Big Brother has returned to British television with a bang after a game of pass the parcel left a new housemate at risk of eviction and emotional.
The influential social experiment, which sees housemates live together in a custom-built home for weeks without access to the outside world in a bid to win £100,000, opened its doors for the first time in five years.
The reality series returned to ITV on Sunday, after it was axed by Channel 5 amid a ratings slump in 2018, with new hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best introducing a batch of 16 contestants to the brand-new house in front of a live studio audience.
Barman Jenkin will be serving a double dose of sass in the Big Brother House! #BBUK pic.twitter.com/UfPqdoNRxO
— Big Brother UK (@bbuk) October 8, 2023
During the third game of the “housewarming party”, 23-year-old dancer Olivia, from Glasgow, was chosen by Jenkin from, Bridgend in Wales, as the contestant he thinks will be hardest to live with, telling her “I don’t think we’ve gelled”.
As her punishment, Big Brother announced that Olivia would be facing the first public eviction on Friday.
After the game of pass the parcel had ended, Olivia started crying in the garden to make-up artist Farida, 50, saying: “I was second last in and I felt like it was a bit unfair.”
Later in the diary room, Big Brother told Olivia that she can “change her fate and win immunity” during a game the housemates will play in 24 hours where they rank themselves from most to least entertaining.
Talking about the game, she said Jenkin is “obviously intimidated by me”, but “at least I don’t have the worst dress sense so whatever”.
Meet wise and wonderful Farida! #BBUK pic.twitter.com/5E2yFOu1Vf
— Big Brother UK (@bbuk) October 8, 2023
It comes after 40-year-old NHS manager Kerry, from Essex, chose Jenkin as the housemate with “the most questionable dress sense”, which meant he would not receive his suitcase – before a video was shown of his suitcase being blown up.
He was later given a tub of “essential” clothes in the diary room, and said he felt “guilty about the Olivia thing”, calling himself “public enemy number one”.
Earlier in the night, Jenkin also lost a game of hide and seek and “will not receive hot water for the next 24 hours”.
Big Brother announced: “Jenkin it’s cold showers for you”, to which the 25-year-old said: “That’s sly as f***.”
During the housewarming games, 39-year-old DJ Dylan, from Coventry, was chosen as the person housemate Paul, 23, would least like to share a bed with, before Big Brother announced he would not have a bed to sleep on that night as a punishment.
DJ Dylan can get people dancing, but will he get into a rhythm in a house full of strangers? #BBUK pic.twitter.com/rtLcvBdVFI
— Big Brother UK (@bbuk) October 8, 2023
Big Brother started in 2000 on Channel 4 before Channel 5 took over in 2011, airing in the UK for a total of 18 years.
Ahead of the launch show, Odudu and Best asked fans of the show to be kind online, posting a video to the official Big Brother Instagram sending a reminder that the “housemates are real people with their real lives”.
Odudu added: “Let’s make this the most positive series yet and give all of the housemates the respect that you would wish for if you were a housemate too. Is that a deal?”
Similar to recent series of ITV’s Love Island, housemates and their family and friends have also been asked to not post any content about the show on their individual social media accounts while they are in the house.
It comes as broadcasters’ duty of care policies have faced scrutiny following a number of controversies involving on-screen talent.
While the new batch of housemates have received respect and inclusion training to set out the “expectation for appropriate behaviour and language” before they take part in the show, ITV previously said.
Big Brother will air nightly on ITV2 and ITVX, excluding Saturdays.