Now that the premiere date for Big Brother Australia has been released, fans around the country are gearing up for what is likely to be an epic season. And one fan, Dane Dhu-Smith, is taking the reboot very seriously.
As part of the Facebook Group, Big Brother Australia, a 7k strong league of fans, Smith not only interacts in the group but takes it one step further.
This fan has applied for the show five times, but each day, the local from Brisbane posts a quiz question for the other members of the group to answer — a bonafide superfan, most of them he thinks of without doing any research.
Here, Dhu-Smith explains why he loves the TV series, his hopes for becoming a housemate one day and what he thinks about the reboot.
The Big Brother Reboot Is Coming, and Here’s Why I Can Hardly Wait
What do I love about Big Brother, you ask? Everything.
When social distancing measures weren’t in place, one of my favourite things to do was people watch. I love watching how people interact with one another. So, the thought of watching total strangers in a house is not only fascinating, but it is the perfect kind of people watching.
I remember watching the first season all the way back in 2001. I was 11-years-old at the time and thought to myself, ‘Wow, look at the fun these adults are having.’ After a few weeks, I said to my family: ‘I want to go into the house.’ I told them I’d get in there when I was old enough one day.
Unfortunately, my dream still hasn’t come true.
I’ve applied numerous times and have never made it through, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t come close.
Living in Queensland, I was able to go to the open houses at Dreamworld before it was demolished and I was also a part of the live audience in 2004.
This eviction I was there for was the first of its kind in Australia where they accidentally evicted the incorrect housemate, Bree Amer. From that moment on, all I wanted to do was attend more live shows. The atmosphere was electric. It fuelled my passion to get into the house as a housemate.
When Channel 10 made the decision to finish Big Brother at the end of the 2008, I was so disappointed. It was the first year I was legally allowed to apply.
Unfortunately, I never made it past the first stage, so it was my mission that year to attend as many live shows as possible. I made it to the launch and the finale.
Then in 2011, the announcement of the rebirth of the best show ever was being made. Big Brother was returning to our screens in 2012.
My dream to become a housemate has never waned and during the three years that Channel 9 produced the series, I attended the majority of the live shows, made friends with some of the crew and even made some amazing friends all from sitting in the gutter out the front of Dreamworld.
While it was good to have it back, I was slightly disappointed with the Channel 9 reboot as they took away so much of the format that we had grown to love about Big Brother. They stopped Big Brother Up Late, got rid of the live stream and my favourite, Friday Night Games.
With this, it has made me question the new Channel 7 reboot and how Big Brother will fare this time around. The show has been pre-recorded apart from the finale and we don’t get a say in who gets evicted — which, in my opinion, is the best part. Not to mention, the creepy Big Brother voice that is being used for the promos — it just doesn’t feel the same.
The part that is exciting me though is the challenge room and how they play to win so they can nominate who is up for eviction. It looks promising…
As a Big Brother fanatic, I am open to giving this reboot a real go and who knows, it may be the best one yet. It might even stick around long enough for me to finally fulfil my dream of becoming a housemate. Big Brother, if you’re listening, let me in!
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