Big Brother (franchise)

## External Links

Wikipedia Article

***Big Brother*** is a Dutch reality competition television franchise created by John de Mol Jr., broadcast in the Netherlands and subsequently syndicated internationally.

## Synopsis

In the show, contestants called "housemates" (or "HouseGuests") 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". Many Spanish-language editions of the program are called *Gran Hermano* (GH).

At regular intervals, the housemates privately nominate a number of their fellow housemates whom they wish to be evicted from the house. The housemates with the most nominations are then announced, and viewers are given the opportunity to vote via telephone for the nominee they wish to be evicted or saved from eviction. The last person remaining is declared the winner.

Some more recent editions have since included additional methods of voting, such as voting through social media and smartphone applications. Occasionally, non-standard votes occur, where two houseguests are evicted at once or no one is voted out. In the earlier series of *Big Brother*, there were 10 contestants with evictions every two weeks. However, the UK version introduced a larger number of contestants with weekly evictions. Most versions of *Big Brother* follow the weekly eviction format, broadcast over approximately three months for 16 contestants.

The contestants are required to do housework and are assigned tasks by the producers of the show (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. 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.

## References

1. ↑ Drotner, Kirsten. New Media, New Options, New Communities?. *Nordicom*. Retrieved on 23 May 2014.
2. ↑ Celebrity Big Brother.
3. ↑ Big Brother. *Endemol*. Retrieved on 23 May 2014.

### 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.

## External Links

* Official Site
* Wikipedia Article