Mr Stickyfingers,
I guess the reason I chose to audition was because I was at a bit of a loose-end. I was getting to the end of one stage in my life and ready to do something different. I thought Big Brother would be the perfect opportunity to do something like that. I'd say if you're interested - do it!
BBObsever,
The Australian process is very superficial. I don't want to offend anyone, but in my experience with BBAU most of the people that seemed to get through weren't people of substance. I thought the cast last year did have some housemates that were able to carry themselves well, but I think the general BBAU casting techniques mean a lot of in-genuine, lower tier of society, individuals slip through the cracks and attain a lot of the spots in the later stages of casting, as well as on the actual show. That isn't to say that it's a bad thing, it does represent one aspect of Australian society, but it doesn't represent a broad category of people, and honestly, it can alienate significant clusters of viewers.
Alex does give you the opportunity to have a lengthy discussion with him in Round 3. You do have to be assertive, and you do have to allow for him to reciprocate discussion based on your responses. If you were only in for three minutes, chances are you weren't making sense, or what you were saying lacked intrigue - therefore, he wouldn't pry deeper. However, in the non-BBAU process, questions are posed so that you can tell stories about yourself and your experiences, your attitudes towards things are probed, and everything (from semi-finals on) is recorded by casting producers and sent to the producers who select the final 50. They really tried to encompass a 360, transparent discussion about myself, which I absolutely loved. I believe that I am a genuine person, and the way that non-BBAU operated their casting process meant that the in-genuine were weeded out. That being said, the season that I missed out on was very, very successful - and was highly commended internationally for their casting/execution of BB. Therefore, the reviews and ratings spoke significantly of the shows execution.