When Channel 10 announced Big Brother was returning, and being revamped in a way that honoured the original format, I was jazzed. That’s right, the Big Brother house is back on the Gold Coast with live nominations, evictions, and even a 24-hour livestream.
Plus, according to Executive Network Producer Sarah Thornton, the series isn’t trying to populate the house with influencers like other reality shows. Instead, the casting team is determined to find people from all backgrounds, ages, and walks of life, just like it used to during the original seasons on Channel 10.
For some insight, Sarah kindly invited me to come along and sit in on one of their many casting sessions held across the country.
On an average Tuesday at 1pm, I was invited to the conference room of a nondescript hotel in Sydney. There, I sat on a plastic chair behind a camera and a table of five executives, including Sarah. One by one, prospective applicants filtered in and were asked a range of questions. While some only lasted a few minutes thanks to some short, vague answers (the shortest stint was three), others captivated the panel with their energy, charisma, charm or humour.
While Sarah admits the process of seeing up to 60 applicants a day can be exhausting, she says it can also be “magical”.
“I love how generous people are. How open and willing they are to share themselves. There’s a real magic in that,” she tells TV WEEK. “As humans, we seek connection, and I think it’s a real privilege that people allow us to watch them on TV, but also that I get to sit in a room with people who are sharing who they are with me. I’ll never forget the privilege and gift that is.”
During the couple of hours that I watched Sarah and her team, they chatted to a handful of people, but there was one applicant who truly stood out — 21-year-old Colin from Woolongong.
From the moment he entered the room, his essence of joy and enthusiasm could be felt by everyone around him. Myself, along with the casting team, couldn’t get enough of his infectious energy, his passion for his friends and MMA and, of course, how much he loved his mum.
“She’s a great bloke,” he told us — a line he repeated on the premiere of Big Brother Australia on Sunday night.
Colin was the very first hopeful housemate I saw when I arrived at the audition spot and while I thought he was great, I had no clue how he stacked up to the rest of the auditioners until a heard a murmur spread throughout the casting team.
“He was amazing,” one said. “Best of the day,” whispered another, seconds before the next hopeful came in.
“I don’t have favourites, but if I did, he’s definitely one of the cast I’m thinking about,” Sarah tells me later, once the cast is locked in.
“ I now can’t imagine the show without him.”
Going into the casting process, I had thought that the casting team was only looking for extroverted people, but according to Sarah, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“If everyone is a huge character, then no one is a huge character because they all cancel each other out,” she says.
“We’re careful to look for people who bring something else to the house. Everyone has stories to tell, an interesting point of view, and a sense of humour or mischief. They’re all bringing something that we think will contribute to the chemistry of the house as a whole.”
As for who will be in the house this season, we’ll have to wait and see.
Big Brother Australia will return to our screens on Channel 10 on Sunday, November 9.
