What Even Is the Point of Big Brother in 2025?
Two decades ago, watching the lives of strangers unfold on camera was enough to captivate millions. But can Big Brother’s comeback still capture the same magic today?
“Are you ready to come home?”
That familiar question came from Mike Goldman, the long-time narrator of Big Brother Australia on both its original Channel 10 version and the later Channel 9 revival. With that single line, the latest reboot made its intention clear: it aims to bring the show back to its roots—the early 2000s era when it became a national obsession.
Back then, Big Brother introduced audiences to Chrissie Swan, Sara-Marie’s bunny dance, the dancing doona, and the infamous turkey slap. The show briefly defined Australian pop culture, offering a nightly glimpse into how ordinary people behaved when they forgot they were being watched.
First launched in Australia in 2001, not long after the concept’s debut in the Netherlands, the show took its name from the authoritarian symbol in George Orwell’s 1984. Now, in 2025, as it tries once again to revive that voyeuristic spark, the question remains: can you ever truly go home again?
Summary
The 2025 reboot of Big Brother Australia revives nostalgia for early reality TV, questioning whether the voyeuristic appeal that once captivated millions can still work today.