Big Brother is a reality game show franchise created by John de Mol. The premise of the show is that there is a group of people that are housemates or houseguests living together in a large, usually specially constructed house. During their time in the house they are isolated from the outside world and are not commonly aware of outside events. Contestants are continuously monitored by in-house television cameras as well as personal audio microphones during their stay. Each series lasts for about three months, with 10–20 contestants entering the house. To win the final cash prize, a contestant must survive periodic (usually weekly) evictions and be the last housemate or houseguest remaining in the compound by the series' conclusion.

John de Mol

Born Johannes Hendrikus Hubert de Mol
24 April 1955 (age 58)
The Hague, Netherlands
ResidenceBlaricum, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Known forFounding Endemol
Founding Talpa Media
Net worth US$ 2.2 billion (2013)[1]
Spouse(s)Willeke Alberti (1976–1980)
ChildrenJohnny de Mol
RelativesJohn de Mol sr. (father)
Linda de Mol (sister)
Johannes "John" Hendrikus Hubert de Mol (born 24 April 1955) is a Dutch media tycoon. De Mol is one of the men behind production companies Endemol and Talpa.De Mol, a well known personality in the Netherlands, acquired his fortune producing television programmes. In 1997-1999 he developed the highly popular reality television series Big Brother with his own production company John de Mol Produkties. In 1994 his company merged with Joop van den Ende TV-Producties into Endemol, but it still functioned on its own. He also produced Fear Factor, Love Letters, 1 vs. 100 and Deal or No Deal (Miljoenenjacht) for Endemol. De Mol sold his share of Endemol in 2000 to Telefonica, but continued to serve as creative director until 2004. In 2005, he was among the Forbes magazine list of the 500 richest people in the world.[1]

In May 2007 De Mol returned as one of the main share holders of Endemol together with the Italian company Mediaset of Silvio Berlusconi in a 2.6 billion Euro deal.De Mol was formerly married to singer and actress Willeke Alberti. The actor Johnny de Mol is their son.

From 1979 to 1982 he was romantically involved with Marga Scheide, member of the girl group Luv'.

Outside of television John de Mol controls a large private equity fund which, at one time, owned significant shares of car manufacturer Spyker Cars and telecommunications company Versatel.

John's sister, television presenter and actress Linda de Mol, presents, or appears in, some of Endemol's programmes, including the original Dutch version of Deal or No Deal, Miljoenenjacht (Hunt for Millions). She also presented one of Endemol's very first productions, The DJ Kat Show.

The idea for Big Brother is said to have come during a brainstorming session at the Dutch-based international television production firm Endemol on March 10, 1997. The first version of Big Brother was broadcast in 1999 on Veronica in the Netherlands. Since then the format has become a worldwide TV franchise, airing in many countries in a number of versions.

Although each country has made its own adaptations of the format, the contestants are confined to a specially-designed house where their every action is recorded by cameras and microphones and they are not permitted contact with the outside world. In most countries that have produced Big Brother, the contestants have been known as "housemates"; however in the American and Canadian version they are referred to as "houseguests". The term Big Brother originates from George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Besides living together under continuous observation (which is the chief attraction of the contest), the program relies on four basic props: the stripped-bare back-to-basics environment in which they live, the evictions, the weekly tasks and competitions set by Big Brother and the "Diary/Confession Room" (in which the housemates convey their thoughts, feelings, and frustrations, and reveal their nominees for eviction). Contestants are required to evict one of their own on a regular basis; in the earlier series of Big Brother, contestants were evicted every two weeks. However, the UK version introduced weekly evictions; all versions of Big Brother now follow this format.

At regular intervals, the housemates privately nominate a number of fellow housemates whom they wish evicted from the house. The housemates with the most nominations are then announced, and viewers are given the opportunity to vote via telephone for whom they wish to see evicted. The exceptions to this process are in the American and Canadian versions, in which the housemates vote to evict each other. After the votes are tallied, the "evictee" leaves the house and is interviewed by the host of the show (usually before a studio audience). In some cases, two housemates may be evicted simultaneously (a "double eviction"; rarely, no housemates will be removed that week. At the end of the game, the last remaining housemate is declared the winner for the particular series and receives prizes (often including a large amount of money, a car, a vacation and—in some editions—a house).

In the first season of most series of Big Brother, the house was very basic. Although essential amenities such as running water, furniture and a limited ration of food were provided, luxury items were often forbidden. This added a survivalist element to the show, increasing the potential for social tension. Nearly all later series provide a modern house for the contest with a jacuzzi, sauna, VIP suite, loft and other luxuries.

The contestants are required to do housework, and are assigned tasks by the producers of the show (who communicate with the housemates via the omnipresent authority figure known to them only as "Big Brother". The tasks are designed to test their teamwork abilities and community spirit; in some countries, the housemates' shopping budget or weekly allowance depends on the outcome of assigned tasks. The housemates have a weekly allowance, with which they can buy food and other essentials.

Most international versions of the show remain quite similar to each other; their main format remains true to the original fly on the wall observational style with the emphasis on human relationships, to the extent that contestants are forbidden from discussing nominations or voting strategy. Since 2001 the US version adopted a different format from the others during its second season, with an emphasis on strategy, competition and voting (the public does not choose who to evict). In 2011, the UK version controversially adapted the discussion of nominations before reverting this rule back after a poll by Big Brother broadcaster Channel 5, which showed that 90 percent of voters believed that housemates should not discuss nominations.[citation needed]

Overview
From a sociological and demographic perspective, Big Brother allows an analysis of how people react when forced into close confinement with people outside their comfort zone (with different opinions or ideals, or from a different socioeconomic group). The viewer has the opportunity to see how a person reacts from the outside (through the constant recording of their actions) and the inside (in the Diary or Confession Room). The Diary Room (known as the DR) is where contestants can privately express their feelings about the game, strategy and the other contestants. The results range from violent or angry confrontations to genuine and tender connections (often including romantic interludes).

The show is notable for involving the Internet.[according to whom?] Although the show typically broadcasts daily updates during the evening (sometimes criticized for their heavy editing), viewers can also watch a continuous feed from multiple cameras on the Web. These websites were successful, even after some national series began charging for access to the video stream. In some countries, Internet broadcasting was supplemented by updates via email, WAP and SMS. The house is shown live on satellite television, although in some countries there is a 10–15 minute delay to allow libelous or unacceptable content (such as references to people not participating in the program who have not consented to have personal information broadcast) to be removed.

Contestants occasionally develop sexual relationships; the level of sexual explicitness allowed to be shown in broadcast and Internet-feed versions varies by country.

Isolation
Big Brother contestants are isolated in the house, without access to television, radio or the Internet; they are not permitted routine communication with the outside world. This was an important issue for most earlier series of the show. In more-recent series, contestants are occasionally allowed to view televised events (usually as a reward for winning at a task). In most versions of the program books and writing materials are also forbidden, although exceptions are sometimes made for religious materials such as the Bible, Torah or the Qur'an. Some versions ban all writing implements, even items that can be used to write (such as lipstick or eyeliner). Despite the housemates' isolation, some contestants are occasionally allowed to leave the house as part of tasks. Contestants are permitted to leave the house in an emergency.

Contestants have regularly-scheduled interactions with the show's host on eviction nights. Throughout each day the program's producer, in the "Big Brother" voice, issues directives and commands to contestants. Some versions of the show allow private counseling sessions with a psychologist. These are allowed at any time, and are often conducted by telephone from the Diary Room.

Regional versions
Due to the intelligibility of certain languages across several nations, it has been possible to make regional versions of Big Brother. All these follow the normal Big Brother rules, except that contestants must come from each of the countries in the region where it airs:

Africa: Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Arabia: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria and Tunisia
Pacific: Chile, Ecuador and Peru
Scandinavia: Norway and Sweden
Former Yugoslavia: Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro

^ Forbes.com's page on John de Mol
"#488 John de Mol". www.forbes.com. Forbes. 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
v t e
Big Brother
Africa
Africa Nigeria South Africa


Location of different versions of Big Brother.
America
Argentina Brazil Canada (Québec) Colombia Ecuador Mexico Pacific Peru United States
Asia-Pacific
Arab States Australia India (Kannada, Bangla) Indonesia Israel Philippines Thailand
Europe
Albania Belgium Bulgaria (Regular, Celebrity) Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Italy Lithuania Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Sweden and Norway Switzerland United Kingdom (Regular, Celebrity) Ukraine
International
Second Life
v t e
The Voice
National franchises
Netherlands (original) Argentina Australia Belgium (Flanders · Francophone) Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Denmark Finland France Germany Georgia Greece Hungary Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Lithuania Mexico Norway Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russia South Korea Spain Serbia Sweden Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United States Vietnam

Regional franchises
Albania & Kosovo Czech Republic & Slovakia Arab World
Related articles
John de Mol

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_de_Mol

Imagine,na whiteee be big bro for Africa.end time tins.

yay....john d mol is d real big broda...m so hapi

Yea, he making it real.

Endeemol is sponsored by the FREEMASONS!

This guy is really making money from this show.