If people wear an “I heart BB” badge (see below) on the street and someone asks what BB is, they could receive quite a mouthful if the person does not like BB

I will keep an eye on this years merchandise and post some pics of it here probably on the site this year as it all becomes available. Also, there are sometimes objects in the House sometimes that are quirky and I will try to post the web sites or addresses of shops that you can buy them from, too.

Here is what BB posted on Twitter today

Before I post Aaron’s work, here is one of the backgrounds being used on the official BB AU 2012 web site. It is a 1024 X 568 red wallpaper.

Click any image below for a larger version and right click that to save.

This is the Facebook page cover that Aaron created for the BB Chaos Facebook page.

Here is an 640 X 960 iPhone wallpaper.

Here is the first desktop wallpaper he created for Big Brother 2012. It is a 960 X 539 one with the yellow background wallpaper from the official BB AU web site.

This final one is a 960 X 539 blue “party” theme wallpaper.

Excellent work, Aaron! This and the BB House layout images recently posted here just shows how artistic and creative the fan community is. Keep it up guys!

________________________________

Update May 11, 2012

I asked Aaron if he could create a Big Brother wallpaper with Sonia Kruger, the host, in it and here it is. Great work!

720 X 404

The Executive Producer of BB AU told the Herald Sun on the weekend that Big Brother was probably guilty of “stunt casting” before (as if we did not all know that) and also that they want to shed the “bogan tag” this year. There certainly were too many bogans on BB AU before, so I hope they do get the people displaying “warmth, intelligence and humour” like they said they are after. The risk there is that they will end up with bogans anyway.

The one main theme coming out of the public’s comments in recent weeks in Facebook is that the producers selected mostly exactly the opposite of what they said they were looking for. So with a few exceptions we can all expect more of the same as in previous years (I hope I am wrong?). If they go for the “How ya going, Cobber” country guy then that is a bogan type they say they do not want but were selecting at the auditions.

In addition, all the skanky types, muscle wankers, loudmouths, fake actor types and other assorted tossers got through, according to what auditionees observed. So the consensus is that the open auditions process is flawed, confusing and just random and full of s**t basically. Nothing has changed from previous years by the sounds of it. I still believe that video auditions are better and some of the public have said that as well this year.

What I really struggle to believe are some of the other posts on Facebook. How stupid are people that they think that posting “BB Pick Me” comments is actually going to help? Then there are the people telling BB that they should pick another person they mention but fail to give suitable reasons why. And the posts trying to make BB feel guilty for not picking them at the auditions are just plain laughable. There is an auditions process for a reason (as flawed as the process is) and nothing else will get someone chosen. So what a huge epic fail posting all these moronic comments over the past few weeks and even some going back months. Friggin’ people just cannot read!

Further proof that people cannot read is in the auditions video clips and Facebook comments by auditionees where people declared that they are all sorts of things that the producers had made it clear online ages ago that they did not want. So what did these dumbasses do? They turned up to the auditions anyway and blurted out that they are controversial and outrageous and blah, blah, blah when that is not what the producers were looking for. What a total bunch of wankers turning up saying that crap! Fail!!!!!

Like I have said here for weeks now, the producers were going on looks and very little else. If an auditionee waiting in line had the look they were after then it was a no-brainer that they would get to the next stage. The group tasks just help to fool everyone into thinking they have a chance when most do not. In fact there were some groups where apparently none got any further but they still had to have their time wasted playing games to make it appear that it was in some way fair. Otherwise they would have just picked who they wanted and sent everyone else home from a line up and then people would have complained even more that it is an unfair process.

Having said that, the chosen ones still needed to demonstrate during the debating tasks that they were what the producers wanted (warmth, intelligence, humour). Any hint that they would be wrong for the show and even their looks would not save them. Even then it was too little time to be able to tell for sure and that is why the open auditions process is flawed. But it is a numbers game so the producers know that the final 250 from the whole nation will still have most of the qualities they want in a potential Housemate. So it matters little if a few good choices slip by never to be heard from again.

Anyway, enough of that waffling from me. I have seen enough of the auditions crap this year. Here is a bit of an idea of what to expect next from Big Brother.

• BB has said on Facebook in recent days that a start date will be announced very soon.
• The inflated auditions figures should be announced soon enough. This should be 25,000 to 30,000 when there were clearly less than that. (They claim to have had a “record” 20,000 applicants when there has been more than that before, unless they were lying)
• The release of fake rumours to the media for a bit of publicity. A few of these rumours may contain an element of truth and will be about the House and the HMs.
• A few photos of the House once parts of the construction get closer to being finished.
• We will no doubt hear more from the host Sonia Kruger. She has been coached by Gorgeous Gretel, according to a media report on Saturday.
• The promos will start by early June I suspect.

All we can do now is sit back and wait.

_________________

Update 9th May, 2012:

Although I have outlined much of the auditions process here in my recent articles, I have not covered stage 3 all that much. Several of the auditionees, and a video posted by BB on his Facebook page, have reminded me about stage 3 and I have learned a bit more about it.

This stage is a one on one with the Executive Producer (auditionees remember him from the videos on Facebook). Stage 3 goes for about 10 minutes, according to those that made it. Basically, according to a few that made it this far and posted details in our chat area, they did not see a camera but he asked general questions like:

• A couple of the same questions from an earlier round e.g. opinions about the burqa and immigrants;
• What I could bring to the show;
• What makes me different;
• How I had got that far;
• What I did for work.

The video on the BB Facebook page basically pointed out some of this and that the prior games and debates rounds are designed to give each different personality type a chance to shine one way or another.

So if quieter types are talked over or bossed around by others in one game or debate then they might be able to show a different side to their personality successfully in another game or debate.

Some of the auditionees observed and commented in Facebook that this was really a load of nonsense because the ones the producers had picked early (based on looks) were mostly the ones that progressed further.

That seems to back up my point that the games and debates round is largely a waste of time for most people in each group. This is because the producers already know who is going further anyway regardless but they still have to at least try to make it look fair in that they are still considering everyone. The ones that make it to stage 3 will get the same sorts of questions as in the debates.

Anyway, by 7PM on May 10th, 2012 all of the successful applicants will have been informed that they are moving further in the process. They will be required to fill out the answers to a questionnaire, they have said. From there, BB does a private tour of the nation to catch up with those they want from there.

Hopefully that gives you a bit more of an insight into stage 3.

See below also for an auditionee’s summary of stages 1 and 2.

Click any of these for a larger image.

And here is a reasonably recent aerial photo of the BB House that was posted in this site’s Facebook page a little while ago.

In answer to BB’s question at the auditions, most people are dumb enough to say: “Huh? I don’t know!” Epic fail, you are out of there! Others will come up with answers that really do not help their case. I asked people on the official BB Facebook page and here are two responses.

Kelly: the question should be how could bb survive without me on it

Rachael: why not?

Great answers? You be the judge

Let me remind people that this is your opportunity to stand out so it helps to provide a quick but good and possibly intriguing answer. In my previous other role as an Australian Idol and World Idol online commentator, I saw all too often the auditionees at Australian Idol saying that “music is my passion” in response to questions about why they should be selected for the show. That was the wrong answer. The correct one was usually “I just want to entertain and put a smile on people’s face.” If they had a weird sense of humour they might add that they “want to send a tingle up the audience’s spines.”

So if you go to the BB AU auditions then you need to come up with a better answer than most people do. This is just common sense but you would be amazed how many people forget. I am not going to give you the answer because I do not know you or your life story. But that story is what you need to draw from so the producers can see opportunities in what storylines they can present you to viewers with during the series.

Give them something they can exploit because that is what it is all about. Many of the previous HMs have had little to offer but David Graham, for example, did have several levels of life experiences that could be used by the producers. Think of how your life story could be used in forming your answer to the question about why you want to be on Big Brother.

There were less than 1,000 auditionees in Sydney on Saturday and around the same on Sunday in Penrith, it seems from what I have heard since my last article on this site. The Executive Producer of BB was quoted in the Penrith Press online as saying that only 30 could be serious contenders for the next round. He also said: “We are looking for people with warmth, intelligence and humour. Just because you are the loudest in the room doesn’t mean you’ll get in.” As we all know now that is not entirely true given the types that have made it while others have not even been spoken to. Whatever!

Look at the statistics: 30 out of less than 2,000. And in the Herald Sun online, the Executive Producer from BB claims that “a record” 20,000 people have applied. That is not a record based on some previous years’ figures (even with the inflated final total given to the media) but he does mention that only 250 people go through to the final round (a camera interview) to get the final group of 14 potential HMs.

So you have a 1 in bugger all chance of being chosen which means you had better come up with the best friggin’ reason BB has ever heard about what makes your life story so unique that it could be exploited by BB as just one reason you want to be on the show. No pressure but what can you say from your life story to give BB a reason to exploit you? Good luck!

Why do you want to be on Big Brother?

Less than 1,000 auditionees in total for the whole day turned up on Saturday, according to people that were there all day and mentioned this in this site’s chat area. I am unsure of the figure for Sunday but I do know some of what happened on both days from what people said in this site’s Facebook page and chat area. So here is an outline of what went down, starting with general discussion of the types that they were choosing for stage 2.

Types selected

One person said in our Facebook page that she was not chosen on Saturday because she was too loud and, although it is how she normally is, the producers may have thought that she was being fake, she assumed. She thought in hindsight that showing her boobs and acting “like a dumb ass” might have worked better. But her and others noticed that they were choosing “confused” and quiet types and not all the usual skanky looking types showing boobs like they chose in previous cities this year during auditions. This seems to have been confirmed in our chat area too where a few talked about their observations over both days of the Sydney auditions.

Apparently, there was a girl wearing no bra under her top and no tape to hold her in and she did not get through amazingly, according to a post in our Facebook. One guy said in the chat area that, at Sunday’s auditions, girls with their boobs even half out did not get to stage 2 and that all the people exhibiting “warmth” made it (like the producers said to the media that they wanted this year).

So I am wondering if the producers are making different types of selections in some cities by comparison to others, meaning it is hard to know which city to get your boobs out in if you are a female auditionee who seems to think that that will work. It probably will work in the next city and they will choose skanks and loud mouths. Then it will revert back again to those they claim they are really after in the auditions in the following city. One person in our Facebook summed up what several people had said by saying that they were after “blondes, gays and the typical “Aussie” country guy” (those types got through) and not skanks with their boobs out.

What do they do in the Big Brother auditions?

Here is a look at some of the auditions process. This covers stages 1 and 2 only because in stage 3 the selected auditionees talk privately to producers and that part they keep confidential. In stage 3, it is where they get to know them a bit, and if they have a big secret they could use – we are all assuming.

Stage 1

Auditionees line up in small groups and this is where the producers have been mostly selecting people for those groups based on how photogenic they appear (I believe). The guys with buff bodies and the skanky looking chicky babes did not go to stage 2 in the Sydney and Penrith auditions. The producers do not bother to talk to those that they are not interested in and are just wasting those people’s time therefore (they do not even look at their forms).

This is what one auditionee said in the chat area from Sunday’s auditions in Penrith. By the way, another auditionee said in the chat area that people were not allowed to say their name and I suspect that is because of Facebook but this chat area user thought it might be the secrets deal.

• Lined up, then go to application table, 4 colours, given a colour with a number, then go through and sit down.
• From that they call a colour and range of numbers (orange 1 – 12).
• From that go into the room with the other 11 ppl, and play some games, they state they are not looking for any typical look, just be yourselves.
• After 20 mins they finish up, and select a few people from the 12 to progress, people that have warmth etc – which was true, all differnet people.
• Get given another colour while waiting, then they call all that colour into the room, about 12 people again, and sit down.

Now they move to stage 2, if they have been selected and the vast majority are not selected for this round.

Stage 2

During the group questions, they use different coloured small cones as seen in the photo on the Facebook page for Big Brother. An example about the use of these cones was given to us in the chat area on Sunday. The producers were asking for example what people think about the burqua, gay marriage, politics, tattoos, and the death penalty.

So, as I understand it, the auditionees had to choose and stand behind one cone marked ‘A’ for ‘Yes’, another ‘B’ for ‘No’, and another ‘C’ for something like ‘Yes, on a case by case basis’. So if I was a producer and I asked the group if they think tattoos are bulls***, each person would decide yes, no or something representing an option like “it depends on the design” and they would stand behind whichever cone represented their opinion.

Another auditionee said in the chat area that two male producers and a female one were at the table. One of the males was nice but the other was really nasty and snapped at one female to shut up and let someone else speak. This would have been during a group chat about a topic like the burqua. That is what they do to see the reactions of the auditionees. If I was an auditionee and was the victim of that in any other year of BB previously I would have gone off at that guy and told him to get stuffed. But this year the auditionees have to be quieter types because this is going to be a “family friendly” Big Brother, the production company says. So they do not want controversial or antagonistic types which might frighten the kiddies that will be watching BB this year after they have finished watching one of their Wiggles DVDs.

That is a basic summary of stage 2 and indeed what they get up to in a typical auditions day.

There are still plenty of complaints around online that because the producers do not talk to most of the auditionees they cannot possibly know if they are missing someone whom the nation would love. This proves even more that they are initially just selecting people on looks. As seen in the photos on Facebook, a lot of bogans turned up in Penrith on Sunday, not surprisingly, but very few of them got through to stage 2. So if you look feral then do not waste your time. I hope people in Adelaide read that. If you live north of North East Road (which covers many, many suburbs) or South of say Westfield Marion then do not bother to audition

A side note about photos from Technology Park and Penrith

1,387 unique visitors were here on Sunday, not that it is much to boast about or anything. It seems that more than half of them came here through Facebook to one of the blog articles about auditions. It was interesting to see the international BB fan community in the site’s visitor statistics checking here for any photos and other information about the Sydney auditions. I recall that the site’s visitor statistics showed previously that there was not as much interest from overseas visitors for photos of the other auditions so far. Hopefully, Sunday’s visitors all saw the links to the photos on Facebook at facebook.com/BigBrotherAU.

Age discrimination?

Also, you will notice when you go back through all the photos from the auditions this year that they do not choose all that many people in their 40s and 50s and beyond for stage 2. So if you are middle aged and thinking about auditioning I would not waste your time unless you are exceptionally photogenic.

Anyhoo … good luck to the next batch of auditionees in Hobart and do not worry too much about all the inevitable inbreed jokes that people will make in Facebook. But do not turn up if you have teeth missing and a face that looks like it has had the crap beaten out of it, leave that to Adelaideans who will ignore what I just said!

Related posts:

Will the winner of Big Brother Australia 2012 come from NSW again this year?

Big Brother Australia open auditions considered to be unfair?

The winners of Big Brother Australia so far have been:

• Ben Williams – Sydney, NSW
• Peter Corbett – Wollongong, NSW
• Regina Bird – Hobart, TAS
• Trevor – Broken Hill, NSW
• Logan twins – country NSW
• Jamie Brooksby – Perth, WA
• Aleisha Cowcher – Victoria
• Terri Munro – Sydney, NSW

So that is Ben, Peter, Trevor, the Logan twins and Terri who have all been winners from New South Wales. There must be something in the water or just maybe it has something to do with the biggest population? Will NSW field a winner again this year?

I am sure that NSW will offer up some strong contenders this year and at at least a quarter of the Housemates will be from NSW, maybe more if there are intruders and the like.

Also, it is interesting to note that not one winner has come from SA or QLD yet. Maybe this year will the year that a HM from either of those states wins?

Good luck guys!

If it turns out that Big Brother is “family friendly” this year, as the production company would have us all believe, then we can expect a lot of children to visit this web site this year. Sadly, when children are around, online discussions can lead to cyber bullying, cyber stalking and related behaviours. This web site is developing a policy and procedure document in preparation for a cyber stalking response in particular after we were subjected to it in April 2012. Here is some discussion and definitions of the topic, a mention of what we were subjected to, and some steps we took that you can also if it happens to you.

A definition of cyber stalking

According to Stalking Risk Profile (1), “one type of computer crime that has the potential to cause immense distress and damage is termed cyberstalking. Cyberstalking is defined as using the Internet or other electronic means as a way to harass, intimidate, threaten, monitor or make unwanted advances towards another. It can involve direct communications through e-mails, chat rooms, bulletin boards or social sites such as Facebook … .”

Harassment

According to Caslon Analytics, harassment is defined as “a course of action that a reasonable person, in possession of the same information, would think causes another reasonable person to suffer emotional distress.” In addition, online harassment and threats may be a prelude to more serious behavior, including physical violence, according to Caslon Analytics (2).

Criminal Offence ?

All Australian states have introduced stalking legislation since 1993. We know therefore that using a carriage service to menace, harass, intimidate or cause offence is indeed a criminal offence.

As Women’s Health Grampians says (yes I collected information from random web sites instead of text books for this):

IF SOMEONE’S REPEATED CONTACT MAKES YOU FEEL UNSAFE, BLOCK THEM. TELL SOMEONE YOU TRUST. SEEK HELP. TALK TO THE POLICE.

Cyber stalking is a criminal offence – report this to the police.

Our experience

During April 2012, in the days between the 20th and 23rd, we were subjected to threats of site closure by someone who disapproved of the eye in the site’s logo banner. I know who the copyright owner is and it was not the person making the threats and giving us a deadline to change the eye because they believed – without asking, mind you, if we purchased a publishing licence or had written, signed permission to use the image – that we were infringing the copyright owner’s copyright.

Regardless of whether or not we were, I felt that this person’s unwarranted threats were somewhat annoying and unnecessary and I suspected that a crime may have occurred i.e. that we were being cyber stalked. So I followed the advice that everyone gives and I am currently preparing to add some of this to our copyright and terms of use page as policy to be followed in future.

These are the steps I have taken so far.

• I asked the person to email proof of ownership. On both occasions of this person posting threats in our chat area (several days apart), they failed to follow the instructions. They were also told to stop their threats if they could not provide proof of copyright ownership or that they are an agent acting on behalf of the copyright owner of the image.
• I checked the web host’s current procedures and policies on copyright infringement, in case they have been updated recently, and they do not shut web site’s down straight away like this nuisance mistakenly thought (as if we cannot transfer the site to another host within a few days). I also wondered why they had chosen to single us out when there are other sites that infringe the copyright of all sorts of items online? Maybe it is someone from a competing new web site, not that we have much competition (only the official site and another of the original unofficial fan sites)?
• I took screen grabs of the posts, including my replies, and the times and dates, ISP details, the city of residence and the IP address of the person making these unwarranted threats.
• I blocked their IP address in full from accessing this site and the chat area. I subsequently blocked part of that IP address so that all internet users with that part of their IP address are blocked. It is unfortunate but necessary and that is what any web site will tell you to do to try to stop it.
• I made contact with the ISP of the person making the threats because that person has violated the terms of service of their ISP under “harassment”. A complaint will be lodged properly soon with that ISP once it has been written and all the details can be presented. An ISP will usually issue at least one warning and then close the customer’s account and if you do not believe that then read your own ISP’s Terms of Service and see what they say they do.

The next step will be to notify the police if this harassment continues and use the IP address to obtain the identity of the person making the threats and pursue the appropriate legal action. A future step may involve a civil lawsuit.

So to conclude this, if a form of cyber stalking happens to you in any online situation then following the above steps (whichever are applicable to your situation) provides good ground for further action if it persists. As always, seek the advice of the police and a lawyer and then you can make an informed decision on how to proceed further.

Cyber bullying, cyber stalking and related behaviours can be distressing for the victim and are completely unacceptable. Always remember that you have every right to not tolerate this kind of behaviour and that you can pursue further legal action against this and any criminal behaviour and you should consider doing so. Here are some web sites and phone numbers if you feel that you have been a victim of cyber bullying, cyber stalking and other forms of harassment and you need advice.

Cyber Smart Resources

www.cybersmart.gov.au

Online Helpline for kids and teens

Call Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800 (available 24/7), www.kidshelp.com.au

Advice for adults

If you need to talk to someone then please pick up the phone and call one or more of these organisations or check their web site for resources and information.

Lifeline – 13 1144 (available 24/7)

Beyond blue – www.beyondblue.org.au”>

Reach out – www.reachout.com.au

Headspace – www.headspace.org.au

Court cases in recent years

In NSW in 2010, there was at least one court case in which a person answered to two counts “of using a carriage service (in this case email and fax) to menace, harass or offend.” There was also at least one court case in Queensland in 2010 in which a person answered a charge of “using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence”. And there have been similar cases around the country in recent years. (4)

Bibliography

1. Stalking Risk Profile, Cyber stalking, Author N/A, Stalk Inc., retrieved 23/4/12

2. Caslon Analytics, Cyber Stalking, Bruce Arnold, May 2006, retrieved 23/4/12

3. Women’s Health Grampians, A Simple Guide To Cyber Safety, pp 7, Author N/A, retrieved 23/4/12

4. House of Representatives Committees, SUPPLEMENTARY SUBMISSION NO. 136.2, Stewart Healley, pp 9, 15th May, 2011, retrieved 23/4/2012

Nothing has changed since Big Brother last aired in Australia, where the open auditions process is concerned. It is very similar to what I wrote about in 2005 in my open auditions guide. Once again this year the auditionees are grouped together in small groups. The producers may not talk to each person in a group, they will select the ones they want to talk to based on appearance (because you have to be photogenic, after all).

Out of those they do talk to, some will only be asked a few questions while others will be asked more and they are the ones that will get through to stage 2 on the day. They have had strippers, a side boob girl and other “loud” types go through. So if you are a quiet type among all these people that think you have to be an actor to get noticed (by being loud and stupid) then you have zero chance. Many do not make it past the initial stage and plenty of these people have complained in Facebook that it is unfair.

In stage 2, the producers get you to form a shape they ask for with other auditionees and then they ask for your opinion on controversial topics. Then that is all you hear on the day about whether or not you proceed any further. So you might answer something intelligently or in a completely stoopid manner and it is anyone’s guess if you go further in the process (those they want will find out later).

The production company had us all believe through the media this year that they are after “real people” but also that if you think you know what types they will choose then think again. We have heard that before and ended up getting mostly what we thought they would choose, much to many people’s disappointment, and the ratings suffered as a result last time. It does not appear that anything has changed from what the auditionees have said this year so far.

So here is a look back at some of the comments posted on Facebook about the auditions process. My question to you is: Should they go back to video auditions? You may never hear from the producers with this method but if, and I say if, they watch the video then you are giving yourself a better chance in some ways.

These are some of latest comment posts going back to just the last few days of last week but there were plenty more before that (the negative feedback was a daily occurrence since auditions began).

Tabetha said on Friday 22/4/12: “I got to top 24 twice, years ago with the same audition tape, I think you should do what you did back then, send in audition tape, get picked to audition, get put through next section then top 24 for final selection, simple really.”

Alisha said on 22/4/12: “Yes, audition tapes would be great. Then you get to see each persons true self and home/social life. Instead of getting us to play silly games and try get the most attention. Sorry but they wanted me to climb on top of them like a pyramid. I was wearing a dress and I am not a cheerleader or gymnast! lol”

Leah said on 22/4/12: “I didn’t even get a chance in round 2. Why….?? Please give me another chance?” and Peter replied: “They really need to have a better casting method, what is the use of filling in application forms if they don’t even read yours at the casting.”

Andrew on Friday said, and this has nothing to do with it but I like it: “So any word on the Indian guy that got arrested? He was warning us all of the vigilante group at 3 am lol (he was concerned of our safety) thanks to the hot blond cop that arrested him! She could have used those handcuffs on me yum!” We need a pic of this blonde hottie copper!

Steven said on Friday (spelling and grammar as is): “hey big brother can we have a group chat about you casting ways it seems people dont like you way very unfair to all willing to ake the time out for you its us who make the show but if you want fake barbie dolls and meat head man your show wont last”

Peter said on Friday: “Big Brother thanks for the opportunity today at dreamworld, however you really do need to have a better way of casting like Australian Idol or something where you can actually look at our applications and stand one person at a time infront of the casting crew so you see the real us.”

and for an alternative view, Tiffany responded: “Can you imagine how many people would miss out on even showing their face at an audition if they did it that way? Also, if they did let EVERYONE who lined up have their moment one city of auditions could take days maybe even a week or longer. They just try to do the best with the time and resources they have.”

and Peter responded: “Tiffany when they come to SA I think you will realise what we are all agreeing on. Other major tv series can audition people singly so there is no reason why BB couldn’t do the same, with a little organisation and approx allocated audition times given to everyone it would be a more successful audition process, they could still make you do stupid things etc but at least read the application forms.”

and Brodee offered this: “BB wants natural entertainers, people who stand out. In a room of twenty 1 will stand out, he wants that one. He still has to cull from all of the “Ones” he chose from each group. Aus idol has to be auditioned separately because they need to see your singing skill. Bb on the other hand is a group of people living together, therefore your skill is how you interact with other people.”

Sarah-Jane said on Thursday: “I went to the brisbane auditions and i dont think they were fair at all!!! How can you tell who you want if you dont want to listen to everyone, i think to audition 12 people at once is to much not everyone gets a say, Most of us really wanted this chance and no one of us got to say a thing, You tell me how that is how it is meant to be run!!!!”

and Caitlin replied: “Good on you , I totally feel the same – we should of been able to introduce ourselves and have our say to explain why we deserve to be there, not be judged on how well we can make the harbor bridge!”

and Peter said: “I agree we had to make a pool and everyone else in my group just made a circle, I was the only person to jump in the middle laying down swimming, while everyone else just stood there. So much for looking at our application forms where they would find info about the real us.”

I hope these people do not mind me quoting them? And there is plenty more where that came from but not too much praise for the auditions process. All this would have been covered up by BB in previous years but Facebook has given the public a better voice than ever before.

Anyhoo … Good luck everyone and if you are going to the Melbourne auditions (dates are on the home page) then remember that it is going to be hot in the car park, as one person pointed out (see below) on the official BB Facebook page

Audition videos from Big Brother

If you would like to see this year’s open audition videos then check out Big Brother’s YouTube channel here.

I once believed that the Australian television landscape was not ready for Big Brother again in any hurry after Big Brother Australia was axed in 2008. So I was just a tiny bit surprised last year when it was announced that Big Brother would be back in 2012 on the Nine network this time.

Reality TV is back in a big way this year on all of the commercial television networks so now I can understand it. Big Brother still attracts critics, though, who come to this site and Facebook and waste their time posting comments expressing disbelief, in a negative, critical manner, that the show is back. We had one such tosser here in our chat area at 9:40am on Sunday of all times.

Over the weekend several newspaper articles mentioned that you do not need any special skills to make it on Big Brother and that is true. However, it is the opportunity to use the show as a springboard to take your life to the next level in a positive way that counts, I believe. This is why it is growing in popularity again this year, especially with auditions taking place now and a lot of buzz is around. 10,000 registrations from auditionees occurred before auditions began. And as I said in another article, I posted proof in the forum that this site had 5,000 unique visitors in less than 48 hours after audition dates were announced. People are interested in BB AU, much?

If you do not believe that then look at Google’s range of statistical data for example. I looked at Google Trends and that currently does not offer much information so I turned to the statistics for Big Brother Chaos to get an idea of what is going on. Here is a screen grab below with an overlay of a few points of data from the last month.

You can click the image below for a larger, more readable version

Now bear in mind that these figures are just for this site and may vary slightly (or quite markedly) for the official web site for Big Brother Australia at channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/bigbrother. But looking back over that last month worth of figures in the above graph, and across the 1205 search queries that people entered in Google Search, Big Brother Chaos attracted 75,000 impressions with a piddly 8,000 of those clicking through (or 2,000 a week). That will be significantly higher when the show airs after the Olympics in August (there should be several thousand clicks a day in the figures then).

Still, 75,000 impressions for all of those 1205 search queries in one month just shows that there is some interest in Big Brother’s return (and the figures have been growing each month when I look back over the statistics to last year). It appears that Big Brother may, after several years off our screens, be more popular than ever, or maybe the figures just show a natural increase in search queries around the time of the auditions and then they will drop off for a few months? I will follow the statistics to see.

So what exactly have been the most popular searches related to Big Brother 2012 over the last 4 weeks, and which former Housemates are still appearing in Google searches? Here are two lists for those that are interested. This site has been number 1, and still is, in Google since last year for Big Brother 2012 auditions information. So you will see below that the Google searches about that topic are attracting some of the search traffic to this site and the rest is going to the official BB AU site mostly.

And remember also that this web site has been redeveloped in the last month and is gaining some positions in Google search rankings that were lower with the old site design. None of these statistics is information I normally mention like this publicly so this is a rare insight into what is attracting people to this web site. It will change significantly, though, when BB returns because people will be searching for an almost completely different set of search topics.

BB searches – the top 30

Search query – Impressions – Clicks

big brother 2012 – 22,000 – 700
big brother australia - 8,000 - 400
big brother 2012 auditions – 4,500 – 700
big brother australia 2012 – 3,000 – 170
big brother 2012 australia – 2,000 – 90
big brother auditions - 1,600 - 500
big brother australia 2012 auditions – 1,300 – 320
big brother 2012 australia auditions – 900 – 250
when does big brother 2012 start – 700 – 70
big brother auditions 2012 – 500 – 170
big brother auditions 2012 australia – 500 – 150
big brother australia uncut – 400 – 30
big brother 2012 auditions australia – 320 – 70
brother australia – 320 – N/A
big brother 2012 start date – 250 – 22
big brother australia nude – 250 – 16
big brother 2012 wiki - 250 – N/A
forum bb 2012 - 250 – N/A
bb – 250 – N/A
big brother australia auditions – 200 - 110
big brother aus – 200 – 30
big brother australia 2012 start date - 200 – 30
big brother auditions australia – 170 - 90
big brother audition – 170 – 60
apply for big brother 2012 – 170 – 50
www.bigbrother.com.au - 170 – 22
bigbrother 2012 – 170 - 16
big brother 2012 application – 170 – N/A
when does big brother australia 2012 start – 150 – 22
when is big brother 2012 starting – 150 – 16

Former HM searches – the top 40

Sorry boys of Big Brother but it is all the cuties and babes of Big Brother Australia that the public is searching for, with a few former male HMs being the exceptions. It is kind of creepy to see who people are searching for but there must still be some love around for many of these former Housemates – some of whom are still in the public eye today. Maybe this is a very small guide as what types of personalities are still remembered years after they have left our TV screens? A lesson for current auditionees perhaps?

HM – Impressions (clicks are low so excluded here)

jo ashton – 200
christie mills – 170
bianca benigno – 170
dean glucina – 90
katrina miani – 90
vesna tosevska – 90
joanne ashton – 70
michelle carew-gibson - 60
bianca big brother australia – 60
ben williams big brother – 60
krystal ince – 50
christie mills big brother – 50
katrina miani big brother – 50
krystal forscutt – 35
bree big brother – 35
bree amer nude – 35
bree amer – 30
jo ashton big brother – 30
gianna big brother – 22
bree big brother australia – 22
krystal forscutt nude – 22
katie hastings big brother – 22
chrissie swan big brother – 22
peter corbett big brother – 22
jo big brother – 16
krystal forscutt big brother – 16
brigitte stavaruk – 16
krystal forscutt naked – 16
geneva loader – 12
belinda thorpe – 12
claire madden – 16
melanie smerdon – 12
bridgette big brother australia – 12
rebecca big brother australia – 12
aleisha cowcher – 12
michelle olsen big brother – 12
chrissie swan – 12
gianna pattison – <10
imogen bailey – <10
jamie brooksby big brother – <10