19 Moments from ‘00s “Big Brother” That Everyone Will Remember

    This... is Big Brother.

    Mikey Nicholson
    by Mikey Nicholson

    BuzzFeed Staff, Australia

    1. Sara Marie's bum dance.

    Network Ten

    Season: 1

    The first season of Big Brother was a phenomenon due in no small part to the popularity of housemate Sara Marie, her bunny ears and famed "bum dance". In her post-Big Brother career, she even managed to release a single. What a time.

    2. Pete and Christina's "dancing doona".

    Network Ten
    Network Ten

    Season: 1

    Housemates Pete and Christina were the first couple to form on the show and a simple night of hot and heavy action between the two became known as the "dancing doona". The footage was beamed around the country on adults only show, Big Brother: Uncut which became an integral part of the Big Brother watching experience.

    3. Jess and Marty becoming Australia's couple goals.

    Network Ten
    Network Ten

    Season: 2

    Australia fell in love with Jess and Marty as their relationship blossomed and turned into something ~real~. After the season ended, Marty and Jess: An Outback Wedding aired and documented their marital journey. Unfortunately, true TV love does not exist as they are no longer together.

    4. Chrissie taking down "pot stirrer" Ben.

    Network Ten

    Season: 3

    Chrissie became a fan favourite early on with her infectious laugh, friendly demeanour, and how she dealt with overhearing a cameraman describe her as "fat". But mostly she was loved for her willingness to not stand for bullshit. In an intense kitchen argument, tempers flared between her and Ben when she called out his game playing. #TeamChrissie.

    5. Reggie being the first woman to win.

    Network Ten

    Season: 3

    Tasmania's Reggie was the clear favourite from the outset due to an endearing outlook on life and a humourous lack of self-awareness. Her emotional reaction after winning warmed even the coldest of hearts and her "normal life" as a fish and chip shop owner was changed forever.

    6. Merlin protesting Australia's treatment of refugees.

    Network Ten

    Season: 4

    When Merlin was evicted from the house he revealed a sign on stage that he had smuggled in with him. The stunt was accompanied by a silent protest and an awkward non-interview with host Gretel Killeen. Obviously the hidden sign didn't make it through unscathed and thus "FREE TH REFUGEES" became part of Australian television folklore.

    7. Miriam entering the house as an intruder.

    Network Ten

    Season: 4

    Miriam, the star of British dating show There’s Something About Miriam, joined the house as a celebrity intruder. While the circumstances were controversial, and rather problematic, Miriam was adored by the housemates and the rest of Australia.

    8. Bree being evicted incorrectly.

    Network Ten

    Season: 4

    In eight seasons of the show, it's amazing to think that Network Ten only fucked up one eviction. Bree was incorrectly turfed from the house and then, days later, reentered as a housemate. Did she benefit from the wrongful eviction? Well, she finished as runner-up.

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

    9. A power failure plaguing the penultimate episode.

    Network Ten

    Season: 4

    Right before the end of the episode, a power failure struck Big Brother's Dreamworld location. While Gretel was visibly confused by the whole debacle, she soldiered through, managing to give out the all important grand finale voting information. Nothing like a tech failure to make excellent live television viewing.

    10. Trevor winning and then proposing to his partner on live television.

    Jonathon Wood / Getty Images

    Season: 4

    Is there anything better than seeing a reunited couple win $1,000,000 and then watching them get engaged in front of a national audience? The almost three million viewers of the finale would say no.

    11. The "Logan" Twins attempting to trick the housemates.

    Network Ten

    Season: 5

    One of the most ambitious tricks Big Brother pulled on the housemates was selecting twins David and Greg to compete as one person, Logan. Their task was to alternate their time in the house and go undetected. While they weren't immediately found out, the housemates didn't fall for it and questioned Logan's difference in behaviour before discovering the secret. Fortunately, Greg went on to win the whole damn thing.

    12. Everything Vesna did.

    Network Ten

    Season: 5

    The hairdresser from Melbourne bounded into the house as an intruder and quickly won over her housemates, in particularly Hotdogs (yes that is someone's name). She was the kind of housemate who said what she felt and felt what she said. A particular conversation where she defended her "burger and pubes" to a dismissive Dean became a legendary Big Brother: Uncut moment.

    13. Farmer David coming out to the housemates.

    Network Ten

    Season: 6

    David went into the Big Brother house without disclosing to his fellow housemates his sexuality. While he maintained that he never lied, he felt uncomfortable dodging questions and leaving out details when pressed on certain issues. At an emotional "family meeting" he revealed to the housemates that, "...I'd be going to speed dating when there's boys on one side... and boys on the other side".

    14. Gretel grilling housemate Michael over claims of "editing".

    Network Ten / Via youtube.com

    Season: 6

    Following his eviction, housemate Michael fielded constant questions about his relationship with fellow housemate David after footage presented on Big Brother: Uncut alluded to a kiss between the two. The "kiss" was clearly some handy camera work by Big Brother, but when Michael suggested it was edited to misrepresent the interaction, Gretel went on the front foot. While audiences were split as to whether she was too hard on Michael, a Gretel Killeen in full defence mode is a sight to behold.

    15. The introduction of a secret mother-daughter duo.

    Network Ten

    Season: 6

    As each season progressed, Big Brother turned to more elaborate surprises to keep the viewers interested. Karen and Krystal entered the house as "strangers" tasked with hiding their mother-daughter relationship from the house. Apparently different colour hair is all you need to differentiate yourself from your mum, so they were successful in fooling everyone.

    16. Anna dropping the phrase "Game on molls".

    Network Ten

    Season: 6

    After Anna found out ongoing drama between her and Krystal was too much for fellow housemate Karen, she dropped the iconic Aussie phrase "game on molls". Bless this country.

    17. The "Turkey Slap" incident.

    Emojipedia

    Season: 6

    Arguably THE most controversial moment in Aussie Big Brother history, two housemates were evicted after holding a female housemate down and performing a "turkey slap" on her. There were calls across the country, including one from the prime minister, for the show to be axed and the two housemates were dumped from all post-show appearances.

    18. The fall out after the death of Emma's dad.

    Network Ten

    Season: 7

    Emma went into the house estranged from her father but during her time on the show he passed away. As per her dad's instruction, she was not told until her eviction (which meant she couldn't attend the funeral). Many critics felt the show's handling of this sensitive situation was poor.

    19. Corey Worthington going in as a celebrity intruder.

    Network Ten
    Network Ten

    Season: 8

    With falling relevance, Big Brother felt that injecting the infamous party boy into the house would boost terrible ratings. Unfortunately, Corey's appearance wasn't able to breathe life into the ailing reality juggernaut and Network Ten axed it at the end of 2008.