New Big Brother 2025 twist praised as 'genius' and 'changes the show'

Just over a month after Channel 10 announced it would be rebooting Big Brother Australia in 2025, new details about the much-anticipated revival have been revealed. The show’s brand new host Mel Tracina has confirmed that in addition to live nominations and live evictions, the upcoming sixteenth season will be live streamed 24/7.

The radio star and TV personality, best known for her role as the cultural correspondent on The Cheap Seats, told Daily Mail Australia at the ACRA Awards on Saturday that the twist will definitely impact how viewers consume the series.

“What's so good about this is the livestream element,” she said. “So you don't have to worry about getting a bad edit, or being the ‘season villain’, because viewers can log in at any time and see what the [housemates] are up to.”

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Former Big Brother contestant Benjamin Norris, who won the series in 2012, tells Yahoo Lifestyle he “couldn’t be happier” that the series is returning to its original format.

“The way the show was originally intended was to set up as a fascinating ‘social experiment’ about everyday people being watched by the nation, with total control over who stays and who goes. The original idea was genius and in my mind, this show doesn't work without Australia being involved,” he remarks.

“I think the 24/7 element changes this show. I agree with Mel Tracina that this will change the way Australia will view each and every housemate as no one will be able to complain about their edit. How refreshing.”

Ben's bold admission about the show's recent winners

Speaking about his own experience on Big Brother, Ben believes there were people on his season that were “way more polarising” than how they came across in the ‘edit’ and a 24/7 livestream would have completely changed viewers’ perception.

“To be honest, I don’t think any of the people who won the show during its Channel Nine and Channel Seven iterations would have won if their season was live streamed 24/7 - including myself,” he admits.

“Channel Nine's iteration was ’24-hour turnaround’ TV. They had a licence to make some people more ‘fabulous’ and I am probably one of those housemates who benefited from that kind of TV magic.

“I want a warts and all version of Big Brother. I think we fell in love with Sara Marie [Fedele] because we were awake watching when she burnt the fish fingers. It was the silliness of what people did in the small moments that had been stolen from us as an audience.”

Another Big Brother star weighs in

Meanwhile, two-time Big Brother contestant Tully Smyth - who appeared on both the Channel Nine version in 2013 and the Channel Seven version in 2022 - tells Yahoo Lifestyle she would have “absolutely” loved for her seasons to have had a 24/7 livestream.

“I've always said, my best moments and memories were the little things that never made it to air,” she details. “The late-night sing-alongs, the D&Ms, the 2am pool parties. That's where the real magic happens, where we see real human connection. And it's a shame the viewers missed out on that during my previous two seasons.

“[A 24/7 livestream] is what sets Big Brother apart from other shows. It will show us the housemates' true colours. There's no hiding behind an ‘edit’ at all when we can tune in at any given time and see how you're behaving and treating others. I'm so excited to see that level of transparency!”

What do we know about Big Brother 2025?

Channel 10 announced at their annual Upfront event last month that viewers can expect “the authentic, OG show you fell in love with all those years ago” when Big Brother Australia returns in 2025.

The reality show first premiered on Channel 10 in 2001 and ran for nine seasons (including a celebrity version) until 2008 when it went on a four-year hiatus. It was then picked up by Channel Nine who aired three seasons, before moving to Channel Seven in 2020.

Shortly after Channel 10 confirmed the reboot, TV Tonight reported that a legal letter was sent by Channel Seven to production company Endemol Shine Australia as the network still has a “hold back” on the format until mid-2025. A hold back prevents negotiations commencing with another broadcaster until the finish date of the hold back.

“You can’t start production in the middle. You can’t be casting, you can’t be announcing hosts. You can’t be announcing deals,” a production insider told the publication.

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Meanwhile, an insider told Yahoo Lifestyle that previous Big Brother hosts Gretel Killeen and Sonia Kruger were “never considered” to front the 2025 revival.

“Network 10 wanted someone fresh that felt similar to the network hiring Gretel back in 2001,” they shared. “Gretel wasn't unknown by any means, but it was Big Brother Australia that made her a household name.

“Mel is hoping to bring something unique to the format but her sense of humour, support of women and not being afraid to take men to task will echo a lot of what Gretel Killeen did with the format.”

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