BB FANS

Germans enter Big Brother … forever

Source http://www.sundayherald.com/48038


By James Hamilton



Germany's version of the Big Brother TV show takes a giant leap on Tuesday with the opening of a small town mimicking The Truman Show.
In the Jim Carrey movie a man called Truman is unwittingly the subject of a 24-hour TV programme that monitors his every living moment for a worldwide audience.

In the new Big Brother village, the only difference will be that contestants willingly participate in this next-generation leap into voyeurism, and it will run indefinitely.

Fifteen people will move into the set of Big Brother – The Village complete with market square and stables.

The “village” includes three different types of housing: a “poor” home located right next to the stables and equipped with the bare necessities, a “normal” house and a “rich” villa, where occupants get three-course meals and massages every day. Everyone will have to work for the show's farm, a car mechanic or a fashion label and fulfil duties according to their social status.

“It’s a societal microcosm complete with class struggle, envy and chances for climbing and falling down the social ladder,” said a spokesman for TV station RTL II.

Contestants, who will compete for prizes and money totalling €1 million per year, will also be required to take on personal challenges, such as learning a new language or getting occupational training.

Whether they’ll ever be able to put their new skills to use is questionable as RTL II officials would like to keep them locked up for good.

Katja Hofem-Best, the channel’s entertainment executive, said the show would be “endless” – “God and TV viewers willing.”

Contestants will, it is hoped, live there for years; falling in love, going to school, even getting married. The producers hope to lure in more businesses to employ them, teachers to teach them and doctors to care for the sick.

Big Brother producer Rainer Laux said: “We hope couples will get pregnant and family groups will interact with all the usual family frictions.”

Celebrity contestants will occasionally appear to raise the quota. But the main group of contestants will remain “for decades” according to Laux.

Producers of the new 24-hour show say the present format has had its day and outgrown the container. The plan now is for an entire community to be scrutinised around the clock.

The Carrey film saw Truman Burbank grow up in a city that is actually a vast studio . RTL II has ideas not quite so ambitious – but nearly. Their Big Brother village, built from scratch along the lines of a theme park, will afford fans of the show visits to the community to see the residents just as if they were visiting a zoo.

Media psychologist Jo Graibel voiced concerns that people who stayed in the fake community for any length of time would find it hard to adjust to the “real world”.

27 February 2005
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Keep your eyes on RTL2 and Tele5 on the Astra satellites at 19.2E over the next couple of days as this is when the current series draws to an end and the new series starts. Available in both analogue and digital formats.

You should have a look on the German Tele5 channel. The ones I saw in the 'poor' area looked more link UK BB5 contestants (social mis-fits ,freaks).
Not sure what time the live coverage starts but it runs though the early hours till main programs start.
Also RTL2 ahould have some coverage.

Tonights coverage started ar 2130 and is so far showing only the poor section.

Spoilt for choise here ,Norway/Sweden on one PC then either German or Spanish VIP on satellite.

Article with pictures HERE

whaaaat?! so they've basically just moved into the place where they're going to die one day? or will the HMs swap around? I'm a tad confused

This has the potential to turn into TOTAL Warfare

That's the basic idea. The show will run for as long as the viewers want to watch it. I don't know what the cut-off figures are but there is prize money on offer every year.
They want the village to work like a normal one with births ,deaths and marriages.

Oh and anybody thinking of watching Tele5 be aware that all the ads during the show are basically soft porn advertising explicit phone services.
Really spoils the viewing of the main show.

I sooo wouldn't be doing that! I don't actually see the point to be honest.

To be honest it puts you off wanting to watch the show.
Anyway still the the Norway / Swden one running all night on another PC and if I remember in time there is an hourish long show on Spanish channel 5 for their celebrity BB.

wowo larry, you watch a lot of them. how many, approximately, BB series do you think you've watched?

I think it's something like 23 countries but actual series must be over 30 as I've seen the German series on and off over the last 3 or 4 series ,the Italian one at least 3 seies. This is the 2nd Spanish series ,then there's 2 from Portugal ,both Romanian series. This is the 3rd Swedish / 2 Norwegian. 3 USA series.
I've lost count really and must be crazy really and I know of less than half a dozen other's internationally that watch so many. The worst or most dedicated must be a guy called Pablo off the Jokersupdates International BB forum who I swear never misses a series and I don't know how he manages to get access to some of the shows espically knowing that the technology isn't available to watch some of the tv coverage without costing thousands in endless subscriptions.
I don't think the BB person beleived me when I used it as part of my 'why should you be on BB'.

But as I type this reply I have the sound in the background from the Swedish show and have the Spanish on the tv and at present they are doing nominations and have just evicted one of the celebrities. And the answer to the next question is I only speak English.

how do u watch bb shows in different countries?

If you mean the footage rather than the language thing ,well mainly satellite tv channels and internet feeds. Sometimes via the satellite links back to the studios. Belguim and Turkey was via the links. Belguim was just one show but the Turkish feed ran a couple of years ago all over the Christmas holidays but then disappeared in the new year.
There are a few that I've only seen on Video or DVD like the Polish series which I bought off Ebay on an official Video cassette same with the first series from both Germany and Holland.
But while there are quite a few that I haven't seen that have already run there are even more countries joining the format and most first years tend to provide free internet coverage. But like a national series you have to decide which ones you can relate to the contestants ,if you can't workout what they are about or you don't like the format being used in a series then you have to move on to the next. There are always a couple of series running I think there is at least 4 running now as a Mexican series has started in the last week but I think it's subscriptions to access the cameras and from what I've watched in the past from there I don't think I'll be paying to watch. I've had subscriptions for the Swedish show twice and once for the Italian show as they are mormally worth watching.

I like the Psychology part in watching how a group of strangers interact as they tried to cope with what every Big Brother can throw at them and if you can in some way relate to one or more contestants it makes viewing better. Think I should have used this bit as my 60sec at the auditions.

BBC News

I couldn't do that. What about their family and friends they have left behind ? I don't see the point if their not going to win anything.