BB FANS

JimD

June 29, 2005
Canoe.ca

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Hosted by Julie Chen

Big Brother is now a team game. This season, Big Brother will be a battle of teams not an individual game as in previous instalments.

CBS announced today that the 14 contestants are actually seven teams of secret partners from the outside world. Friends, co-workers and significant others will play the Big Brother game as covert duos. The twist is that each team believes they are the only such partnership in the house.

As an added stipulation, if one team can keep their secret and end up being the last two people in the house, the winner will win $1,000,000 with the second place finisher winning $250,000. If a twosome does not make it to the final two, the winner will win $500,000. The pairings will be revealed to TV viewers during the first live broadcast on July 14th.

This year’s theme is the Summer of Secrets. There are secrets in the new two-storey house, secrets in the game and every houseguest has a secret too which will all be unveiled throughout the summer.

The series debuts on Thursday, July 7 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS. Following the premiere, BIG BROTHER 6 will be broadcast each week on Tuesdays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) and Saturdays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).
The Thursday broadcast, hosted by Julie Chen, will feature the live eviction of one of the houseguests. Real Networks will also be offering 24/7 live feeds from the Big Brother house by subscription. Details are still to come.

Today, CBS also made public the identities of the 14 Big Brother HouseGuests. Most are in their twenties with the oldest HouseGuest being Eric Littmann, the 36-year-old firefighter from Boston. Unlike previous seasons, their professions are pretty mundane ranging from an emergency room nurse to a horse breeder.

Following are the 14 houseguests, listed across in alphabetical order, who will compete in Big Brother 6:

Maggie Ausburn, 26, Emergency Room Nurse

Beau Beasley, 25 Personal Shopper

Ivette Corredero, 25, Waitress

Michael Donnellan, 28, Artist

Ashlea Evans, 22, Fashion Design Student

Howie Gordon, 34, Meteorology Student

Sarah Hrejsa, 22, Retail Manager

April Lewis, 30, Pharmaceutical Sales Rep

Eric Littmann, 36, Firefighter

Janelle Pierzina, 25, Cocktail Waitress

Rachel Plencner, 33, Horse Breeder

James Rhine, 29, Loss Prevention Manager

Kaysar Ridha, 24, Graphic Designer

Jennifer Vasquez, 27, Arena Football League Dancer

For more information on the HouseGuests, logon to the official CBS site here.

Annie

Orange sofa's must be the in thing this year :-?

BBUSA is always car crash telly at its best! Great viewing

Quote:

Competition skein's jackpot being increased to $1 mil

By JOSEF ADALIAN

CBS summer staple "Big Brother" is getting a million-dollar facelift for 2005 -- in more ways than one.

In addition to the skein's new digs (Daily Variety, May 6), exec producers Arnold Shapiro and Allison Grodner have engineered a twist to the game that could result in the contest winner walking away with $1 million. That's double the game's usual $500,000 jackpot.

Getting the coin won't be easy, however.

As part of their annual effort to reinvent the game of "Big Brother," producers have come up with a scheme in which every cast member of "Big Brother 6" will walk into the house with a ready-made alliance -- a best friend, co-worker or significant other.

However, each pair of players will be told they're the only two participants coming into the house with a partner -- even though there will actually be seven teams of two playing the game. Teams also will be told to keep their alliances secret -- at least if they want to win the big money.

"The incentive is (for partners) to get to the end of the game sitting side by side," said Grodner. "If they do, the winner will get $1 million and the second-place person will get $250,000. It's in their best interests to keep it a secret."

If a twosome doesn't make it to the finals, winner will get the usual $500,000, while the runner-up will snag a measly $50,000.

Viewers won't find out which players are partnered until the season's third episode (skein returns July 7). But Shapiro and Grodner already are expecting plenty of what latter calls "soap opera stories" to emerge from a house in which everyone already knows someone.

"These are people who already like each other, but the question is, will (the friendships) last until the end when money's involved?" Grodner said.

Producers are planning myriad mini-twists throughout the season as part of what they're calling "the summer of secrets."

"Every year we do something exotic," Shapiro said. "Last year it was a 'twin twist,' the year before it was the 'ex' factor. This year, there are a number of secrets involving the cast, involving the new house and involving the game. And like an onion, they'll be peeled away week after week throughout the summer."

One early twist will come early in the game when houseguests discover there are only 10 beds for the 14 of them. That's because the new two-story house contains a secret bedroom.

There also have been rumblings that producers might allow each week's "head of household" to maintain a blog, likely via CBS.com-- a first for a network reality show. But the Eye declined to confirm speculation about Web content related to the show, which has traditionally included a pay-per-view Web feed component.

Extreme makeover of the "Big Brother" house includes a second-level master suite (complete with balcony and private bathroom); a full-sized gym; and a new studio for host Julie Chen.

New digs were created by set designer Scott Storey ("Surreal Life"), who was charged with making the house "a character in the show," Grodner said.

Shapiro also credited "technical genius" Gene Crow for making sure the new house's control rooms and edit bays worked. "The fact that we're getting a signal (to CBS Television City) is a credit to him," he said.

New house boasts five extra cameras (for a total of 47) and 10 new mics (for a total of 76).

The 14 cast members are a particularly young lot: 10 are under 30, and the oldest is just 36.

"Big Brother" is from Shapiro-Grodner and Endemol USA.

cheekiechickie

Quote:

The 14 people playing the game will each bring something besides their luggage into the game's new house on the CBS lot.

The contestants — eight women and six men, all but two of them single — range in age from 22 to 36. They include a Boston firefighter; an artist from Orange County, Calif.; a meteorology student from Chicago; and a "VIP cocktail waitress," whatever that is, from Miami.

Fans of the show might want to pay attention to the hometowns of the players, as they could provide a clue to this season's big twist, which CBS is calling "Summer of Secrets."

Each player will have a secret partner — a friend, co-worker or significant other — in the house, and each pair will go in thinking it's the only one playing as a team.

There also seems to be some overlap in the favorite sports teams that players list on the show's Web site, but otherwise, possible tipoffs aren't obvious.

Viewers will find out the identities of the teams in the show's first live episode, set for July 14.

If a team manages to keep its secret and makes it to the final two, the winner's prize will double to $1 million, the richest in the show's history, and the second-place finisher will get $250,000.

If the final two aren't a team, the winner's haul will remain the usual $500,000.

SeattleTimes

cheekiechickie

Ivette Corredero, A Waitress

Michael Donnellan, An Artist

Maggie Ausburn, A Nurse

Jennifer Vasquez, An Arena Football League Dancer

cheekiechickie

Quote:

Big Brother, CBS's summer replacement reality show, is getting a new house in Los Angeles for its sixth season.
Zap2it.com reports the old house, a series of interlocking trailers in the San Fernando Valley, was torn down to make way for a CBS office building. The new home for the show -- and the contestants who compete for a $500,000 prize in a living-together exercise -- was constructed inside a sound stage on the same lot.
Allison Grodner, one of the show's executive producers, told zap2it.com she does not miss the old house.
"I can tell ya, after five years, that house that was torn down stunk. It was awful," she said. "No one wanted to go in."
In addition to being new and sweet-smelling, the new loft-style house has two stories and high ceilings. Grodner said she used to worry about tall contestants, who would have to duck under camera booms.
The show premieres Thursday. Live episodes air Thursdays with taped ones shown Saturdays and Sundays.

WashingtonTimes

JimD

July 6, 2005
cbsnews

(CBS) Secrets, lies and strategies are all part of the new season of Big Brother.

Host Julie Chen, who's also a co-anchor of The Early Show, says 14 houseguests, the biggest cast ever, will compete for up to $1 million, double the usual jackpot.

From a firefighter to a fashionista, from a waitress to a weatherman, the new Big Brother cast brings together a potpourri of pet peeves and personalities.

Sarah, a retail manager from Chicago declares: "I am going to win because I want to buy lots of shoes!"

Meteorology student Howie, also of Chicago concedes: "I can be deceitful, obnoxious, loud, overbearing."

Rachel, 22, single, and a horse breeder from Colorado asserts, "I really don't care for people that are messy, or slobs," then chuckles.

Ivette, 25, a waitress in Miami Beach observes, "Believe it or not, some girls might be annoyed at the fact that I'm gay, and because they think that it's a phase or that I do it just to be cool and look cute."

Ashlea, a 22-year-old fashion design student from Plantation, Fla. observes, "I hate backstabbers, like slimy little people."

One thing's for sure, with a record 47 cameras and 76 microphones, the backstabbing and back-scratching will not go unnoticed.

Chen toured the redesigned Big Brother house with former cast mates Drew, who won "Big Brother 5," the show's previous incarnation, and Diane, who competed in it.

"Check out the shower!" exclaimed Drew.

"Guys and girls don't take showers together," Diane retorted.

"Yes, they do in here!" Drew responded.

JimD

Wednesday July 6, 12:03 pm ET

CBS's Official Website to Offer 'Big Brother' Viewers a Wide Array of Bonus Features to Supplement and Enhance CBS's Three Weekly Broadcasts
For the First Time, A Head of Household Blog Will Provide Insight Into Life in the 'Big Brother' House
Also New, The Head of Household Will Be Rewarded With a Digital Camera With Pictures Posted on CBS.com
CBS and RealNetworks Bring 'Big Brother 6' to the Internet With 24/7 Live Video Channel For the Fifth Consecutive Year
'HOUSE CALLS: The Big Brother Talk Show' Returns For Its Second Season
Interactive 'Big Brother Fantasy League' Offers Fans A Chance to Compete for Prizes

NEW YORK, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- CBS.com, CBS's official website, will offer BIG BROTHER viewers a wide array of programming and bonus features this summer to supplement and enhance the Network's three weekly broadcasts, including for the first time a Head of Household Blog, in which a BIG BROTHER houseguest communicates directly to BIG BROTHER fans through CBS.com. BIG BROTHER 6 premieres on the CBS Television Network on Thursday, July 7 (8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT).

Full details :PRNews

cheekiechickie

From CNews

Quote:

OK, kids - it's that time of year again.

That's right - it's time again for the sixth installment of that nauseatingly addictive TV series. This time, it comes with a twist: there'll be only 10 beds for a total of 14 contestants living together in the Big Brother House.

C'mon, 'fess up and come out of the closet - you know you want to watch this stuff. The festivities of greed and connivance kick off on CBS at 8 p.m.

[/url]

JimD

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With the debut of 'Big Brother 6' tonight on CBS, North America will be introduced to another set of quirky HouseGuests. Looking back over the past five seasons, the 14 new contestants will certainly have their work cut out for them when it comes to making a lasting impression on the viewers. If one thing is true about the summer-long CBS reality show, it is that only a scarce few have achieved that level of fame and notoriety.

Taking stock of all that we have seen and experienced thus far, below you will find who we feel are the ten best HouseGuests ever to grace our television and computer screens.

Big Brother's Ten Best

10. Jase Wirey (Big Brother 5) and Brittany Petros (Big Brother 1)

Like them or hate them, both Jase and Brittany made their presence felt in the Big Brother house. All you have to do is look back at how many storylines revolved around them and their antics. Although neither claimed the grand prize, both were the driving force of their series.

9. Nicole Nilson Schaffrich (Big Brother 2)

There is one thing that was true about the outspoken personal chef from Georgia, her tongue was as sharp as her knife. Now a radio personality, the Big Brother 2 runner-up fought, scratched and clawed her way through a emotionally taxing season and was the only one who could straight-jacket the incorrigible Will Kirby. Drama, drama and more drama.

8. Bill "Bunky" Miller (Big Brother 2)

Who could ever forget wrestling-freak and all around sweetheart, "Bunky" Miller? Bunky was a breath of fresh air especially during such a cutthroat Big Brother 2 season. It was nice to have someone with such a good heart to counterbalance the slithering asps. His friendship with the conservative Kent Blackwelder was a treat.

7. Alison Irwin (Big Brother 4)

Viewers loved to hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, her and like it or not, every series needs a villain or two or three. Her bratty nature and her off-the-chart competitive will rocked the house. As far the competitions go, she was almost unstoppable. Nuff said.

6. Hardy Hill (Big Brother 2)

'Survivor' has Colby Donaldson and 'Big Brother' has Hardy Hill. A dominant force in the house, Hardy ruled the game until he was outfoxed. It wasn't a surprise that he had many of the women...and some of the men...wrapped around his little finger. The black-haired "evil" Hardy was especially entertaining.

5. Jennifer 'Nakomis' Dedmon (Big Brother 5)

Always fascinating, the some-time poet was one of the most intriguing and crafty personalities ever to be cast on the series. Her passionate tirade against the producers, the series and reality shows in general is, in this writer's mind, the greatest Big Brother moment ever.

4. Danielle Reyes (Big Brother 3)

An iron fist in a velvet glove to be sure. Though she played a horrendous end game and didn't factor in the jury vote, Danielle remains as the slyest strategist never to win Big Brother. Even those who despised her, couldn't stop watching her. Nobody has ever played the game with more skill and slickness.

3. George "Chicken George" Boswell (Big Brother 1)

The attempted mutiny of the entire 'Big Brother' house. The rocket ship in the shower. Much like "Bunky", the loveable goofball brought a fatherly presence and a kind heart to an often times cruel game. It is sad that the vote rigging controversy between his supporters and Brittany's outshines many of his wonderful moments in the house.

2. Marcellas Reynolds (Big Brother 3)

It is a shame that many will remember Marcellas just for his "frolics", his love for Boo The Gnome and him making the dumbest move in Big Brother history, not using the Golden Veto. Marcellas was and is much more than that. Clearly, he was born to be in the spotlight and he sure did shine in the Big Brother house. It is a darn shame that he doesn't host the actual series but his stint on House Calls, the Big Brother Internet talk show, has proven why so many fans flat out adore him. He is a laugh riot, brutally frank and not afraid to annoy the producers from time to time by discussing things they would rather he didn't.

1. Will "Dr. Evil" Kirby (Big Brother 2)

Tied (at least in my mind) with Survivor's Richard Hatch and Tom Westman as the greatest reality show player we've seen yet. A Machiavellian and charismatic wonder who tempered his ruthless gameplay with a boyish and mischievous sense of humour. His strategy and how he carried it out in a deliberate and open manner still amazes. The piano wire story he told still rules to this day. Crown him. He's the king.

Honourable mentions: Amy, Roddy, Shannon, Marvin, Jason, Cassandra, Monica, David, Karen, Eddie.

JimD

Thursday, July 07, 2005 - 01:16 PM
realityreal

CBS and RealNetworks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK), have officially announced that they will offer an exclusive live video channel from the “Big Brother 6” house 24 hours a day that allows fans to watch houseguest activity in real time, much of which never appears on TV. The webcast, which premieres Thursday, July 7, immediately follows the East Coast broadcast of the show at 8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT and will be accessible through the official “Big Brother 6” website at CBS.com and through RealNetworks’ SuperPass™ subscription service website at real.com/bigbrother.

Fans can choose either a discounted three month subscription of $29.99 or a monthly subscription of $12.99 per month with a free trial for everyone who signs up. Subscribers to the 24/7 video stream can watch any one of four live camera feeds from inside the “Big Brother 6” house or catch all of the action at once with the special quad-cam view which allows fans to see four different video feeds simultaneously.

“‘The Big Brother 6’ live webcast with RealNetworks has become immensely popular as fans can check-in on the houseguests at anytime and see the action unfold,” said Brinley Turner, Vice President and General Manager, CBS.com. “Whether used as a companion to the prime time series or as live theatre in its own right, it’s a unique Internet experience that further connects the fan to the show.”

“Big Brother 6’ online demonstrates how the Internet and TV industries can work together to create a richer experience for consumers,” said Dan Sheeran, Senior Vice President, Premium Consumer Services, RealNetworks. “Online subscribers will enjoy ‘Big Brother 6’ on TV that much more by following the 24/7 action and connecting online with their fellow fans.”

“Big Brother 6” follows a group of people living together in a new house specially built for this edition and outfitted with 47 cameras and 78 microphones, the most in “Big Brother” history, recording their every move, 24 hours a day. One by one, the houseguests will vote each other out of the house. At the end of three months, the last remaining houseguest will receive the grand prize. In a new twist this year, each houseguest is paired with a secret partner from the outside world and the final houseguest will win $1,000,000, the biggest cash prize in “Big Brother” history, if they complete the game with their teammate. If the twosome does not make it to the final two, the winner will win $500,000.

JimD

July 07, 2005
realitytvmagazine

CBS has dubbed Big Brother 6 with the theme of “Summer of Secrets” (even though a more appropriate title would have been “Summer of Models”). The premiere episode gave many hints but provided few answers. The biggest secret that has been revealed is that each houseguest is working with a partner. Conversations between the houseguests seemed to give away two of the partner teams, but most of the partner teams still remain a mystery. Micheal Donnellan and Kaysar Ridha appear to be partners and so do Howie Gordon and Rachel Plencner.

The fourteen houseguests initially enter the house in groups of four or five. The first groups in get all the beds and three of the last group wind up in sleeping bags. The fourteen houseguests are then asked to divide into two teams of seven, change into swimsuits, and head out to the backyard. The orange team consists of April Lewis, Maggie Ausburn, Howie Gordon, James Rhine, Janelle Pierzina, Sarah Hrejsa, and Rachel Plencner, while the blue team consists of Ivette Corredero, Kaysar Ridha, Micheal Donnellan, Beau Beasley, Jennifer Vasquez, Ashlea Evans, and Eric Littmann.

The first challenge involves balancing on a surfboard and throwing coconuts into the mouth of a Big Kahuna. Howie Gordon proves to be quite adept with a coconut and leads the orange team to a dominating victory over the blue team. Howie sinks all 23 of his team’s baskets, while the blue team attempts to alternate shooting and sinks only 7 baskets. The losing blue team will be forced to endure a diet of only peanut butter and jelly for the next seven days, while the orange team will not only get to eat regular food but also wins the right to compete among themselves for head of household.

The head of household challenge involves seeing who can stand on a surfboard in the pool the longest. The orange team quickly forms an alliance and agrees that no one on the team will be put up for nomination regardless of who takes head of household. Orange team members step down one-by-one until just Howie Gordon and Rachel Plencner are left. After a brief but revealing conversation, Howie jumps off saying he has to take a leak, and Rachel takes the first head of household competition.

The head of household room turns out to have its own bathroom and shower. Rachel seeks the advice of her other houseguests on who to nominate. James Rhine tries to convince Rachel that Jennifer Vasquez needs to go, but Rachel actually winds up nominating Ashlea Evans and Kaysar Ridha. Ashlea breaks down into tears after her nomination. Previews of upcoming episodes show that Rachel will discover another secret of Big Brother 6, which is a hidden room.

JimD

July 11, 2005
afterellen

The sixth installment of the CBS reality show Big Brother premiered last week, and among the 14 contestants living in a house together vying for a cash prize is Ivette Corredero, a 25-year-old openly gay Latina teacher-turned waitress with a live-in girlfriend and a plan to infiltrate the "house of [heterosexual] hotties."

Big Brother is a sort-of Real World-meets-Survivor series that was originally developed in the Netherlands in 1999, and has since been successfully adapted for prime time TV in several countries. In the U.S. version, the format is as follows: a group of people live together in a house for 12 weeks, and each week vote among two nominees to evict one of the housemates, with several mini-challenges and rewards along the way. The last person standing wins a large amount of money.

A 5' 6" Catholic woman of Dominican and Cuban descent, Ivette is the first Cuban-American contestant and the first openly lesbian contestant on Big Brother. In real life, Ivette is open about her sexual orientation, but in her pre-game interview with former Big Brother contestant Marcellas Reynolds on the show's official website, Ivette says her strategy is to lay low in the beginning of the game--which includes not coming out to the other contestants right away.

Disclosing that she's gay might make her more of a threat, she says, and "guys will spend their whole time trying to [convert me], or they might hate me and kick me off. And the girls [may] hate me because they swear I'm not really a lesbian." To which she adds with a laugh, "it's been 10 years--it's not a fake thing, and it's not a phase."

Eight days into the contest, Ivette has still not yet widely disclosed her sexual orientation to the other contestants. "I can be discreet because I'm more lipstick," she explains to Marcellas. "If I was butch you could tell right off the bat, right?...Not me, I can play it off a little more."

She may describe herself as "lipstick," but don't put the word "lesbian" at the end of that sentence. "I just say 'I like girls," she tells Marcellas. "I don't say 'I'm a lesbian.' Such a vulgar word. I'd rather someone say 'she's gay.'"

JimD

realitytvmagazine

On the CBS Big Brother 6 episode airing on Thursday, July 14, 2005 at 8P.M. ET, the secret pairs will be revealed. However, the Big Brother 6 Live feeds have already given several clues to the secret pairs. Internet fan sites, bloggers, and Reality TV Magazine readers have also uncovered a wealth of information on the Big Brother houseguests.

Reality TV Magazine took a guess at who the secret pairs would be before Big Brother 6 started airing, and some of them like Michael Donnellan and Kaysar Ridha we appear to have gotten correctly. While on others such as James Rhine and Ivette Corredero, we were way off base.

The blog Withlime.net wrote us to point out a picture that they have on their website of James Rhine with Sarah Hrejsa outside of the Big Brother 6 house. The live feels have also revealed some romantic interaction between James and Sarah, so it is a good bet that they are secret partners.

Another Reality TV Magazine reader posted that Ivette Corredero and Beau Beasley are friends outside the house. A statement by Ivette during the live show where she defended Beau to Eric also seems to support that Ivette and Beau are secret partners.

The houseguests that seem likely secret pairs are Michael and Kaysar, James and Sarah, Beau and Ivette, Eric and Maggie, Howie and Rachel, April and Jennifer, and Janelle and Ashlea. The last two are the ones that we wonder about the most. It could turn out that Ashlea and Jennifer are partners, and April and Janelle are partners.

zx50 · **Joined:** 29 Mar 05, 10:48 **Posts:** 1787

I see this has already started, i might think about getting the live feed. Still, i'm very interested in the U.K version as it is. If this had been last years, i would have just dumped it for the USA version.

Madeline

Fans to vote in 'Big Brother' twist

'Big Brother' is tearing a page out of ‘American Idol’s’ book.

CBS has announced that on this week’s live eviction broadcast, host Julie Chen will be bringing back the ‘America’s Choice’ option to ‘Big Brother’.

Through cell phone text messaging, viewers will be able to “influence the course of the game” and vote on a crucial poll after the episode airs. Fans will also be able to cast their votes on the official CBS Internet site as well. The twist comes at a time when the 'Big Brother' house is clearly divided into two separate alliances which will be dead even at five per side once this week's eviction takes place.

Rumours on what the actual twist will be range from viewers getting to pick who wins the Head of Household title this week, which evicted HouseGuest should re-enter the house to continue playing the game or even who is given immunity from eviction or which player should be awarded the Power of Veto.

CBS will also be offering wallpapers and ring tones through the wireless service.

In the original U.S. edition of 'Big Brother' the viewing public voted off the contestants. That option was removed during the second season when the new and current producers revamped the series and changed how the game was played.

Join Jam!’s John Powell for Jam!'s 24/7 summer-long coverage of the live Internet feeds and find out all the happenings in the 'Big Brother' house in real time. Log on to the chat using the links on the JAM! Big Brother 6 homepage.

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