Would You Go On Big Brother?

[Nurse Dunkley]

People still apply for the show in their thousands and despite now apparently being told in the preshow screenings that it probably won't make them a star and could destroy their lives they still get contestants. So would any of you do it?

I'd love to if it only lasted the summer and everyone forgot about it once I was out, but that's unlikely so it's a no from me. It does look like a really interesting experience whilst you're in there though. I suppose I'd go in there if I could fully trust myself to be lovely and charming the whole time, but the only reason I don't end up being a total cunt in real life is the fact that I can get away from people when I reach the point of snapping.

Also do you know anybody who's ever applied? The only person I can think of is my sister's old uni housemate. She once put bleach in my sister's milk when they fell out over a boy so it probably gives you an indication of the type of person she is (although in fairness my sister could make most people try and bump her off).

[coxy1979]

My dad tells me every year I should apply. I don't know whether to be mortally offended or not.

I wouldn't, just because I don't want people who only think they know me deciding how nice a person I am (and I'd get pissed and make a tit of myself on Channel 4)

[Mike]

No, for reasons including but not limited to the following:

1. The idea of being watched 24/7 really freaks me out, especially by the type of person who would actually sit through hours of live coverage.

2. My friends are more than enough of an audience for my embarrassing drunken antics.

3. I don't really fancy being famous, and even less so being famous for not doing very much.

4. I'd be bored out of my skull the whole time.

5. There's a stigma attached to you that never really goes away.

6. The prize money is what, £100,000? I'm pretty sure I could win more than that on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. It's just not worth it.

One of my mates started the application process one year, but chickened out of sending in a video. Thank God.

[Becky]

No I wouldn't do it. I prefer to keep my private life private. I'd do the experience if it wasn't a tv show, but it is so I wouldn't.

I don't personally know anyone who's applied but my friend's friend's friend is Anthony Hutton.

[Lisa]

The idea of being stuck in the middle of a four person bed, sharing a four person pillow makes me feel physically sick it's so claustrophobic. I would have liked to have done it in the early days but not now it's all engineered for flighting or sexing - both of which I like to enjoy on my own terms.

[Muinimula]

One of my best friends at uni always used to say that out of all her friends, she could see me going on Big Brother. She meant this as a compliment (that I have a vibrant character and would be entertaining to watch, rather than picking fights with people and bitching). I don't know whether I'd ever consider applying, though - maybe a few years ago, but not now.

[al]

I've suggested to a few people in the past that they'd be really good in the house, but it seems to have a chance of getting in, they'd need to have that opinion of themselves.

The only person I've known that applied (FYI, not one of the people I suggested should apply) was this girl from a call centre I worked at between jobs. She was gobby, snappish, annoying, and every single morning after payday, she'd ring up complaining that she was underpaid. Her name was Kinga...

[raspberry]

I know people who have applied but I couldn't be bothered to go through all that queing only to be turned away because I'm not 'right'. I went through that for Hollyoaks once with a hang over and fresh love bites, so Channel 4 have missed their chance to discover my charms as far as I'm concerned.

I've been told I'd be quite good in the house, and I'd quite like the idea of taking part, but all the fuss before and after puts me off. If I were to go in they'd have to select me off the street beforehand and help me move to France straight afterwards.

A friend of mine was a volunteer play/arts worker for kids one summer in London. I think it ran for a week or two; she with one of her friends and they were paired with another two local girls. The local girls were apparantley rude, aggorant, agressive and most of all very lazy. One of them was a Ms Jade Goody.

[pauliepoos]

I'd be tempted if only to make a decent bit of money in the 15 minutes that follow the eviction and then return to relative anonymity. I'd be worried about turning into a bully in the house towards people I just couldn't stand. I find it difficult to be false to people and all lovely with them when I really dislike them, but I expect I'd get bored quickly and I'd amuse myself by torturing them.

[thelovelykate]

I definately wouldn't go on (although I do sometimes think it would be quite interesting). This would mainly be because:

1. I couldn't cope with being in there with some of the repellant specimens that have been in there over the years.

2. I'd probably discover that I'm a bigger bitch than I think I am and that would make me sad.

3. My scumbag ex-boyfriend would probably sell a sleazy (and possibly untrue) story about me to The Sun and in the worst case scenario my mum or my nan would read it.

[[james]]

My reasons are largely the same as Kate's. There's numerous things I wouldn't want my parents to know about me which would quite possibly get sold to the press, I would snap at almost every single other housemate in there and I am amazingly bitchy, two-faced and manipulative and I'd rather that fact wasn't broadcast to the nation (and quite possibly become my very public downfall).

A friend of mine applied this year in Birmingham but didn't get through (obviously). His housemate also applied who's a foetal-looking bisexual which seems like a quirk BB might like but alas he's also going to be stuck with his privacy and freedom this summer.

[jamie]

I wouldn't go on big brother. I value my privacy too much and I would hate to be known forever as that bloke off big brother. Also, the boredom would get to me and I would hate doing nothing every single day. And the lack of being able to go for a proper walk. And to think without people watching you. I would also hate giving control of every moment of my life over to someone else for however long I stayed in there. I also worry that people would think me too boring in big brother.

[Rad]

I'd go on the old celeb BB where you were only in for a few days and raised money for charideee.

I couldn't do normal BB unless I did a Sunita and bottled it a couple of days in (mopping up the thousands for interviews, natch). I don't think it would be good for my ahem 'professional credibility' and more to the point I go nuts without personal space.

[MoondialSlater]

Not a hope in hell. I've spent too much time watching live coverage and seeing a totally different picture in the highlights show depending on what story Endemol want to show. Its a shame because as an experience I imagine it would be great.

[xenomaniac]

No because I have a job and a small amount of dignity. Both of which I would like to keep.

I'm making huge generalisations here but I think you'd have to be a complete retard to want to go on Big Brother. Perhaps in the first few years I could understand but now no chance.

If someone told me I should apply to go on Big Brother I would be mortified.

[somethingbiblical]

I don't know if I would go on. I was thinking last night when I saw that Carol go in that I'd like to go on and show them what a real socialist is like, but of course they only want caricatures. They've put in plenty of openly Tory people in there, and Carol and George Galloway just ain't gonna cut it from my side - I think RESPECT have forgotten what the 's' in their name stands for.

They phoned the SSP up earlier this year to ask if any of our people would like to apply - they do it to loads of political groups I think, that's how anarchist Kitten got on.
So we sent Murray. It seemed like a good idea at the time - Murray is interestingly weird so we thought he was sure to get past a few times we thought. He got past the first bit and they asked him to come back a few hours later but then he got sent home.
I'm now glad he never got in though because I've since discovered that the interesting weirdness comes from his position on the autistic spectrum, and the experience really wouldn't have been good for him or us.

I don't think I really would go on though, because everyone I know would think I was an arsehole for doing it, plus I wouldn't want the people of the UK thinking I was some attention seeking knobend, really, which is what most of them are.
I doubt life after Big Brother is all that bad though, I bet very few of them are unemployed because of it.

[[james]]

No good political plan ever involves the phrase "So we sent Murray."

[Joel]

I always like to think I would go on, because I could show the country that there are normal gays, because every gay that's ever been on it has been repellent and toxic.

However!
a) I hate most people, so I would get the 'bitch' edit and end up a hate-figure.
b) I like food, and I love cooking. The thought of having to cook chicken nuggets and pasta for 14 people makes my cry.
c) I like to walk about in my pants, and would be shy to do so on TV.
d) I get bored in a house full of books, CDs, DVDs, computer games and the internet. The thought of having NOTHING to do but talk to freaks terrifies me.
e) I would be furious to the point of apoplexy when I didn't win, and that's never a good look. I'm amazing and deserve to win, you see.
f) I wouldn't want my mum to watch me talking about sex.

[timydamonkey]

I wouldn't because:

I'm anti-social and would spend time reading and being called boring and a snob. Also, I'm an internet addict and would get bored. And I'd probably spend my time when speaking telling bitchy cliques to get stuffed. I also hate being in close proximity to people I don't know... so clearly I'm just generally unsuited for Big Brother.

Too much exposure for me, though. Especially as yourself.

[boxedjoy]

If I could go to Australia and enter their Big Brother without my family ever finding out then I would. It would be a bit of a giggle and if it went horribly wrong I could emigrate back to Scotland. Or if all my family were dead, but I don't really think that would be an appropriate way to think about things. I've just put it about a bit too much to risk it.

[The BBC Insider]

Never. Absolutely no way. I don't want people to see me shitting.

[MoondialSlater]

somethingbiblical said:

I've since discovered that the interesting weirdness comes from his position on the autistic spectrum

If he'd mentioned that in his audition he'd probably have got a lot further.

[Steven]

jbugle said:

There's numerous things I wouldn't want my parents to know about me which would quite possibly get sold to the press.

Yep, same here. I haven't done anything particularly bad, but there's certainly enough stuff that people could tell the papers about me that would be embarrassing, so that pretty much rules out reality TV as a career option.

My flatmate and I were discussing a while back how we'd fare on Big Brother. We came to the conclusion that we'd last a couple of weeks due to not being offensive enough to piss anyone off, but that all the viewers would think we were snooty, stuck-up boring bitches, and that as soon as the herd had thinned and we'd wound people up enough to get nominated, we'd be out pretty much straight away.

[Sean]

I think it would be quite an enjoyable experience but I'd hate being recognized on the street afterwards, and feeling self conscious whilst showering and, most of all, doing a poo.

Also the whole auditioning process seems like way too much effort for the privilege of the nation dissecting you.

[rebecca]

I'd be tempted only beacuse it seems like a really easy way to make a considerable amount of money. Don't you get a pittance for every day you're in there, for 'loss of earnings' or whatever? It probably wouldn't be much more than minimum wage, but if you were in there for the duration it'd probably add up. I mean, you wouldn't be spending any of it.
And when they come out they get paid shitloads for newspaper interviews and nightclub pa's etcetera, and then you could sit on your arse and not have to worry about money while you decided what to do next.
Although, I wouldn't like the exposure. There aren't any scandals in my past or anything, all people could say would be things like 'oh, I know her, she was sick in a glass at a nightclub once'. But I wouldn't want my parents to know what I'm really like. And you'd be forever tainted. I don't think I'd come across well in there, I'm not best at first impressions and I tend to become marginalised in big groups of people all new to each other, it takes me a while to settle down and be myself. But I don't think I'd irritate anyone enough to be nominated immediately, I'd lurk in the background for the first few weeks.
I was discussing with my housemate last night who'd be good housemates out of people we know, and we concluded that actually quite a lot of people we know would be quite entertaining in there. Although of course all my friends are far too intelligent to ever apply for Big Brother.