As a resident of the US, I have been questioned by more than one Australian, and a few countrymen as to why I would bother going to all the effort to watch the Australian Big Brother show. The answer is actually quite simple. I enjoy it!

Unlike the past 2 US attempts at Big Brother (which I affectionately call – Survivor in a Box), I believe the Australian version to be more upbeat, more fun, and certainly more entertaining…at least for me.

So what do we know about series 3 of Big Brother Australia?

The original house was totally demolished and a new house was built. Interesting thing about this new house is that the producers decided to use a tarp to “hide” from view whatever is in the back yard. Additionally, we are being told that the house is going to be “used” as part of the experience. In one place, I actually read that it will be like another character in the series.

Speculation abounds as to what the new “digs” will be like. Some have even said that there will be a hidden room. Others have rumored that there will be multiple floors and that the house is going to be divided between the “haves” and the “have-nots”.

We do know the start date! The first show is going to air on Sunday April 27th.  There is also going to be the typical “Uncut” show on Thursday where they show the things that they can’t during prime time.  New for this year however is a show that is going to be called the Insider.  This will be a weekly show with a different twist on Big Brother.  Finally they are going to be adding a “live feed” to television.  What isn’t clearly defined yet is when that is going to occur, how it will be edited, etc.  The idea is that in any give day the Australian Channel 10 network will be airing about 3 hours of Big Brother content. 



The Organized Rumor Mill that has been orchestrated by the producers has been nothing less than brilliant.  A number of weeks ago they asked people to send in rumors that they were hearing.  We’re sure they were adding some of their own.  As part of the advertising campaign that has led up to this year’s show you are seeing things like:  16 housemates 8 beds…you do the math,  there are no doors – anywhere, there will be an intruder every week, celebrities will be among the housemates, there will be married housemates, etc. etc. etc… The entire rumor mill has created a real “buzz” about the show as everyone begins anticipating the “revealing” of this new season. 



There is a new communications sponsor.  Gone is Iprimus, hello to Optus.  For an American fan, this doesn’t mean much.  But for the Australians, it saves them a significant amount for the website’s premium content.   As a US subscriber I paid 39.95AU, which is about $25.00 US for the entire series.  For someone that uses Optus the premium price is only 14.95AU.  There is also a monthly rate that you can pay to get access to the premium content.  (By the way premium content includes the live feeds from the house.) 



The website is live.  You can get there by going to http://bigbrother.optus.com.au. It seems right now to be a much more simplified site than last year, but then the show hasn’t begun.  I would suspect that the content would quickly swell as the housemates begin interacting.  The premium section does contain premium content.  If you have paid your fees, you can watch the audition videos of a number of different applicants.  Some are quite entertaining, others all I could think about was how much I would hate to live with that person for 3 months.

I must say that I am quite excited for this season of Big Brother Australia to begin.  Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet or a 17-hour time difference will keep me away from my appointed duty.