Big Brother Australia 2001

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Big Brother Australia
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Season 1 (2001)

Contents

Big Brother 2001 was the first series of Big Brother Australia. The season ran from April 23, 2001 until July 16, 2001, a duration of 86 days. The series was hosted by Gretel Killeen, who remained as the host until 2008, not returning for the eighth season. Potential contestants in the show were required to send video applications to the show's producers, in which they sold themselves as entertaining housemates. When compared to the more complex arrangements and many twists that emerged in later series, this season presented a rather basic set-up and formula which stuck closely to the traditional Big Brother concept. The main twist was the entrance of two Intruders about half-way through the series.

The winner of the series was Ben Williams, and the runner-up was Blair McDonough, who later got a role in Network Ten's daily soap opera Neighbours. It was the only series where housemates were allowed to nominate fellow housemates without a reason (something that is enforced strongly in later seasons). Big Brother 2001 was the subject of a book by University of Queensland academic Dr. Toni Johnson-woods entitled Big Bother: Why Did That Reality TV Show Become Such a Phenomenon?. While specifically focussing on Big Brother 2001, Big Bother was the first book to examine Big Brother as a world wide pop culture phenomenon.

[edit] Highlights

  • Christina and Peter, who formed a relationship early in the series, and their implied sexual behaviour (or "dancing doona" as it was dubbed).
  • Housemate Andy Silva, who regularly showered outside in the backyard, and her tales of her various sexual encounters. Her goal of sleeping with at least seven other housemates (male or female) was never fulfilled as she was the first to be evicted.
  • Popular housemates Jemma and Johnnie were discovered by Christina discussing nominations (and their agreed opinion that Christina would be nominated that week). Their conversation was deemed to be collusion - something that is against the rules of the series - and Jemma and Johnnie were subsequently reprimanded by Big Brother, with Jemma punished by not being allowed to nominate that week. In the next two evictions Johnnie and then Jemma were evicted.

[edit] Housemates

[edit] Ben

Ben Williams, from Epping, who went to Oakhill College, North West Sydney, New South Wales, entered the House on Day 1 and was the winner.

[edit] Blair

Blair McDonough, from Melbourne, Victoria. The runner-up of Big Brother 2001, he became a regular cast member of Neighbours from 2001 to 2006 and now lives in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Sara-Marie

Sara-Marie Fedele, a strip-club manager from Western Australia, entered the House on Day 1. Since then, she has appeared in Celebrity Big Brother Australia, a few episodes of the afternoon children's program Totally Wild on Network Ten and participated in Dancing with the Stars, series two in 2005.

[edit] Christina

Christina Davis, a former ballerina from Sydney, New South Wales, entered the House on Day 1. She was evicted on Day 77. She is now a stand-up comedian and appeared in FHM's Search for Australia's Funniest Man (or Woman). She is married to Triple M "The Cage (radio show)" Breakfast Host, Mike Fitzpatrick (broadcaster)

[edit] Jemma

Jemma Gawned, from Melbourne, Victoria, entered the House on Day 1 and was evicted on Day 70. She has her own line of make-up products and appeared on the now defunct Good Morning Australia on Network Ten.

[edit] Johnnie

John Cass, known in the House as Johnnie, is from Sydney, New South Wales. He entered the House on Day 1, and was evicted on Day 63. He was labelled "Johnny Rotten" in the media for giving consoling hugs to housemates upset that they had been nominated for eviction, where he had himself nominated them.

[edit] Anita

Anita Bloomfield, from Sydney, New South Wales, entered the House as an Intruder on Day 36, and was subsequently evicted two weeks later on Day 56.

[edit] Peter

Peter Timbs, from Sydney, New South Wales, entered the House on Day 1. He was evicted on Day 49, and now works for TV Week magazine and is a reviewer on the Foxtel TV program The Know.

[edit] Lisa

Lisa Standing entered the House on Day 1, and was evicted on Day 42. She was often referred to as the "fence sitter" as she never got involved in conflict or sided with anyone.

[edit] Rachel

Rachel Corbett entered the House as an Intruder on Day 36. She was evicted 4 days later.

[edit] Gordon

Gordon Sloan, an architect, entered the House on Day 1 and was evicted on Day 35.

He later became a "human shield" in the Iraq War, with his exploits featured on Nine Network's A Current Affair. He also dated Neighbours actress and Rogue Traders vocallist Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

On September 1, 2007, Sloan mysteriously collapsed in Beijing. He was found to have collapsed in the corner of a nightclub, and when found his lips had turned blue [1]. He died on September 13 without waking from his coma. His family opted to not speak directly to the press. [2] Media reported that Sloan's death came after his parents, who had travelled from their native New Zealand to China after Sloan's collapse, opted to turn off the life support machine that had been keeping him alive. The same report speculated his initial collapse was due to a heroin overdose. [2] Former fellow Big Brother contestant Todd James said that Sloan would never have willingly taken heroin. [1]

[edit] Todd

Todd James entered the House on Day 1 and was evicted on Day 28. He went in with dreadlocks and came out with a shaved head. He returned as a roving reporter on Big Brother Australia 2002. Since then he was host of the breakfast show on PBS 106.7FM radio Melbourne.

[edit] Sharna

Sharna West, a flight attendant for Ansett Airlines, entered the House on Day 1 and was evicted from the house on Day 21.

[edit] Andy

Andy Silva was a dominatrix from Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales. She was the very first Australian contestant to be evicted from the Big Brother house.

[edit] Housemate nominations table

The first housemate in each box was nominated for two points, and the second housemate was nominated for one point.

  Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12
Day 84 Day 85
Ben Gordon
Sara-Marie		 Peter
Sharna		 Gordon
Christina		 Gordon
Peter		 Lisa
Sara-Marie		 Peter
Sara-Marie		 Anita
Sara-Marie		 Sara-Marie
Johnnie		 Christina
Sara-Marie		 Sara-Marie
Christina		 No
nominations		 Winner
Blair Andy
Gordon		 Sharna
Peter		 Gordon
Sara-Marie		 Gordon
Lisa		 Christina
Lisa		 Christina
Peter		 Anita
Christina		 Christina
Jemma		 Jemma
Christina		 Christina
Sara-Marie		 No
nominations		 2nd
Sara-Marie Sharna
Gordon		 Sharna
Todd		 Jemma
Todd		 Jemma
Peter		 Blair
Ben		 Johnnie
Peter		 Jemma
Ben		 Johnnie
Jemma		 Blair
Ben		 Ben
Blair		 No
nominations		 Evicted
Day 84
Christina Ben
Lisa		 Todd
Gordon		 Lisa
Jemma		 Lisa
Johnnie		 Johnnie
Jemma		 Blair
Ben		 Johnnie
Jemma		 Ben
Johnnie		 Jemma
Ben		 Ben
Blair		 Evicted
Day 77
Jemma Andy
Sara-Marie		 Gordon
Christina		 Gordon
Sara-Marie		 Gordon
Peter		 Sara-Marie
Blair		 Sara-Marie
Peter		 Anita
Sara-Marie		 Banned Christina
Blair		 Evicted
Day 70
Johnnie Jemma
Andy		 Sharna
Christina		 Gordon
Todd		 Sara-Marie
Gordon		 Jemma
Ben		 Christina
Sara-Marie		 Christina
Anita		 Ben
Sara-Marie		 Evicted
Day 63
Anita Not in
house		 Exempt Blair
Ben		 Evicted
Day 56
Peter Gordon
Andy		 Todd
Gordon		 Todd
Gordon		 Lisa
Gordon		 Sara-Marie
Lisa		 Jemma
Sara-Marie		 Evicted
Day 49
Lisa Christina
Andy		 Christina
Peter		 Gordon
Peter		 Christina
Blair		 Christina
Blair		 Evicted
Day 42
Rachel Not in
house		 Evicted
Day 40
Gordon Sara-Marie
Ben		 Peter
Ben		 Ben
Peter		 Lisa
Ben		 Evicted
Day 35
Todd Sara-Marie
Andy		 Sara-Marie
Sharna		 Sara-Marie
Lisa		 Evicted
Day 28
Sharna Andy
Sara-Marie		 Christina
Sara-Marie		 Evicted
Day 21
Andy Sharna
Lisa		 Evicted
Day 14
Twists None None None None None Note 1 None None None None None None
Nominated Andy
Gordon
Sara-Marie		 Christina
Peter
Sharna		 Gordon
Sara-Marie
Todd		 Gordon
Lisa
Peter		 Blair
Christina
Lisa
Sara-Marie		 Christina
Peter
Sara-Marie		 Anita
Christina
Jemma		 Ben
Johnnie
Sara-Marie		 Blair
Christina
Jemma		 Ben
Christina
Sara-Marie		 Ben
Blair
Sara-Marie		 Ben
Blair
Evicted Andy
(44%)		 Sharna
(76%)		 Todd
(38%)		 Gordon
(41%)		 Lisa
(50%)		 Peter
(42%)		 Anita
(79%)		 Johnnie
(70%)		 Jemma
(61%)		 Christina
(41%)		 Sara-Marie
(37%)		 Blair
(38%)
Other Percentages Sara-Marie
(40%)
Gordon
(16%)		 Christina
(14%)
Peter
(10%)		 Gordon
(32%)
Sara-Marie
(30%)		 Lisa
(39%)
Peter
(20%)		 Christina
(21%)
Sara-Marie
(21%)
Blair
(8%)		 Sara-Marie
(30%)
Christina
(28%)		 Jemma
(15%)
Christina
(6%)		 Ben
(15%)
Sara-Marie
(15%)		 Christina
(26%)
Blair
(13%)		 Blair
(31%)
Sara-Marie
(28%)		 Ben
(36%)
Blair
(27%)		 Ben
(62%)

[edit] Notes

Note 1: Anita and Rachel entered the House as Intruders, and the housemates had to vote for which of the two Intruders they wanted to keep.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Johnson-woods, Toni (2002). Big Bother: Why Did That Reality TV Show Become Such a Phenomenon? (in English). Australia: University of Queensland Press, 256. ISBN 0-7022-3315-3. 

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Emma Chamberlain (September 14, 2007). Sloan 'would not have taken heroin'. ninemsn. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
  2. ^ a b Emma Chamberlain (September 13, 2007). Mystery surrounds Big Brother star Gordon's death. ninemsn. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
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