Big Brother VIP (Australian TV series)

Big Brother VIP

Company type	Television series
Industry	Reality television
Founded	November 1, 2021 (2021-11-01)
Founder	Endemol Shine Australia
Headquarters	Sydney , Australia
Area served	Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom
Key people	Sonia Kruger (host)
Products	Reality television show
Parent	Seven Network
Website	7plus.com.au/big-brother-vip

Big Brother VIP represents a celebrity edition derived from the Australian adaptation of the original Dutch reality series Big Brother. Officially announced on 30 March 2021 and hosted by Sonia Kruger, the show debuted on 1 November 2021.

This installment showcased a group of 12 well-known personalities living together in a secluded house, cut off from external communication, competing for a $100,000 prize designated for charity. The structure closely followed the civilian format, emphasizing tactical gameplay and competitive elements. Contestants engaged in various challenges to secure influence and protection before casting votes to evict fellow housemates. Once only three contestants remained, the Australian audience voted to select both the champion and the charitable recipient.

History

The inaugural celebrity version, titled Celebrity Big Brother, was broadcast on Network Ten in 2002, with Dylan Lewis emerging as the winner. No additional celebrity editions were produced before the franchise ceased airing on that network in 2008.

The Big Brother series was revived by Nine Network in 2011. Following the 2014 civilian season, speculation about bringing back Celebrity Big Brother arose and was later confirmed by host Sonia Kruger. Nonetheless, by mid-2015, these plans were superseded by the production of the fourth season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia, resulting in no further celebrity editions being aired on Nine.

Format

The format of Big Brother VIP follows the revamped rules introduced in season twelve, which align with those used in the American and Canadian versions. In this system, housemates hold full control over Nominations and Evictions. The gameplay prioritizes strategic maneuvering and alliances, enabling participants to negotiate and form voting blocs. Unlike its North American counterparts, there is no "Power of Veto," and instead of a jury of former evictees, the Australian public votes to decide the winner.

• Nominations: Each cycle starts with a "Nomination Challenge," where only the victor nominates housemates for eviction and justifies their selections privately in the Diary Room. Initially, three nominees are selected per round, decreasing to two as the competition advances.
• Eviction: On eviction evenings, all housemates cast confidential votes in the Diary Room to evict one nominee—except for the nominating contestant (who votes only if a tie-break is needed) and nominated contestants when only two nominees remain. The nominee receiving the highest number of votes leaves the house.
• Finale: The ultimate remaining contestants are subject to an Australian public vote that determines both the winner and which charity benefits.

Teams

Following a covert task assigned by Big Brother, Caitlyn and Ellie were appointed captains of two opposing teams dividing the contestants. During this period, teams competed in Nomination Challenges; the victorious team secured immunity while its captain nominated an opposing team member for eviction. This team-based phase concluded after the second eviction.

Team	Captain	Members
Jenner-ators	Caitlyn	Imogen, Josh, Matt, Thomas
Hard Knocks	Ellie	Bernard, Dayne, Luke, Jessika, Omarosa

Housemates

On 8 August 2021, Channel Seven revealed the roster of 12 celebrities competing in the season.

Contestant	Age	Background	Beneficiary Charity	Entry Day	Exit Day	Outcome
Luke Toki	34	Competitor on Australian Survivor	Perth Children's Hospital Foundation	1	22	Template:Won
Ellie Gonsalves	31	Model and actress	Wildlife Warriors	1	22	Template:Runner-up
Josh Carroll	31	Model	Keith's Closet	1	22	Template:Runner-up
Imogen Anthony	30	Model	Zambi Wildlife Foundation	1	21	Template:Eliminated
Jessika Power	28	Contestant on Married at First Sight	Australian Childhood Foundation	1	20	Template:Eliminated
Thomas Markle Jr.	55	Brother of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex	ASTHA	1	18	Template:Eliminated
Dayne Beams	31	Former professional AFL player	Love Me, Love You	1	17	Template:Eliminated
Bernard Curry	47	Actor	One In Five	1	12	Template:Eliminated
Danny Hayes	48	Participant on Big Brother season 13	Lifeline	6	10	Template:Eliminated
Caitlyn Jenner	71	Olympic gold medalist and media figure	Trans Pride Australia	1	8	Template:Eliminated
Matt Cooper	42	Ex-NRL athlete	Livin	1	6	Template:Eliminated
Omarosa	47	Reality television personality, author, former political aide	Deaf Children Australia	1	4	Template:Eliminated

Production

In December 2020, the program received a formal eviction notice from the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service for the North Head location previously utilized in civilian seasons, prompted by concerns regarding local fauna and increased visitor traffic. By July 2021, a new Big Brother residence was under construction at the White Pavilion within Sydney Olympic Park, located in Homebush Bay.

It was confirmed in June 2021 that this season would be extended due to delays affecting the tenth season of Australia's Got Talent, which were caused by COVID-19 restrictions imposed in Sydney. Filming commenced on 30 July and concluded on 20 August after a total of twenty-two days. Differing from earlier Seven Network seasons, the finale was recorded in advance with all three potential outcomes filmed; the final aired version was determined by viewer votes from the Australian public.

During Seven’s Upfront event in October 2021, a second installment of Big Brother VIP was announced for release in 2022, prior to the debut of the initial season. Nevertheless, by February 2022 it was confirmed that this follow-up series would not move forward.

Katie Hopkins controversy

In July 2021, Katie Hopkins, who had previously appeared on Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2015 and was slated to join this series, posted comments on Instagram ridiculing Sydney’s lockdown restrictions and acknowledging that she intentionally violated those rules. Her participation triggered public criticism amid Australians stranded overseas due to state border caps and her contentious public reputation. Channel Seven publicly denounced her remarks and confirmed her removal from the cast. Subsequently, Hopkins’ visa was revoked, she was fined $1,000, and escorted to Sydney Airport for deportation back to the United Kingdom on July 19, 2021. Despite this, her contract’s pay-or-play clause ensured she received full payment for her scheduled appearance.

International broadcast

In New Zealand, the show was available on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand, with new episodes released the day following their Australian premiere. The UK debut occurred on E4 under the title Celebrity Big Brother Australia starting 6 February 2022; however, after four episodes, it was withdrawn from linear broadcast and continued solely via the All 4 streaming service.

Voting history

Marked for eviction.

Housemate responsible for nominations.

Protected by a game twist.

Shielded as part of a victorious challenge team.

Absent from Main House; did not participate.

Initially nominated but subsequently saved.

Team Phase

During the initial two eviction rounds, contestants were divided into two factions:

• The Jenner-ators (), captained by Caitlyn
• Hard Knocks (), led by Ellie

The team that won earned immunity, with its leader granted nomination authority. Danny entered after the final team challenge and remained unaffiliated. Following the second eviction on Day 6, the competition transitioned to individual gameplay.

		Pre-Teams	Team Phase		Individual Phase
Week		Week 1			Week 2			Week 3					Week 4
Episode		1	2	3	4	5	6	7		8	9		10		Finale
Nominating Housemate(s)		Ellie	Caitlyn	Ellie	(none)	Bernard	Josh	Jessika		(none)	Imogen Jessika	Luke	Ellie	Josh	(none)
Nominations		(none)	Bernard Dayne Omarosa	Josh Matt Thomas	All Housemates	Danny Josh Thomas	Bernard Ellie Luke	Dayne Ellie Thomas	Dayne Thomas	Dayne Ellie	Thomas	Ellie	Imogen Jessika	Ellie Imogen Luke

• Significant evictions and twists included Omarosa's early departure, Danny's covert entrance, Caitlyn choosing an immediate eviction herself, and a staged double eviction involving Ellie and Dayne.
• Nomination privileges shifted through challenges, with strategic saves such as Luke concealing himself from eviction and immunities awarded tactically.
• The concluding stage incorporated a charity challenge granting $10,000 and culminated in a public vote to determine the $100,000 prize recipient.

Notes

Ratings

Viewership statistics from OzTAM represent audiences within Australia's five largest metropolitan regions (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide).

Wk	Ep	Air date	Timeslot	Overnight ratings		Consolidated ratings		Total ratings		Ref(s)
				Viewers	Rank	Viewers	Rank	Viewers	Rank
1	1	1 November 2021	Monday 7:30pm	377,000	16
	2	2 November 2021	Tuesday 7:30pm	380,000	18
	3	3 November 2021	Wednesday 7:30pm	375,000	16

|- !rowspan="3"|2 !4 | style="text-align:left" |8 November 2021 | style="text-align:left" |Monday 7:30pm | 363,000 | 18 | | | | | |- !5 | style="text-align:left" |9 November 2021 | style="text-align:left" |Tuesday 7:30pm | 337,000 | 16 | | | | | |- !6 | style="text-align:left" |10 November 2021 | style="text-align:left" |Wednesday 7:30pm | 310,000 | 17 | | | | | |}

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Outcome	Ref.
2022	TV Tonight Awards: Worst of 2021	Least Favorable Australian Program	'Big Brother VIP'	Template:Nom

External links

• Official website