Sold out to eighteen countries, the huge television hit 'Big Brother' was originally aired in the Netherlands in 1999 and has generally been a huge success all over the world (not all series being a big hit). Big Brother Sweden had it's first launch in 2000 by the production company responsible for the Netherlands show, Endemol, who launched the UK version on Channel 4 and the Swedish version can be watched on Kanal 5. They had success in countries such as Bulgaria, Germany, Mexico, Greece - to name but a few - and Big Brother Sweden was soon launched.



Producers initially thought the idea of cramming around twelve people of mixed races, backgrounds and persona's and isolating them in a small house was the way to get huge viewing numbers, and they were right. The contestants, or 'house mates', were to be chosen by the public, and the nominated for eviction each week, eventually leaving a winner with a cash prize at the end of the shows long twelve weeks.

Plenty of TV companies bought into the idea and aired their own countries' versions of the show. So far in most of the series aired in the United Kingdom, we have seen drunken capers, plenty of nudity, and rumbles under the duvets and that's not set to stop just yet. Big Brother Sweden has provided the many Swedish viewers with endless amounts of the same, plus many more sexual activities, and the house mates are showing no signs of being more subtle whilst on screen, giving Endemol exactly what they wanted! The surveillance camera's that are appropriately placed so that they can catch every move the house mates make have caught plenty of action and sex on tape, most of which is still shown (officially AND unofficially) on video websites like www.youtube.com.

In the five years that Big Brother Sweden has run, the house has been located in the fabulous city of Stockholm, the countries capital. The winners to date have been Angelica Freij (2000), Ulrica Andersson (2002), who amusingly spanked one of her house mates when her name was announced! Danne (2003) Sörensen and Carolina Gynning, a nationally renowned model, won the 2004 show which was surrounded by controversy after two house mates were filmed having sex. Britt Goodwin (2005) and Jessica Lindgren (2006) took home the finalist places in the two years that Big Brother Sweden was co-produced and filmed with the Norwegian show.

It is Carolina Gynning that you are most likely to see as she hosts TV shows and popular reality shows in the country. Most of the contestants find out just how hard the celeb lifestyle can actually be and shrink into the background, often returning to their former jobs. It's thanks to Big Brother Sweden that some of the house mates that have stayed in the confines of the Big Brother house actually gain the celebrity lifestyle they wanted and yearned for.

Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill