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Big Brother 2004 on official YouTube channel (Live streamed Aug 29 -30 + Sept 6-7)

Kingston said:
I really wish she’d talk more about the show… Like the fan base criticism ≠ hate. She’s a smart woman and I think there’s definitely a way she could talk about her experiences without being accused of trash talking.
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I get an impression that she may carry some trauma from the later seasons she hosted. The show threw so much at her (sometimes literally) and I think there’s only so much she could handle before bowing out of the role. She also was constantly picked at by the media at the time too all because she was a talented, strong and incredibly intelligent woman who had no issue speaking her truth in a world of salty entertainment columnists.

I’d read a BB tell-all book in one sitting if she ever wrote one
 
I remember being pretty surprised at the time that Ash didn't at least make the final 4, she was a hoot. How on earth on Catherine made it that far (nice lady but complete wallpaper for me) is beyond me.
 
Hunter's_Mckay said:
How on earth on Catherine made it that far (nice lady but complete wallpaper for me) is beyond me.
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I got Reggie vibes from Catherine but more toned down. I think she had a strong back-story being a single mum which played heavily in her favour. I find the “Aussie battlers” usually stick around longer than they should in the old 10 era
 
timmy said:
She wrote this memoir in 2009. I haven't read it but if I can find a copy to steal borrow I will.
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I haven't read it but from the excerpts that you can find around, it doesn't appear that she's talking about Big Brother directly. Down below is an excerpt that is available via Google Books and she's just talking about "the most controversial TV show in the universe". Sounds a lot like Big Brother, but then she says that the TV show was cancelled and her job vanished.

Fourteen days ago I was the harried working single mum of a son and a daughter both finishing their final years in high school. My neighbour was arrested taking naked photos of me while hanging from the fig tree outside my bathroom window, my son was bashed at a party, the washing machine exploded, and I was flying back and forth between work in two cities to support my children financially and emotionally as I both worked on 'the most controversial TV show in the universe' and nurtured stomach operation. Meanwhile, amidst all of this, the media, ignorant of our domestic situation but hungry for any story associated with the scandal-filled TV show I was hosting, chose to focus on me ... and revel in the depths of the profound global issue - no, intergalactic issue - of whether or not I was looking fat.

The ache was there fourteen days ago but every-thing was bearable, everything was do-able, including hosting my son's graduation/birthday party (which somehow left three shoes planted on the inside of the freezer door) and the possibility of a surprising new relationship with a man who was kind, intelligent, laughed at my jokes and was, extraordinarily, not gay.

Then suddenly one week ago - kapow - the metaphorical rollercoaster of life took a severe eye-bulging, g-force, tongues-out, windblown-facelift downturn! The TV show was cancelled and my job vanished. The roof blew off our home, the newspaper I was a columnist for replaced me with a blog, our kitchen burnt down after my great-aunt dropped her vibrator in the toilet and then tried to dry it in the microwave, and a robber attempted to break into our apartment but this guy fell off the fig tree while trying to gain access and then decided to sue me for dam-ages. At the same time our washing machine repair-man dropped dead in the laundry, my only son was accepted to study on the other side of the world for three years, we lost most of our savings in a 'financial hiccup' (please remind me never, ever to buy shares again, no matter how much the broker's watch may sparkle), my daughter entered her fourth year of adolescence ('Mum, can I get an operation to make my eyebrows more equal?'), and the 'new' man with whom I'd considered spending the rest of my life revealed himself to be a masochistic masturbator and I was therefore faced with the fact that he actually had less passion for me than for the local hardware and vegetable stores, which he viewed as sex shops.

And on top of all this, that was the night that my bum dropped!

Now, I don't want to whinge. My children and I have experienced a lot of difficult things in life. I've been mugged, defamed, blackmailed and stalked and my kids have had to put up with my cooking. But I suspect the collision, or collusion, of events over this past week almost tipped me over the edge. Just as one can be a functioning alcoholic, I wonder now in retrospect whether I wasn't, at least for a moment or so, a functioning nervous
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You might find more pieces where she's talking about the show, but even then it begs the question what was real and what was "gleefully exaggerated".

Another indication is the "about the author" part that doesn't mention Big Brother at all (other than saying that she's a television host). There is a very similarly written introduction for "Jimmy & Gret Don't Do Sex" that was published after this book and does mention Big Brother.
 
Something that I noticed in S4 was Gretel increasingly having to frustratedly refer to Big Brother and seek direction from her earpiece during live shows to find out WTF was going on and what the producer wanted next. It suggests to me that Kris Noble was a chaotic EP, whereas Peter Abbott had always managed to keep everything under control. Fair?
 
timmy said:
Something that I noticed in S4 was Gretel increasingly having to frustratedly refer to Big Brother and seek direction from her earpiece during live shows to find out WTF was going on and what the producer wanted next. It suggests to me that Kris Noble was a chaotic EP, whereas Peter Abbott had always managed to keep everything under control. Fair?
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This is a very interesting take - this was definitely a lot more prominent by Gretel from the second half of the season onward, presumably once the “honeymoon was over” and things potentially never eventually settled BTS. It wouldn’t surprise me.
 
timmy said:
Something that I noticed in S4 was Gretel increasingly having to frustratedly refer to Big Brother and seek direction from her earpiece during live shows to find out WTF was going on and what the producer wanted next. It suggests to me that Kris Noble was a chaotic EP, whereas Peter Abbott had always managed to keep everything under control. Fair?
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I would even argue that what you have just pointed out is one of the most glaring difference between the Peter Abbot and Kris Noble eras. BB1-3 seemed to have all of their live shows run as smoothly as possible (mostly) whilst the 04-07 series have pretty notable live mishaps which leaves Gretel to think on her feet. Alex Mav's seasons were a lot more tamed and there appeared to be more control over the live shows, but some of those middle era classic seasons, my god.
 
the Theorist said:
This is a very interesting take - this was definitely a lot more prominent by Gretel from the second half of the season onward, presumably once the “honeymoon was over” and things potentially never eventually settled BTS. It wouldn’t surprise me.
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I also don’t think she was pleased with the slutification of the show under Kris Noble either.
 
timmy said:
Something that I noticed in S4 was Gretel increasingly having to frustratedly refer to Big Brother and seek direction from her earpiece during live shows to find out WTF was going on and what the producer wanted next. It suggests to me that Kris Noble was a chaotic EP, whereas Peter Abbott had always managed to keep everything under control. Fair?
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I can only go by the BB DVD, they had a live feed of the OB trucks for the opening night and an eviction night for 2003. When Gretel would ask, "Big Brother what are we going to go to now?" The director, Simon Francis at the time, would answer. So maybe that changed and it actually was Kris that was in her ear from 04 onwards, but still, the director can always communicate with the host.

I also recall Peter Abbott saying to Howard Parker (Southen Star Production Executive at the time) that they were "stunted out" during a day in the life of BB, on the DVD as well. So even Peter knew when enough was enough and to just let the housemates be.

From 04 the stunts became more and more prevalent. So I dare say things would have got changed ten times over last minute, but thankfully Gretel just rolled with the punches.
 
Kingston said:
I also don’t think she was pleased with the slutification of the show under Kris Noble either.
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Well, we know 2005 was cast specifically with singles only in mind. And, while I’m not sure how true it is, I also read somewhere that potential candidates were even asked whether they’d be willing to be sexual in the house. So the writing was on the wall.

In addition to the productions’ treatment of (and, under their influence, Gretel’s) the whole Monica/Fitzy thing in the 2004 season and putting them both on the spot numerous times, making them visibly uncomfortable - which was cringe to watch back - you can see the direction the show was heading after 2003.

I will always say that the show itself contributed to their own downfall, especially once 2006 rolled around.
 
the Theorist said:
I will always say that the show itself contributed to their own downfall, especially once 2006 rolled around.
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Agreed. I’ve always said the Uncut controversy was blood on the hands of production and that continuing to run from it is ridiculous. Totally preventable especially in the modern era and with the direction 10 are currently taking the show.
 
timmy said:
Something that I noticed in S4 was Gretel increasingly having to frustratedly refer to Big Brother and seek direction from her earpiece during live shows to find out WTF was going on and what the producer wanted next. It suggests to me that Kris Noble was a chaotic EP, whereas Peter Abbott had always managed to keep everything under control. Fair?
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I'd say this is fair.

There is quite a few live fuckups happening consistently in 2004 - ie they'll go to look at the voting graph with the evictee, only for no percentages to show up on-screen and they need to relayed to Gretel via the earpiece. Not to mention quite a few comments from her about the autocue having issues and just having to make stuff up on the spot or referring to her written notes she had with her.

Either KN or someone he installed into a prominent role behind the scenes was just making shit up on the fly - and was clearly giving conflicting information via the earpiece which then led to Gretel asking wtf was happening next.
 
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