Reality television’s most polarising program and social experiment has landed once more on our nightly TV radar, with last night’s premiere of Big Brother Australia 2014 introducing viewers to this year’s batch of housemates as they entered the brand new Big Brother house for the first time.
Sonia Kruger took to the Big Brother stage at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, to host the program for a third season – on the back of her pregnancy announcement a few weeks prior to Big Brother’s premiere on the Nine Network.
“Does this dress make me look fat?” Kruger joked as she danced her way up the aisle in a fuschia pink, figure-hugging dress.
Kruger informed the audience that this year’s twist was going to be “Big Brother world first”, saying housemates will play in pairs – evidently changing the game completely.
“We are going to push each of the housemates to their limit,” Kruger confirmed.
Big Brother was quick to let the audience know not all the pairings are will be good matches. According to psychological profiles, only half of the six pairs are likely to get along.
The housemates will also be sleeping in pairs this year, which is bound to make for television ratings gold.
Last year’s winner Tim Dormer said he’d would watching to see if any new housemates followed his lead in being obvious about playing to win.
“I never went into the house to become such a strategic player, but I think it was the boredom that made me do it,” he said. “I used to be the last one to go to bed and the first one to wake up in the morning. When everybody else was asleep, I’d be out in the backyard strategising.”
Dormer said viewers were able to accept him as a puppet master because he was upfront about “playing the game”. “The best part of me is that I’m very real, genuine and raw, and I never pretended that I wasn’t doing that – that’s the secret,” he said. “Australia hates people who are hiding or pretending.”
The already revealed Big Brother Australia 2014 contestants include:
Priya, the 27-year-old high school teacher, who says on her intelligence, “I am smart, I know that. It may sound smug to some people, but I think that is just part of who I am. I have always been a top A-grade student. I have an English Honours degree, a post-grad Linguistics, I have a masters by course work and masters by research, which can lead to a PHD any day I like…”
Dion, 24 from Brisbane is a self-confessed neat-freak and comments on often putting his foot in it – “I’ll definitely put my foot in it and say things that I’m not meant to. Or say things I’m not to … that are secret and I have no idea. I’ll just blurt things out. It’s just because I live in the moment and I won’t plan before or after, I’ll just do something and then I’ll have to pay for it afterwards.”
Katie, 25 from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire is a nanny by day and cupcake maker by night. On her short fuse she says, “What makes me angry? What doesn’t make me angry? OK let’s see – I hate messiness. I hate messy people. I hate snorers. I hate people being mean to the sort of people that can’t stick up for themselves. I hate rude people. Rude people make me really mad.”
29-year-old Perth’s, Gemma is a natural netballer standing at 6 foot 6. On being bossy she says, “There’s nothing wrong with being bossy. It isn’t a dirty word; it’s a good trait to have. It’s not all negative – I’d call it more assertive. I get people to do things. It’s easy for me to get people to do things because I’m nice as well, but some people can find me a bit intimidating.”
Self-described “normal guy”, David, 31 from Sydney comments on his pet hates, “Princesses; people who idolise people like Kim Kardashian – they’re not people we should be idolising; people who dribble on the toilet seat and don’t wipe it up – that’s not for me to wipe up, people; crazy drivers…”
Jake, 25 is a ‘super single’ design student from Bondi, with a need to be first, “I don’t settle for second place. I like to be top of the pile. I’m not the intermediate, and I’m not the bottom. I’m up the top… Every time, every challenge, any event, anything that happens; I’m winning it.”
Canberra born and bred, Jason, 26, on the Big Brother game; “I’m definitely not going to be going in there looking at it as a game; I’m going in there to be 100% myself, being honest, being truthful … If that means that people like me and I can go towards the top, who knows, but I’m definitely not looking at it like a game.”
Lisa, 29 from Sydney’s Penrith considers herself a bit of a pirate. “I look like a princess but I act like a pirate … My friends say I have a dirty mouth and a quick wit and together it’s a little bit full on.”
26 year-old graphic design student, Ryan, who confesses to love his mirror time considers him self a bit too direct, “If someone walks up to me and they say, ‘This is how this is meant to be cooked,’ and I know best then I’ll definitely say, ‘No, that’s not how it’s meant to be cooked, that’s how you like to cook it.’ There’s no right or wrong.”
Sandra, 30 from Wagga Wagga, is a budding erotic fictionist who lives with her parents. “I like to describe my parents as housemates who are just really interested in what time I’m going to be home every day… Weirdly, obsessively into what I do all the time. I’m like, ‘Ugh, get off my back guys, we’re just friends!”
Skye, 20, a barista from the Gold Coast, says on her perfect man, “I love dark skin. Dark. Dark. Dark. Dark everything. Blue eyes is nice. Big lips. Gotta have a nice smile. Long eyelashes. Nice eyebrows that I could tidy up with my wax pot.”
24 year-old Victorian, Travis is a self confessed footy-kicking, joke-cracking, ladies’ man and is a sucker for women – all women – but especially a lady who loves red wine and footy. He also considers himself a bit of a mummy’s boy.
Big Brother Australia 2014 airs on Channel Nine week-nightly from 8.30pm
images via jump-in.com.au