Big Brother Germany

Big Brother Germany is a reality show on RTL II (with a 24h live broadcast on German pay channel Premiere). It was the first adapted version based on the original Dutch "Big Brother" series by Endemol in 2000.

Big Brother Germany summary

A group of people (called the Housemates) live together in an isolated house. 24 hours a day their life is recorded by hidden cameras in all the rooms in the House. They don't have TV, Internet, newspapers, even watches on their hands. The Housemates are completely isolated from the outside world. Every round, each of them must enter the Diary room and nominate one or two of his fellow housemates for public eviction. The 2 or more housemates with the most votes get nominated. Usually for one a week the audience has to decide which of them gets evicted, voting via SMS or phone calls. Every housemate is also allowed to leave the house voluntary whenever she/he wants. In this case a replacement is going to enter the competition.

In the final round of each season, the viewers vote for which of the remaining people in the House should win the prize money and getting crowned as the winner of the show.

Changes of the Concept

Since the start of its first season in February 2000 Big Brother Germany went through numerous changes in its concept. Here are some significant examples of the progress of modifying the rules of the original game:

* "10 housemates live together in one house.": increased in season 2 to 12 housemates.

* "One housemates leaves the house forever when he/she gets evicted.": changed in season 2 with letting the first evictee return to the show.

* "Only the housemates have to decide which of them gets nominated.": changed in season 2 with automatically putting all housemates up for eviction in the final week. Besides in season 7 the viewers could decide which of them gets nominated. (Only 1 time)

* "None of the housemates know each other before entering the house.": changed in season 3 with a love-couple entering the house.

* "The prize money is a certainty": changed in season 4 with letting the final four housemates doing challenges and giving them a quarter of the original prize money for every succeeded challenge.

* "The complete household lives together in one group": changed in season 4 with dividing the house into two parts with a "rich" and a "poor" area and splitting the household into two competing teams (that was changed in season five to three different teams).

* "All the housemates live together in one house": changed in season 6 with building a whole "Big Brother village" including five houses and a farm.

* "The show runs for three months": changed in season 5 with expanding the show to one year and in season 6 when the show was to run indefinitely (see below).

* "The show is supposed to run for a certain time": changed in season 6 with the announcement that the show would run as long as the ratings were acceptable (it actually lasted 363 days).

* "Only the winner receives prize money": changed in season 6 with the creation of three different areas for the housemates where they had work and earn money, which was given to them when they got evicted (housemates who left the house voluntary didn't receive any money).

* "The housemates get no information from outside": changed in season 5 where the housemates were allowed to watch the RTL2 News after winning a game and in order to learn about a terrorist attack.

* "The housemates don't get letters from their family and friends or meet them while inside the house.": changed in season 5 where some housemates got letters/visits from outside as rewards for winning games.

eries

eason 1

"Main Article: Big Brother Germany (Season 1)"

eason 2

"Main Article: Big Brother Germany (Season 2)"

eason 3

"Main Article: Big Brother Germany (Season 3)"

eason 4

"Main Article: Big Brother Germany (Season 4)"

eason 5

"Main Article: Big Brother Germany (Season 5)"

eason 6

Creating a new farmet called "Big Brother - Das Dorf / "The Village" the season turned out to not attract the viewers and was cancelled after 363 days (running from 1 March, 2005 to 26 February, 2006). 61 contestants lived in the village. Season six should be endless, but it finished at 26 February. There were to winners in summer 2005, Giuseppe won 250,000€ and in February 2006, Andreas Knopf won 250,000. Each housemate could win money, because for every match they had, they could win money. When they left the house, they got the money. In season six, there was a market place. Around this place were the houses and the workshops, where they had to work to earn money. There were three areas, a "Survivor" House, a "Normal" house and a "Rich" house.

The series was intended to run indefinitely and drew comparions to The Truman Show [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4484726.stm 1] . Producer, Rainert Laux, said 'We hope couples will get pregnant and family groups will interact with all the usual family frictions.' There were concerns from professionals about the psychological effects on contestants. [http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1333306,00.html 2]

Housemates

* Bernadettè (October 23, 1967), dated March 1, 2005 to 14 March 2005-14 March 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 75 € In March 2005 in the village rausgewählt 75 €
* Sven (Charly) (* June 1 1963), of 14 Sven (Charlie) (June 1, 1963), dated March 14, 2005 to 17 In March 2005 to March 17, 2005 in the village, Rausnahme (KISS - tattoo) 0 €
* Tim (Tim Toupet) (* October 28 1971), from 1 March 2005 to 18 March 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 €
* Gregor (* 19 June 1982), 7 March 2005 to 27 March 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 €
* Said (* 5 December 1984), from 1 March 2005 to 4 April 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 420 € Leyla * (* August 6 1984), from 1 March 2005 to 9 April 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 €
* Marcel (* 13 May 1980), 21 March 2005 to 18 April 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 0 €
* Juanita Diana (* 12 February 1978), from 1 March 2005 to 1 May 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 3293.77
* Dinorah-Cecilia (* 16 September 1984), 28 March 2005 to 8 May 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 1625 €
* Ali (* June 26 1983), 15 May 2005 to 16 May 2005 in the village, Volunteer (throw out) 0 € Ludger * (* January 31 1966), 21 March 2005 to 22 May 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 3290 € Marion * (* October 17 1972), 21 March 2005 to 22 May 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 €
* Sarah (Shire) (* January 26 1977), 11 April 2005 to 29 May 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 1737 €
* André (born December 30, 1973), from 1 March 2005 to 29 May 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 6328.50
* Anna (* 14 October 1985), 7 March 2005 to 5 June 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 6814 € Norman Magolei * (* June 14 1979), from 1 March 2005 to 19 June 2005 in the village (I. village mayor), rausgewählt 13,399 € Melanie * (* February 10 1975), 29 May 2005 to 29 June 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 € Anke * (* 3 October 1982), 27 May 2005 to 3 July 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 1280 € Thorsten * (* 21 April 1984), 28 March 2005 to 10 July 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 14960.77
* Sylvia (born 21 January 1985), 11 April 2005 to 17 July 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 6217.50 Sharon * (* November 25 1979), 8 May 2005 to 24 July 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 4616 €
* Anastasja (Franco) Anja (* May 17 1976), of 17 July 2005 to 24 July 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 € Cathleen * (* 11 March 1981) of 3 July 2005 to 21 August 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 7325.01
* Alex Spirit (* June 12 1973), 19 June 2005 to 21 August 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 7844.99
* Nicole (* 10 June 1983), of 14 August 2005 to 24 August 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 €
* Parsifal, (* February 8 1969), from 1 March 2005 to 28 August 2005 in the village
* Benjamin (* 11 April 1980), of 14 August 2005 to 4 September 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 1771 €
* Martin (* January 7 1983), of 14 August 2005 to 4 September 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 1419.75
* Martin (Nugy) (* August 5 1972) of 3 July 2005 to 4 September 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 5574.00
* Frank (father of Ginny) (* April 18 1967), 24 July 2005 to 4 September 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 4062 €
* Nina Francesca (* 2 December 1984), 5 June 2005 to 2 October 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 17,359 €
* Bettina Zimmermann (* October 24 1977), of 14 March 2005 to 9 October 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 37129.75 Danni * (* January 29 1981), 10 July 2005 to 13 October 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 €
* Jessie (born 15 April 1983), 25 September 2005 to 16 October 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 904 €
* Daniela (* 12 June 1975), from 1 March 2005 to 30 October 2005 in the village, rausgewählt € 28953.75
* Beate Sauer (twin by Birgit) (* May 1 1960), 25 September 2005 to 6 November in the village, lost Gong Challenge 3276 € Yousef * (* July 9 1973), 22 May 2005 to 13 November 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 20,162 € Jasmin * (* August 28 1983), 6 November 2005 to 15 November 2005 in the village in 2005, voluntarily went 0 € Heike * (* May 15 1964), 25 September 2005 to 27 November 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 2656 € Farah * (* July 6 1979), of 17 November 2005 to 28 November 2005 in the village, voluntarily went 0 €
* Christopher (* 8 December 1984), of 30 October 2005 to 4 December 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 2185 € Sascha * (* 27 August 1975), 25 September 2005 to 18 December 2005 in the village, rausgewählt 12,793 € Larissa * (* 13 January 1984), 27 November 2005 to 1 January 2006 in the village, rausgewählt 1712 €
* Giuseppe Pellegrino (* July 10 1983), from 1 March 2005 to 8 January 2006 in the village, rausgewählt 281,734 €
* Birgit (twin by Beate) (* May 1 1960), 25 September 2005 to 15 January 2006 in the village, rausgewählt 12,869 € Bianca * (* August 28 1973), 5 December 2005 to 22 January 2006 in the village, rausgewählt 1837 €
* Janice Behrendt (* 23 September 1983), 8 January 2006 to 23 January 2006 in the village, voluntarily went 0 € Gerry * (* October 7 1970), from 1 January 2006 to 29 January 2006 in the village, throwing out because of nomination arrangement, 0 € Marco Wirges * (* 16 January 1974), 24 April 2005 to 29 January 2006 in the village, rausgewählt 35,525 €
* Virginia (Gina) (* October 24 1985), from 1 March 2005 to 5 February 2006 in the village, rausgewählt € 37324.50
* Michelle (* 6 January 1987), 2 October 2005 to 12 February 2006 in the village, rausgewählt € 9166.80
* Ivan (* 19 June 1980), 4 December 2005 to 19 February 2006 in the village, rausgewählt € 2376.80 Manuela * (* June 27 1974), 18 December 2005 to 19 February 2006 in the village, rausgewählt € 3309.80 Heike * (* October 20 1978), 18 October 2005 to 26 February 2006 in the village, Halbfinalistin 7805 €
* Torsten Henry (* October 7 1979), 13 November 2005 to 26 February 2006 in the village, semi-finalist in 8265 €
* Ginny (daughter of Frank) (* May 10 1986), 24 July 2005 to 26 February 2006 in the village, Halbfinalistin € 27705.75
* Denis (* 16 December 1979), 16 October 2005 to 26 February 2006 in the village, 3 € 13,193 square finals solarium + 1 (worth about 30,000 €)
* Thomas Peter (* March 2 1980), 29 May 2005 to 26 February 2006 in the village (II village mayor), 2 € 35,473 square-finals
* Michael (* March 13 1971), 25 September 2005 to 26 February 2006 in the village, 1 € 267,443 square-finals

eason 7

"Main Article: Big Brother Germany (Season 7)"

eason 8

"Main Article: Big Brother Germany (Season 8)"

eason 9

Casting for Season 9 began in June 2008. The edition will begin on Monday 8th December 2008. The 9th Season will only be hosted by Miriam Pielhau.

Links

* [http://www.bigbrother.de/ Official homepage]
* [http://bbfun.de/alle-big-brother-bewohner.php All profiles if the housemates season 1 to 4] (german)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4318943.stm BBC News "German Big Brother to run and run"]
* [http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1333306,00.html Guardian Unlimited "Big Brother builds 'Truman Show' village"]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4484726.stm BBC News "Big Brother to end early"]