Big Brother Aritonesia

Big Brother Aritonesia is a continental version of Big Brother for the subcontinent of Aritonesia, created by John De Mol in 1997. The show was first aired in 2002 for 8 seasons on El TV Kadsre 1, SBC, FBC, MBC, and VMC 2 to audiences in 29 Aritonesian countries. In 2021, the show returned after a 12-year hiatus.

Overview
Big Brother is a reality television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around 3 months or 9 weeks, and there are usually 10-20 participants, known as housemates. Two to four housemates per country are selected to participate in the game. The housemates try to win a cash prize by avoiding periodic evictions from the house.

Aritonesian series
Big Brother Aritonesia follows elements from both the original Big Brother version and the US version. The series combines public interaction seen on many international versions while adding some of the US version's gameplay alongside it. Among the elements that the series shares with its American counterpart include the Head Housemate (Head of Household) and Immunity Ticket (Power of Veto).

Head Housemate
The Head Housemate of the Aritonesian version of the Head of Household. Every week, after eviction, the housemates compete in the "Head Housemate Challenge" where the winner of the challenge would be named as Head Housemate and would gain the power to nominate three housemates for eviction. Just like the HoH, the Head Housemate will be given various perks throughout the week. These perks include special access to the Head Housemate's own private suite, receiving gifts from home and/or friends.

Nomination
For the Aritonesian nomination process, the Head Housemate have full responsibility of selecting three housemates to be evicted. They have 2 days to do so, otherwise the Head Housemate will instantly be nominated for the next eviction and three random housemates are selected for eviction, instead.

Immunity Ticket
Since Season 2, housemates could obtain an Immunity Ticket, either by becoming Head Housemate or completing a secret mission assigned to them by Big Brother. After the Head Housemate Challenge, during nomination, a housemate may choose to use their Immunity Ticket to save themselves from nomination. A housemate may lose their Immunity Ticket as a punishment for violating a house rule or failing a mission.

Eviction
Every week after the nominees have been selected, voting lines will open for the public to vote to evict one of the nominees. The public could vote via phone or SMS; voting was expanded to red button services and internet in Season 3. The nominee with the highest eviction vote percentage will be evicted out of the house. This process continues until Finale night.

Finale Night
In the series, the final two to four, depending on the amount of housemates for the season, will be voted on by the public to be the Big Winner for the season. The viewers vote for who they want to win the season. The housemate with the most votes is crowned Big Winner of the season.

Big Brother
Big Brother is an unseen and omnipotent entity that watches the housemates' every move, and neither the contestants nor the viewers can see him physically. However, the housemates can privately converse with him and express their thoughts and emotions through the Diary Room. In the Aritonesian series, he's portrayed as an Artificial Intelligence that controls the entire house. His personality ranges from mysterious and strict, to silly and mischievous, to kind and sympathetic, and even to cruel and mean; it often differs from season to season.

History
The idea for the show is said to come during a brainstorm session at the production house of John de Mol Produkties (an independent part of Endemol) on 4 September 1997. The first Big Brother broadcast was in the Netherlands in 1999 on the Veronica TV channel. Since then it has been a prime-time hit in almost 70 countries. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1948 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. After the success of Big Brother El Kadsre, El TV Kadsre announced that they would be collaborating with 4 other Aritonesian countries for a continental version of Big Brother. The original incarnation of Big Brother ran for 8 seasons between 2002 and 2009.

Return
During the finale of the El Kadsreian version of Survivor on 30th August, 2018, El TV Kadsre aired 15-second teaser which featured a bumper from the time, that gets interrupted midway displaying the Big Brother eye with a sample of the theme tune, "No Place to Hide", ending with a navy blue background with white text teasing the return of Big Brother Aritonesia in 2020. Big Brother Aritonesia returned to television on 11th July, 2021. It had initially been intended to relaunch on 2nd June, 2020, but was postponed for a year due to concerns of the COVID-19 Pandemic.