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Monday, November 07, 2005
Fuss about Big Bro
By Jojie Alcantara
Witerary
LET's talk about Big Brother. You have by now been immersed in the hype over Pinoy Big Brother and proudly know the theme song by heart so I'm keeping away from it. Instead, let's do a little rewind and stroll around the world to its origin.
Big Brother is a popular reality TV format, where over 15 weeks or so, a number of contestants face periodic evictions through public voting from a communal house, and the winner ultimately wins a cash prize. This "real life soap" was invented by John de Mol, a media tycoon and billionaire of the Netherlands.
Developed by his production company, Endemol, it became a primetime hit in almost 70 different countries, earning large profits (interestingly, Endemol USA's 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'--my favorite show whose series I collect--has recently won the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Show at the Creative Arts).
Big Brother's name comes from George Orwell's 1949 political novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, where the ever-present, all-seeing Big Brother is the leader that enforces perfect conformity among members of a totalitarian party through indoctrination, propaganda, fear, and ruthless punishment.
Originally shown in the Netherlands in September 1999, and subsequently copied across the world, the "housemates" are confined (living together) inside a specially designed house where every point has a video camera.
There is no contact with outside world: no TV, radio, telephone, Internet, not even writing materials.
Private chats with a psychologist are a special exception. Weekly tasks are set by Big Brother (the unseen voice who issues commands) designed to test their team-working abilities and community spirit.
There's a "diary room" where housemates privately convey thoughts, feelings, frustrations and give their own eviction nominees. At weekly intervals, the public is invited to vote and evict one of the contestants.
After votes are tallied, the "evictee" leaves the house and is interviewed on-camera by the show host. The last man/woman standing wins.
Initially, the house in which they resided was very basic. Essential amenities such as running water, furniture and a limited ration of food were provided, but luxury items were forbidden. This adds an element of survival into the show, thus increasing the potential for tensions within the house. Now almost every country has a modern house with jacuzzi, sauna, VIP suite, and other amenities.
Although the typical daily broadcast with a weekly roundup is by necessity heavily edited, viewers can watch a continuous, 24-hour feed from multiple cameras on the Internet. These websites were highly successful even after some national series started charging for access to the video stream.
In some countries, Internet broadcasting was supplemented by updates via email, WAP and SMS. The house is even shown live on satellite television (in UK, there's a 10-15 minute delay to permit muting of unacceptable contents on air).
Many intellectuals and critics voice disapproval over the show, despite its globally commercial success. Its voyeuristic nature, where contestants volunteer to surrender their privacy in return for celebrity status and cash prize, has attracted much scorn.
There are also different results of the show around the world. Versions have involved plots of a dramatic soap opera, while some have been filled with sex-crazed housemates. Other producers decided to base conflicts around difficult or romantic personalities (Brazil, Mexico, Thailand or Spain).
The most successful versions proved to be ones that emulated a soap opera, whereas the versions where the principal attraction was sex have been eliminated, as in Hungary or Poland. The amount of sex shown on the televised versions varies from country to country depending on censorship rules, with some countries editing out all sex and nudity, and others allowing the show to border on the pornographic. Incidentally, the first couple to have sex is Bart Spring in't Veld and Sabine Wendell (Netherlands, 1999).
German scientists have discovered that former Big Brother contestants may be at risk from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition sometimes suffered by those who leave the armed forces. In the 2nd Polish edition, one of the housemates was taken to a psychiatric hospital, while the winner of the first season in Portugal tried to kill himself several times.
Want more interesting tidbits and peculiarities about Big Brother? In Australia, Greg Matthews had to split his prize with his twin, David, because they entered the house as one person, called Logan and they agreed to share it if they won.
Versions from Canada and France have two winners, a male and a female.
So do you think a celebrity Pinoy Big Brother should follow? Think Rosanna Roces, Mystika, Lolit Solis, Paolo Bediones, Kris Aquino, Piolo Pascual, Ethel Booba, Mahal, Willy Revillame, and two gorgeous male models. Throw in Uma for good luck, too, to spark off tussles with Kris who doesn't like him. Let their personal yayas stay in one room with a hidden camera.
It's going to be a juicy tell-all.
react to witty@info.com.ph or visit www.witerary.com
(November 7, 2005 issue)
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