Big Brother (Australian season 12)
Big Brother Australia 2020, also known as Big Brother 12, is the twelfth season of the Australian reality television series Big Brother. It began airing on 8 June 2020 on the Seven Network. It's the first season of the show to air on the Seven Network after it bought the rights to the series in 2019, following a six-year absence. The show was originally screened on Network Ten, then the Nine Network. Sonia Kruger returned as the host of the show.
This season revolves around 20 strangers living in a house together with no communication with the outside world. They were constantly filmed during their time in the house and were not permitted to communicate with those filming them. Unlike the earlier seasons, the format of the series was revamped to emphasise competition and gameplay – with housemates now competing in challenges for power before voting each other out of the house. When only three housemates remain, the Australian public will decide which finalist would win the grand prize. This season was also the first to be completely pre-recorded before airing except for a live finale.
As with previous seasons of the show, the season is also being broadcast in New Zealand. The season is broadcast on Three - which also aired the previous two seasons of the show - and premiered on 28 June 2020. This marked the first time the show has aired in primetime in New Zealand since the conclusion of the 2004 season due to the network needing to fill a scheduling gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic delaying The Block NZ's ninth season to 2021. On 14 July 2020, it was announced due to low ratings, the show would be moving into a later timeslot and would drop to airing two episodes per week.
Production
On 23 October 2019, Seven Network confirmed it will be reviving the series in 2020. Rumours indicate the series will be closer in format to the American & Canadian versions - particularly given the upfronts trailer featured footage from Big Brother US 17, Big Brother Canada 2 and Big Brother Canada 3 as well as the emphasis on the phrase "Control, Evict, Win" in the promo.The reboot has been compared to Survivor - in which the politicking and strategising regarding the nomination and eviction processes are not only allowed but central to the format. Seven's Director of Programming Angus Ross confirmed there would be no regular live shows on 26 October. It was announced on 5 February 2020 that Sonia Kruger will return to host Big Brother.
The House
The Ten and Nine iterations of the series used a compound located at the Dreamworld theme park, on the Gold Coast, Queensland, as the Big Brother House. It has since been abandoned and vandalised. In June 2019, the house was set ablaze and burnt down entirely. The entire compound was demolished by Dreamworld in August 2019.As the original house had burned down, the Seven Network iteration of the series is set to use a location for a new Big Brother House. Pictures of the new house were leaked on 12 February 2020, showing the house is located in a refurbished World War II Warehouse inside Sydney Harbour's North Head near Manly.
The house was officially revealed on 3 June 2020. This season's house has a modern eco-style interior design, featuring living walls and wood panelling as well as LED lighting and screens. A separate activity area adjacent to the main house, dubbed "Big Brother's Basement" would be used to host many of the nomination challenges. Technical changes were also evident in this house. For the first time in the Australian version, camera runs were replaced by AI cameras.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
On 19 March 2020, it was confirmed that the housemates had been informed of the COVID-19 pandemic off-camera after Endemol Shine Group ordered all Big Brother adaptations in production across the world to break the format's strict rule of being disconnected with current events taking place in the world.Days later on 22 March 2020, production of the show was shut down after a crew member had been exposed to a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 pending test results to confirm whether they had contracted the virus. During this time, all camera operators were removed from the house and housemates were filmed exclusively via the rigged cameras which were not tracking movement, while also being allowed to phone home to speak directly with family members. On 23 March 2020, the test of the crew member came back negative and it was announced that production would resume the following day.
Production of the remainder of the series was then accelerated to avoid any further impacts on production. Rather than having a nomination challenge and eviction every second or third day, those events then occurred mostly daily, until filming concluded.
Format
The format of the series was revamped to emphasise the competitive aspect of surviving the eviction process, with housemates now determining both the nominations and evictions. This is similar to the format of the American and Canadian editions of Big Brother. As such, the housemates will now be allowed to strategise, politic and collude about the nomination and eviction processes. However, there will still be key differences compared to the American format, as Australia will decide the eventual winner - rather than being decided by a jury formed of evicted housemates. The main elements of the game are as follows:- Nominations: At the start of each round, the housemates compete in a competition. The winner of the competition has the sole power over the nominations. Immediately after the challenge, the winning housemate will be called to the Diary Room by Big Brother to name three nominees, and provide full reasons for their nominations.
- Eviction: On eviction night, all housemates must vote to evict one of the nominees, except for the nominating housemate. Also, the nominated housemates don't vote when there are only two nominees. The eviction vote is by secret ballot, with housemates casting their votes orally in the Diary Room to Big Brother, and must provide a reason for their vote. The nominee with the most votes is evicted from the house.
- Finale: The final three housemates will face Australia’s vote to determine the winner.
Companion Series
Big Brother's Eye Spy
Big Brother's Eye Spy, hosted by Sonia Kruger is a weekly show on the Seven Network's online streaming service 7plus. It features the evicted housemates from the week and will discuss the highlights and will also reveal the votes from the evictions over the week.The Big Bro Show
The season includes an online companion show which features behind the scenes footage of the series, and is hosted by former Big Brother narrator as well as the host of many of the former companion shows Mike Goldman. The show is hosted via the 7 News website and social media platforms.Housemates
While some housemates were revealed early via promotion material, the full roster of 20 housemates was revealed one week before the season premiere on 1 June 2020. Twelve housemates entered on day one, with an additional eight housemates that entered in two groups of four during episodes two and three respectively.| Name | Age on entry | Residence | Day entered | Day exited | Result |
| Chad Hurst | 27 | Campbelltown | 4 | 39 | |
| Daniel Gorringe | 27 | Melbourne | 1 | 39 | |
| Sophie Budack | 25 | Darwin | 4 | 39 | |
| Mat Garrick | 30 | Broken Hill | 1 | 39 | |
| Sarah McDougal | 19 | Melbourne | 4 | 38 | |
| Kieran Davidson | 21 | Adelaide | 1 | 36 | |
| Casey Mazzucchelli | 25 | Perth | 1 | 33 | |
| Marissa Rancan | 61 | Sydney | 1 | 31 | |
| Xavier Molyneux | 23 | Sydney | 1 | 30 | |
| Hannah Campbell | 26 | Perth | 6 | 27 | |
| Angela Clancy | 37 | Perth | 1 | 25 | |
| Shane Vincent | 39 | Tweed Heads | 6 | 23 | |
| Zoe George | 39 | Melbourne | 1 | 20 | |
| Garth Saville | 50 | Sydney | 4 | 18 | |
| Ian Joass | 25 | Perth | 1 | 16 | |
| Danni Keogh | 34 | Townsville | 6 | 11 | |
| Talia Rycroft-Sommariva | 21 | Adelaide | 1 | 9 | |
| SooBong Hwang | 48 | Adelaide | 6 | 7 | |
| Allan Liang | 30 | Sydney | 1 | 5 | |
| Laura Coriakula | 25 | Melbourne | 1 | 3 |
;Notes