I loved being outrageous on Big Brother, now they’re boring Love Island wannabes
It’s been over a decade since Big Brother contestant and self-proclaimed ‘toyboy queen’ Jemima Slade entered the house.
And since her debut in 2013, Jemima, 52, has seen the fate of hundreds of others walk through the same doors.
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But it’s safe to say she doesn’t feel overwhelmed by this year’s brand new class of sixteen contestants.
She tells Fabulous exclusively: “Big Brother has become dull and boring.
“This year’s cast is made up of a bunch of wannabe Love Island contestants in their 20s and they’re all too busy trying to be politically correct rather than entertaining.
“You need outrageous personalities and clashing opinions from wide age groups, like in the past, instead of worrying about everything they say.”
When Jemima entered the house in series 14 of the show, the contestants watched live that night as their suitcases were shredded.
“There’s no way these participants could have handled that,” she says.
“There would be a line outside the diary room door so everyone could ‘speak their truth.’
“I had to deal with constant clashes, fights over food, bad BO, being called into the diary room for a narration and demands from Big Brother.
“It was a mind game from day one and things have definitely changed.”
Mum-of-one Jemima who lives in Plymouth with her long-term partner Dan Russell, 40, who runs Choice Fulfillment, says her TV stint didn’t bring fame and fortune.
“I went from The Big Brother House to managing a 22,000 square foot warehouse with 12 employees, along with my partner,” she says.
“It’s a big change from the glitz and glamor of Big Brother stardom, but I love it.”
When Jemima appeared on BB14, she was working as a hairdresser and running a dating agency in London.
In December 2012, producers canceled open auditions and wannabe housemates had to register online with talent scouts who were also looking for ‘out of the box’ participants
“I didn’t apply online,” she says.
“Producers approached me because I ran a dating agency. I was quickly taken to the audition stage.”
More than 30,000 people apply every year for a coveted spot in the Big Brother House and according to Jemima, she knew she had to stand out at her first audition.
“I told producers how I dated the Saudi Princeand I liked younger men,” she recalls.
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“I made them laugh because I was a single mother running a dating agency.
“They wanted to know more about my dating life and how I dealt with drama.”
Jemima then had to perform team tasks in a group of ten and was shortlisted to take part in another audition stage.
“This stage involved photos and chats on camera. I had no idea if I was even in the running,” she says.
Three weeks later, Jemima was at work when she received a phone call informing her that she had been chosen as a roommate.
“I then had to undergo two detailed psychological examinations,” she says, “it happened very quickly.”
People got drunk quickly and we were left with a huge hangover
Jemima Slade
A week before the series aired, Jemima was taken in by a chaperone and spent a week in a secret location under an assumed name.
“When we went outside and I went to the toilet, the supervisor came with me,” she says.
“I could only take home my own underwear and a small selection of my own clothes. I packed twenty pairs of panties.
“We had to get the rest of the clothing from that year’s sponsors, Very. Security was incredibly tight that week.
“The day before the show started, I was blindfolded and driven to a hotel. I was allowed to pack a large suitcase and a small suitcase.
“Once I packed up the escorts, I went through the suitcases and took out designer clothes, family photos and pens and paper.”
The 2013 housemates included female twins, a mother and daughter and a Big Brother factory known as ‘The People’s Puppet’, an actor named Michael Dylan.
The 14th series saw the return of viewers voting to evict, rather than voting to save, unlike the two previous series, and was streamed live for two hours a day.
‘The pressure is great’
Partially deaf Sam Evans, then 23, from Zuid Walesultimately won the show and took the £100,000 prize money.
Jemima, who was evicted on Day 16, says that while most people think they would be great on the show, nothing can prepare you for what it’s really like.
She explains: “The pressure is great. Within a few days I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.
“The show at the time pitted people against each other.
“I was 41 at the time and started mothering the younger participants.
Jemima says that food caused most of the arguments in the house.
“Our grocery store was limited if we didn’t perform our duties properly,” she says.
“We always came up short. People were snapping at each other over half a slice of toast.
Big Brother 2024 cast
A brand new batch of Big Brother housemates are living it up in the famous complex.
Meet the cast of the 2024 series:
- Rosie, 29, dental assistant from Cornwall.
- Emma, 53, owner of an aesthetics company from Altrincham.
- Segun, 25, charity videographer from Watford.
- Nathan, 24, pork seller from Dumfries.
- Daze, 24, climate activist from London.
- Khaled, 23, sales manager from Manchester.
- Martha, 26, NHS administrator from Scarborough.
- Lily, 20, Chinese takeaway server from Warrington.
- Ali, 30, forensic psychologist from London.
- Thomas, 20 amputee footballer from Carlisle.
- Ryan, 28, marketing and events from Stockport.
- Hannah, 24, HR consultant from West London.
- Izaaz, 29, sales consultant from London.
- Sarah, 27, spa account manager from Shrewsbury.
- Marcello, 34, youth mentor from East London.
- Dean, 35, hairdresser from East London
“The alcohol was kept under lock and key and when Big Brother released it we swarmed over it.
“People got drunk quickly and we were left with a huge hangover.”
The show was full of controversy, including a confrontation between housemates boxer Daley Ojuederie and model Hazel O’Sullivan
Daley was evicted from the house on day 33 after threatening and aggressive behavior towards Hazel.
During an argument, he told the 24-year-old model that he was going to “slap her”.
He was also accused of slapping Hazel on the buttocks, slapping her around the neck and pinning her to a bed with both arms.
Channel 5 released a statement saying: “Due to threatening and aggressive behavior towards Hazel O’Sullivan, we have made the decision to remove Daley Ojuederie from the Big Brother House.”
On Day 24, oldest competitor Jackie Travers, then 59, broke her arm after slipping in the garden. She was escorted to a nearby hospital, received treatment and re-entered the house.
While there was plenty of drama, Jemima says she wouldn’t trade it for the watered-down Big Brother we have today.
“Over the past decade, the nudity and sex we saw on Big Brother have almost disappeared,” she says.
“I miss the early Big Brother series. From day one it was shock and awe.
“This year the show is much tamer.
“The participants seemed concerned about gaining a following on social media and not getting canceled.”
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