pInoY bIg bRother tEen EdiTion pLus hOusEmates...!!!

Nickname: EJay

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Full Name: Ejay Falcon

Nickname: E-J

Origin: Oriental Mindoro

Age: 18

Birthdate: November 21, 1989

Height: 6'0

Nationality: Filipino

School:University of Manila

Favorite cartoon character: Naruto

Favorite subject in school: Math

Hated subject in school: English

Favorite sport: Basketball, billiards

Favorite summer/vacation destination: Pola, Oriental Mindoro

Hobbies: Texting

Ultimate celebrity crush: Maja Salvador

The Promdie Hottie

At first glance, Ejay doesn't look the typical promdi for he moves in a smooth and urbane manner. But as one gets to know him, the truth about his hometown begins to show, not that he tries to hide it. This shy lad from Oriental Mindoro speaks with straight and clear Tagalog, with a taint of Mindorenyo and a Visayan accent. Ejay grew up in the island of Pola where there is a scarcity of water and electricity, and watching TV Patrol and primetime teleseryes from the community TV, the only form of entertainment for the residents. Despite his timid ways acquired from his rural origins and strict Christian upbringing, Ejay is courageous and determined, ready to take on anything just to free his family from the poverty that ruined his parents's marriage. He dreams big for his family that even if he is granted one wish, he’d not ask for fame but for his family to be together again. He is hopeful that Pinoy Big Brother is the first big step to realizing this dream.

Nickname: Kevin

Status:

Quit

Full Name: Kevin Brendan Garcia Flood

Nickname: Kev/Kevin

Origin:Madrid, Spain

Age: 18

Birth date: Feb 21, 1990

Height: 6'2”

Nationality: Spanish

School: Ies Marquez de Santiccana

Favorite Cartoon Character: Bugs Bunny

Favorite Subject: Sports

Favorite sport: horse riding

Favorite summer/vacation destination: Alicante, Spain

Hobbies/Interests: Soccer, horse riding

The Spanish Stallion

Kevin lives up to PBB’s “Dream Big” tagline. Unlike other teens his age, Kevin spends more time with horses than going out with friends. This is because he has his eyes set on making it big in the Olympics, and has been preparing for it for a long time now. He looks up to Brazilian equestrian Rodrigo Pessoa, the youngest show jumping world champion and winner of both the Olympics and World Cup, and Kevin dreams to follow in his idol’s footsteps. Although his parents are separated, he still manages to make the most of what is given him as they make ends meet to support his dream. He lives with his mom and two brothers and squeezes time with his dad’s family on weekends. His dad trained him on horses, and it is this passion that remains their strongest bond.

Kevin looks forward to meeting his paternal relatives in Iloilo soon, and to continue exploring what Manila has to offer. To show how in tune he is with his roots, his future horse already has a name: Manila. So far, he has visited Intramuros and shopped in Greenhills but for the meantime, though, these big plans are on temporary hold as he enters the PBB house. He looks forward to meeting the other housemates and, as he generally gets along with different people, has no qualms about the variety of personalities. Will his athletic background serve him well in performing Kuya’s tasks? What other opportunities will offer themselves to this mestizo equestrian?

Nickname: Nicole Status: Nominated Full Name: Nicole Kim Uysiuseng Nickname: Nikki/ Kim Origin:Quezon City Age: 17 Birth date: August 18, 1990 Height: 5'5” School:ParefSouthcrestSchool, CebuCity Nationality: Chinese Filipino Favorite cartoon character: Tweety Bird Favorite subject in school: PE Least liked subject in school: Science Favorite sport: Volleyball Favorite summer/vacation destination: Dumaguete Hobbies/Interests: going to the gym; shopping Ultimate celebrity crush: Shia LaBeouf

The In-Chick

Nikki is not your typical hyper-active and expressive teen. At a young age, she has learned to take hold of her emotions and control her actions (read: prim and proper). Very in character for the daughter of a Chinese businessman, who has led a sheltered and comfortable life thus far. The biggest problem she’s had was the initial disapproval of her family towards her chosen guy, but even that is now resolved and all is right in her world. Everything is quite perfect for this little miss: a good life, a supportive family, and a blooming love life. Nikki thinks she’ll be able to get along quite well with the other housemates, as long as there are no plastic people in the group. Once you get past her shy and quiet demeanor, Nikki is friendly and ready to take on tasks and adventures. It is interesting to see how Nikki will be able to deal with the diverse personalities of the housemates. Will she still be able to keep her cool? How will Nikki cope with the simpler life in Kuya’s house? Moreover, will her young love stand the test of time and distance, especially with a number of cute boys in close proximity?




Nickname: Linda

Status:

Full Name: Linda Backlund

Nickname: Linda

Origin:IrigaCity

Age: 16

Birthdate: Nov 21, 1991

Height: 5'7”

Nationality: Filipino

School:University of St. Anthony (3rd yr HS)

Favorite cartoon character:Tweety Bird

Hobbies: Eating, riding my motorbike

The Bikini Babe

Linda grew up as daddy's little girl, but she took it as her biggest failure when she failed to persuade her Swedish father to stay longer in the Philippines. However, all hope for her is not lost because she still communicates with her dad regularly through chat and phone calls.

Her Filipino-Swedish beauty has been her golden ticket into winning several pageants.Linda has joined several bikini contests including the prestigious Bikini Open, and she has recently been crowned Ms. Camarines Sur.For her, beauty pageants are like child's play, and with her height and charm, she easily catches the approving eyes of the judges and the audience. Although she will miss turning over her Ms. Cam Sur crown this summer, Linda is raring to go and prove her worth inside the Big Brother house.



Nickname: Arnan

Status:

In House

Full Name: Arnann Jay Clenuar

Nickname:Nan

Origin:Davao

Age: 17

Birth date: July 03, 1990

Height: 5'6”

School: DMMA College of Southern Philippines

Nationality: Filipino

Favorite cartoon character: Donald Duck

Favorite subject in school: Math

Least liked subject in school: English, Physics

Favorite sport: basketball

Favorite summer/vacation destination: beach

Hobbies/Interests: billiards, watching TV, soundtrip, tambay

Ultimate celebrity crush: Maja Salvador

Junior Kengkoy

Nan is the happy boy who seemingly refuses to grow old. This happy-go-lucky outlook comes with a lot of downsides, though. His normal day would mean lazy time in school, hanging out with friends and playing billiards in their small town billiard hall. At home he wouldn't lift a finger; in fact he barely knows any household chore. Being the eldest in the family, he is expected to help his mother especially during these times that his seaman father is aboard the ship working out of the country. However, to get Nan to work, his mother would either hit him with a slipper or chase him until he runs out of the house.

What Nan lacks in doing household chores and getting good grades, he makes up with care and affection for his family. Nan hopes to follow the footsteps of his father and become a seaman someday. Entering PBB is a step towards reaching that dream. Nan would like to be positive about the other housemates, banking on his being friendly. He anticipates the chaos and disorder, though, chalking it up to being teens and as such, “maraming trip”. How will Junior Kengkoy fair in the yellow house? Will he try the patience of the other housemates and Kuya? Or, will he emerge a man better equipped to reach his big dream?



Nickname: Alex

Status:

In House

Full Name: Alex Esmoso Anselmuccio

Nickname: Alex

Origin:Italy

Age: 18

Birth date: March 4, 1990

Height: 5'8

School: Ipsia Marcora, Milan, Italy

Nationality: Italian

Favorite subject in school: PE

Least liked subject in school: Italian

Favorite sport: soccer

Favorite summer/vacation destination:London

Hobbies/Interests: going out with friends, playing soccer

Italianong Valentino

Though his mother has brought him home to the Philippines only once – and that was way back when he was four years old – Alex is no stranger to the ways and culture of the Filipino. Aside from knowing basic Filipino, an example of this is his great regard for family. He looks up to his brother John and has a tight bond with his mom, Minda. He is also eager to go back to his roots and surprise his maternal lola and other relatives in Lucena. Alex is affectionate, caring and funny towards his family. Truly Filipino, he will move heaven and earth for his family and he hopes to give them a better life someday. And yet, despite the fact that Italian is not his best subject, one cannot take the Italian out of Alex. He has made quite a name for himself as a soccer player who has been written about in local papers. As he enters the PBB house, will Alex be able to overcome the language barrier and be able to communicate with the rest of the housemates? With him being naturally reserved towards strangers, will he be able to warm up to them soon enough and give them a glimpse of his funny side?



Nickname: Rona

Status:

Nominated

Full Name: Rona Marie Libby

Nickname: Rona

Origin:DumagueteCity

Age: 16

Birthdate: November 7, 1991

Place of Birth:DumagueteCity

Height: 5'3

Nationality: Filipino

School:RegionalDumagueteScienceHigh School

Interests: Billiards, debate/extemporaneous speaking

Favorite cartoon character: Taz

Favorite subject in school: Math

Least liked subject in school: Filipino

Favorite sport: Billiards

Favorite summer/vacation destination: Just at home or doing community service at our church

Hobbies: Playing billiards

Ultimate celebrity crush: Daniel Radcliffe

The Prisoner's Daughter A beauty titlist and a debate champion, Rona is indeed the ultimate “beauty and brain” package. But behind the face of an achiever lies a sad story: Rona's father is in prison and is still awaiting the court's decision over his case. Rona however doesn't let this problem stop her from living a happy life. With the help of her loving mother and sisters, this young lady continues to work hard to achieve her goal of becoming a lawyer someday. Rona knows she’ll get along just fine with the other housemates for she believes that she’s an open minded sort of kid. In fact her friends call her a social butterfly for she easily gets along with anyone in her school. Rona knows too, that at her young age, she can already make a difference in today’s world by doing simple things like making wise decisions and doing what is right. As Rona gets locked up inside Kuya's house, she aims to prove her worth to the country and to the world.

Nickname: Jieriel

Status:

Evicted

Full Name: Jieriel Papa

Nickname: Jing Jing

Origin:DavaoCity

Age: 16

Birth date: August 30, 1991

Height: 5'

School: Lamb of God Sped Center, DavaoCity

Nationality: Filipino

Favorite cartoon character: Piglet, Superman

Favorite subject in school: Filipino, MAPE

Least liked subject in school: Math

Favorite sport: volleyball

Favorite summer/vacation destination: Kapatagan, near Mt.Apo

Hobbies/Interests: eating, sleeping, texting, lakwatsa

Ultimate celebrity crush: Matt Evans

The Bubbly Girl Forever the bubbly girl, Jieriel is the life of any party. She loves to laugh with people and have fun. She alternates between dreaming to be a fairy and being Superwoman in the same way that she balances childhood and adolescence. She is optimistic about forging relationships with the other housemates, flexible and eager to get to know those around her. Her strong personality allows her to surpass the initial awkwardness and makes her take that first step. This sense of security and sense of self can be credited to her father Gerry, who took care of her while her mom was working in the Middle East as a nurse. A Papa's Girl, she disregards the fact that he isn’t her biological father, proving that familial bonds are indeed not limited to genetics. Jieriel's good nature is expected to bring cheer to her teen housemates, yet will she be able to keep her good nature when her Papa is not around to boost her spirits?

Nickname: Beauty

Status:

In House

Full Name: Christine Marie Gonzalez

Nickname: Beauty

Origin: Dumaguete

Age: 16

Birth date: May 28, 1991

Height: 5'8

Nationality: Fil-Spanish

School:SilimanUniversity

Favorite cartoon character:Taz

Favorite subject in school:Physical Education

Least liked subject in school: Math

Favorite sport:basketball, boxing, soccer

Favorite summer/vacation destination:Palawan

Hobbies:Watching TV, texting, listening to music

Ultimate celebrity crush:Piolo Pascual

The Rebellious Beauty

Beauty is a known sugarcane princess, coming from a family of landed hacienderos in Negros. With doting parents and nannies to do everything for her, she is pretty much used to people around her giving in to all her whims.But despite of this, Beauty learned early in life the value of having principles, and this belief of hers has already gotten her into catfights in school.After a controversial brawl in defense of her own reputation, Beauty was prevented from joining her graduation march as imposed by the officers of her school.

Beauty admits to being vain and is very conscious of her looks even at a very young age. But she hopes that the other housemates would look beyond this characteristic of hers for she is also very friendly, a “loka-loka” and easy to get along with.



Nickname: Jolas

Status:

Evicted

Full Name: Elyzar P. Paguia

Nickname: Jolas

Origin: Bulacan

Age: 18

Birth date: April 24, 1989

Height: 6’4”

School: FEU

Nationality: Filipino

Favorite cartoon character: Marvin the Martian

Favorite subject in school: Biology

Least liked subject in school: Chemistry

Favorite sport: basketball

Favorite summer/vacation destination: house

Hobbies/Interests: computer, NBA Live, Dota

Ultimate celebrity crush: Angel Locsin

The Gentle Giant

This 6'4 teenage hunk learned to play ball when he was in the second grade with kids older than him in a half court near his home. Playing basketball was a natural thing for him to get into since his dad was also a basketball player in his youth. Growing faster than most of his peers, he was already playing for the baranggay teams at 12. And at age 16, he was already 6 feet tall. But despite his success in the court, Jolas had several setbacks in school and took his sophomore year thrice. The first two times, computer games got in the way of school; the third time was a special requirement for his scholarship as a varsity player at the FEUHigh School. Yet, Jolas never gave up and learned his lesson well. As Captain Ball of the FEU Team in his senior year, he brought his team all the way to the championship Finals. He also now has concrete plans for the future: Jolas is aiming for a scholarship in a university and finish a degree in Sports Science. After pursuing a basketball career (or even simultaneously), maybe he could try out for a modeling or acting career.

Far from being a delinquent, Jolas keeps in mind some tidbits of wisdom: Think twice, ‘wag basta-basta, kailangan matiyaga. Will he be able to hang on to these life lessons in dealing with Kuya’s tasks? Will his being a joker help him in establishing closer relationships with the other housemates?

Nickname: Valerie Status: In House Full Name: Valerie Weignmann Nickname:Valie Origin:Weisbaden, Germany Age: 18 Birthdate:Novemeber 22, 1989 Nationality: Fil-German School:Sophie-hans, Germany Height: 5'9 Interests: Dancing hiphop Favorite cartoon character:Hello Kitty and Tweety Bird Favorite subject in school:English and German Least liked subject in school: Math Favorite sport: Badminton Favorite summer/vacation destination:The Philippines Ultimate celebrity crush:Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby

The Dazzling Doll

Born to a German chief cook father and a Filipina kitchen assistant mother, Valerie describes herself as the European Girl with a Filipina heart. Valerie confesses that she gets hurt whenever she hears people speak awful things about Filipinos and half-Pinoys like her and because of this, she is more comfortable hanging out with half-Pinays like her in Weisbaden. Although loves spending time with her friends, she also confesses that she enjoys the solace of her room where she would often watch Maging Sino Ka Man and Lobo on The Filipino Channel.

Valerie's lowest time in her life came when her beloved father passed away. She found it hard to move on and eventually went into a depression and neglected her studies.With Pinoy Big Brother giving her a new chance at life, this Barbie Doll hopes to find a new home in the Philippines and jumpstart her career as a successful actress who can speak very good Tagalog.



Nickname: Priscilla

Status:

In House

Full Name: Priscilla Navidad

Nickname: Mae, Priscy, Ate Wow

Origin:DavaoCity

Age: 17

Birth date: May 28, 1990

Height: 5'8

Nationality: Filipino

School: Ateneo De Davao University

Favorite cartoon character:Pink Panther

Favorite subject in school: English

Least liked subject in school: Math

Favorite sport:basketball, badminton

Favorite summer/vacation destination:Boracay

Hobbies:writing fictions and poetry, going to the mall

Ultimate celebrity crush:Piolo Pascual

The Deaf Dreamer

Priscilla faced great tragedies early in her life: her father was murdered when she was six, and she lost her hearing when she was 11.But instead of giving up, this young girl struggled to overcome these challenges to enjoy life like any regular teenager.Living with her disability taught her the skill to read other people's lips, enabling her to communicate with her family and friends more conveniently.Given her determination and optimism, she bagged the first runner up title in the Miss Teen International 2007, proving to all that imperfection is not part of her vocabulary.

Priscilla is optimistic that the other housemates will enjoy her company and she’d probably share her interest in writing fiction and poems. She’d openly reveal her passion for dancing, her craze over Lobo, even her dream of owning a house in Manila but the other HMs will definitely have to use force to make her say a word about her love life.

Will Priscilla survive the chaotic world of PBB Teen Edition Plus?

Nickname: Robi Status: In House Full Name: Robert Marion Domingo Nickname: Robi Origin:Quezon City Age: 18 Birth date: Sept 27, 1989 Height: 5'9 School: Ateneo De Manila University Nationality: Filipino Favorite cartoon character: Homer Simpson Favorite subject in school: Religion, Social Studies, Tulong Dunong Least liked subject in school: English and literature Favorite sport: Baseball, track and field Favorite summer/vacation destination: somewhere cold like in Baguio Hobbies/Interests: Running; playing with younger bro, friends, and family Ultimate celebrity crush: Elisha Cuthbert

The True Blue Atenean

Being a housemate, Robi has to forego his high school graduation – and the chance to receive his award for excellence personally. Living up to being a man for others, though, he considers the chance to be a housemate a worthy compromise, not because it may be a claim to fame but as an opportunity to be a good influence to others.Aiming high, he hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue a career in medicine. A member of the baseball varsity and the honor roll as well, it seems all is set for Robi. One thing he can’t seem to get the hang of, unfortunately, is his love life. He got dumped both times he tried courting a girl, though he’s really persistent in pursuing the second. Too bad they don’t teach Courtship (Anti-torpe) 101 in high school.

As he enters the PBB house, Robi has very positive thoughts on today’s youth. He perceives them to be well-rounded individuals, versatile and willing to try out a variety of things. He carries the same attitude towards his housemates, believing the best of them as he looks forward to hanging out with them despite the varied interests. Having the Atenean school spirit, will he still be able to think the same way when he lives in close quarters with someone from a rival school? Is he truly the good trophy boy that he seems to be? Will Kuya teach a summer course on courtship inside the yellow house? And will he have a summer love to boot?



Nickname: Josef

Status:

Nominated

Full Name: Marc Josef Elizalde

Nickname: Josef

Origin: Mandaluyong

Age: 16

Height: 5'8.5

School: De La Salle University

Birth date: Sept 8, 1991

Favorite cartoon character:Scooby Doo

Favorite subject in school:English

Least liked subject in school: Math

Favorite sport: Basketball

Favorite summer/vacation destination:Batangas

Hobbies:Playing sports, going to gimmicks

Ultimate celebrity crush:Anne Curtis

The Lethal Lassalite

Having a musician dad and a manager mom who works for Premiere Genesis Entertainment talents, Josef was definitely destined to be in showbiz.He has appeared in various print ads and TV commercials, though these have caused him feeling more frustrated than having a sense of achievement.On his first print ad, only his nape was shown, while his second project which was a TV commercial was only aired in the US.But now Josef is one of the faces seen on the recent Jack N Jill Chippy commercial.

At 16, Josef already has had five girlfriends. Blessed with mestizo good looks and charisma, it seems unlikely that one of his girlfriends didn't take the relationship with him seriously. Perhaps this could be blamed on the way he takes things on his own cool, casual style, typical of one who has everyone at his beck and call.

Josef is excited to meet the other housemates for he enjoys getting to know other people. Will Josef learn how to be a more responsible young man and find a sense of achievement from his fellow teens while inside the house of Big Brother?


SINO KAYA SA KANILA ANG MAGIGING TEEN EDITION PLUS BIG WINNER!!??

Pinoy Big Brother History

Pinoy Big Brother is the Philippine version of the reality television show Big Brother (the word Pinoy is a colloquial term for Filipino). It follows the same premise as its many foreign counterparts around the world: twelve Philippine residents are forced to live with each other inside a house for about 100 days (extended to another 12 days for the first season due to inefficient scheduling of nomination and eviction of housemates in the first week). It is shown on ABS-CBN Channel 2 and its international affiliate, The Filipino Channel, with snippets shown on local affiliate Studio 23. The uncut 24/7 version of the series can also be seen on the internet through streaming video and a special cable channel provided by ABS-CBN-owned cable TV provider, SkyCable.

The elimination process in the show is the reverse of the original Dutch format. At the start of the elimination process, the "housemates" (as the contestants are referred to) vote for which two (sometimes more if there are ties) fellow housemates they should eliminate. Once these nominations are chosen, the viewer votes come into play. For a week viewers are asked to vote, via SMS or voice messaging through PLDT's hotline, for whoever they wanted to stay longer in the house. The housemate with the least viewer votes is eliminated. In the final week, the one with the most viewer votes will win the grand prize package worth six million pesos (approx. $111,000) all-in-all, including the one-million peso cash prize (about $18,000), a house and lot of his/her own, a Nissan Frontier, an entertainment component system, a Yamaha motorcycle, and a livelihood showcase just for the first season alone. The second season adds an overseas tour package to the list of prizes.

Other essential elements of the Big Brother franchise are present, such as weekly and daily challenges, the confessional room, and the voice known only as "Big Brother," sometimes referred to as "Kuya" (the program uses the literal English translation of "big brother" for the Tagalog word "kuya," referring to the eldest son in the family).

The first series started with a grand entrance party on August 21, 2005, with the first primetime episode airing the next night. The finale was held December 10 of the same year, 111 days after. The second series began its run on February 25, 2007, and its finale was held 125 days later on June 30 the same year.

Overview

Television host and comedian Willie Revillame hosted the show, together with TV personalities Toni Gonzaga and Mariel Rodriguez. Toni hosts the primetime telecast which chronicles the events of the day before (unless an episode is telecast live). Mariel, on the other hand, hosts the late night edition called Pinoy Big Brother: Uplate, which updates anything viewers missed in the primetime telecast, as well as what to look forward in the next one. Willie hosted the live telecast of the eviction and the public revelation of the nomination for evictees, but only for the first season. He has not returned to the program even before the first Celebrity Edition started because of the ULTRA stampede.

Asia Agcaoili spearheaded the show for the viewers of Studio 23. Her show, called Pinoy Big Brother on Studio 23: Si Kuya, KaBarkada Mo (English: Eldest Brother, Your Buddy; the program instead prefers the translation "big" instead of "eldest" for the Tagalog word "kuya," which refers to the eldest son of the family), not only featured snippets from the primetime telecast the night before, but also featured opinion polls both from the man on the street and those sending SMS, spoof segments, unaired videos, and feed from inside the house (either live feed or footage taped earlier). Stduio 23 has stopped the practice since the second Celebrity Edition and instead resorted to airing the delayed late morning/early afternoon feeds.

Talk show host Boy Abunda hosted the post-season documentaries. It featured issues and controversies about the housemates.

The show also had its theme song called "Pinoy Ako" (English: I'm a Filipino) by Orange and Lemons. This song is also the basis for much of the background music used in the show.

Luis Manzano took over Willie's place for the Celebrity Edition. The theme song in that edition was Sikat ang Pinoy by season 1 contestant Sam Milby and host Toni Gonzaga.

On its Teen Edition, Bianca Gonzalez (a TV host and a former housemate of the Celebrity Edition) took over Mariel Rodriguez for the Teen Edition Update and UpLate, while the latter became the main host, replacing Toni Gonzaga. The theme song is "Kabataang Pinoy" (Filipino Youth) by Itchyworms. The house was renovated for the preparation for the Teen Edition by the students of the Philippine School of Interior Design.

Primers

To prepare the viewers for the program's run, two primers were aired. The first was Eto na si Kuya! (Here Comes Big Brother), which talked about the essentials of the franchise and its success around the world.

In the second primer, entitled Ang Bahay ni Kuya (Big Brother's House), Mariel and Toni indirectly gave the viewers a tour of the Big Brother house and its rooms, along with the control center and the confession booth. It also featured highlights a dry run where 12 of the network's talents stayed in the house for 24 hours and experienced the challenges and tests the housemates would experience at the start of the actual run.

The house

The façade of the Big Brother house

The house is actually located in front of the ABS-CBN studios in Quezon City.

A car was used to transfer the evicted housemate from the Big Brother house to the main building of ABS-CBN. Due to the number of people gathered outside to watch the eviction, it would be rather unsafe for the housemate to walk to the nearby building. Of course, the car can't go inside the building.

It was designed with walls painted with pastel colors. It also has a garden and swimming pool. It also boasted of a multi-faith altar in one wall of the house (one which has a Bible, a Koran, and twelve rosaries), making the house the only Big Brother house that has a room set aside for religious purposes (although it is said that the Arab Big Brother house had prayer rooms). And although any form of communication from the outside world is banned inside the house, there was a large flat-screen television set in the living room, used for only 2 purposes:

• To show any video Big Brother wanted to show to any or all housemates, especially that of the TV Mass every Sunday (contrary to reports early in the first season that a priest would visit them; later on, a priest unseen by viewers would visit them), and
• To announce the names of nominees for eviction directly to the housemates and the person evicted from the house. (The housemates saw either host Willie Revillame (prior to the Celebrity Edition), Mariel Rodriguez or Toni Gonzaga, or (prior to the Teen Edition) Bianca Gonzalez talk to them during nomination and eviction nights.)

To complete the set up, 26 surveillance cameras are positioned all over the house to watch the housemates' every move, including the bathroom. For modesty's sake, however, images from the bathroom will be shown if the bathroom is used for any purpose other than bathing (such as gossiping).

The set up of the house, especially when shown on television, makes the illusion that it is a one-story house. But anybody who passes by it can easily notice that its facade is that of a two-story house. That is because the second story houses parts of the control room. The actual front doors to the house area are actually further inside.

The house interior was rebuilt for the second season. These changes include the following:

• The number of cameras have been increased to 42.
• There is a secret room built behind the confession room and a large activity area leading from the garden.
• The house has a prayer room rather than just an altar.
• The flat screen monitor found in the living area is now used to call any housemate.
• The front door now leads to the Eviction Hall next door.
• Instead of watching a TV mass, the housemates have a spiritual session with Coney Reyes, the show's spiritual adviser. This has been done since the first Celebrity Edition.

The housemates

Regular seasons

Season 1

Main article: Pinoy Big Brother (season 1)

Nene Tamayo of Romblon emerged as Pinoy Big Brother's first ever Big Winner, besting the other 12 housemates. Her win was declared on December 10, 2005, at Clark Expo, Angeles City, Pampanga. Nene garnered the highest number of votes (557,000+) among the "big four" contestants.^[1]

Season 2

Main article: Pinoy Big Brother (season 2)

ABS-CBN held auditions stretching from May to June 2006 in various cities in the Philippines, as well as overseas auditions in Sydney, Milan, Tokyo, Dubai, and San Francisco, for the show's second season, which began on February 25 (originally scheduled for March), 2007, and ended on June 30 the same year. These same auditions were also held for another reality show, Pinoy Dream Academy, another Endemol franchise. This season of Pinoy Big Brother promised a bigger house, more housemates (fourteen to be exact), and a stricter Big Brother.

second season.

The "bigger house" concept stems from the fact that the house area was expanded and used in Pinoy Dream Academy. The house had been expanded with larger living and dining areas, larger bedrooms, separate restrooms, and more. The number of cameras had been increased from 27 to 42 and the front doors of the house were now at the garden, leading to the eviction hall built next door (the auditorium previously used in Pinoy Dream Academy). Previously the original front doors of the house area lead to the facade of the house.

Pinoy Ako had also been rehashed, this time sung by the band CeBaLo (Yvan Lambatan, Panky Trinidad, Eman Abatayo, and Davey Langit of Pinoy Dream Academy).

On June 30, 2007 (125 days after the season premiere), at the Araneta Coliseum, Beatriz Saw was declared the Big Winner of the second season, besting 17 other housemates (14 official and 3 sub-official). She garnered about 1.5 million votes, or 30.29% of the total number of votes. This alone surpasses Kim Chiu's record for the most number of votes earned by a Big Winner.

[edit] Special editions

[edit] Celebrity Edition

Main article: Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 1

A 56-day celebrity version was started on February 5, 2006, known as Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition.

The celebrity version is not confined only to showbiz idols. Celebrities who auditioned include athletes, stand-up comedians, ramp and commercial models, musicians, and TV personalities. Of these, fourteen were chosen for the edition's first run.

On April 1, 2006 at the facade of Central Post Office Building in Manila, starlet Keanna Reeves was declared the winner of Celebrity Edition, garnering the highest number of votes among the "Big 4" finalists, with 571,607 votes or 44.2% of total votes cast. Reeves surpassed Tamayo's vote total during the first season. ^[2]

Main article: Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 2

The second edition, called "Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 2," began on October 17, 2007 and had a 84-day run. The show was supposed to run for only 70, but the extension was announced through a seemingly fake news report and was later implied to be confirmed by Big Brother.

There were a total of 15 individual celebrities but two pairs, namely Marylaine Viernes and Jen da Silva and Baron and Donnie Geisler, were part of the 2-in-1 housemates twist and each pair was counted as one. This brought the official total of celebrity housemates to 13. An additional housemate, Gladys Guevarra, entered the house midway of the season due to unprecedented circumstances, bringing the total to 16 individual housemates.

On January 5, 2008 at the Araneta Coliseum, comedian Ruben Gonzaga was declared the winner of the second Celebrity Edition, earning the highest among the four finalists, with 506,402 votes or 32.17% of the 1.6 million votes cast. Gonzaga also became the franchise's first ever male winner in its history.

[edit] Teen Edition

Main article: Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition 1

A teen version of Pinoy Big Brother, Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition, was shown in the Philippine "summer months" of April and May, when children and teenagers take their vacation from school. This edition premiered on April 23, 2006, roughly three weeks after the end of the first Celebrity Edition and ran for six weeks. It featured teenagers aged from 16 to 18 years old as housemates.

Auditions in Cebu City, Davao City, and Metro Manila were held and according to ABS-CBN, 30,000 teens answered the audition call. ^[3] Of these, twelve are selected; eight come from the Manila auditions while the remaining four represent the Visayas-Mindanao area.

On June 3, 2006 at the Aliw Theater, Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay City, Kim Chiu of Cebu, was declared the winner of the first Teen Edition, besting 13 other housemates. Kim garnered 626,562 votes, or 41.4% of the total votes.

Main article: Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition Plus

A second Teen Edition, called Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition Plus, has been announced. According to ABS-CBN, 15,000 teenagers auditioned; thirty were selected for the final casting call, from which fourteen were chosen to be official housemates. It had its premiere on March 23, 2008 and is expected to run until mid-May.

[edit] Future editions

Auditions were held in key cities in the Philippines, as well as in Dubai, Milan, and Madrid, for the second Teen edition (see above) and the third regular season. Like the audition for the second regular season, which was also held at the same time as that of Pinoy Dream Academy, auditions for the two editions and Pinoy Dream Academy were held simultaneously.

[edit] Spinoffs

The program has led into many spin-offs:

[edit] Pinoy Big Brother: Yes or No

Due to the show's popularity, a game show segment is launched called Pinoy Big Brother: Yes or No. It is one which uses the board game format and uses questions related to the show as well as ABS-CBN's other primetime soap operas. The show is hosted by Mariel Rodriguez and it promises to give a daily studio contestant up to PhP25,000. After a week as a segment of the show, it became a separate early afternoon game show on October 24, 2005. This show was terminated after the first season ended.

[edit] Pinoy Big Brother Buzz

The popularity of the show and its former housemates spawned another show called Pinoy Big Brother Buzz, hosted by actress Anne Curtis, gossip reporter AJ Dee, and comedienne Pokwang. Like its parent show The Buzz, the show tackles events and goings-on inside the house, controversy surrounding the show, and the latest gossip about the housemates who were already evicted. This spin-off was cancelled during the run of the Celebrity Edition.

[edit] What's the Word? Thats the Word!

It was launched during the first season of Pinoy Big Brother. It is a raffle hosted by Mariel Rodriguez and airs during commercial breaks at primetime telecast. At first, it started as a trivia game show for Pinoy Big Brother, and then later, it is extended as a trivia game show for the whole Primetime Bida. It still continued even after Pinoy Big Brother's first year run ended.

It later returned as the promotion What's the Word? Guess the Word! This time, however, the promotion is by Smart Communications and it is separate from Pinoy Big Brother.

[edit] Pinoy Big Brother UpLate

Pinoy Big Brother Up-late is a late night spin-off of the reality show. It is hosted by Mariel Rodriguez, while Bianca Gonzalez hosted the program during the Teen Edition. This airs late at night to early morning, Monday to Friday, after the News & Public Affairs programs; and shows some updates, live feeds, and interviews.

[edit] Pinoy Big Brother Update

This are short-segment updates shown 3 times a day, Monday to Friday, that shows daily happenings in the Big Brother house, and introduces what will be shown in the primetime telecast.

[edit] Pinoy Big Brother, the Big Reunion

On June 4, 2006, a night after the finale of the Teen Edition, a live musical special was held at the Aliw Theater (in the CCP Grounds, Manila), with all the housemates for the first season, the Celebrity Edition, and the Teen Edition gathered in one spot. The show showcased and celebrated the success of the show, especially its greatest moments and accomplishments. This was done to cap off the show's first year on the air.

[edit] Pinoy Big Brother Über

This is the show's late afternoon edition (as opposed to the primetime edition) and replaces UpLate as the show's main offshoot. Hosted by Mariel Rodriguez (later entered the house as Special Celebrity Houseguest; Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 2) and Bianca Gonzalez, this is also the show's interactive portion wherein viewers can participate.

[edit] Criticisms

On its first week alone, the show was already given a stern warning by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), the Philippine censoring body for cinema and television, saying that the show airs content that is definitely not suitable for children, such as talk on contraceptives and very "intimate scenes". ABS-CBN is reported to have acknowledged this and had promised to make an "improved" show more suitable for younger audiences in the coming weeks.^[4] As a result, as scenes like these are unavoidable at times without interference, each episode begins with a warning reminding viewers that some scenes in the show that are not suitable for young audiences.

In spite of this, though, the scenes that were deemed to be way beyond the parental guidance rating given by the Board were still shown. In this light, MTRCB ordered the program suspended for one episode. As compliance, the program was not aired on September 25, 2005, the day after the 2nd eviction night. ^[5]

See: MTRCB's suspension order: ^{[6] [7]}

Columnist Nestor U. Torre of the Philippine Daily Inquirer has also given a doubtful but optimistic stance on the show, saying that while the scenes are chaotic and challenges in the first week were way too mundane and cheesy, he is hopeful that more compelling tasks would be given to the housemates in the future and the housemates' personalities will become clearly defined.^[2]

However, Torre wrote in a later article that in the first week alone, the show emphasizes more on creating controversy (such as sex) rather than exploiting the potential psychological factors and showcasing human nature.^[8]

Despite this negative publicity, ABS-CBN itself has reported that the show is so well liked that it extended its run to all seven days a week. In fact, not only its on-air talents have defended it, but viewers themselves (as shown on ABS-CBN programs) can attest to it. It also inspired the creation of fansites.

Later in the second season, film director Jose Javier Reyes, who previously sat in as one of the jurors in ABS-CBN and Endemol co-produced reality show Pinoy Dream Academy, lambasted the program, stating the show wanted to bring "everyone who had a face and a body." Reyes added that the program was a boot camp for Philippines' Next Top Model, had disturbing behavior from certain housemates, and describing the challenges as "meaningless." He concluded that the whole ordeal was an audition for a new Star Cinema (ABS-CBN's movie production company) or for an episode of ABS-CBN's drama Maalaala Mo Kaya.^[9]

In reaction, the show's director, Laurenti Dyogi, defended the program by giving clarifications on certain issues presented by Reyes, especially the fact that housemates actually learn something, citing Nel Rapiz's atonement of not urinating in a public place again. But Dyogi admitted that there is no way please all of them, especially on their sensibilities. In fact, Dyogi divulged that Reyes already told ABS-CBN about his article even before it was published.^[10]

Other criticisms against the show, such as allegations of voyeurism and proliferation of vices, are also common in other versions of the Big Brother franchise.

[edit] Theme song conflict

See also: Orange and Lemons

There have been allegations saying that the melody of "Pinoy Ako" (included in the album with the same name) has been plagiarized from the song "Chandeliers" by 80s British band Care. Orange and Lemons and the song's composer Jonathan Manalo claim that while Orange and Lemons may have been influenced by British rock, they stressed that the two songs are completely different from each other and assured that Pinoy Ako is a completely original one.^[11]

However, musical correspondent Giselle Roque (who has connections to Care) claims in a separate article that Orange and Lemons and Manalo were "pressured" to come up with a theme song for the show within a week, hence the creation of "Pinoy Ako" which is very similar to "Chandeliers."

BMG Music (now Sony BMG Music Entertainment) that owns the rights to Care's "Diamonds And Emeralds" album from which "Chandeliers" came from is yet to issue a statement or take legal actions if it so warrants.^[12]

[edit] Casting allegations

There are also rumors circulating through e-mail claiming that Uma Khouny, Cassandra Ponti, and Sam Milby were just hired by Pinoy Big Brother and did not audition for it at all. To prove these rumors wrong, the show actually aired some footage to show that the three indeed auditioned for the show.^[13] Although Uma and Cass made it to the final four (or "Big 4" as they were called), they ended up as also-rans. As for the Youth Alliance of the Philippines, the group that is said to author the original e-mail, its existence is still being determined.

[edit] Labor violations

A Philippine Daily Inquirer article published in early 2006 said that both Uma Barum Khouny and Sam Milby were reportedly fined by the Department of Labor and Employment for failing to get an Alien Employment Permit, a special permit permitting non-resident foreigners to work in the Philippines, before actually participating in the show. Uma and Sam (Israeli and American nationals, respectively) were reportedly fined (ten thousand Philippine pesos for Uma and forty thousand pesos for Sam) each for failing to get permits. However, the article said that Uma applied for his permit after the end of the first season.

[edit] '15 Minutes of Fame'

Many have criticized ABS-CBN for giving all the Big Brother housemates management contracts and television projects, even before exiting the Big Brother house. This is without auditioning or the standard workshops in which ABS-CBN talents must go through to obtain said projects and contracts. Since the debut of "Pinoy Big Brother," many of ABS-CBN's programs have featured former Big Brother contestants in roles, denying the chance for the dozens of ABS-CBN's existing talents from attaining television projects. Many of the Big Brother contestants have proved to be unexperienced; however, ABS-CBN insists on its plan to flood the airwaves with Big Brother contestants taking part in almost all ABS-CBN programs.

[edit] Censorship issues

In a March 22 memorandum, the movie-TV board took the network to task for airing the "naughty actuations" of a female housemate later identified as Dionne Monsanto of Cebu by MTRCB chair Ma. Consoliza P. Laguardia. According to Laguardia, Dionne "inserted her hands in the underwear" of Zeke Dimaguila of in the March 20 episode. In the same memo, the network's representatives were invited to a meeting on March 27 at the board's office in Quezon City. As a result of the hearing, Laurenti M. Dyogi, PBB director and ABS-CBN business unit head, wrote a letter to Laguardia. In the letter dated March 27, Dyogi stated that the network would issue an apology to viewers who may have been offended by Dionne's behavior. As promised, show host Toni Gonzaga said sorry on PBB's March 27 episode. Laguardia also expressed satisfaction that the camera is no longer focusing on Dionne. In his March 27 letter, Dyogi assured Laguardia that PBB would avoid giving exposure to Dionne. Dyogi also promised that the show would check the behavior of Dionne, through a reprimand and a directive from Big Brother. Dionne was also prohibited from having any interaction with Zeke from March 28 to March 31. Dyogi's letter said, "Big Brother would also remind all housemates to conduct themselves properly while they are in the house."^[14]

Vote manipulation

On days after Nel Rapiz's eviction from the House on June 23, 2007 during the second season, an anonymous e-mail coming from an "MA Masscom graduate" who claimed to work for the show as a "conceptualizer" and is said to be involved in the voting procedure divulged that on the night in question, Wendy Valdez was in fact the lowest vote-earner, but she was not evicted because "administrators" wanted her relationship with Bruce Quebral "to give it one last shot." The e-mail also mentioned that the author is said to be part of the screening process and the existence of "talent auditors" in the show and it has already drawn the fates of each housemate.

In response, the management and staff of the show clarified that the allegations are pure fabrication. The management said that no conceptualizers and talent auditors exist in the show since the show's concept is already created in the Netherlands, where the franchise originated. Furthermore, no conceptualizer was involved in the screening process, which selected the Top 30 auditioners to be screened for the show (not the Top 100 as the e-mail claimed). Furthermore, the entire tabulation of votes was done electronically and it is closely monitored by a third-party accounting firm since the start of the open voting, the results of which are totally unpredictable. In fact, according to management of the program, Nel and Bruce were really the lowest vote earners and the trend did not change when Bruce was evicted three days after Nel. Furthermore, the e-mail referred to Director Laurenti Dyogi, business head of the program, as "direk dyogi," not "Direk Lauren" or "LMD," as those who are involved in the show call him. This makes clear that the author of the e-mail was not even a part of the show (or even ABS-CBN for that matter) as he or she had claimed.^[15]

While these rumors and criticisms persisted, Wendy eventually reached the final four, but did not win the second season.