Big Brother Australia

Big Brother Australia

Produced by Endemol Southern Star, Big Brother Australia is based on the celebrated international television series Big Brother. It is a reality TV program aired on Australian television network, Network Ten, and hosted by the Australian author Gretel Killeen. The show is based on the 1949 George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which Big Brother is the all-seeing person in charge.

The series is generally comprised by fourteen or more challengers who live together in a secluded compound, "Big Brother House", for more than a few months, where all their daily life activities are recorded twenty-four hours a day and aired on national television. There are specific rules followed by the housemates and they are under the control of "Big Brother' at all times. A rule implementing authority figure, "Big Brother', observes behaviors of housemates and places tasks and punishments and gives the means for contenders to make external requests.

Big Brother Australia housemates are on the big screen twenty-four hours a day with edited highlights shown during prime time slots, and late night recording are aired live. Live footage can also be seen through the Internet using internet streaming. Housemates compete by trying to remain in the house and avoid being evicted or voted out by the public. The aim is for the $1,000,000 AUD cash prize that awaits the longest lasting housemate who becomes the winner of Big Brother Australia at the end of the series.

In 2005, Big Brother brought up a fine system where the $1,000,000 AUD cash prize was deducted a $5,000 fine as housemates disobeyed Big Brother rules, including talking over Big Brother, not referring to Big Brother as Big Brother, talking without microphone, talking when told not to speak, talking in a language other than English or in code, touching any of the plasma screens, talking about the nominations, not following Big Brother's orders, taking items from the Rewards Room without authorization, writing, trying to contact the outside world, conversing about pre-production process including auditions, the use of task gears when not given consent to do so, and alluding to who a housemate used their Three Point Twist.

All participants of Big Brother Australia have at all times, access to the Big Brother psychologist Carmel Hill, to maintain the housemate's emotional well-being, as the seclusion and challenge can be very stressful at times. After the end of the series, housemates are required to be present at promotional appearances throughout Australia, particularly nightclubs in big cities. In a way, Big Brother Australia opens up opportunities of fame and success for contenders as they become public favorites and idols.
Although the international program Big Brother has had controversies scrutinizing certain privacy issues of contenders, the reality TV show has gained a lot of followers and supporters making it one of the top rated TV series.