Is Big Brother Australia 2021 Filmed Live?

In the past, Big Brother was filmed in a custom-made home at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. There was a unisex bathroom fitted with cameras, a separate kitchen, dining and living room and of course a big pool, surrounded by grass and pool toys.

Each day, fans of the show could log on to the official Big Brother website and watch the housemates lounge around outside and if you caught it at just the right time, you could even eavesdrop on some very interesting conversations.

Back then, the evictions were live and filmed in front of an audience. It made for an exciting ceremony each Sunday night and over the years, some very exciting TV.

However, all of that changed when Channel 7 brought the series back to life in 2020. For the first time ever, the entire Big Brother experience was pre-recorded. Housemates now nominated and evicted each other and everything was recorded months before it was aired.

In 2021, the network has followed the same format as the previous year. In fact, the home that was used to house Daniel, Marley, Katie, Nick, Mel, Mary, SJ and others, has now been dismantled and the housemates are watching on from the comfort of their own homes.

Some have questioned whether the series should go back to its old format, and have even begged for the return of Big Brother Up Late, however, let’s not forget the infamous turkey slap of 2006 — an incident that would change the course of late-night television in Australia.

The incident involved housemates Michael “John” Bric, Michael “Ashley” Cox and Camilla Severi. The events unfolded after Bric held down fellow contestant Severi, while Cox pulled down his pants and “slapped” her with his penis.

At the time, Up Late was a popular spin-off, showing candid scenes that couldn’t be shown on prime-time television, however, after the “turkey slapping” incident, it was taken off the air for good.

While both Bric and Cox were removed from the house within 24 hours, the incident had a long-lasting effect on the reality TV landscape and even brought in stricter alcohol policies for all reality shows.

Just two years earlier, Merlin Luck had been evicted from his series of Big Brother. After 43 days in the house, he walked on to the Big Brother stage with a strip of black tape on his mouth, holding up a cloth sign that said: “Free the refugees”. It was a monumental moment in Australian TV history.

While the new iteration is simply just a TV series to watch and engage in, the grand finale will still be a public vote — who will win Big Brother Australia 2021? You decide.