Big Brother on the chopping block at Channel Seven
EXCLUSIVE: Big Brother on the chopping block at Channel Seven as new season faces production issues, format changes and delays
The upcoming season of Channel Seven’s Big Brother could be its last.
According to one source, it will be the shortest season in Australian Big Brother history and the last that Seven is contractually obligated to produce, leaving the show’s license up for grabs.
Originally titled ‘Big Brother: House of Love’, the season was cast with some of the contestants in an effort to make it more like Channel Nine’s Love Island.
Unfortunately, none of the romances blossomed as producers expected, forcing them to scrap the House of Love theme altogether.
“In the end it just felt like more of the same Big Brother,” the source admitted.
EXCLUSIVE: The upcoming season of Channel Seven’s Big Brother could be its last due to production issues and delays. Host Sonia Kruger is pictured
Originally titled ‘Big Brother: House of Love’, the season was cast with some contestants in an attempt to make it more like Channel Nine’s Love Island, but the concept fell through and Seven has dropped the theme.
The few relationships that have formed have all now failed, but participants have been told to keep their dating lives off social media to avoid spoilers.
As expected, the cast is getting restless about the air date, with one saying, “We’re in the dark. We were originally told the show would be in April and we still don’t know when the series will premiere!’
The season was shot over 27 days last year with more than a few double evictions to shorten the shooting time.
Despite the hiccups, a source at Seven is confident longtime Big Brother fans will still love the new series.
“We have a lot of fan favorite twists like Invaders, and it still fits neatly into the Big Brother universe,” they said.
According to one source, it will be the shortest season in Australian Big Brother history and the last Seven is contractually obligated to produce. Tully Smyth is pictured
If Big Brother stays with Seven this season, it’s going to have to see a major ratings increase.
The upcoming season will fulfill Seven’s contract, putting Big Brother licenses up for grabs again.
However, the network doesn’t seem optimistic about the show’s future and has already demolished the house where it is filmed.
Last season returned iconic fan favorites like Reggie Bird and Tim Dormer, but it still disappointed in the ratings
Rumors have been circulating since last year that Big Brother was on the chopping block.
In an effort to garner ratings, Seven brought back fan favorites including winners Reggie Bird and Tim Dormer for their fourteenth season, which “[Royalty vs New Contenders’.
Unfortunately, only 582,000 people tuned in to watch Reggie win the series for a second time, while Channel 10 rival MasterChef Australia 1.171million viewers.
Channel Seven declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.