Big Brother Canada
Big Brother Canada is a Canadian television reality game show based on the Dutch reality show of the same name, which is part of the wider Big Brother franchise. The first season of the series premiered on February 27, 2013, on Slice. Starting with the third season, the show is aired on Global. 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]
For the French-language series in Canada known as Big Brother, see Big Brother (Quebec TV series). For the most current season, see Big Brother Canada season 12.Big Brother Canada
Canada
English
11
304
John Brunton
Erin Brock
Eric Abboud
Arisa Cox
Multi-camera
60 minutes
Insight Productions
(In association with Corus Entertainment and Banijay)
February 27, 2013 –
present
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 is available for viewers to watch for free through the show's website. 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]
Since it first premiered, Big Brother Canada has aired more than 300 episodes and has featured 173 HouseGuests.
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.[7] The series has also been broadcast on the former sister network, CH.[7] A French-Canadian version of Loft Story, the France-produced version of the series, premiered in 2003.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10][11] Big Brother Canada was initially set to premiere on February 18, 2013;[12] this was later pushed back to February 27.[13][14][15] 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.[16][17] It was confirmed after the conclusion of the second season that the show would be moving to Global.[1][7]
Following the show's fifth season, it was announced by Global that the series had been placed on an indefinite hiatus for undisclosed reasons.[18] The announcement led to backlash from fans of the series, who petitioned to bring the show back on air.[19] 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.[20][21] Prior to the launch of the sixth season, a third House for the series was built with the same layout as the previous one.[22] The seventh season of the series was confirmed by host Arisa Cox in June 2018. It premiered in March 2019.[23]
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.[24]
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.[25] Contestants have no access to phones, television, internet, magazines, newspaper, and are prohibited from contact with those not in the house.[26] 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.[27][28] 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.[29] Should a contestant break the rules of the game, they could be expelled and immediately removed from the house.[30][31] 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 are not shown any Diary Room interviews or any footage that may include strategy or details regarding nominations.[39] 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.[40]
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.[44] Originating from the United States show of the same name, it provided a live look into the house and aired on Slice.[45] The series began airing exclusively online following the fourth season.[46][47] 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.[48] It was confirmed in 2016 that Sarah Hanlon would replace Levy as co-host of the series.[49] 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.[50]
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.