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Big Brother is a Dutch reality competition television franchise created by John de Mol Jr., broadcast in the Netherlands and subsequently syndicated internationally.[1] As of November 11, 2011, there have been 387 seasons of Big Brother in over 54 franchise countries and regions.
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".[2] 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.[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 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.
Variations
| Variation | Countries Using Format |
Seasons(s) |
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| All-Stars/ Reality All-Stars |  Africa
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 Belgium
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 Bulgaria
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 Canada (French)
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 Denmark
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 India (Hindi)
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 Portugal
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 Spain
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 United Kingdom
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 United States
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| Teen Big Brother |  Philippines
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| United Kingdom
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Franchises Around the World
 Locations of Big Brother versions: | |
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| With individual franchises | |
| Part of Big Brother Africa | |
| Part of Big Brother Angola e Moçambique; Also part of Big Brother Africa | |
| With individual franchises; Also part of Big Brother Africa | |
| Part of Big Brother: الرئيس | |
| Part of Gran Hermano del Pacífico | |
| With individual franchises; Also part of Gran Hermano del Pacífico | |
| Part of Veliki brat | |
| With individual franchises; Also part of Big Brother of Scandinavia | |
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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.[4] The court later dismissed the lawsuit filed by Castaway against de Mol and Endemol. The Survive! reality television format was later turned into Survivor.[5]
In 2000, the estate of George Orwell sued CBS Television and Endemol for copyright and trademark infringement, claiming that the program infringed on the Orwell novel 1984 and its trademarks. After a series of court rulings adverse to the defendants (CBS and Endemol), the case was settled for an undisclosed amount of money on the eve of trial.[6][7][8][9][10]
Sexual assault
There have been two documented occurrences of possible rape happening during the show. In Big Brother South Africa, a male housemate was accused of assaulting a fellow housemate while she was asleep. The pair were filmed kissing and cuddling in bed before the cameras moved away and the male housemate reportedly claimed to housemates the next day that he had intercourse with the contestant. However, the female housemate was apparently shocked by the claims and informed female housemates that she had not consented to have sex with him. (Under South African law, this act would be constituted as rape.)[11] This male housemate was expelled immediately after the allegations surfaced, while the female housemate was removed from the house for her own protection and counseling.
In Big Brother Brasi, many viewers reported that they watched a male housemate allegedly forced himself on a female housemate while she was passed-out drunk after a "boozy party".[12] As a result, the male housemate was later escorted out of the Big Brother house by the federal police.
Trivia
References
| References |
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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.