Big Brother was the first entrapment TV reality show to be brought to our screens. The format got exported in more than 100 countries bringing daily drama on the viewers televisions.
Let’s set the scene: it’s 1999. The internet is still barely used, and most people only own a TV as their primary electronic device. On this day, thousands of Dutch viewers will discover a new show that will change television forever. On the screen, 10 candidates—from athletic young men to flamboyant personalities—enter a house together. Some would say it almost feels like they are characters from a scripted TV show, each fitting a specific role.
Big Brother is a reality TV show created by Endemol, a Dutch production company specializing in television entertainment. The concept is simple: nine candidates are locked in a house for 100 days, completely cut off from the outside world. Each week, they participate in competitions, with the winners gaining the power to nominate others for elimination. The audience votes to evict contestants, and the last remaining housemate wins a cash prize of 120,000 euros.
Before Big Brother, reality TV was rare. One of the earliest examples was An American Family, a 1973 U.S. documentary-style series that introduced audiences to the appeal of following real people’s lives. However, nothing was as immersive or interactive as Big Brother. Soon enough, the format expanded abroad, with the United States launching its version in 2000. This adaptation introduced several changes, including a 24/7 live feed, allowing audiences to watch contestants at any time. As expected, the first season was a hit, despite some issues—including conflicts and accusations of contestant misconduct, a problem that would persist in future seasons.
To understand Big Brother’s success, we must look at its casting process. The show revolutionized how reality TV cast its contestants by selecting strong personalities that almost felt scripted—the popular one, the pretty girl, the shy outsider, the villain. The goal was to spark intense social interactions, leading to drama that would keep audiences hooked. In its early seasons, Big Brother also allowed contestants unlimited access to alcohol, which heightened emotions and conflicts.
Big Brother US, season 1’s cast
In France, the first major « social experiment » reality show appeared in 2001 with Loft Story, heavily inspired by Big Brother. Another earlier but less impactful show, Adventure du Net, aired that same year. Loft Story became a cultural phenomenon, introducing the public to Loana, a contestant whose fame skyrocketed after the now-iconic jacuzzi scene, which cemented her place in French pop culture. This moment and the show’s impact were revisited in 2024 in the TV series Culte, which dramatized the rise of Loft Story and the creation of reality TV personas.
A more strategic and secretive take on the Big Brother formula emerged in France with Secret Story (2007–2017), where contestants each had a hidden secret to protect while trying to uncover others’ secrets for prize money. The show came back on TF1 after eight years break and this week a new season was announced which is revealing of the attention the show still generates.
With newfound fame, many reality TV contestants struggled with substance abuse, mental health issues, and legal troubles. In the early 2000s, these issues were largely ignored by both the media and the public, leading to a lack of psychological support for former contestants. In 2020, the death by suicide of former Secret Story contestant FX (François-Xavier Leuridan) brought attention to the risks of fame and the lack of mental health care for reality TV participants.
To this day, reality TV remains highly popular across multiple platforms, from traditional television to Netflix, YouTube, and even Twitch. Despite being seen as a « lowbrow » form of entertainment, reality shows continue to evolve.
A striking example is Bad Girls Club (2006–2017), a U.S. reality show where seven women lived together, partied every night, and often engaged in physical fights fueled by alcohol and sleep deprivation. In 2017, the show was canceled following several controversies, including a high-profile lawsuit where two contestants accused the show of fostering a toxic and abusive environment. In 2021, former contestant Natalie Nunn launched Baddies, a spiritual successor with a bigger budget, produced by Zeus. While the premise remained the same, contestants were now paid for nightclub « bookings. » Despite its massive success, Baddies has been criticized for exploitative conditions, with former participants revealing they were often denied food and only given alcohol.
Second season of Zeus’ show Baddies, to this day the most successful season
In France, the latest reality show to spark controversy is Frenchie Shore, a 2023 adaptation of Geordie Shore, produced by Ah!Production and aired on Paramount+. The show follows a group of young French contestants as they spend the summer partying together. However, it faced significant backlash for its explicit sexual content and vulgarity. While reality TV has opened discussions on topics like open sexuality and trans identity, Frenchie Shore is now facing legal trouble after a contestant accused another of sexual assault, claiming it happened in front of fellow contestants and production members, who failed to intervene.
Reality TV is ever-changing, but one thing remains the same: people love to hate it—and they can’t stop watching.
