The Big Brother returned to ITV on Sunday with a whole host of new housemates.
The original social experiment, where 16 strangers live together and are recorded 24 hours away in a custom built house, threw open it’s doors, following the huge success of last year’s reboot series.
Hosts AJ Odudu, 36, and Will Best, 39, were also back, despite fears the pair would miss the live launch after it was revealed they were both suffering from separate illnesses.
The live launch saw the contestants arrive and introduce themsleves to each other and the nation, in hopes of bagging the show’s huge £100K prize later this year.
Here are the new housemates…..
The Big Brother returned to ITV on Sunday with a whole host of new housemates
Nathan, 24, revealed he was once King Charles’ butler, a fact he claimed would ‘definitely surprise people’
King Charles pictured last month
Name: Nathan
Age: 24
From: Dumfries
Occupation: Pork Salesman and former King Charles’ butler
Nathan revealed he was once King Charles’ butler before becoming a pork salesman in his native Scotland.
During his video introduction he also said he ‘admired’ Nigel Farage and was a ‘right leaning voter’.
Asked what kind of housemate he’ll be Nathan said: ‘I will bring a lot of opinions. I like to have a spirited debate.
‘I’m quite a strong character. If I think something’s wrong, I’ll call it out as being wrong – I’m not afraid to do that’.
Rosie, 29, has revealed she cannot believe she is a housemate, and signed up to the show after ‘always awaiting’ to take part
Name: Rosie
Age: 29
From: Cornwall
Occupation: Dental Assistant
Rosie has revealed she cannot believe she is a housemate, and signed up to the show after ‘always awaiting’ to take part.
Speaking about she can bring to the house, she said: ‘I’m hoping it’s going to be a little something different. I think I’m going to bring positive energy. I am a good listener and I can be there to support people – I’m a supportive person. I’m quite an enthusiastic person so if people are feeling a bit low, I can get them back on track’.
Asked if she had a strategy to make the final Rosie admitted: ‘No! I think it’s about being your most authentic self. The viewers aren’t dumb – they can sniff out manufactured drama. They are literally watching us all the time, they can tell who is real and who isn’t. People might not like it but that’s all I can do – be myself’.
Emma, 53, has claimed she is going to bring ‘peace and harmony’ to the house, but admitted there was also a chance she would cause some drama
Name: Emma
Age: 53
From: Altrincham
Occupation: Aesthetics Business owner
Emma has claimed she is going to bring ‘peace and harmony’ to the house, but admitted there was also a chance she would cause some drama.
‘I would like to think I’m the peacemaker. People ask me if I’m going to be the mother hen in the house – I might have times where I’m the mother hen but generally speaking I’ll be one of the girls. I don’t think I really act my age when I really should so I can’t see myself acting my age in Big Brother.
Before confessing: ‘If somebody doesn’t get my humour then they might think ‘she’s really abrupt and to the point and says it how it is’ but that’s my humour. I’m still going to be me in there but sometimes I may come across as abrupt or say “‘get over yourself”‘.
Segun, 25, spoke about his Christian faith as he entered the house and admitted to being a ‘mummy’s boy’ before quipping he may find a ‘new mummy’ in the Big Brother house
Name: Segun
Age: 25
From: Watford
Occupation: Charity Videographer
Segun spoke about his Christian faith as he entered the house and admitted to being a ‘mummy’s boy’ before quipping he may find a ‘new mummy’ in the Big Brother house.
Speaking about his strategy to make it to the final he said: ‘My strategy is to be at peace with everyone in the house. I just want to be at peace with everybody no matter how far I make it in the show’.
During her chat with hosts AJ and Will before entering the house, Daze, 24, admitted she would hate to have to live with a housemate who doesn’t believe in climate change.
Name: Daze
Age: 24
From: London
Occupation: Climate Activist
During her chat with hosts AJ and Will before entering the house, Daze admitted she would hate to have to live with a housemate who doesn’t believe in climate change.
Asked what she may get nominated for eviction, Daze confessed: ‘Food! I like food a lot. I know that can sometimes be a contentious thing in the house. So I’m going to try to not eat too much’.
And when it came to what she’d do with the grand prize, she said: ‘It’s been a difficult financial period for me – climate activism is quite often something you do in debt. It would be nice to have money to do the work’.
Khaled, 23, is an amateur boxer and claimed he didn’t know what Big Brother was signing up to the show and has ‘no interest’ in being famous.
Name: Khaled
Age: 23
From: Manchester
Occupation: Sales Manager
Khaled is an amateur boxer and claimed he didn’t know what Big Brother was signing up to the show and has ‘no interest’ in being famous.
‘I’m Lebanese and Palestinian and I thought this would be a great platform to discuss it from the point of view of someone that grew up in the west and has Middle Eastern heritage’.
Asked what he’d bring to the house Khaled said: ‘I’m very honest. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m really into Adlerian Psychology and Philosophy – Socrates, Plato – which you wouldn’t expect from a guy who gets punched in the head for a living’.
Martha, 26, has admitted watching the show from a young age and has ‘always been a little in your face and a bit dramatic’ which may or may not help her in the house
Name: Martha
Age: 26
From: Scarborough, originally from Margate
Occupation: NHS Administrator
Martha has admitted watching the show from a young age and has ‘always been a little in your face and a bit dramatic’ which may or may not help her in the house.
When asked what is the reason she is most likely to be nominated, Martha concluded: ‘Probably being the most annoying, or most loud’.
‘It also turns out that sometimes I snore – which I wasn’t aware of. That might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back’.
Lily, 20, is another housemate who had ‘never heard’ of Big Brother, and said she applied to appear on the show as it was her ex’s favourite programme.
Name: Lily
Age: 20
From: Warrington
Occupation: Chinese Takeaway Server
Lily is another housemate who had ‘never heard’ of Big Brother, and said she applied to appear on the show as it was her ex’s favourite programme.
‘When we broke up, I saw the advert and I thought I’m going to apply for his favourite TV show and get on it – I didn’t think I would. I also think it will be a cool experience’.
Asked why she would likely be nominated for eviction she quipped: ‘Probably that I’m annoying but I don’t care’.
Forensic psychologist Ali , 38, admitted she would be using her skills to analyse her fellow housemates, however she also said this could put her in the firing line
Name: Ali
Age: 38
From: London, originally from Leicester
Occupation: Forensic Psychologist
Forensic psychologist Ali admitted she would be using her skills to analyse her fellow housemates, however she also said his could put her in the firing line.
‘I can be quite direct. And it doesn’t always land well – that could well get me nominated. I also suspect that people might be a little suspicious of me because I’m a psychologist’.
Speaking about her strategy to win she said: ‘The main way to keep yourself safe seems to be not getting internal votes so you’re not put up for eviction in the first place. Hopefully getting people on side and being liked’.
Thomas, 20, described himself as a ‘very energetic, always lively person’ who hates silence and joked he can always win rock, paper, scissors due to him being born without a hand
Name: Thomas
Age: 20
From: Carlisle
Occupation: Amputee Footballer
Thomas described himself as a ‘very energetic, always lively person’ who ‘hates silence’ and joked he can always win rock, paper, scissors due to him being born without a hand.
He also claimed that fellow housemates who say they signed up to the show for the experience are ‘lying’ claiming they all had their eye on the £100K prize.
Candidly revealing his strategy, he said: ‘ I think it’s important to try and have those connections but I believe a lot of them can be quite fake but that’s important in the show – play the game, play the environment’.
Ryan, 28, hit out at ‘woke’ culture and described himself as very ‘straight talking’
Name: Ryan
Age: 28
From: Stockport, originally from Blackpool
Occupation: Marketing and Events
During his introduction VT Ryan hit out at ‘woke’ culture and described himself as very ‘straight talking’.
He also said that while he ‘to be quite quick-witted’ this can often see him ‘fall on his arse’ as a result of his ‘dad jokes’.
Guessing the biggest reason why he may be nominated, Ryan said: ‘Maybe [I’m] a bit loud and some people don’t like jokes all the time. People might think I don’t take anything too seriously’.
Name: Hannah
Age: 24
From: West London
Occupation: HR Consultant
Viewers were treated to a glimpse of the Big Brother house earlier this week, which has had a psychedelic makeover since the last series.
With bold new colour keep and revamped interior, housemates will enjoy luxurious kitchen and a jacuzzi, as well as a very unique diary room chair.
For the show’s second run on ITV2, the chair has had a huge revamp and taken on a very vibrant new look to match the rest of the house.
Looking like it’s been drenched in paint, it follows a rainbow colour scheme of yellow, pink, orange, red, and blue.
It features a soft blue seat and the splattered paint dramatically extends onto the floor for this year’s piece of furniture.
It comes after last year’s Big Brother chair was shaped like a eye, boasting an orange seat, and accents of red and blue.
As contestants entered the new house they were met with a neon orange and yellow staircase featuring giant paint splatters as they take their first steps inside.
Meanwhile, the new living room follows a bright orange and red theme, with a huge yellow sofa where all the new housemates will be gossiping this weekend.
Viewers were treated to a glimpse of the Big Brother house earlier this week, which has had a psychedelic makeover since the last series
With bold new colour keep and revamped interior, housemates will enjoy luxurious kitchen and a jacuzzi, as well as a very unique diary room chair (pictured)
It comes after last year’s Big Brother chair was shaped like a eye, boasting an orange seat, and accents of red and blue (pictured)
The bathroom has also undergone a transformation with the old blue sea-theme swapped out in favour of deep green and hot pinks, with a circular bathtub.
Elsewhere, the kitchen features the same layout, with a huge breakfast bar in the centre, but the old white brick work has been covered with blue tiles and a matching circular bar now stands in the middle, with gold accents.
And while the house is ready to go, it seems the show could be set for a chaotic opening, as both hosts have come down with ailments ahead of the launch show on Sunday night.
This year’s launch had initially been thrown into doubt after both hosts AJ and Will, who are retuning for a second series, were revealed to both be suffering with individual illnesses.
He explained that he has been hit by a ‘stiff neck’ that means he is struggling to move his head and was forced to visit an emergency physiotherapist.
Speaking to presenters Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby, Will explained: ‘Yeah, I’ve got a stiff neck. It’s a bit better today, yesterday was bad, I’ve got an emergency physio in a couple of hours after this.’
Poking fun at the inconvenient timing, he added: ‘It’s always good to just before the biggest show of the year, when you’re going to be live for six weeks, with all kinds of mad stuff, to not be able to move.
‘So I’m sorry Chris I can’t really look at you [laughs], you’re on the wrong side!’
Sian then joked: ‘That’s why we got you a spinny chair, so you can move your whole body,’ causing Will to quip back: ‘I can just present the live show on one of these!’
However, he added that he couldn’t even lean on his co-host for support as AJ has ‘lost her voice’
Featuring a bold, psychedelic, colour scheme, luxurious kitchen and a jacuzzi
The garden has a sheltered area, as before, as well as some new features
The dining room has a large rounded table in the centre
The entrance to this year’s diary room is surround by psychedelic paint dripping down the walls
The trippy theme continues down the hallways with angular door frames and paint drips
A canopy area includes a green and pink striped sofa with ceiling lights
Will said: ‘AJ’s lost her voice as well, yeah sorry, I saw her yesterday, we did a podcast record. That’s why she’s not doing radio today!’
He admitted that he was ‘nervous’ about the live launch, but insisted it was down to his love of the show and desire to make sure it all went smoothly.
He explained: ‘Yeah of course I get nervous, because, I love this show so much, so I’m nervous that we’re going to do it justice, the format justice, I’m nervous how the housemates will do.
‘But once we get to Sunday, just before we go live, the nerves sort of disappear. I can’t wait to meet these people.’
Meanwhile fans were left fuming after after it was teased that Joey Essex veteran would be featuring on the new series – with viewers saying they were sick of him showing up on their TV screens.
The former TOWIE star, 34, is fresh off of filming the most recent summer series of Love Island and will now be making an appearance on Sunday night’s episode of Big Brother: Late & Live, ahead of the live launch.
Following the backlash it has now been revealed that the reality star will only be featuring in a video advertisement for the series, alongside Selling Sunset’s Chelsea Lazkani.
The clip sees Chelsea doing a viewing of the iconic Big Brother house with Joey, in a bid to sell him the property.
Showing him around, Joey remarks: ‘Oh, it’s lovely, it’s beautiful. It’s really, really demure. What does demure mean again?’
This year’s launch had initially been thrown into doubt after both hosts AJ and Will, who are retuning for a second series, were revealed to both be suffering with individual illnesses
Will Best explained that he has been hit by a ‘stiff neck’ that means he is struggling to move his head and was forced to visit an emergency physiotherapist, as he poked fun at the terrible timing
He added that he couldn’t even lean on his co-host for support as AJ has ‘lost her voice’ only days before the live launch (pictured together last month)
Looking around the kitchen, he comments that he’s ‘done MasterChef twice’, before checking out the lavish bedroom where the housemates will be sleeping.
Flirting up a storm together, Chelsea and Joey dive into the kingsize bed and test the firmness of the mattress, as Joey says: ‘You don’t want to be bouncing up too much.’
Chelsea quips back: ‘Why would you bouncing up and down?’ as Joey flirtily responds: ‘I don’t know you tell me.’
Turning up the heat, Chelsea then admits: ‘You know Joey, you’re the first client I’ve ever jumped into bed with.’
The pair then check out the bathroom, where the estate agent reveals that the showers are full equipped with microphones, so that the housemates every move can be heard.
Jumping into the shower, Joey is anxious to make sure that he is at least blocked from view from the chest down, saying: ‘Like if I’m showering, you can see me now, but this bit can you see anything? Like can you not see nothing?’
Meanwhile fans were left fuming after after it was teased that Joey Essex veteran would be featuring on the new series – with viewers saying they were sick of him showing up on their TV screens
The former TOWIE star, 34, is fresh off of filming the most recent summer series of Love Island and will now be making an appearance on Sunday night’s episode of Big Brother: Late & Live, ahead of the live launch
As Chelsea bursts out laughing and refuses to answer, Joey demands: ‘Can you see it or not? Where are you going? It can’t be transparent!’.
Finishing the tour, Joey admits: ‘I love it. I’m sold, I’ll put in an offer’, however Big Brother interrupts to fume: ‘This is Big Brother. Chelsea, Joey, my house is not for sale. You have been evicted,’ causing to duo to quickly exit.
Reacting to the video, fans voiced their relief at discovering that Joey was only in the Big Brother house briefly for a promo.
They wrote: ‘Oh thank god it was just for a promo. I was frightened that Joey would be a housemate for a second there!’
‘Thank god it’s just an ad; Glad he was for a promo instead of being one of the housemates!’
Big Brother continues Monday at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX
