Big Brother 2004, also known as Big Brother 5, was the fifth series of the British reality television series Big Brother. The show followed thirteen contestants, known as housemates, who were isolated from the outside world for an extended period of time in a custom-built House. Each week, one or more of the housemates were eliminated from the competition and left the House. The last remaining housemate, Nádia Almada, was declared the winner, winning a cash prize of £63,500.
The series launched on Channel 4 on 28 May 2004 and ended on 6 August 2004. It lasted 71 days - the longest series of Big Brother at the time and the eighth longest series to date. Davina McCall returned as presenter for her fifth consecutive year. Twelve housemates entered on launch night, with one additional housemate being introduced in the fifth week.
Following the negative reception of the "boring" previous series, several changes were made to the format. Big Brother became "evil", resulting in a higher-pressure environment for the housemates, more difficult tasks, fewer luxuries and more twists. Big Brother 5 ultimately became most memorable, and the subject of viewer complaints and press attention, for a physical altercation between housemates in the early hours of Day 20, which later became referred to by fans and in the press as "Fight Night".
The series was watched by an average of 5.1 million viewers, the second highest viewed series of the show to date (after Big Brother 3).
Production
Auditions
For the first time ever, housemates were selected via open auditions rather than via home video. The open audition process would go on to feature in each subsequent series until the thirteenth series in 2012.
Format
The Big Brother 5 prize fund
The series followed the same format as previous series of the programme. Twelve housemates lived in isolation from the outside world in a custom-built house for a period of 71 days, hoping to be the last one to leave the house as the winner and walk away with a large cash prize.
Promoted as "Big Brother goes evil", Big Brother 5 saw numerous changes occurring to the game. The main twist of this series was that the grand prize had been increased to £100,000 for the winner, but was gradually taken away as the series went on based on Housemates' performances in various tasks. Nádia Almada, as the winner of the series, received a total of £63,500, meaning that the housemates lost £36,500 across the series. This series also became known for featuring the Big Brother Bedsit, into which Michelle and Emma were sent, unknown to the other housemates, when "evicted" from the house. Whilst in the Bedsit, they had a live feed of the house, which aired in the room non-stop for their viewing pleasure. They were granted access back into the house after five days. Yet another change in the format occurred on Day 69, when the Housemate with the fewest votes to win, was secretly evicted from the house through the Diary Room. This meant that only four Housemates would appear at the final, instead of five.
Broadcasts
The series premiered on 28 May 2004, on Channel 4. The contestants were recorded 24 hours a day with cameras fixed around the house, and had to wear portable microphones. Big Brother 5 was the third of the main series to feature a live launch. The launch night saw Davina give a house tour, as well as discuss rumours that had been going on about the series. She then introduced the new Housemates, and they entered the house live.
Channel 4 broadcast a daily highlights show, and from the first week there was a live eviction show hosted by Davina McCall, where the evicted housemate was interviewed. In the nightly highlight episodes, viewers are shown various highlights of a specific day in the house. Big Brother 5 saw the return of the psychiatrists providing commentary on events in the game, with the episodes featuring them being the highlights show after the most recent eviction. The live eviction episode was held on Friday, with a pre-eviction episode and an official eviction episode being held with a 30-minute gap between them. The series ended on 6 August 2004, lasting for a total of 71 days. This made it the longest season of the series at the time.
Spin-off programme Big Brother's Little Brother returned for a fourth year and second year on Channel 4, and was hosted once again by Dermot O'Leary. Live coverage continued to be a major part of E4's daily and nightly schedule.
The Saturday Night Live spin-off series, first introduced in Big Brother 3, saw Housemates competing in live tasks. It would last until midway through this series when it was axed due to poor ratings.
A new spin-off programme entitled Big Brother's E-Fourum, a nod to the network, was hosted by comedian Russell Brand, and featured an audience and viewer discussion and debate on housemates and events going on inside the house. The latter programme returned in subsequent series under a retooled format and was renamed Big Brother's Big Mouth. E4 once again screened Nominations Uncut on Tuesdays featuring extended nominations. Another new show Diary Room Uncut was broadcast on Thursday evening, featuring extra material from the Diary Room, if no nominations took place, Diary Room Uncut would be shown in place of Nominations Uncut.
Prizes
The thirteen Housemates in the game were competing for the grand prize, which eventually amounted to £63,500. Each week, the Housemates attempted to complete various tasks assigned by Big Brother in exchange for a weekly budget, which they used to buy food and luxuries; this included buying things such as alcohol and cigarettes.
House
The Big Brother house has been located at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire since Big Brother 3 onward. To go along with the format change of the "evil" Big Brother this year, the house was much smaller in size. The house was one-third smaller, and featured an elevated floor and a lowered ceiling, adding a feeling of claustrophobia. The kitchen remained simple, with only necessities such as an oven (on which the only reference of time was located in the entire house), fridge, and sink. There was only one bedroom, and housemates were required to go through the garden to get to the bedroom. With eight single beds and two double beds, housemates were forced to share beds, and when a Housemate was evicted from the series, their bed was removed from the house, effectively preventing bed swapping. The showers in the bathroom this season were made of glass which led out into the garden, thus providing Housemates with no privacy. The Diary Room this season featured a red and blue background, with a large red chair which was attached to the wall. Big Brother 5 was the first series to not feature the chickens in the backyard. The house for this series was later described as being "horrible", with a member of production stating it was "designed to be as uncomfortable as possible, with none of the luxury gadgets of previous years."
Bedsit
Located behind the Diary Room, the bedsit contained one double bed, a small kitchen, a small bathroom, tattered armchairs, a telephone and flowery wallpaper, the only modern feature of the bedsit was the plasma screen where housemates could view the main house. Outside the bedsit was a corridor leading to the Diary Room. Due to the close proximity of the bedsit to the main house, housemates were required to speak quietly in the bedsit to avoid detection. The bedsit was resurrected six years later in Ultimate Big Brother.
On Day 1, Marco, Ahmed, Jason, Daniel, Stuart, Victor, Vanessa, Emma, Kitten, Michelle, Shell and Nadia entered the house.
Twists
On Day 2, the housemates were individually called to the Diary Room and had to nominate one housemate they felt was least deserving of their suitcase. Kitten chose not to go into the Diary Room to vote, thus automatically selecting herself. Jason, Marco, Michelle, Shell, Vanessa and Victor voted for Kitten, Ahmed and Nádia voted for Michelle, Daniel voted for Marco, Emma voted for Victor, and Stuart voted for Ahmed. Kitten received the most votes and, therefore, would not receive her suitcase for the remainder of her time in the house.
Punishments
On Day 5, the housemates moved the alcohol fridge into the bedroom and were reprimanded by Big Brother.
Throughout the first five days, Kitten received multiple warnings for constantly breaking Big Brother's rules. On Day 6, Kitten received her third and final strike for painting the mirrors in the house.
Exits
On Day 8, Kitten was ejected from the house after constant rule-breaking. Kitten refused to leave the house, thus Big Brother revealed that the grand prize of £100,000 would decrease by £10,000 for each minute Kitten spent in the house. Kitten left the house just under a minute later, losing the group £9,000. This brought the grand prize to a total of £91,000.
Week 2
Tasks
On Day 9, the housemates were given a task in which they had to select one housemate who they felt was the smartest and another housemate who they felt was the strongest. Stuart and Jason were selected respectively. Stuart had to answer nine general knowledge questions in the diary room, with the grand prize fund being reduced by £1,000 for each incorrect answer he gave. Outside, the other housemates were strapped onto a turntable, which Jason was required to spin around in circles. For each question Stuart answered correctly, a housemate could be removed from the turntable, making it easier to spin. Stuart answered four questions incorrectly and lost the group £4,000. Ahmed refused to participate in the task, thus costing the group another £1,000, bringing the grand prize fund to £85,000.
On Day 10, the housemates were given their first weekly task. The housemates were required to run a fast food restaurant in which Big Brother could place an order at any time, and housemates were required to make the order and take it to the diary room within thirty minutes. The task lasted for a total of four days. Completion of the task would result in the housemates receiving a privilege pass, which they could redeem for a privilege in the house. The housemates failed the task.
Nominations
On Day 11, the housemates nominated for the first time. Ahmed, Emma and Michelle received the most nominations and faced the public vote.
Exits
On Day 15, Emma and Michelle were evicted from the house, receiving 29% and 54% of the public vote to evict, respectively. However, this was a fake eviction and Emma and Michelle instead moved into the Big Brother Bedsit, where they could watch and hear everything going on in the house.
Week 3
Tasks
During Emma and Michelle's stay in the Bedsit, they were required to give out punishments to the other housemates. On Day 16, they chose Victor to take cold showers. On Day 17, they chose to make a cake for the housemates, with chilli powder added to the cake. On Day 18, they chose to vandalize Jason's bed. On Day 19, they chose to put itching powder in one of Vanessa's shirts. They officially returned to the house on Day 20.
On Day 16, the housemates were given a task in which Daniel, Jason, Stuart and Vanessa took part in a human wheelbarrow race. Each pair took turns collecting tokens, each token being worth ten seconds. The number of tokens collected determined how long the housemates would have to complete the second part of the challenge. The second half required the remaining housemates to hang over the garden for the time they earned in the first part of the challenge. If a housemate fell, then the prize fund was reduced by £2,000. Following this task, the prize fund was £77,000.
On Day 17, the housemates were given their second weekly task, which had a football theme to coincide with the Euro 2004 championship. The first portion of the task required housemates to select a country and make a mascot for the team.
Nominations
On Day 18, the housemates nominated for the second time. As Emma and Michelle were secretly in the Bedsit, they could not be nominated but were allowed to make nominations. Daniel and Vanessa received the most nominations and faced the public vote.
Punishments
On Day 20, multiple fights occurred over the night. The fight resulted in everyone getting a formal warning. Emma was sent back to the Big Brother Bedsit.
Exits
On Day 23, Emma was ejected from the house due to the recent fighting in the house. The eviction that was scheduled between Daniel and Vanessa was postponed, and took place the next week, with Daniel and Vanessa remaining nominated.
Week 4
Tasks
On Day 25, the housemates were given a task in which they had to cast their own body parts in plaster and attach them to a chicken-wire frame, thus creating the "perfect housemate".
On Day 26, the housemates were given a task, in which they had to create a film based on their time in the house, with the housemates portraying one another.
Punishments
On Day 21, all housemates were called to the diary room and given their first official warnings about the violence in the house that occurred.
Exits
On Day 29, Vanessa was evicted from the house, receiving 86% of the public vote to evict.
Week 5
Entrances
On Day 31, Becki entered the house.
Tasks
On Day 30, the housemates were given a task, in which they were required to stake £10,000 on the outcome of three different tests. If they fail a test, they will lose the amount they wagered on this. They wagered a total of £3,000 on the first part of the task, which required Victor to unscramble a word. He failed the task. The second portion saw the housemates wagering £1,000. Victor and Jason had to roll Michelle around in a giant ball, knocking over obstacles within a time limit. They passed this task. The housemates wagered £6,000 on the final portion of the task, which required housemates to guide a loop around wires attached to a helmet on Shell's head. They passed this task, thus only losing a total of £3,000, leaving the prize fund at £74,000.
On Day 32, the housemates were given their next weekly shopping task. For the first part, housemates had twenty seconds to gather costumes provided by Big Brother and get on stage before a song began. The housemates passed their shopping task and earned a luxury shopping budget.
Nominations
The housemates nominated for the third time. Marco and Nadia received the most nominations and faced the public vote. As a new housemate, Becki was immune from being nominated. Becki was also secretly required to select one housemate to nominate by kissing them on both cheeks. She selected Michelle, who was therefore also nominated for eviction.
Exits
On Day 36, Marco was evicted from the house, receiving 52% of the public vote to evict.
Week 6
Tasks
On Day 37, the housemates were given a task in which the housemates were split into being either farmers or cows. The cows were blindfolded and had to be guided around a course by the farmers. The farmers used cattle prods to guide the cows. The housemates failed the task and the prize fund was dropped by £2,500, leaving the prize fund at £71,500.
On Day 39, the housemates were given their next weekly shopping task, which was based on going back to school. Housemates had to attend registration in the morning, and were set several mini-tasks based on school subjects. They failed the task after Nadia misspelt "balloon" in a spelling bee task.
Nominations
Michelle was given her first and final warning after stealing the diary room camera and trying to set it on fire. Daniel, Nadia, Shell and Stuart were also issued a warning since they helped Michelle. Stuart was individually punished by being made to watch a video of his cowboy hat being burned.
Due to discussing nominations, Jason and Victor were banned from nominating this week.
Nominations
The housemates nominated for the fourth time. Ahmed and Becki received the most nominations and faced the public vote.
Exits
On Day 43, Becki was evicted from the house, receiving 62% of the public vote to evict.
Week 7
Tasks
On Day 44, the housemates were given a task in which they were sent to boot camp. Jason and Michelle were selected as sergeants, while the rest of the housemates were privates. In the diary room, Jason and Michelle were told that if the privates passed the task, then they would be up for eviction. If the privates failed the task, then the two sergeants would be nominated. The sergeants passed the task.
On Day 48, the housemates took part in a dating service. Each housemate was required to deliver their own dating message in the diary room in order to present themselves to a potential "love interest". They passed this task and earned alcohol as a reward.
Nominations
Due to the outcome of the boot camp task, Ahmed, Daniel, Nadia, Shell, Stuart and Victor faced the public vote.
Exits
On Day 50, Ahmed was evicted from the house, receiving 56% of the public vote to evict.
Week 8
Tasks
On Day 51, the housemates were given a task in which they had to pick one person to be the "Intellectual" and another to be the "Selector". The rest of the housemates were the "Physicals". The "Intellectual" housemate was required to answer general knowledge questions. Every time they answered a question wrong, one of the "Physical" housemates fell from a giant staircase into a tank of fish guts. The housemates failed this task and lost £15,000. After they found out that they lost, the "Selector", Michelle, was asked to drink a milkshake made from fish guts. Passing this task would result in the £15,000 being added back. Michelle failed to drink the milkshake and the prize fund stayed at £56,500.
On Day 53, the housemates were given a task in which Shell and Victor were chosen as the bride and groom for a wedding. Nadia was the bridesmaid, Daniel was the best man, Jason held the service and Michelle sang at the service. The housemates took part in all the traditional events of a wedding. The housemates failed the task.
On Day 57, the housemates were given a task in which they had one house to create a two-minute mime performance. Passing this task would result in an ice cream machine being added to the house. The housemates failed the task.
Nominations
The housemates nominated for the fifth time. Daniel, Jason, Nadia and Victor received the most nominations and faced the public vote.
Exits
On Day 57, Victor was evicted from the house, receiving 47% of the public vote to evict.
Week 9
Tasks
On Day 60, the housemates were given a task in which they were all weighed. They were then chained together in pairs based on their weight. Daniel and Nádia, the heaviest man and woman were shackled together by the foot. Jason and Michelle were chained together by the arm. Stuart and Shell were shacked together by the waist. The housemates were made to stay shackled together except for when they were in the diary room or in the bathroom. They were required to apply each others' makeup and brush each other's teeth, as well as complete mini-tasks. The housemates passed this task, receiving letters from home and doubling their shopping budget.
Nominations
This week no nominations took place. Instead, all housemates were automatically nominated for eviction.
Exits
On Day 64, Michelle was evicted from the house, receiving 67% of the public vote to evict.
Week 10
Tasks
On Day 65, the housemates were given a task in which they were required to drink various shots that were made from either salt water, oil or fish guts. Passing this task would add £10,000 to the prize fund. The housemates passed this task, and the final prize fund total was £63,500.
On Day 66, the housemates were given a task in which they were provided with materials to make hand puppets that were similar to their fellow housemates. Later in the day, they were all then required to perform a puppet-show with the puppets they made. They passed this task and received an ice cream machine.
On Day 69, the housemates were given their final task in which they had to place some of their own items into a time-capsule and bury it in the garden. They passed this task and received a party. They were unaware that the party was a ruse
Exits
On Day 69, in a surprise eviction, Stuart was evicted from the house, after only receiving 7% of the public vote to win.
On Day 71, Shell left the house in fourth place and Daniel left the house in third place. It was then revealed that Nadia was the winner, leaving Jason as the runner-up.
