Each summer, millions of fans tune in to watch Big Brother in the United States. Although the US version of Big Brother is extremely popular, it is not the first version of this game to exist. The popular international franchise originated in the Netherlands and has seen many iterations of the game across countries.
While many of these international shows differ greatly from the Big Brother fans know and love in the United States, there are still many international versions worth watching. Take a look at the seven best international versions for fans to watch.
Big Brother (Dutch Version)
This is the Big Brother that started it all. The original plan for the show was very different than what is aired on television today. The original timeline for the show was going to be a year, but it was cut down to 100 days. The Dutch version of the show only aired for six seasons.
Like the US version, different twists were introduced from season to season, though they aren't as plentiful as the twists in Big Brother US. Each season had only one or two twists, such as having the contestants play as a duo or putting exes in the house. The Dutch version of Big Brother does feature more diversity in the ages of the houseguests and even had a pregnant houseguest who gave birth in the house!
Big Brother Suomi
This Finnish version of Big Brother featured ten seasons. In the tenth season, the winner was awarded a prize of €100,000 while the rest of the seasons had contestants competing for €50,000. This version of the show follows much of the original Dutch format and has employed many interesting twists. One interesting season was Evil Big Brother.
During this season, the houseguests were faced with particularly difficult situations. Production played tricks on the houseguests and enforced stricter punishments such as taking away prize money.
Big Brother Portugal
The Portuguese version of Big Brother ran for seven seasons consisting of three celebrity seasons and four regular seasons. One of the seasons of Big Brother Portugal featured an interesting format.
In this version of Big Brother, each houseguest entering the house with a secret. This version of Big Brother, known as "Secret Story" or "House of Secrets," was a format that originated in the French version of Big Brother.
Big Brother Bulgaria
If Big Brother US is looking for new twists, Big Brother Bulgaria is a great place to start. In the five seasons this country produced Big Brother, it provided some of the most entertaining twists. While Big Brother US fans have had twin twists, Big Brother Bulgaria featured a set of triplets in the house! The Bulgarian version also featured a pregnant houseguest who gave birth in the house and lived there with her newborn baby until evicted.
The craziest version of this country's Big Brother has to be the Big Brother Family format in each contestant is a family competing against other families to win cash, a car, and an apartment.
Big Brother Germany
Big Brother Germany has featured thirteen seasons of the show. This international version has some of the most interesting twists and changes from season to season. These houseguests are not rewarded a prize simply for making it to the end. Instead, they need to work to earn their prize money. An adaptation that has been done in many countries, Celebrity Big Brother, also had a German version.
The show even had a season that lasted an entire year! Some other crazy twists include building an entire Big Brother village consisting of five houses and a farm in which houseguests lived and dividing the house into a "rich area" and "poor area" and forcing these two sides to compete against each other.
Pinoy Big Brother
This version of Big Brother airs in the Philippines. The "housemates" vote each week on nominations for the house. With the nominations in place, the viewers cast their vote for the housemate they would like to keep. The contestant with the least amount of votes at the end of the week is eliminated.
In addition to the popular celebrity version of the house, Pinoy Big Brother has also featured a teen version of the show. The show features multiple hosts and has seen changes to these hosts over the years. Perhaps one of the biggest differences between this version and the American version is the prize. The "Big Winner," as they are called in this version, does not get a designated amount of prize money. Instead, they are given a grand prize package, which typically includes a house and lot, a car, a business franchise, home appliances, and a vacation!
Big Brother Australia
This version of the show is one of the easiest to find clips of online. The show, which has featured eleven seasons, is being rebooted this year after a period of cancellation.
Big Brother Australia has historically featured the original dutch version of the game, with houseguests secretly voting on nominations and the viewers voting contestants out. When the new season of Big Brother Australia this year, it is suspected that the show will adapt its format to resemble the popular American version of Big Brother.
Big Brother Israel
This version of Big Brother also has multiple clips easily accessible online. Many of these clips contain English subtitles, making it easy for American fans to follow. This country has featured three celebrity versions of the show, and its longest season ran for 120 days. There are some standout twists from this version of the show.
Season 5 of the Israeli version featured a Survivor -themed task in which contestants were split into tribes. Season 2 featured a fake houseguest who entered with the chance to become a real houseguest but was evicted. The show has also featured emotional moments, such as a houseguest getting a message from her father with ALS. In another season, two newlyweds entered the game, coming straight from their wedding, still donning their wedding attire.
Big Brother UK
This version of Big Brother is well-known for the drama that occurs in the house. As this version of the game, like many others, is seen more as a social experiment than a game, clashing personalities often result in disagreements. The contestants are rewarded if they are selected as the winner at the end of the season; however, the prize is significantly smaller than the US version.
The prize money differs each season and has been as low as £50,000 and as high as £150,000. One interesting aspect unique to Big Brother UK is that contestants have a weekly shopping stipend, which can be wagered on weekly tasks. Depending on how the houseguests perform on these tasks, they can increase their weekly shopping stipend or lose it all.
Big Brother Canada
If you are a true Big Brother US fan, this is the best international version of the show to watch. Big Brother Canada follows the same general format of the US version. While the social dynamics in the house are certainly an important aspect of both Big Brother US and Big Brother Canada, these two versions put competition at the forefront of the show.
Big Brother Canada also seems to cast more varying personalities, unlike Big Brother US, which seems to stick to the same stereotypes each year. With incredible twists such as triple evictions, fake double evictions, and an international houseguest twist, this version of Big Brother is certainly worth watching.