Former Big Brother Australia star Benjamin Norris has reacted to some very big changes coming to the show ahead of the hotly-anticipated 2025 reboot.
A brand new crop of housemates will be live streamed 24/7 as the series returns with brand new host Mel Tracina, who is taking the reins from Sonia Kruger.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Saturday at the ACRA Awards in Sydney, Mel revealed there are some big changes in store for the revived reality TV program.
She said viewers will finally have access to the game in real-time as a new livestream element will be introduced, removing any editing concerns for contestants.
‘You don’t have to worry about getting a bad edit, or being the ‘season villain’, because viewers can log in at any time and see what the [housemates] are up to,’ she shared.
And 2012 Big Brother winner Benjamin has revealed what he thinks about the big changes and how it will change the beloved show’s concept.
‘I think the 24/7 element changes this show,’ Benjamin told Yahoo Lifestyle.
‘I agree with Mel Tracina that this will change the way Australia will view each and every housemate as no one will be able to complain about their edit. How refreshing.’
Former Big Brother Australia star Benjamin Norris has reacted to some very big changes coming to the show ahead of the hotly-anticipated 2025 reboot
He said he believes the 24/7 format will take the popular reality TV show back to how it was originally imagined back in the 00s.
‘The way the show was originally intended was to set up as a fascinating ‘social experiment’ about everyday people being watched by the nation, with total control over who stays and who goes,’ he said.
‘The original idea was genius and in my mind, this show doesn’t work without Australia being involved.’
Big Brother, which sees a group of contestants live together and compete to stay in the house to win prize money, came to Australia on Channel Ten in the early 2000s.
Viewers will have access to the game in real-time as a livestream element will be introduced, removing any editing concerns, a change which 2012 winner Benjamin welcomed
Since then, the show has changed networks several times – first going over to the Channel Nine before a revamped version aired on Channel Seven.
However, Big Brother Australia was axed from Seven’s 2024 schedule after scoring its lowest rated season yet.
The show got bumped from its original 7.30pm time slot to a later time after just one week on-air, and concluded its 15th season with just 152,000 overnight viewers in the five capital cities – a huge drop from when the show relaunched in 2020 with 853,000 viewers.
Fans were left unimpressed with last season’s rebrand, which was focused on fostering romance among sexy, single cast-mates.
Many felt the new season had more in common with rival Love Island than Big Brother, with one writing on social media at the time: ‘Bring back the days of regular people on here. Why would I want to vote for any of these people?!’
‘So sad to see what was once a great show absolutely ruined,’ another lamented.
There are hopes that the Australia relaunch will see the show enjoy the healthy viewership numbers that it has bagged with its livestream cameras in the US and UK.
Viewers racked up a staggering 8.3billion minutes of viewing time while watching the US franchise air on CBS, as well as watching its 24/7 live feed on Paramount+.
A brand new crop of housemates will be live streamed 24/7 as the series returns with brand new host Mel Tracina, who is taking the reins from Sonia Kruger
It put the long-running reality TV series on par with major streaming hits like new seasons of Bridgerton, Stranger Things, and Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon in 2022.
The Aussie reboot will also be given a fresh as new host Mel Tracina is taking the reins.
‘I found out I got the job pretty quickly before the news came out,’ she told Daily Mail of her new job.
‘I grew up watching it. When it came out in 2001, I was there.’
Previous to this gig, she was known for her role as ‘culture correspondent’ for Ten’s comedy panel show The Cheap Seats.
‘This is so huge to me. It’s also just the fans that love it, it’s a juggernaut of a show,’ she added.
‘It means so much to so many Australians, so I feel the pressure of doing the best job that I can.’
Big Brother is known for being one of the only reality TV competitions that not only happens in real-time as it airs, but that actually allows viewers access to an unedited look at what’s happening in the house.
At the peak of the Big Brother’s popularity, it averaged 1.4million viewers per episode and it was a Ten tentpole show for eight seasons (pictured: Reggie Sorenson winning in 2003)
By hosting live feeds, fans are able to watch the game unfold naturally instead of following storylines set forth and edited by production.
At the peak of the Big Brother’s popularity, it averaged an astonishing 1.4million viewers per episode and remained a Ten tentpole show for eight seasons.
With Channel Ten insisting a return to ‘the authentic, OG show you fell in love with all those years ago’, casting everyday Aussies could see the series return to its glory days.
Many reality TV fans have been switching off shows that they feel are over-produced or have only cast social media influencers.
New series Made in Bondi faced backlash after it was revealed none of the Australian cast were born or raised in the iconic suburb and the houses on the series were rentals.
Meanwhile, the Block fans panned the 20th anniversary season as fake and ‘scripted’.
