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Big Brother Canada

For the French-language series in Canada known as Big Brother, see Big Brother (Quebec TV series). For the final season, see Big Brother Canada season 12.
Big Brother Canada
Logo used since the show's inception
GenreReality competition
Based onBig Brother
by John de Mol Jr.
Presented by
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons12
No. of episodes333
Production
Executive producersJohn Brunton
Erin Brock
Eric Abboud
Arisa Cox
Production locationToronto, Ontario
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesInsight Productions
(In association with Corus Entertainment and Banijay)
Original release
NetworkSlice
ReleaseFebruary 27, 2013 (2013-02-27) –
May 8, 2014 (2014-05-08)
NetworkGlobal[1]
ReleaseMarch 23, 2015 (2015-03-23) –
May 8, 2024 (2024-05-08)
Related

Big Brother Canada is a Canadian television reality game show based on the Dutch reality show of the same name, which was part of the wider Big Brother franchise. The first season of the series premiered on February 27, 2013, on Slice. From the third season, the show aired on Global until the twelfth and final season ended on May 8, 2024. The series is produced by Endemol and Insight Productions. It is hosted by Arisa Cox, who is concurrently an executive producer starting from the ninth season.[2][3]

The show follows the premise originated by the American version of the show, in which a group of contestants, known as "HouseGuests", live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world as they compete for a $100,000 cash prize, as well as additional prizes from the show's sponsors. The HouseGuests are continuously monitored during their stay in the house by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones.

A live feed into the house was available for viewers to watch for free through the show's website, before being replaced by Digital Dailies in season 11. Big Brother Canada is the first incarnation of the series to adopt the format used in the United States, which greatly differs from others. The rules of the series have also been altered throughout each season through "twists" added to the game.

The series was put on hiatus following the conclusion of the fifth season,[4] but fan support saw the series renewed for a sixth season.[5] The twelfth season premiered on March 5, 2024, on Global and STACKTV. Season 12 houseguests are competing for over $200,000 in cash and prizes.[6]

On June 27, 2024, it was officially announced that the series was cancelled after 12 seasons.[7] 333 episodes were produced.

History

[edit]

The Big Brother franchise was first seen in Canada in 2000, after Global acquired the rights to air the United States edition from CBS.[8] The series has also been broadcast on the former sister network, CH.[8] A French-Canadian version of Loft Story, the France-produced version of the series, premiered in 2003.[9] The show was succeeded by an official Quebec-produced edition of Big Brother in 2010, which aired for one season.

Global's then-parent company, Shaw Media, announced on May 30, 2012, that an English adaptation of the series would launch in Canada on the digital cable channel, Slice.[10] The network later confirmed that live feeds from the Big Brother house would be available to Canadian viewers for free, unlike the subscription-based United States edition.[11][12] Big Brother Canada was initially set to premiere on February 18, 2013;[13] this was later pushed back to February 27.[14][15][16] The show was greenlit for a second season following the ratings success of the first; a new house was built prior to the launch of the second season.[17][18] It was confirmed after the conclusion of the second season that the show would be moving to Global.[1][8]

Following the show's fifth season, it was announced by Global that the series had been placed on an indefinite hiatus for undisclosed reasons.[19] The announcement led to backlash from fans of the series, who petitioned to bring the show back on air.[20] Less than two months after the announcement, it was confirmed that the series would be returning for a sixth season in 2018 due to the large amount of fan support.[21][22] Prior to the launch of the sixth season, a third House for the series was built with the same layout as the previous one.[23] The seventh season of the series was confirmed by host Arisa Cox in June 2018. It premiered in March 2019.[24]

Season 8 saw many series firsts for the Canadian franchise as two HouseGuests had to be removed due to a violation of house rules and production abruptly ended on March 24, 2020, due to the restrictions brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, culminating in a season finale airing on April 1, 2020, with no winner being proclaimed.[25]

On June 27, 2024, the series was cancelled after twelve seasons.

Rules and format

[edit]

There are a number of rules imposed on the HouseGuests competing in the series. The participants are under constant audio and video surveillance, and are required to wear personal microphones at all times.[26] Contestants have no access to phones, television, internet, magazines, newspaper, and are prohibited from contact with those not in the house.[27] The Bible and other religious literature are the only books allowed in the house. Described as a "social experiment", the concept of the show forces people to live in a home with people who may share differing ideals, beliefs, or prejudices.[28][29] The doors to the house remain locked at all times, though a HouseGuest is free to quit the game whenever they choose; however, once leaving the house, they are not permitted to re-enter.[30] Should a contestant break the rules of the game, they could be expelled and immediately removed from the house.[31][32] Unlike other versions of Big Brother, the HouseGuests may discuss the nomination and eviction process openly and freely.

Each week the HouseGuests compete in several competitions in order to win power and safety inside the house, before voting off one of the HouseGuests during the eviction. The main elements of the format are as follows:

Upon reaching the middle point in the game, the evicted HouseGuests go on to become members of the "jury"; the jury is responsible for choosing who wins the series. The members of the jury remain sequestered from the outside world and usually live in a remote villa until Finale Night. The jury are not shown any Diary Room interviews or any footage that may include strategy or details regarding nominations.[40] The amount of HouseGuest involved in the Jury has varied slightly throughout the series but will typically involve the last 7 evicted HouseGuests. The final Head of Household competition is split into three parts; the winners of the first two rounds compete in the third and final round. Once only two HouseGuests remain, the members of the jury cast their votes for who should win the series.[41]

Notable contestants

[edit]
See also: List of Big Brother Canada houseguests

In total, there have been 164 HouseGuests to compete in Big Brother Canada. In addition to this, there have been seven potential HouseGuests that did not enter the house and eight HouseGuests that have competed in two seasons. Season one HouseGuests Jillian MacLaughlin and Emmett Blois went on to participate in the fourth season of The Amazing Race Canada; the duo came in second place.[42] Blois later went on to enter the Big Brother Mzansi house in South Africa as a guest; he remained in house for a week, attempting to cause trouble among the contestants.[43] Demetres Giannitsos and Dane Rupert hold the record for the most Head of Household wins in a single season with five,[44] while Kevin Martin, Adam Pike and combined HouseGuests Nick & Phil Paquette hold the record for most Power of Veto wins in a single season with four. Giannitsos, Martin, Paquette brothers, Pike, and Rupert are all also tied for the most total competition wins in a single season, with seven each. Martin, alongside HouseGuests Ashleigh Wood, Kaela Grant, Rohan Kapoor and Todd Clements are the only HouseGuests to win three consecutive Power of Veto competitions. Anthony Douglas has spent the most time in the house of any HouseGuest, with a total of 138 days. Douglas is also the first contestant to make it to Final 2 in two seasons and was runner-up for both. Season 9 winner Tychon Carter-Newman is the first black houseguest to win Big Brother Canada, and the second (after Celebrity Big Brother 2 winner Tamar Braxton) to win a season of Big Brother in North America.

Spin-offs

[edit]

Following the announcement of the series, it was confirmed that the spin-off series Big Brother Canada: After Dark, would air alongside the show.[45] Originating from the United States show of the same name, it provided a live look into the house and aired on Slice.[46] The series began airing exclusively online following the fourth season.[47][48] The Big Brother Side Show began airing alongside the second season of the show in 2014. Originally hosted by Cox alongside former HouseGuests Gary Levy and Peter Brown, the show featured interviews with the weekly evicted HouseGuest and aired immediately following the eviction episodes.[49] It was confirmed in 2016 that Sarah Hanlon would replace Levy as co-host of the series.[50] The show was cancelled in 2017 prior to the fifth season of Big Brother Canada, and was replaced instead by a Facebook chat with Cox following each eviction episode.

Series overview

[edit]
SeasonDaysHouseGuestsWinnerRunner-upFinal voteCanada's
Favourite
Houseguest		EpisodesOriginally airedAverage viewers
(millions)
First airedLast airedNetwork
17115Jillian MacLaughlinGary Levy4–3—29February 27, 2013 (2013-02-27)May 2, 2013 (2013-05-02)Slice0.671
271151Jon PardySabrina Abbate6–12—29March 5, 2014 (2014-03-05)May 8, 2014 (2014-05-08)0.667
37016Sarah HanlonGodfrey Mangwiza7–23—29March 23, 2015 (2015-03-23)May 27, 2015 (2015-05-27)Global1.120
477164Nick & Phil PaquetteKelsey Faith7–2—32March 2, 2016 (2016-03-02)May 12, 2016 (2016-05-12)1.185
569165Kevin MartinKaren Singbeil9–0—29March 15, 2017 (2017-03-15)May 18, 2017 (2017-05-18)1.004
669166Paras AtashnakKaela Grant6–1—29March 7, 2018 (2018-03-07)May 10, 2018 (2018-05-10)1.118
769157Dane RupertAnthony Douglas7–0—29March 6, 2019 (2019-03-06)May 9, 2019 (2019-05-09)1.187
82516Season discontinuedSeason discontinued—11March 4, 2020 (2020-03-04)April 1, 2020 (2020-04-01)1.205
96914Tychon Carter-NewmanBreydon White6–1Kiefer Collison29March 3, 2021 (2021-03-03)May 6, 2021 (2021-05-06)0.944
106916Kevin JacobsJosh Nash8–19Marty Frenette29March 2, 2022 (2022-03-02)May 5, 2022 (2022-05-05)0.881
116916Terrell "Ty" McDonaldClaudia Campbell8–1Jonathan Leonard29March 8, 2023 (2023-03-08)May 11, 2023 (2023-05-11)TBA
12691410Bayleigh PelhamAnthony Douglas6–1Todd Clements29March 5, 2024 (2024-03-05)May 8, 2024 (2024-05-08)TBA

Notes

[edit]

^Note 1 : Fourteen HouseGuests entered the house on Day 1, while three additional contestants faced Canada's vote to decide who would be the final HouseGuest. The three contestants entered a secret room on Day 8, and the winning HouseGuest entered the house on Day 15.
^Note 2 : As part of a twist, Canada joined the jury as its seventh member. The recipient of the vote was determined by a public vote open to Canadian residents and was cast by Arisa Cox on behalf of the nation. Canada voted for Jon Pardy to be the winner.
^Note 3 : Ten evicted HouseGuests initially formed the jury, but the final three remaining HouseGuests were given the opportunity to select one juror's vote to disqualify.
^Note 4 : Fourteen HouseGuests entered the house on Day 1, while four former contestants of other editions of Big Brother faced Canada's vote to decide which two will enter the house as "international wildcards". These HouseGuests entered the house on Day 7. In a second twist, a pair of brothers played the game as one HouseGuest.
^Note 5 : Eight of the HouseGuests this season were returning players from the first four seasons, while the other eight were new players.
^Note 6 : Fourteen HouseGuests entered the house on Day 1, while the Canadian public voted between two sets of two contestants (one consisting of men and one consisting of women) to enter the house as the final two HouseGuests of the season. These HouseGuests entered on Day 6.
^Note 7 : Fourteen HouseGuests entered the house on Day 1, while the Canadian public voted between two contestants to enter the house as the final HouseGuest of the season. This HouseGuest then had to complete a mission to officially enter the game.
^Note 8 : The eighth season was planned to run for 83 days but production had to end early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, there was no winner as the game did not reach a conclusion.
^Note 9 : As part of a twist, Canada joined the jury as its ninth member. The recipient of the vote was determined by a public vote open to Canadian residents and was cast by Arisa Cox on behalf of the nation. Canada voted for Kevin Jacobs to be the winner.
^Note 10 : Two of the HouseGuests this season were returning players while the other 12 were new players.

International broadcast

[edit]

The series airs on the following channels outside of Canada:

As of November 28, 2023, BBCAN is no longer available on any streaming platforms in the US.

Reception

[edit]

Since its premiere in 2013, Big Brother Canada has been met with a positive reaction from viewers. Calum Marsh with National Post called the show "one of the most thrilling things on television" following the conclusion of the sixth season.[55] The show was a ratings success during its run on Slice, with the first three episodes of the season causing a 24% increase in Slice's viewership.[56] The show averaged 2.7 million viewers per week, at one point reaching a peak of 4.2 million in one week.[57] The second season reached more than 6.4 million viewers during its run, becoming the number one specialty reality program of the year in key demographics.[58] It was reported that the show's official website was visited more than 46 million times during the season.[58] The show's seventh season saw the highest overall average for the series in terms of ratings, while season two was the least viewed season.[59]

The show has been compared positively to the United States edition of the series on which it is based, with several fans and publications citing it as the superior series.[60] The sophomore season was ranked as the fourth best North American season by BuzzFeed in 2018, with the fifth season coming in seventh place.[61] Producer Trevor Boris has been praised for his role in the series, including producing the challenges and voicing the recurring character Marsha the Moose.[62][63] He later went on to work on adaptions of the show in the United States and the United Kingdom.[64] The series has received criticism for issues such as blocking the live feeds from viewers for long periods of time and for being seemingly "over-produced".[65] Since it debuted, Big Brother Canada has been nominated for a total of fourteen Canadian Screen Awards,[66] winning Best Production Design or Art Design in a Non-Fiction Program or Series at the 2015 ceremony.[67] It has also been nominated for two Canadian Cinema Editors Awards, once in 2016 and once in 2017.[68][69]

Accolades

[edit]

Canadian Screen Awards

[edit]
Year Category Nominee Result
2014 Host in a Variety, Lifestyle, Reality/Competition, Performing Arts or Talk Program or Series Arisa Cox Nominated
Production design/art direction in a non-fiction program or series "Evil Dead" Nominated
Best Cross-Platform Project – Non-Fiction Nominated
2016 Best Cross-Platform Project – Non-Fiction Nominated
Golden Screen Award for TV Reality Show Nominated
Editing in a reality or competition program or series "Finale" Nominated
Production design/art direction in a non-fiction program or series "Finale" Nominated
2017 Reality/Competition Program or Series Nominated
Golden Screen Award for TV Reality Show Nominated
Editing in a reality or competition program or series "Finale" Nominated
Production design/art direction in a non-fiction program or series "Premiere" Nominated
Reality or competition program or series "Finale" Nominated
2018 Reality/Competition Program or Series Nominated
Editing in a reality or competition program or series "Premiere" Nominated
Production design/art direction in a non-fiction program or series "Finale" Won
2019 Reality/Competition Program or Series Nominated
Editing in a reality or competition program or series Nominated
Production design/art direction in a non-fiction program or series Nominated
Lifestyle or reality/competition program or series "Finale" Nominated
2020 Reality/Competition Program or Series Nominated
Picture Editing, Reality/Competition "Finale" Nominated
Production Design or Art Direction, Non-Fiction "Finale" Nominated
2021 Host or presenter, factual or reality/competition series Arisa Cox Nominated
Editing in a reality or competition program or series "Episode 11" Nominated
Production design/art direction in a non-fiction program or series "Episode 1" Nominated
Reality or competition program or series "Episode 1" Nominated
Audience Choice Arisa Cox Nominated
2022 Reality/Competition Program or Series Nominated
Host or presenter, factual or reality/competition Arisa Cox Nominated
Photography in a lifestyle or reality program or series "Premiere" Won
Editing in a reality or competition program or series "Finale" Nominated
Production design/art direction in a non-fiction program or series "Premiere" Nominated
Audience Choice Nominated

References

[edit]
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