Big Brother Mzansi – Durban, Are you Ready?
Big Brother Mzansi Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):
- What is different about Big Brother Mzansi?
Big Brother Mzansi will take place nearly 13 years after the first-ever Big Brother on African soil grabbed the attention of South Africans in 2001. Since then a lot has changed – Now Big Brother Mzansi has a new home in South Africa and that home is Mzansi Magic. Big Brother Mzansi comes at a time when social media has made it easier for the world to share information creating virtual gatherings where people can communicate without sitting next to each other. Opinions around this show are going to set the world of social media alive. The 24-hour camera surveillance of a group of strangers living in a house, starring in a real-life soap opera will prove to be enduringly popular with viewers.
- Can anyone apply to be a contestant on the show?
Anyone 21 years of age and older, who is a South African citizen or legal resident and is in possession of a valid ID, visa or work permit is able to enter. The show’s selection team is looking for housemates who are vocal, fun-loving, creative, original and articulate. Housemates are also expected be tolerant of views and lifestyle choices other than their own and must have the social flexibility to live in close proximity with others.
- Do I have to be a South African to enter the show?
Yes. All South African citizens or legal residents who are in possession of a valid ID, visa or work permit and are over the age of 21, will be allowed to apply for entry into Big Brother Mzansi.
- How many contestants will be participating in this edition of Big Brother Mzansi?
The number of housemates will be revealed during the LIVE launch show
- Where and when are auditions?
Auditions are open. You will need to arrive and register at the relevant location. You do not need to pre-register.
Audition Venues:
Durban
– Date: 12th and 13th October
– Venue: The BAT Centre 45 Martime Place, Small Craft Harbour, Durban
Johannesburg
– Date: 19th and 20th October
– Venue: The Pyramid Conference and Venue Centre 96 Eloff Street ext, Village Deep, Selby
Cape Town
– Date: 26th and 27th October 2013
– Venue: The Riverclub Liesbeek Parkway, Observatory
- How Do I Enter?
There are two ways to enter: The entry form will be available online for downloading online [web address]. Possible participants can register at the relevant location/venue on the day of the auditions. You do not need to pre-register.
- What time do the auditions start?
Registration starts at 08h00 and closes at 15h00 on both audition days. If you are registered by 15h00 you will be auditioned. Auditions are on a first come/first serve basis in each city.
- What can I expect at the auditions?
You will have an initial interview with a member of the Big Brother Mzansi selection team. If your audition is successful, you will be asked to come back for a second round audition by appointment.
- What must I bring at the auditions?
• A photocopy of your South African ID, Passport or relevant Visa in Foreign Passport.
• A pen to fill in your entry form.
• A Hat and Sunscreen should the lines be long and outdoors.
• We suggest a small cooler box with water and snacks, as we cannot guarantee that you will be able to purchase these at the venue.
- What are the Producers looking for?
Applicants need to be 21yrs or older on 01 January 2014 and a citizen or legal resident of South Africa. Big Brother Mzansi Housemates should be vocal, fun-loving, creative, original and articulate. It is important to show the side that your friends see – who you are when at home.
- Do I have to be a DSTV subscriber in order to enter the competition?
No, anyone can apply to be a Big Brother Mzansi contestant, irrespective of social background or financial standing. Provided they are 21 years or older and have a valid South African ID, visa or work permit
- Can people with disabilities enter Big Brother Mzansi?
Any individual, who meets the entry criteria of Big Brother Mzansi in terms of age and citizenship, is eligible to enter to be a part of the show. It is important to note that the Big Brother Mzansi show has in the past and will continue to use the wide platform and support it enjoys to highlight and support initiatives that aim to promote greater social awareness around a variety of subjects. To this end, the program will not limit the entry of a physically challenged individual should they meet the criteria for the show and will adapt the house as necessary and possible. However, to date, this has not been the case – not due to a deliberate intention to limit entry but due to the realities that most individuals facing serious physical challenges choose to channel their energies into other endeavours outside of the Big Brother game.
- What is the policy that will be employed when it comes to nudity on Big Brother Mzansi?
Big Brother Mzansi has a PG rating and is aired 24 / 7 with the intention of covering all housemates’ activities, all the time. Housemates should be prepared to be filmed at all times, whether in the nude or fully clothed. Housemates are free to be nude whilst in the house, as long as their actions do not infringe on the rights of the other housemates and cannot be deemed as sexual harassment in anyway. What is aired is at the discretion of the producers, who ensure that all stories followed are in line with the standards of the BCCSA and do not infringe on the rights of any of the housemates.
- Can people of various sexual orientations enter Big Brother Mzansi?
The program will not limit the entry of any individual should they meet the criteria for the show, therefore any individual, who meets the entry criteria of Big Brother Mzansi in terms of age and citizenship, is eligible to enter to be a part of the show.
- How much prize money will the winner of Big Brother Mzansi receive?
To be revealed closer to the launch of the show
- Who is the host of Big Brother Mzansi?
Once the host has been chosen, he/she will be revealed
- Where can I watch Big Brother Mzansi?
Big Brother Mzansi will be screened live on channel 198, 24 /7 with all the live and highlights shows broadcast on Mzansi Magic, Channel 161
- When do the Housemates move into the House?
The final contingent of selected Housemates for Big Brother Mzansi will enter the house during the Live Opening Launch event in February 2014.
- Will I be contacted about my entry?
Applicants who make it through the first round of auditions will receive a golden ticket and will be given a fixed time for their next audition. Thereafter only the contestants who reach the shortlist will be notified. In the event that phase 2 applicants have not heard from production by mid-November they should assume they were not successful in their application.
- What can Housemates bring into the House?
Housemates are given a rulebook stating exactly what kind of items they can bring into the house. However no electronic equipment can be taken into the house. Big Brother will go through what housemates are taking into the house with them and reserves the right to remove any item/s that have been excluded as per the rulebook.
- How much stuff can a Housemate bring to the House?
Two suitcases. No clothing with prominent logos or labels will be allowed.
- Are Housemates allowed any contact at all with their families’ e.g. written correspondence?
No verbal or written communication is allowed with anyone outside the House, unless a Housemate has an urgent family crisis and this is still subject to Big Brother’s discretion.
- What happens if a Housemate falls ill while in the house?
In the event of a Housemate becoming ill, they will be given first aid or may have a nurse or doctor called in to attend to them. If their condition is serious, they will be admitted to a hospital accompanied by a member of the production staff and security personnel as it is strictly within the conditions of Big Brother to maintain minimal contact with the outside world. However should their illness mean that they have to be away from the house for a long period it is unlikely that Big Brother will allow them to return.
- Who is Big Brother?
Nobody knows, but he sets the rules for the house, and you want to be on his good side at all times whilst staying in the house.
- What kind of tasks will be assigned to the Housemates?
All tasks are reasonable, and involve team play. They are for Big Brother to know, and for Housemates to find out, but Housemates will never be asked to perform anything outside acceptable ethical and moral standards.
- How do the Housemates get food provisions in the house?
Housemates are given a healthy daily allowance of basic foods. This diet includes vegetables, carbohydrates such as rice and maize meal, meat, poultry and fruit. Anything outside these foods is regarded as a luxury item, and may be ordered from a special shopping list provided by Big Brother. All meals in the house will have to be negotiated and agreed with by the other housemates.
- Are Housemates allowed to leave the Big Brother house if it gets too much?
Housemates are free to leave at any stage during the process, on the understanding that they cannot return and may be replaced by someone else. A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is requested by Big Brother to make departure arrangements. Housemates will be obliged to provide a reason for their exit to Big Brother in the diary room. Housemates requesting a voluntary exit would also need to explain to their fellow housemates and the viewers why they have decided to leave the Big Brother game.
- Are Housemates locked into the Big Brother Mzansi house?
Yes, all doors to the outside are locked, but Housemates are free to leave at any stage as long as they explain why and understand that once out of the House they cannot return. In the event of an emergency Big Brother can open the doors at a moment’s notice.
- Will Big Brother keep Housemates’ families updated while they are in the house?
Big Brother will have contact with the housemates’ families should it be necessary due to illness or other arrangements but Housemates may not request anything from their family nor request any messages to be passed on to their family. Big Brother will also not extend messages to the housemates from their families other than in the event of an emergency.
- How are Housemates expected to behave in the house?
The Big Brother House is their home for the duration of their stay. Therefore they are expected to behave as naturally as they would in their own environment.
- Will the cameras expose Housemates when they are using the toilet facility?
Housemates will not be shown using the toilet facility. However, should this facility be used for any other purpose other than that what it is designed for (e.g. conversations); it’s at Big Brother’s discretion to use the footage.
- Will Housemates be allowed to practice their religion?
It is one of the prerequisites of joining the house that all members are tolerant, and any practices housemates wish to follow will be tolerated.
- Will Housemates see anyone else apart from their fellow housemates during their stay in the Big Brother house?
Housemates will not see anyone else except for a psychologist, doctor or dentist should they request or require one. In certain instances, Housemates may be asked to entertain or host a special guest.
- How big is the House?
The House has a large living space and two communal bedrooms and is attached to a spacious garden. It also has one large open plan kitchen area, plus a bathroom, toilet, diary room and storeroom. There are only two communal bedrooms. Housemates will have to share. However the House may have sections incorporated into it that Big Brother may choose to reveal at his discretion.
- Can Housemates buy stuff while in the house?
Housemates can only influence the group as to how they all should spend a communal budget. No individual purchases are allowed.
- Do I have to enter with a partner for Big Brother Mzansi?
No, you should not enter with a partner. This season of Big Brother Mzansi is only open to individual entries.
- Will the Big Brother Mzansi channel be available to other African countries?
The channel will be available to all Southern African countries on the IS20 platform
- What will happen if contestants have sex with each other on the show?
Housemates are free to have consensual sexual intercourse with whomever they please in the house. Big Brother will ensure that enough condoms are available to housemates at all times.
