" on Big Brother 10 (U.S) This was also seen in the second Teen Edition of the Philippine version as the "House Player."
• 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 (Season 3), Brazil (Season 9, only in first week), Denmark (Season 3), Germany (Seasons 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9), Greece (Season 3), Italy (Season 6), Norway (Season 3), Poland (Season 3), Scandinavia (Season 1), Slovakia (Season 1), Slovenia (Season 2), Spain (First season VIP), Sweden (Not known season), and the UK (Season 3). Australia (Not known season), Italy (Season 7), Philippines (Season 2) and Mexico (Season 3) added punishment zones to their houses. The punishment zone has been added to the UK house as a jail for Big Brother 9. This jail is used as a punishment for things like discussing nominations outside of the nominations pod, crossing the heaven/hell divide (which has now been removed), but sometimes housemates do not need to break rules to go to jail. In some instances, like during week 6, a "proceed directly to jail card" was one of Big Brother's ever-changing prizes. Being in "jail" on nominations day, (Monday) means that you will not be able to nominate unless a "get out of jail free" card is used. In week 6, Luke was only allowed to nominate as Rebecca had used this card to get him out. However, "jail" is not the only punishment used. When Rex's girlfriend, Nicole arrived on Day 58, she had broken a fundamental rule of Big Brother by stepping over the heaven/hell divide and had her suitcase revoked from her until Day 67.
• 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 and BB Germany.
• The fourth Greek season introduced a new element: the mother. In Big Mother, nine housemates take part in the game with their mothers, with whom they must coexist during the contest. The "mamas" were not able to win the prize but they would stay with their children until their eviction. However, this proved to be a failure with the show's audience and the show switched back to the traditional Big Brother format in mid-season. This concept, in modified form, was used in the Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition Plus.
• The ninth American season, a result of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, added a romantic aspect to the game, by pairing the Housemates up and having them compete as couples chosen by their compatibility to each other.
• Big Brother Brasil has introduced a currency, the "Estaleca" (Z$), used by the housemates on the weekly shopping of groceries and other useful goods for the house. It also introduced the "Big Phone" feature, which consists on prizes or punishments to whomever answers the phone (or, if allowed, to someone else of their choice); sometimes housemates are sent straight to the elimination match just because they answered it.
• The ninth Brazilian season featured the "Bubble", a glass house built inside a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro where 4 housemate-wannabes lived for a week until 2 of them were voted to enter the actual household. Later in the same season, a new "Bubble" was built inside the Big Brother household, with another 2 housemates living inside it for a week until they were voted in and the glass house dismantled.
• In the Brazilian version, during Carnival, it is common that one or two households be granted a night outside the house in order to watch the Samba school parade live on Rio Sambadrome.
• Introduced in the fifth season of the American series, several countries have included twins, and in some cases triplets, in their shows. Series that have used Housemates who are twins or triplets are:
  • USA, 2004, Adria Montgomery-Klein and Natalie Montgomery-Carroll, 7th (Adria) and 8th (Natalie) Evicted, Used Name: "Adria".
  • Germany, 2005, Beate and Birgit
  • Australia, 2005, David and Greg Matthew, 14th Evicted (David) and Winner (Greg, although the prize money was split), Used Name: "Logan" (Middle name of both Twins).
  • Bulgaria, 2006, Lyubov, Nadejda, and Vyara Stancheva, 7th (Nadejda) and 9th (Vyara) Evicted, Winner (Lyubov), Used Name: "Vyara".
  • UK, 2007, Amanda and Sam Marchant, 2nd Place (Both were treated separately until Day 68 when they became one and became "Samanda")
  • France, 2007, Marjorie, Cyrielle and Johanna Bluteau, Winners (They competed as a team).
  • Spain, 2007, Conchi and Pamela De Los Santos, 2nd Place, Used Name: "Rosa".
  • Poland, 2007, Aneta and Martyna Bielecka, 4th Evicted (They were discovered as twins), Used Name: "Martyna".
  • India, 2008, Sana and Alina, 4th Evicted (Sana was introduced as Alina but the housemates soon found her to be different person and both were out at the eviction)
  • Israel, 2008, Leon and Boris Schneiderovsky, 1st Evicted (Boris) and 5th Place (Leon).

[edit] Special editions of Big Brother

[edit] Big Brother VIP / Celebrity Big Brother

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

• A second variant appeared in the Netherlands in 2006: Hotel Big Brother. A group of celebrity hoteliers and a Big Boss run a hotel, collecting money for charity without nominations, evictions or winner.
• A third variant appeared in the UK in early 2008: Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack, replacing the 2008 edition of Celebrity Big Brother. Instead of the celebrities playing the role of housemates, the celebrities in fact become Big Brother himself. The celebrities create tasks, hold nominations, etc. with the help of Big Brother. The housemates of the show are considered by the producers "Britain's most exceptional and extraordinary" 18-21 year olds. The prize for the winner of the series was £50,000.^[2]

[edit] 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 (Season 1), 77 days (Season 2)). Teenage housemates (18 years old and above) competing in a BB house.
• Big Brother: All-Stars (Belgium, 21 days; United States, 72 days). Big Brother where all the housemates come from previous seasons of the contest.
• Veliki Brat: Generalna Proba (Big Brother Try Out - Serbia, 7 days). Twelve Serbian contestants competing for a spot in the next Big Brother Balkans season. Without nominations or evictions.

There are also "test runs" with a group of celebrities or journalists living together in the house during a few days, with the only goal being testing out the house. 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. Series such as these are known to occur in Argentina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Pacific, Philippines, Spain and many other countries. In some cases, it is not broadcast, but in others, such as the US edition, it is used as a promotional tool.

[edit] Big Brother series

Region/Country	Local Title	Network	Winners	Main Presenters
African Continent	Big Brother Africa	M-Net E4 (Season 1) The Africa Channel (Season 1 in 2008)	Season 1, 2003: Cherise Makubale Season 2, 2007: Richard Dyle Bezuidenhout Season 3, 2008: Ricardo Venancio	Mark Pilgrim (Season 1) Kabelo Ngakane (Season 2-present)
Albania	Big Brother	Top Channel	Season 1, 2008: Arbër Çepani Season 2, 2009: Current season	Arbana Osmani (Season 1-present)
Argentina	Gran Hermano	Telefe Monte Carlo TV (Season 2-present)	Season 1, 2001: Marcelo Corazza Season 2, 2001: Roberto Parra Season 3, 2002-2003: Viviana Colmenero Season 4, 2007: Marianela Mirra Season 5, 2007: Esteban Morais Season 6, 2009: Upcoming season	Soledad Silveira (Season 1-3) Jorge Rial (Season 4-present)
	Gran Hermano Famosos		Season 1, 2007: Diego Leonardi	Jorge Rial (Season 1)
Australia	Big Brother Australia	Network Ten TV 2 (Season 1-6)	Season 1, 2001: Ben Williams Season 2, 2002: Peter Corbett Season 3, 2003: Regina Bird Season 4, 2004: Trevor Butler Season 5, 2005: Greg Mathew & David Mathew (Logan) Season 6, 2006: Jamie Brooksby Season 7, 2007: Aleisha Cowcher Season 8, 2008: Terri Munro	Gretel Killeen (Season 1-7) Kyle Sandilands (Season 8) Jackie O (Season 8)
	Celebrity Big Brother	Network Ten	Season 1, 2002: Dylan Lewis
Belgium	Big Brother	Kanaal Twee	Season 1, 2000: Steven Spillebeen Season 2, 2001: Ellen Dufour Season 3, 2002: Kelly Vandevenne Season 4, 2003: Kristof van Camp Season 5, 2006: Kirsten Janssens Season 6, 2007: Diana Ferrante	Walter Grootaers (All seasons)
	Big Brother VIPs	vtm Kanaal Twee	Season 1, 2001: Sam Gooris Season 2, 2006: Pim Symoens
	Big Brother All Stars	Kanaal Twee	Season 1, 2003: Heidi Zutterman
Brazil	Big Brother Brasil	Rede Globo Globo Portugal (Season 8)	Season 1, 2002: Kléber de Paula Season 2, 2002: Rodrigo Leonel Season 3, 2003: Dhomini Ferreira Season 4, 2004: Cida da Silva Season 5, 2005: Jean Wyllys Season 6, 2006: Mara Viana Season 7, 2007: Diego Gasques Season 8, 2008: Rafinha Ribeiro Season 9, 2009: Current season	Marisa Orth (Season 1) Pedro Bial (Season 1-present)
Bulgaria	Big Brother	Nova Television Nova+ (Live) (Season 1-4) Diema 2 (Live) (Season 5)	Season 1, 2004-2005: Zdravko Vasilev Season 2, 2005: Miroslav Atanasov Season 3, 2006: Lyubov Stancheva Season 4, 2008: Georgi Alourkov Season 5, 2009: Upcoming season	Niki Kunchev (Season 1-3) Evelina Pavlova (Season 1-2) Milen Tsvetkov (Season 4)
	VIP Brother	Nova Television Nova+ (Live) (Season 1-2) Diema 2 (Live) (Season 3)	Season 1, 2006: Konstantin Slavov Season 2, 2007: Hristina Stefanova Season 3, 2009: Current season	Niki Kunchev (Season 1-present) Evelina Pavlova (Season 1)
Canada	Loft Story	TQS	Season 1, 2003: Julie Lemay & Samuel Tissot Season 2, 2006: Mathieu Baron & Stéphanie Bélanger Season 3, 2006: Jean-Philippe Anwar & Kim Rusk Season 4, 2007: Mathieu Surprenant Season 5, 2008: Charles-Éric Boncoeur Season 7, 2009: Upcoming season	Renée-Claude Brazeau (Season 1) Philippe Fehmiu (Season 1) Isabelle Maréchal (Season 2) Virginie Coossa (Season 2-4) Marie Plourde (Season 3-4) Kim Rusk (Season 5-present)
	Loft Story: All-Stars		Season 6, 2009: Current season
Colombia	Gran Hermano	Caracol TV	Season 1, 2003: Mónica Tejón	Adriana Arango (Season 1) Carlos Calero (Season 1)
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, 2009: Upcoming season	Daria Knez (Season 1) Antonija Blaće(Season 2-present)
	Celebrity Big Brother		Season 1, 2008: Danijela Dvornik	Antonija Blaće (Season 1)
Czech Republic	Big Brother	TV NOVA	Season 1, 2005: David Šín	Eva Aichmajerová (Season 1) Lejla Abbasová (Season 1) Leoš Mareš (Season 1)
Denmark	Big Brother	TV Danmark	Season 1, 2001: Jill Liv Nielsen Season 2, 2001: Carsten B. Berthelsen Season 3, 2003: Johnni Madsen	Lisbeth Janniche (All seasons)
	Big Brother VIP		Season 1, 2003: Thomas Bickham
	Big Brother Reality All-Stars		Season 1, 2004: Jill Liv Nielsen (Big Brother)
Ecuador	Gran Hermano	Ecuavisa	Season 1, 2003: David Burbano	Toty Rodríguez (Season 1)
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: Upcoming season	Mari Kakko (Season 1-2) Vappu Pimiä (Season 3-present)
France	Loft Story	M6	Season 1, 2001: Christophe Mercy & Loana Petrucciani Season 2, 2002: Karine Delgado & Thomas Saillofest	Benjamin Castaldi (Loft Story 1-2 | Secret Story 1-present)
	Secret Story	TF1	Season 1, 2007: Marjorie, Cyrielle and Johanna Bluteau ("Les Triplées") Season 2, 2008: Matthias Pohl Season 3, 2009: Upcoming season
Germany	Big Brother	RTL II RTL (Season 2-3) Single TV (Season 2) Tele 5 (Season 4-6) MTV2 Pop (Season 4-5) VIVA (Season 5, 9) Premiere (Season 5-present) 9Live (Season 8)	Season 1, 2000: John Milz Season 2, 2000: Alida Kurras Season 3, 2001: Karina Schreiber Season 4, 2003: Jan Geilhufe Season 5, 2004-2005: Sascha Sirtl Season 6, 2005-2006: Michael Knopf Season 7, 2007: Michael Carstensen Season 8, 2008: Silke Kaufmann, "Isi" Season 9, 2008-2009: Current season	Percy Hoven (Season 1) Oliver Geissen (Season 2-3) Aleksandra Bechtel (Season 4) Ruth Moschner (Season 5-6) Oliver Petszokat (Season 6) Charlotte Karlinder (Season 7-8) Miriam Pielhau (Season 8-present)
Greece and Cyprus	Big Brother	ANT1	Season 1, 2001: Giorgos Triantafyllidis Season 2, 2002: Alexandros Moskhos Season 3, 2003: Thodores Jspógloy Season 4, 2005: Nikos Papadopoulos	Andreas Mikroutsikos (Season 1-3) Tatiana Stefanidou (Season 4)
Hungary	Big Brother Nagy Testvér	TV2	Season 1, 2002: Éva Párkányi Season 2, 2003: Zsófi Horváth	Claudia Liptai (Season 1-2) Attila Till (Season 1-2)
	Big Brother VIP	TV2	Season 1, 2003: Zolee Ganxsta
India	Bigg Boss	SET (Season 1) Colors TV (Season 2-present)	Season 1, 2006-2007: Rahul Roy Season 2, 2008: Ashutosh Kaushik Season 3, 2009: Upcoming season	Arshad Warsi (Season 1) Shilpa Shetty (Season 2-present)
Israel	Ha'Ach Ha'Gadol (האח הגדול) The Big Brother	Channel 2 - Keshet	Season 1, 2008: Shifra Kornfeld Season 2, 2009: Upcoming season	Erez Tal (Season 1-present) Assi Azar (Season 1-present)[3]
	HaAh Hagadol VIP (VIP האח הגדול) The Big Brother VIP		Season 1, 2009: Dudi Melitz
Italy	Grande Fratello	Canale 5 Mediaset Plus (Live) SKY Vivo (Live) SKY Show (Live) Mediaset Premium (Live) 3 (Only for Mobile)	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: Current season	Daria Bignardi (Season 1-2) Barbara D'Urso (Season 3-5) Alessia Marcuzzi (Season 6-present)
Mexico	Big Brother México	Televisa	Season 1, 2002: Rocío Cárdenas Season 2, 2003: Silvia Irabien Season 3, 2005: Evelyn Nieto	Adela Micha (Season 1-2) Verónica Castro (Season 3)
	Big Brother VIP		Season 1, 2002: Galilea Montijo Season 2, 2003: Omar Chaparro Season 3.1, 2004: Eduardo Videgaray Season 3.2, 2004: Roxanna Castellanos Season 4, 2005: Sasha Sökol	Víctor Trujillo (Season 1) Verónica Castro (Season 2-4)
Middle East	Big Brotherالرئيس Al'Rais The Boss	MBC II	Season 1, 2004: Discontinued[4]
Netherlands	Big Brother	Veronica (Season 1-2) Yorin (Season 3-4) Talpa (Seasonn 5-6)	Season 1, 1999: Bart Spring in 't Veld Season 2, 2000: Bianca Hagenbeek Season 3, 2001: Sandy Boots Season 4, 2002: Jeanette Godefroy Season 5, 2005: Joost Hoebink Season 6, 2006: Jeroen Visser	Rolf Wouters (Season 1) Daphne Deckers (Season 1) Esther Duller (Season 2) Beau Van Erven Doren (Season 2) Patty Brard (Season 3) Martijn Krabbé (Season 4) Ruud de Wild (Season 5) Bridget Maasland (Season 5-6)
	Big Brother VIPs	Veronica (Season 1) Talpa (Season 2)	Season 1, 2000: No winner Season 2, 2006: No winner	Caroline Tensen (Season 2)
Nigeria	Big Brother Nigeria	M-Net	Season 1, 2006: Katung Aduwak	Olisa Adibua (Season 1) Michelle Dede (Season 1)
Norway	Big Brother Norge	TVN	Season 1, 2001: Lars Joakim Ringom Season 2, 2002: Veronica Agnes Roso Season 3, 2003: Eva Lill Baukhol	Arve Juritzen (Season 1-2) Trygve Rønningen (Season 3)
	Big Brother: Tilbake I Huset		Season 1, 2001: Leena Brekke
Pacific Region	Gran Hermano del Pacífico	Telesistema RedTV ATV	Season 1, 2005: Juan Sebastián López	Lorena Meritano (Season 1) Regional Main Presenters Álvaro Ballera & Álvaro García Janine Leal Juan Francisco Escobar
Philippines	Pinoy Big Brother	ABS-CBN	Season 1, 2005: Nene Tamayo Season 2, 2007: Beatriz Saw Season 3, 2009: Upcoming season	Willie Revillame (Season 1) Toni Gonzaga (Season 1-present)
	Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition		Season 1, 2006: Keanna Reeves Season 2, 2007-08: Ruben Gonzaga	Toni Gonzaga (Season 1-2) Luis Manzano (Season 1)
	Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition		Season 1, 2006: Kim Chiu Season 2, 2008: Ejay Falcon	Mariel Rodriguez (Season 1) Toni Gonzaga (Season 2) Luis Manzano (Season 2)
Poland	Big Brother	TVN (Season 1-3) TV4 (Season 4-5)	Season 1, 2001: Janusz Dzięcioł Season 2, 2001: Marzena Wieczorek Season 3, 2002: Piotr Borucki Season 4, 2007: Jolanta Rutowicz Season 5, 2008: Janusz Strączek	Martyna Wojciechowska (Season 1) Grzegorz Miecugow (Season 1) Andrzej Sołtysik (2001-2002) Karina Kunkiewicz (2007) Kuba Klawiter (2007-2008) Małgorzata Kosik (2008)
	Big Brother: Ty Wybierasz	TVN	Season 1, 2001: Małgorzata Maier & Sebastian Florek Season 2, 2001: Barbara Knap & Jakub Jankowski	Martyna Wojciechowska (Season 1-2) Grzegorz Miecugow (Season 1-2)
	Big Brother VIP	TV4	Season 1, 2008: Jarek Jakimowicz	Kuba Klawiter (Season 1) Małgorzata Kosik (Season 1)
Portugal	Big Brother	TVI	Season 1, 2000-2001: Zé Maria Seleiro Season 2, 2001: Henrique Guimarães Season 3, 2001: Catarina Cabral Season 4, 2003: Nando Geraldes	Teresa Guilherme (All seasons)
	Big Brother Famosos		Season 1, 2002: Ricardo Vieira Season 2, 2002: Vítor Norte
Romania	Big Brother	Prima TV	Season 1, 2003: Soso Joi Season 2, 2004: Iustin Popovici	Andreea Raicu (Season 1-2) Virgil Ianțu (Season 1-2)
Russia	большой брат Bol'shoy Brat Big Brother	TNT TET (Season 1 in 2008)	Season 1, 2005: Anastasia Yagaylova	Ingeborga Dapkunaite (Season 1)
Scandinavian Peninsula[5]	Big Brother	Kanal5 TVN	Season 1, 2005: Britt Goodwin Season 2, 2006: Jessica Lindgren	Brita Møystad Engseth (Season 1-2) Adam Alsing (Season 1) Hannah Rosander (Season 2)
Second Life	Big Brother Second Life	World Wide Web	Season 1, 2006: Madlen Flint
Slovakia	Big Brother Súboj	TV Markíza	Season 1, 2005: Richard Tkáč	Zuzana Belohorcová (Season 1)
Slovenia	Big Brother	Kanal A	Season 1, 2007: Andrej Novak Season 2, 2008: Naske Mehić Season 3,2009: (Upcoming BB)	Nina Osenar (Season 1-3)
South Africa	Big Brother South Africa	M-Net	Season 1, 2001: Ferdinand Rabie Season 2, 2002: Richard Cawood	Mark Pilgrim (Season 1-2) Gerry Rantseli (Season 1-2)
	Celebrity Big Brother		Season 1, 2002: Bill Flynn
Spain	Gran Hermano	Telecinco	Season 1, 2000: Ismael Beiro Season 2, 2001: Sabrina Mahi Season 3, 2002: Javito García Season 4, 2002-2003: Pedro Oliva Season 5, 2003-2004: Nuria Yáñez Season 6, 2004: Juan José Rocamora Season 7, 2005-2006: Pepe Herrero Season 8, 2006: Naiala Melo Season 9, 2007: Judit Iglesias Season 10, 2008-2009: Iván Madrazo Season 11, 2009-2010: Upcoming season	Mercedes Milá (Seasons 1-2 | 4-present) Pepe Navarro (Season 3)
	Gran Hermano VIP		Season 1, 2004: Marlene Mourreau Season 2, 2005: Ivonne Armand	Jesús Vázquez (Season 1-2)
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 (All seasons)
	Big Brother Stjärnveckan		Season 1, 2002: Anki Lundberg (Baren)
Switzerland	Big Brother Schweiz	TV3	Season 1, 2000: Daniela Kanton Season 2, 2001: Christian Ponleitner	Daniel Fohrler (Season 1) Karin Lanz (Season 1) Eva Wannemacher (Season 2) Yves Schifferle (Season 2)
Thailand	Big Brother Thailand	iTV	Season 1, 2005: Nipon Perktim Season 2, 2006: Arisa Sonthirod	Saranyu Vonkarjun (Season 1-2)
United Kingdom	Big Brother	Channel 4 E4 T4 S4C M-Net TVN Lingua[6]	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: Upcoming season	Davina McCall (Season 1-present)
	Celebrity Big Brother	BBC One (Season 1) Channel 4 E4 T4 S4C	Series 1, 2001: Jack Dee Series 2, 2002: Mark Owen Series 3, 2005: Bez Berry Series 4, 2006: Chantelle Houghton Series 5, 2007: Shilpa Shetty Series 6, 2009: Ulrika Jonsson
	Teen Big Brother	Channel 4 E4 S4C	Series 1, 2003: Paul Brennan	Dermot O'Leary (Season 1)
	Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack	Channel 4 E4 S4C	Series 1, 2008: John Loughton
	Panto Big Brother	Channel 4 E4 S4C	Series 1, 2004: No winner	Jeff Brazier (Season 1)
United States	Big Brother	CBS Showtime 2 Global E4 (Season 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: Upcoming season[7]	Julie Chen (Season 1-present)
	Big Brother: All-Stars		Season 7, 2006: Mike "Boogie" Malin
Western Balkans	Veliki Brat	Pink BH Pink M B92	Season 1, 2006: Ivan Ljuba Season 2, 2007: Stopped[8] Season 3, 2009: Upcoming season	Marijana Mićić (Season 1) Ana Mihajlovski (Season 2)
	Veliki Brat VIP		Season 1, 2007: Saša Ćurčić Season 2, 2008: Mimi Đurović Season 3, 2009: Current season	Ana Mihajlovski (Season 1-present) Milan Kalinić (Season 2-present)

[edit] Housemate exchange

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

Big Brother series	Housemates involved	Year	Duration
BB1 Mexico swapped with GH3 Spain	Eduardo Ozorco 'El Doc' swapped with Andrés Barreiro 'Ness'	2002	7 days
GH3 Argentina swapped with GH4 Spain	Eduardo Carrera swapped with Inmaculada González	2003	7 days
GH1 Ecuador swapped with BB2 Mexico	Álvaro swapped with Eduardo Enríquez	2003	7 days
BB1 Africa swapped with BB4 UK	Gaetano Juko Kagwa swapped with Cameron Stout	2003	4 Days
BB2 Scandinavia swapped with BB2 Thailand	Anton Granlund swapped with Boo	2006	7 Days
PBB2 Philippines swapped with BB1 Slovenia	Bruce Quebral swapped with Tina Semolič	2007	5 days
GH5 Argentina swapped with GH9 Spain	Soledad Melli swapped with Eneko Van Horenbeke	2007	7 days
BB3 Africa swapped with BB4 Finland	Munya Chidzonga swapped with Johan Grahn	2008	7 days

[edit] Ex-Housemate exchange

Big Brother series	Housemates involved	Year
BB4 UK Housemate Visited BB3 Australia	Annouska	2003
VIP2 Mexico swapped with GH5 Spain	Isabel swapped with Aída	2003
BR1 Russia Housemate Visited GH1 Pacific	Ivan swapped with Gianmarco	2005
BB5 UK Housemate Visited BB5 Australia	Nadia	2005
CBB4 UK Housemate Visited BB6 Germany	Chantelle	2006
GH4 Argentina swapped with BB7 Brazil	Pablo swapped with Íris	2007
BB3/CBB5 UK Contestant BB2 India	Jade Goody	2008
BB3 Africa Housemate Visited BB9 Brazil	Ricco	2009
GF9 Italy Housemate Visited GH10 Spain	Doroti Leonia	2009

[edit] Big Brother Subtitles

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

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

[edit] Most Big Brother Series in One Country

As of 24 January 2009, the UK version of Big Brother, including the special editions, totals 18. To date, nine complete series of the regular format have aired, with a 10th upcoming in Summer 2009, and six complete series of the Celebrity format have aired. There have also been three special Big Brother shows in the UK: Teen Big Brother; Big Brother: The Panto; and Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.

Spain comes in second with 11 complete series, comprising nine regular and two VIP series, and a 12th currently on air. The United States is third, with ten complete Big Brother series.

[edit] Near-copies of Big Brother

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

• Back To Reality
• Cabin Fever
• Casa dos Artistas
• I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
• Occupation Double
• Protagonistas...
• Taxi Orange
• The Bar
• The Farm
• De Gouden Kooi
• The Surreal Life
• Shattered
• Unan1mous
• Unanimous
• VyVolení
• Za Steklom
• L-Ispjun
• Vanity Lair
• Project Y

[edit] Bibliography

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

[edit] Notes

[edit] Official sites

Africa Albania Argentina Australia Belgium

Brazil Bulgaria Canada Croatia Finland

France Germany Italy India

Israel México Nigeria Pacific

Philippines Poland Slovenia Spain

Thailand United Kingdom United States Western Balkans

v • d • e Big Brother Americas Argentina • Brazil • Canada • Colombia • Ecuador • Mexico • United States Location of different versions of Big Brother. Europe Albania • Belgium • Bulgaria • Croatia • Czech Republic • Denmark • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Italy • Netherlands • Norway • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • United Kingdom Afro-Asia-Pacific Australia • India • Israel • Nigeria • Philippines • Russia • South Africa • Thailand Pan-Regional Africa • Pacific • Arab States • Second Life • Sweden and Norway • Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Montenegro