Pinoy Big Brother: Si kuya, kabarkada mo

“Pinoy Big Brother: Si kuya, kabarkada mo” is the Philippine version of the reality series “Big Brother”. It debuted on Channel 2 of the ABS-CBN network on 21 August 2005 with a grand entrance party. The show itself begin it’s regular broadcasting the following night, Monday, 22 August 2005. The series plays pretty much the same way as most other “Big Brother” shows around the world do. It begins with 12 contestants or housemates and as a group they select 2 nominees each week to be placed in the eviction chairs sometimes referred to as the chopping block. Sometimes when there is a tie more than just 2 nominees who are eligible for eviction. The home viewing audience makes the decision of who stays and who goes. They vote via either SMS (text messaging) or via the phone through a PLDT hotline (Philippine Long Distance Telephone company). They vote on who they want to remain in the house of the eligible nominees and the person with the least amount of votes is then evicted from the house.


They have weekly and sometimes daily challenges and have a confessional room to have interviews in. The winner of “Pinoy Big Brother” is awarded a prize package of 6 Million pesos, which is equal to approximately $111,000 American dollars. The package includes 1 Million pesos, equal to approximately $18,000, a house and the property it sits on (the lot), a Nissan Frontier pick-up truck, a stereo system, a Yamaha motorcycle and a livelihood showcase. The show was originally planned to run for 100 days but the 1st series was extended to 111 days due to some scheduling conflicts ending on 10 December. They next aired “Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition” on 5 February 2006 that for 56-days that ended on 1 April 2006. This series was followed by the airing of “Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition” for teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18 years old on 23 April 2006. They held auditions for season 2 of “Pinoy Big Brother: Si kuya, kabarkada mo” in May and June 2006. Auditions were not only held in the Philippines but also in Dubai, Milan, Sydney, Tokyo and San Francisco. Season 2 is scheduled to begin broadcasting in March 2007.