Big Brother is a reality competition television franchise created by John de Mol Jr., first broadcast in the Netherlands in 1999 and subsequently syndicated internationally. The show features contestants called "housemates" or "HouseGuests" who live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world. The name is inspired by Big Brother from George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the housemates are continuously monitored during their stay in the house by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones. Throughout the course of the competition, they are voted out until only one remains and wins the cash prize.
International logo of Big Brother since 2019
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s with shows such as The Real World, then achieved prominence in the early 2000s with the success of the series Survivor, Idol, and Big Brother, all of which became global franchises. Reality television shows tend to be interspersed with "confessionals", short interview segments in which cast members reflect on or provide context for the events being depicted on-screen; this is most commonly seen in American reality television. Competition-based reality shows typically feature the gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges, by the viewership of the show, or by the contestants themselves.
The Loud family, subjects of the pioneering PBS series An American Family. During filming, the parents decided to divorce and son Lance (top right) came out as gay.
Dutch media tycoon John de Mol Jr., who created the reality television franchises Big Brother, Fear Factor and The Voice, among others
Duncan Laurence, who competed on the fifth season of singing competition show The Voice of Holland in 2014, with the trophy for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.
Reality TV personality Kim Kardashian