"Please note, if you are entering the judging you may be here for anything up to 8 hours. Once you have entered the audition process you will not be allowed to leave unless you terminate your application". "What have I done?", I thought.
This message was greeting me as I hit the RDS Simmonscourt today to participate in the auditions for Big Brother 11, which is being screened this summer, as the last ever series of the global phenomenon, and the cause of reality television. I was quite excited about taking part in the process, not for the final result per sé, but to witness the bizarre, baffling and unusual system that Endemol, the programme producers, have devised. Dublin was one of the stops, and the last, in the nationwide search for the newest housemates.
When I arrived, I queued for a relatively short period of time, in comparison to the shock stories of "hundreds turning out" which featured on news during the day. I posted some regular updates to my Twitter account as I waited to engage in the process itself, whilst chatting and getting to know some people in attendance today. I was very interested and perplexed for the real mix of characters which were eager and highly keen to scrap any privacy they had and appear on the gameshow. I spoke to several students, aged 18 to 23, a mother whose children wouldn't audition themselves, a young lady who had tried to get on the show three times (in the one day) and of course, the loud, boisterous twenty year-old lads. Apart from the select nut-cases in the group of men as spoken of, I was fascinated at one thing in common between the majority of people there- they weren't all strange. The people I got to know, especially in my group (I'll explain later) were lovely people, fun, outgoing and generally very normal- the sort of characteristics you don't see in the final batch of contestants who appear on the show.
The first round was a group task whereby ten females and ten males acted out "Hokey Pokey", "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes" and other rhymes. In my opinion, and from what I've heard from representatives, it's more of an icebreaker, to calm nerves and break you into the scene. However, several are selected to pass through to round two from this- those that aren't succeed are sent home. What they base the successful candidates upon is still uncertain to me, however. Usually eight pass through this section of the audition.
Round Two was a smaller group task, where you were requested to partner up with someone you didn't know. You then had two minutes to find out two interesting facts about them. My partner had "a terrible phobia of Tomato Ketchup" and "kissed two men in the group". Each pair would tell the group the facts of their partner aloud, and questions from the coordinator judge were directed towards them. At this point, if you were suitable (in their brief, first-impression eyes) you were given a stamp on your hand of the "Big Brother" eye. Everyone in the group were told to hold their hands out as the judge strolled past, either dropping that all important mark of success, or sending you on your way back home. Because this was a vital part of the audition, people who were unlucky were either relatively happy with the answer or became completely upset and would storm off to call their significant other and (probably) moan, shriek and cry down the phone, complaining why they should have passed through, how everyone else there "don't deserve it" and why the judges made a "bad mistake".
If you were one of the few contestants to receive a stamp, you were directed towards the black curtains where "Initial Auditions" were written. In this area you were given a seat, a number and scheduled to enter the "interview rooms" and talk to Big Brother- well, the judges, in a sense. This is where the real mix and blend of people existed, with the wacky, eccentric and generally potential candidates passed their time, with some serious nail-biting, fixing of hair and revision of things to say in their presentation where you could sell yourself and explain why you would be a relevant housemate. Some characters included a man dressed in an entirely fluorescent suit with a large smiley face on the back, along with a man in a denim jacket and a triangle (Yep, the musical instrument) around his neck, and many, many artsy folks, desperate for their fame. That said, there were some normal people too.
If you asked me how I believe the producers select their contestants, I still couldn't come to any conclusion as their tactics and attitude is extremely difficult to comprehend and understand. Some people with the most mundane of facts and biographies passed though rounds without a bother, whereas some truly interesting and (in my opinion) suitable contestants were not filtering by the interviews. Also, I have heard about some women being pushed straight to the interview rooms, presumably based on looks only- but this is completely hearsay, so don't take my word on it.
Will Irish be on this series? Who knows. I think so. One? Possibly. Two or more: It could happen. From what I've experienced today, from the contestants I met, and from other thoughts I have on the whole affair, I think this could prove to be a very interesting summer indeed. The only thing I know for sure is that there are a lot of unusual Irish candidates up for grabs, so Endemol have a lot of decisions to make. Plus, it was a fantastic experience. Here's to the results! ;)
