When Channel 7 revived Big Brother Australia in 2020, for the first time ever, the entire Big Brother experience was pre-recorded. Housemates now nominated and evicted each other and everything was recorded months before it was aired.
In 2021, the network followed the same format as the previous year and the housemates are no longer in the house together, but watching on from the comfort of their own homes.
In the first iteration of the series which aired from 2001 to 2008 on Network Ten, Big Brother was filmed in a custom-made home at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. There was a unisex bathroom fitted with cameras, a separate kitchen, dining and living room and of course a big pool, surrounded by grass and pool toys.
Each day, fans of the show could log on to the official Big Brother website and watch the housemates lounge around outside and if you caught it at just the right time, you could even eavesdrop on some very interesting conversations.
During this time and then subsequently during Channel 9’s iteration, the evictions were live and filmed in front of an audience. It made for an exciting ceremony each Sunday night and over the years, some very exciting TV.
Some have questioned whether the series should go back to its old format, and have even begged for the return of Big Brother Up Late, however, let’s not forget the infamous turkey slap of 2006 — an incident that would change the course of late-night television in Australia.
While the new iteration is simply just a TV series to watch and engage in, the grand finale will still be a public vote — who will win Big Brother Australia 2021? You decide.
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