📝 Open feedback thread to Big Brother Producers, Endemol Shine Australia and Network Ten

[matts bb]

Arguably that's as much the HMs as the cameras being the issue though. That sort of behaviour usually dies off after a couple of weeks though, so if it was a proper series it wouldn't be as much of an issue as the series goes on.

Also worth considering how 20 years apart people react differently to cameras too - back in OG BB being filmed was a fairly unique thing to experience in the BB house. Now for many people (even if they're not "influencers" it's a regular part of daily life, and being performative for cameras too. There is a "psychological experiment" there in how differently people react to being put in a house of cameras in 2025 compared to 2005.

I personally would just rather them hidden. Aside from the fact it looks ugly having them dotted all across the place, it removes any potential risk temptation, I see no benefits of them being in show

 

[bradnak]

Further to the point of visible vs. hidden cameras, people are much more social media aware, and the HMs are chasing that viral moment just as much as the producers are. For example, the so-called "underwear boys" and their "podcast" in direct view of a camera, but also their playing to the cameras in general. The boys aren't the only ones who use the cameras to their advantage; there's that gif of Holly spying a camera and suddenly snuggling up to Colin. I think it would be a much more natural fly-on-the-wall show if the cameras (hotheads or not) were hidden from view.

 

[timmy]

and the housemates are literally talking and acting to them which is what most of us feared.

It's also that Big Brother has no rules any more and the HMs are not discouraged from that kind of behaviour. And also they appear to have been told if they need to ask BB anything they can just talk into their mics to summon him at any time. And hold conversations with him in the house, any time. The fourth wall is constantly broken.

 

[bsting25]

This is so well written.

 

[Brekkie]

Further to the point of visible vs. hidden cameras, people are much more social media aware, and the HMs are chasing that viral moment just as much as the producers are. For example, the so-called "underwear boys" and their "podcast" in direct view of a camera, but also their playing to the cameras in general. The boys aren't the only ones who use the cameras to their advantage; there's that gif of Holly spying a camera and suddenly snuggling up to Colin. I think it would be a much more natural fly-on-the-wall show if the cameras (hotheads or not) were hidden from view.

And it's not like people weren't performing at times back in the olden days, especially when they knew attention was on them.

 

[timmy]

And it's not like people weren't performing at times back in the olden days, especially when they knew attention was on them.

Blair squirting water at a camera to try and provoke the wiper was cute. Holly noticing a camera is on her and Colin and immediately trying to cuddle him - is not.

 

[Factoriseme]

Can’t put my finger on it but I am finding it bland and boring. Maybe 20 years older (40ish) the whole love stories angle gives the ick, so many dating shows I think people I’m just not interested in the show revolving around a ‘ romance’ the boys are feral the whole indie crew farting and burping meh. Usually by this time your loving some hms and the only one I think could be interesting would be Emily but the whole coco Bruce holly vinnie Colin group is soooooooo boring. Who’d have thought hot people have no substance.

 

[BBantUK07]

I’ve already said this in another thread I think but this is my opinion on the series and what could be changed:

I’m gonna start by praising, I think there’s been a lot they’ve gotten right and I’m sure things will only improve with a bigger focus and budget next year:

• Housemates are awesome (10/10), I was worried there’d be too many big personalities but it’s well balanced and I think the age range is perfect.
• Stage looks great for how small it is, I’d 100% say it has a bigger impact/energy than the channel 9 stages.
• Mel is a great host and I’d go ahead and say I think she is one of Australia’s greatest talents.
• Live stream has been great and I think it’s been the best part of the revival.
• Been lots of great moments across the series and some solid episodes.
• While I think some aspects haven’t worked, I appreciate the attempt at modernising the format and keeping it fresh and trying to appeal to new viewers.

Things I think could do with some changing:

• House: I think there’s too much going on and it can come across abit gimmicky, tacky and kindergarten like, especially the bedroom. I think a more modern, inspired version of the 2004-2007 houses is where the goods are at.
• Editing: I appreciate an appeal to modernise the format and appeal to new audiences but the daily show music added in definitely makes it feel over produced and soap opera like, going against Big Brother’s roots. I feel like music used during 10-20% of the daily footage is acceptable, whereas now it feels a bit like 50-60%. Moments where it’s used to influence and provoke emotion from viewers like during diary room entries are where I think it’s overdone.
• Confessionals: I can appreciate a new style of editing, however I think they interrupt scenes a bit too much and most of the time just provide narration, they are a bit boring. I think these should be an occasional use for pace and traditional diary room entries should be the main type used, which actually give in depth insights into housemates feelings rather than surface level narration.
• Footage on daily shows: footage at times is a bit boring and biased, protecting housemates. Most of the time footage on daily shows is packaged and interrupted with confessionals and music, which is a bit distracting, whereas I think it should just be moments playing out, that is when it is most entertaining. The live stream has been constant entertainment almost and it shocks me some footage that has not been used, over some in the daily shows. I know it might go against narratives wanted to show footage of certain housemates to protect them, but it’s honestly really entertaining and adds layers to the show by letting housemates undo themselves and letting the public form an opinion.
• Live show music: I think it should stick to the BB theme and I actually think certain electro/house music could work for outro’s to breaks.
• Live shows feel too rushed and should be paced, I think noms should be played out over three segments after the main daily show portion, with constant tally updates and evictees thoughts on nominations. Evictee walkouts need to feel like a bigger moment and some video packages and the voting graph with evictees reactions should be in the eviction interviews. I think video packages should be used to hype up noms and evictions during the live shows. And interviews with nominees during eviction shows could also be used to break up daily show content.
• Opening titles: please add full opening titles to the show, adds identity and hypes up the show.
• Graphics and visuals: eye and graphics feel a bit gimmicky and playful, appealing to children. I’d love to see a big brother Italy inspired eye or even just the original one used in the promotion campaign.
• Please bring back mean, authoritative BB, it’s pretty funny and iconic.

I think that’s most of it, I’ve tried to condense it. I’ll add anything if I remember.

 

[dasnico]

I’ve already said this in another thread I think but this is my opinion on the series and what could be changed

Admittedly, I used a bit of your original feedback here. The word “kindergarten” for describing the house struck me.

RE the visible cameras, it was Peter Abbotts interview that @Kingston shared with me that made me want to include this. I agree that having cameras hidden (only called out the hotheads since they’re the only type of cameras being used this season) is a must. Countless times from BB3 onwards you would hear housemates comment on how they forgot about the cameras.

Some effort was made to include mirrors this year, likely to continue giving production staff spots to still observe the house in person. Albeit a small technical observation, I don’t see why they couldn’t re-utilise them for the cameras and try to steer housemates away from their camera driven performances. With just the remote cameras I don’t even see the need to return camera runs specifically when nooks with some reflective glass would achieve the hidden camera aspect.

If you haven’t listened to that interview I recommend it.

 

[matineeidyll]

I strongly agree on hiding the cameras as a way to get much better material. When the housemates become less aware that they are being watched, they are more candid and spontaneous in a way that creates great organic moments for the show. Viewers get much better insight into individuals as well as the group dynamics that way.

On another subject - it's plain as day when production is interfering in the narrative. This isn't just livestream vs dailies. Thousands of people are claimed to have auditioned, yet one participant was allegedly headhunted, and there are implications that they have been incentivised on an ongoing basis. We said we want real people. THE SHOW said it wants real people. Yet it manufactured a key element of its premise before it had even started.

NO MORE LOVE ISLAND CRAP. Stop cramming showmances down our throats. That is not why we watch the show and it's how the Seven Network completely fumbled the bag. The reboot was offered as a return to its original format - and the original did not have forced storylines, reinforced by selective editing.

 

[dasnico]

I strongly agree on hiding the cameras as a way to get much better material. When the housemates become less aware that they are being watched, they are more candid and spontaneous in a way that creates great organic moments for the show. Viewers get much better insight into individuals as well as the group dynamics that way.

On another subject - it's plain as day when production is interfering in the narrative. This isn't just livestream vs dailies. Thousands of people are claimed to have auditioned, yet one participant was allegedly headhunted, and there are implications that they have been incentivised on an ongoing basis. We said we want real people. THE SHOW said it wants real people. Yet it manufactured a key element of its premise before it had even started.

NO MORE LOVE ISLAND CRAP. Stop cramming showmances down our throats. That is not why we watch the show and it's how the Seven Network completely fumbled the bag. The reboot was offered as a return to its original format - and the original did not have forced storylines, reinforced by selective editing.

I do think at least in the later Ten years and 9 era there was probably some prevalent storylines and narrative being forced to some degree. However, it would appeared to have been much more subtle since it didn’t slap you in the face such as what Ten 2.0 is currently doing.

 

[BootsAlice]

Admittedly, I used a bit of your original feedback here. The word “kindergarten” for describing the house struck me.

RE the visible cameras, it was Peter Abbotts interview that @Kingston shared with me that made me want to include this. I agree that having cameras hidden (only called out the hotheads since they’re the only type of cameras being used this season) is a must. Countless times from BB3 onwards you would hear housemates comment on how they forgot about the cameras.

Some effort was made to include mirrors this year, likely to continue giving production staff spots to still observe the house in person. Albeit a small technical observation, I don’t see why they couldn’t re-utilise them for the cameras and try to steer housemates away from their camera driven performances. With just the remote cameras I don’t even see the need to return camera runs specifically when nooks with some reflective glass would achieve the hidden camera aspect.

If you haven’t listened to that interview I recommend it.

Thanks for that link, what a great interview

 

[Melore]

My main concern beginning on opening night was the cast. The cast, all together, has all the charisma of a team building event from Officeworks. Did you bring several hundred of potential cast in to do group work to see how they interacted as per previous seasons, and winnow them down, or did you just do individual interviews? I cannot fathom how you came up with this cast. It strikes me I could "cast" BB similarly with a quick trip to Penrith Plaza for a few extras - Allana picking up some candles in the Reject Shop, and Conor emitting the odd tic in JB Hi Fi, and gather the rest from the floor of Officeworks. Colin, of course, would be out the back sloping off, maybe spinning on his back like a cockroach for LOLs.

The next serious concern I have is how and why it ever entered anyone's heads to make Colin the season's focus - and certainly the push to win the whole thing. He is a deeply unpleasant person with a number of catchphrases, with an unsavoury past that has emerged, and still you push him at us as if he is the second coming. Who in the control room thinks it is hilarious to have an emotionally dysregulated man farting on people's heads? Why are you protecting him in the edit of the shows when we can all see enough of his outbursts to know he is a very angry man? He is not cute, he is not charming, he is not unique. It is deeply disturbing what you are doing.

The third serious concern I have is the forcing of footage of these tedious showmances. Colin and Holly, of course, have been shoved down our necks interminably. Clearly you don't value the rest of your casting choices to have them relegated to background characters in the show, some seen less than potplants. Now we have this farcical "plot" of Coco and Bruce (another dubious casting choice) and their on-off showmance hogging the time and attention and making very soporific viewing of the daily shows.

Why you thought casting these angry misogynistic men and then featuring them as the stars of the season, and in Colin's case oddly the hero of the season (sweet, innocent, misunderstood, hilarious), and then went so far to make the victims of their abusive outbursts look like the instigators in a time in our history when we are all too well aware of the horrifying domestic violence plague in our country, and aware that verbal abuse and emotional abuse is also DV and also damaging, is really troubling - well, more than troubling. You have arranged the edit to protect Bruce and Colin and blame Abiola and Jane for their outbursts (burying the bulk and the worst of it).

These choices are baffling, and shameful.

I have many more concerns, such as what you are doing with the livestream censoring, and the silly lack of attention to a weather website (try Windy) before planning outdoor activities during storm season in the area. But this will do for now.