Big Brother Australia 2001

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Contents
1 Housemates 2 Housemate Summary Table

Big Brother 2001 was the first series of Big Brother Australia. The season ran from April 23, 2001 to July 16, 2001, a duration of 86 days.

Potential contestants in the show were required to send video applications to the show's producers, in which they sold themselves as entertaining housemates.

When compared to the more complex arrangements and twists that emerged in later series, this season presented a rather basic set-up which stuck closely to the traditional Big Brother concept. The main twist was the entrance of two Intruders about half-way through the series.

The winner of the series was Ben Williams, and the runner-up was Blair McDonough, who later got a role in Network Ten's daily soap opera Neighbours. It was the only series where housemates were allowed to nominate fellow housemates without a reason (something that is enforced strongly in later seasons).

Some of the more memorable moments of the series were:

• Christina and Peter, a couple that got together early in the series, and their antics under the bed covers or "dancing doona" as it was dubbed. Many viewers suspected some sort of sexual activity went on, though it was clearly not full intercourse as both participants remained lying beside each other on their backs for the duration of the incident.
• Housemate Andy Silva, who was well known for showering outside in the backyard and her stories about her sexual adventures. Her goal of sleeping with at least seven other housemates (male or female) never got a chance to be completed as she was evicted in the first eviction.
  

  

  The Big Brother 2001 eviction stage (faces of housemates inset).

• Popular housemates Jemma and Johnnie hit an obstacle when Christina walked-in on them discussing nominations (and, crucially, their agreed opinion that Christina would be nominated that week). Their conversation was deemed to be collusion - something that is against the rules of the series - and Jemma and Johnnie were subsequently reprimanded by Big Brother, with Jemma punished by not being allowed to nominate that week. In the next two evictions Johnnie and then Jemma were evicted.
• Sara-Marie, the bum-dancing strip-club manager famous for loud behaviour and wearing bunny ears through her stay in the house. The show's most famous cult-figure, she was somewhat surprisingly evicted before Blair or Ben. She was nominated many times by the housemates, but stayed in the house week after week - after a while she cottoned on that the public must like her for being herself.

[edit] Housemates

[edit] Ben

Ben Williams, from Epping, North West Sydney, New South Wales, entered the House on Day 0 and was the winner of Big Brother 2001.

[edit] Blair

Blair McDonough, from Melbourne, Victoria. The runner-up of Big Brother 2001, Blair went on to a regular acting role in Neighbours from 2001 to 2006. Now in the UK pursuing acting opportunities.

[edit] Sara-Marie

Sara-Marie Fedele, a strip-club manager from Western Australia, entered the House on Day 0. Sara-Marie become one of the most popular housemates in the first season, well known for her trademark bunny-ears, pyjamas and "bum dance", which some said gained cult status. She was evicted on day 84, the day before the Finale. Since then, she has appeared in Celebrity Big Brother Australia and in a few episodes of the afternoon children's program Totally Wild on Network Ten, and participated in Dancing with the Stars, series two in 2005. In a vote that took place during Big Brother 2006, Sara-Marie was voted most loved housemate ever. Seen in 2006 on Celebrity Survivor as Imogin Baileys friend

[edit] Christina

Christina Davis, a former ballerina from Sydney, New South Wales, entered the House on Day 0. She quickly started a relationship with fellow housemate Peter. She was evicted on Day 77. She is now a stand-up comedian and appeared in FHM's Search for Australia's Funniest Man (or Woman).

[edit] Jemma

Jemma Gawned, from Melbourne, Victoria, entered the House on Day 0 and was evicted on Day 70. She now has her own make-up products and appeared on the now defunct Good Morning Australia on Network Ten.

[edit] Johnnie

John Cass, known in the House as Johnnie, is from Sydney, New South Wales. He entered the House on Day 0, and was evicted on Day 63. He was labelled "Johnny Rotten" in the media after the broadcast of footage that showed him giving consoling hugs to housemates upset that they had been nominated for eviction, where he had himself nominated them.

[edit] Anita

Anita Bloomfield, from Sydney, New South Wales. entered the House as an Intruder on Day 36. Despite being chosen over fellow Intruder Rachel to stay in the house, she quickly got on other housemates' nerves, and was subsequently evicted two weeks later on Day 56.

[edit] Peter

Peter Timbs, from Sydney, New South Wales, entered the House on Day 0. He started a relationship with Christina shortly after entering the House. He was evicted on Day 49, and now works for TV Week.

[edit] Lisa

Lisa Standing entered the House on Day 0, and was evicted on Day 42. She was called the "fence sitter" as she never got involved in conflict or sided with anyone.

[edit] Rachel

Rachel Corbett entered the House as an Intruder on Day 36. She was evicted 4 days later in a vote where the original housemates had to decide which of the two intruders they wanted to stay.

[edit] Gordon

Gordon Sloan, an architect, entered the House on Day 0 and was evicted on Day 35. He became a "human shield" in the Iraq War (which was featured on Nine Network's A Current Affair).

[edit] Todd

Todd James entered the House on Day 0 and was evicted on Day 28.In the 28 days he was there he went in with dreadlocks and came out with a shaved head. Just been given the honour of hosting the breakfast show on PBS radio Melbourne which use to be hosted be different people each morning

[edit] Sharna

Sharna West, a flight attendant for Ansett Airlines, entered the House on Day 0 and was evicted from the house on Day 21.

[edit] Andy

Andy Silva was a dominatrix from Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales. She attracted publicity due to her descriptions of her sexual activities prior to entering the house. She would often shower nude in the backyard, and said that one of her goals within the house was to have sex with seven other housemates (male or female), a goal she was not able to accomplish as she was evicted on Day 14. She has since returned to being a dominatrix in Sydney

[edit] Housemate Summary Table

See also: Big Brother 2001 Australia nominations table

	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Week 8	Week 9	Week 10	Week 11	Week 12
											Day 84	Day 85
Up for Eviction	Andy Gordon Sara-Marie	Christina Peter Sharna	Gordon Sara-Marie Todd	Gordon Lisa Peter	Blair Christina Lisa Sara-Marie	Christina Peter Sara-Marie	Anita Christina Jemma	Ben Johnnie Sara-Marie	Blair Christina Jemma	Ben Christina Sara-Marie	Ben Blair Sara-Marie	Ben Blair
Evicted	Andy	Sharna	Todd	Gordon	Lisa	Peter	Anita	Johnnie	Jemma	Christina	Sara-Marie	Blair
Intruders	-	-	-	-	-	Anita Rachel	-	-	-	-	-	-

Big Brother Australia

2001 | 2002 | Celebrity Big Brother | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006

Spin-offs: Friday Night Games | The Up-Late Game Show