Big Brother host Sonia Kruger reveals ‘target’ on returning players

Rachel Choy
·3-min read

Big Brother: Royalty v New Blood starts on Monday and for Big Brother’s 21st birthday he’s bringing back some returning housemates, including season three winner, Reggie Bird.

Host Sonia Kruger talked to Yahoo Lifestyle about what’s changed for this season, and why she's excited to see Reggie coming back to the Big Brother house after all this time. “I absolutely wanted to see Reggie back in there, just to see how she would go in this new format. It’s a new game,” she explained.

Sonia Kruger on the set of Big Brother, wearing a holographic dress, with her hair in a ponytail.
Host Sonia Kruger is excited to have returning housemates this year on Big Brother. Photo: Seven

Reggie has a target on her back

Sonia mentions that when Reggie won her season in 2003, it was a popularity contest rather than the strategic game it is now.

“Reggie, she struggles with that. She really struggles with playing a game of strategy,” Sonia admits.

When asked if the returning 'royalty' housemates will have an advantage over the new housemates, the host mentions that it could actually be the other way around.

“Reggie has a target on her back with the new housemates because they know that she was once Australia’s sweetheart, Australia loved her.

“I think they know that if Reggie was to proceed in the game, then there’s every chance in the world that Australia would want to help her out, again. It does put a massive target on her back,” she warns.

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Reggie Bird wearing a brown dress, on the red Big Brother couch after she had been announced the winner.
Reggie Bird won the third season of Big Brother. Photo: Ten

She isn’t counting the new housemates out

While the ‘royalty’ are coming into the house with popularity and a connection with the Australian public, Sonia doesn’t think it’s fair to count the new housemates out completely.

She makes a good point that Australia can easily fall in love with a new housemate, and more importantly, Australia only gets to vote once there’s a final three this year.

“There’s no telling really what Australia would do,” she ponders.

“Maybe they think, that original housemate has already had their time in the house, or they may have won in the past.

“So would we reward them again?”

The host mentions that the game starts from the minute the housemates set foot in the house, and they are strategising from the very beginning.

“Everybody’s thinking about how they [can] get themselves into that final three.”

Four returning players sit in the diary room of Big Brother, doing an interview.
There will be lots of drama with the returning 'royalty' players this season. Photo: Seven

Secret rooms

There are two secret rooms this year, the ‘Mainframe’ and the ‘Underground Sewer’, and according to Sonia, they come into play very early on.

“The first episode, what happens in the Mainframe is gold. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say some of the original housemates get to see and hear everything that’s going on,” she reveals.

She goes on to say that new secrets will be uncovered throughout the series, teasing that Big Brother has a lot up his sleeve.

“He doesn’t reveal all his cards at once,” she hints.

The host admits she’s “completely addicted” to this season of Big Brother, and can’t wait for everybody to watch the show.

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