Jillian MacLaughlin Wins Big Brother Canada in Controversial Fashion

The first ever season of Big Brother Canada is complete and after a highly controversial finale, Jillian MacLaughlin is the first winner.  The season was full of great moments and gameplay, and the finale relived it all in traditional Big Brother finale fashion; but when it came down to the final vote, a controversial mistake changed everything.

As seen on the finale, the final 3 were Gary, Jillian, and Emmett.  The final 3 competed in the traditional 3 part final HOH competition which saw Gary and Emmet face off in the final round.  In a surprise move, Gary evicted Emmett who he had an alliance with since being voted back in the house.  Gary and Jillian were the final 2 as they both pleaded their case for victory.  Gary has been a fan favorite and had played an awesome social game, but Jillian had won multiple competitions and didn't seem to be in danger at any point in the game.  The one loophole in Jillian's path to the end was that she had backstabbed some people and it was very evident they would hold it against her with their vote. Gary on the other hand was giving heartfelt speeches about overcoming adversity that seemed to have everyone behind him.  As luck would have it, his closest ally ended up behind his demise (accidentally.)

As we see every year on the Big Brother finale, the jury members go up and cast their vote for who they want to win.  As host Arisa Cox read each vote, a shock was felt by everyone as it was announced that Gary's biggest ally and supporter Topaz had actually voted for Jillian to win.  This is when things got crazy.  Seconds later Topaz was raising her hand and going up to the podium to dispute the vote.  Arisa Cox was obviously flustered by this as she couldn't get Topaz to sit back down and stop protesting. Topaz was claiming someone had to have switched the vote and was demanding a re-vote.  They actually cut to commercial to get things together again.

Upon returning form commercial, they aired a replay which plainly showed that Topaz had mistakenly voted the wrong way, which ended up giving the win to Jillian.  It's hard to imagine that a mistake in the voting actually took away what would have been a win for Gary.  Going in it seemed like Jillian would have taken the win based on all of her competition wins, but Gary really swayed things with his presentation during the finale.  Technically he did win, as that 1 mistaken vote is what it all came down to.

So did Gary really lose?  He will no doubt go on to do big things in the entertainment world after gaining so much popularity on the show.  Will he forgive Topaz?  I'm sure he will if he hasn't already.  The REAL question here is, should Big Brother have allowed Topaz to correct her mistake?  Or did they do the right thing in strictly sticking to the rules once the votes are cast?  It was rough to watch and a rough way to lose the game, but rules are rules, and Jillian will go down as the first ever winner of Big Brother Canada.

*Update* Here is video of all the controversy that went down:

Big Brother Canada Spoilers: Former Big Brother Winner Enters the House!

***Warning - Spoilers ahead, don't read if you want to be surprised***


Big Brother Canada is down to the final 5 houseguests - Talla, Andrew, Jillian, Emmet, and of course Gary who was voted back into the house this past week.  Usually at this point the action in the house gets pretty slow, but we have to give major credit to the Big Brother Canada producers for keeping it interesting by having all kinds of surprises and tasks going.  Today the big surprise was a mystery person entering the house to spend a night with the houseguests.  It turned out to be none other than Big Brother 10 winner and Big Brother 14 finalist Dan Gheesling!

That's right, Dan himself walked through the Big Brother Canada doors to the delight of the houseguests.  Before he came in it seemed like a couple of the houseguests like Andrew and Emmet were less than thrilled with someone coming in after Gary just returned Thursday, but everyone seems pretty genuinely happy and a bit star struck after the fact.

Dan came in and met everyone, and has pretty much acted like he hasn't kept up with the show at all (may or may not be true.)  His first move was to tell the houseguests he had an announcement to make, and it was that he was wearing black for a reason (sound familiar?)  Tonight isn't his funeral, but it would be one of the theirs as Dan announced he had been given the power to evict one houseguest.  He proceeded to go around the room asking each one why they loved Big Brother.  After they all answered, Dan revealed that it was all a joke and no one was being evicted....typical Dan!

It should be an interesting day as we will get to see if Dan has any advice for the houseguests or maybe even more tricks up his sleeve.  With Dan in the house NOT playing the game and not having to worry about that end of things, "Dan the Man" will no doubt have some sort of hilarity on the mind.  Here is the full video of Dan entering the Big Brother Canada house (and subsequently being attacked by Talla) thanks to onlinebigbrother.com:

 

Our Official Opinion: Big Brother Canada Doesn't Suck!

Ever since we announced that a Big Brother Canada was on the way, the speculation and outright worry has been that it wouldn't live up to it's U.S. counterpart.  It wasn't clear if the Canadian Big Brother would be more like the International versions of the show which are in some cases quite different than what we're used to.  Maybe the format wouldn't be the same, maybe the cast wouldn't be good, maybe it would just flat out suck.  Well we've given it 3 full weeks before giving an official opinion, but we're thrilled to say that Big Brother Canada doesn't suck!

From top to bottom this show has given us improvements on a lot of the problems we have with Big Brother in the U.S. every summer.  First off we got a fresh cast that seems genuinely excited to be there and many of who are constantly scheming which makes for fun watching.  Not only that, but the cast isn't afraid to speak their mind or jump right into a showmance, as we've seen 3 develop pretty much right from the get go. 

Second the producers have implemented tasks that keep things interesting and entertaining in between the usual HOH/POV events.  The phone in the house that can ring at any time and deliver a mission to any houseguest really keeps things interesting.  Then add in the total randomness of "Marsha The Moose" who also appeared and delivered a mission to Peter was something NO one could have seen coming.

Finally, the way production has made sure the rules aren't broken has been outstanding.  From have-nots failing to follow procedure to houseguests not listening to direction from Big Brother, the punishments have been stern yet add a little extra entertainment for viewers as well. Apparently the biggest example of this is yet to come as apparently there has been accusations of cheating in the most recent HOH competition, and Big Brother Canada are already on the case of addressing and correcting the situation.

If you are in the middle of that part of the year where you're really missing Big Brother, Big Brother Canada is the perfect fix.  You can follow all the episodes thanks to this YouTube channel that posts them right away on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Big Brother 15 Casting Call Dates and Locations

It's that time again!  While Big Brother Canada is holding us over for the winter, Big Brother 15 is just around the corner and open casting calls will be held around the country beginning this weekend!  Now is your chance to live the dream of living in the Big Brother house.  Don't see an open casting call on the list below in a city near you?  No problem; You can apply online and send in an application/video and still have a chance to be chosen for this summer's Big Brother 15!

LOS ANGELES CA.

Saturday March 16, 2013

11am - 2pm

CBS RADFORD

4200 Radford Avenue

Studio City Ca. 91604

 

PHILADELPHIA PA.

Friday March 22, 2013

2pm-4pm

CBS3 STUDIOS

1555 Hamilton St. ( Corner of 16th )

Philadelphia PA 19130

 

CHARLESTON WV.

Saturday March 23, 2013

1pm - 5pm

CHARLESTON TOWN CENTER

Center Court

Lee & Quarrier Streets

Charleston WV 25389

 

FARGO ND.

Saturday March 23, 2013

12pm-3pm

FARGO BILLIARDS & GASTROPUB

3234 43rd Street South

Fargo ND 58104

 

SAN ANTONIO TX.

Saturday March 23, 2013
2pm-6pm

CELEBS STAR BAR

245 East Commerce

San Antonio TX.

 

PHOENIX AZ.

Saturday March 23, 2013
4pm-7pm

DOLLHOUSE COCKTAIL LOUNGE

7419 East Indian Plaza

Scottsdale AZ 85251

 

COLUMBIA SC.

Sunday March 24, 2013
2pm-5pm J

T's KIA

230 Killian Commons Parkway

Columbia, SC. 29203

 

GREENBAY WI.

Sunday March 24, 2013
2pm - 5pm

GREEN BAY DISTILLERY

835 Potts AveAshwaubenon WI 54304

 

CONNECTICUT

Thursday March 28, 2013
10am - 12pm

MOHEGAN SUN

1 Mohegan Sun Blvd.Uncasville CT 06382

 

NEW YORK NY.

Thursday March 28, 2013
7:30pm - 9pm

ARENA STEAKHOUSE

4916 Arthur Kill Road

Staten Island NY

 

CHICAGO IL.

Saturday March 30, 2013
1pm - 4pm

THE CUBBY BEAR

1059 West Addison St.Chicago IL. 60613

 

MINNEAPOLIS MN.

Saturday March 30, 2013
1pm - 4pm

MALL OF AMERICA ( in the Rotunda )

60 East Broadway

Bloomington MN 55425

 

JACKSONVILLE FL.

Saturday March 30, 2013
5:30pm - 9:30pm
WHISKEY RIVER
4850 Big Island Drive, Suite 03
Jacksonville FL. 32246

 

OKLAHOMA CITY OK.

Saturday March 30, 2013
2pm-5pm
BOB MOORE KIA OF EDMOND
13241 Broadway Ext.
Oklahoma City, OK 73114

 

GAINESVILLE FL.

Saturday April 6, 2013
10am-1pm

HONDA OF GAINESVILLE

3801 N Main Street

Gainesville FL.

 

HARRISONBURG VA.

Thursday April 11, 2013
5:30pm - 7:30pm

VALLEY HONDA / VW

296 Lee Jackson Hwy.

Staunton VA. 24401

 

NEW ORLEANS LA.

Friday April 19th,
5pm - 9pm

HOUSE OF BLUES NEW ORLEANS

225 Decatur St.

New Orleans, LA 70130

 

ANCHORAGE AK.

Saturday April 20, 2013
11am-1pm

THE PEANUT FARM

5227 Old Seward Highway

Anchorage AK.

 

PORTLAND ME.

TBA

How to Watch Big Brother Canada Live Feeds if You Live in the U.S.

Big Brother Canada is less than a week old but has already been the talk of the Big Brother community.  Seeing 15 fresh faces with no veterans directing them and filling them in on how every aspect of the game works has been great.  The one downside is that those of us in the U.S. don't have access to the live feeds on the official site, but thankfully some kind souls have set up streams that allow us to watch the Big Brother Canada live feeds 24/7.

Many people have set up proxies and such in order to view the feeds but  we prefer to keep it simple and have been watching at http://www.justin.tv/bb_canada#/w/5005862432/97 which has done a great job of providing 24/7 access to all four cameras on the live feeds.  The overall feeling so far is that the Big Brother Canada feeds have been awesome since production doesn't cut them off for every little thing, pretty much only competitions which is expected.  Other than that the Canadian feeds have been a great fix for those of us waiting out all these months until Big Brother 15.

Video: First Big Brother Canada Live Eviction Episode

We've only had 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada so far, yet we are already down to 14 houseguests since last night's episode was the first live eviction.  We left off on episode 1 with Tom and Emmit nominated for eviction by HOH Suzette, but Tom won the POV as the episode ended.  We won't spoil it here for those of you that want to watch the full episode, but we will say that there is a lot of gameplay going on already and Big Brother Canada has been fun to watch so far.  Here is the full first live eviction episode of Big Brother Canada:

 

Video: Big Brother Canada Episode 1

Big Brother Canada is off and running, and to say it has been non stop craziness from the get go would be an understatement.  While fans in the U.S. aren't able to view the show on Slice TV, luckily the episodes and live feeds are both being made available for U.S. viewing thanks to some helpful Big Brother fans who are making it happen.

Episode 1 of Big Brother Canada is below, and features everything from some brief bios on the houseguests to the crowning of the first HOH in the house.  One of the first big surprises was that there is a phone in the house that rang just after the houseguests entered, and was answered by Suzette.  As she answered the phone the Big Brother voice told her she had been crowned the first HOH by being the one to answer (quite a change from the usual competition we see in our version,) and now had to nominate 2 others based on first impressions alone.  Suzette nominated Emmett and Tom (probably the 2 biggest male threats in the house) and drew a bit of a battle line in the process.

The action didn't stop there, as host Arissa Cox informed us that the first POV competition would be going down as well.  The houseguests then played a competition where they had to pop balloons with by wearing spiked belts, and Tom showed he is here to play by winning the POV.  Overall the show felt like a bit of a mix of the U.S. version and some of the international versions.  It is close enough that it looks like we will still enjoy the season.  On tonight's live eviction episode we will see who is chosen as his replacement nominee, and also see Big Brother Canada's very first eviction.  Check out the full episode 1 below, and keep in mind Canada may not censor some of the same language that we hear censored in the U.S.:

 

First Look at the Big Brother Canada House!

We are only days away from Big Brother Canada kicking off and filling our Big Brother void for the winter!  Of course there is a ton of speculation as to how this first edition of the Canadian Big Brother will go, but now we get to see what the house looks like and we must say, in our opinion it's pretty similar to the Big Brother U.S. house.

I feel like we basically looking at a revamped version of what we get here every summer, but that's not really a bad thing.  I think many of us don't connect with some of the international versions of Big Brother simply because they seem so different than what we're used to.  It looks like Big Brother Canada will be more of an extension of what we're used to, which should make for a great season.

Now on to the house.  Although it may look similar, there are some changes in the house that could really shake things up.  First off, there is ONE, yes ONE bedroom (not counting the HOH room of course.) The one  bedroom has 7 double beds that the rest of the houseguests will have to share...THAT should be interesting.  Also the "backyard" and pool area is actually indoors, which makes sense to the extreme Canadian cold.  We have heard that there is a "secret room" (maybe not so secret) in the yard that actually leads to an outside hot tub.  Also as you can see it looks like the Canadian houseguests will get a lot more workout equipment than what we normally see.  Other than that you can see a few other differences in the pics below such as the stall style bathroom that is less private than the U.S. one, and a long kitchen table instead of a round one:



So what do you think of the house?  Did Big Brother Canada do it right or should they have made the house way more different than the U.S. house?

Big Brother Canada Cast Revealed!

 

Today is the big day, the very first look at the cast of the inaugural edition of Big Brother Canada!  As you can see from the above pic it looks like we're in for a pretty diverse cast, and that's definitely part of the formula for an exciting house.  On top of everything else, it will be interesting to see this cast in an all new house we've never seen before since this is the very first edition of Big Brother Canada.

Here is some information on the 15 Canadian houseguests from the Shaw Media Press Release (we've tried to match up the bios from left to right with the above pic):

Anuj “A.J.” Burman – 32 - quick on his feet this slick salesman from Toronto claims he can sell anything to anyone

Danielle Alexander – 20 - a self-proclaimed party girl from Fort McMurray who knows how to get what she wants

Liza Stinton – 29 - thrill seeking tanning salon owner from Toronto who works hard and plays even harder

Alec Beall – 26 - cocky but loveable this doctoral student from Vancouver believes his PhD in Social Psychology is his key to the grand prize

Talla Rejaei – 26 - exotic Persian beauty from Edmonton who’s out to prove there is more to her than what meets the eye

Emmett Blois – 24 - adorable and innocent East Coast farm boy with a strong work ethic and a heart of gold

Kat Yee – 27 - free-spirited and sporty, this tom boy from Toronto loves life and isn’t afraid of a little competition

Aneal Joshua Ramkissoon – 21 - sweet, smart, super fan from Richmond Hill who plans to do his thesis on Big Brother

Jillian MacLaughlin – 27 - small town elementary school teacher from Nova Scotia with a big personality

Gary Levy – 21 - Toronto socialite with a passion for fashion

Andrew Monaghan – 38 - hopeless romantic and charming down home East Coaster 

Suzette Amaya – 36 - loving mama bear from Vancouver with a passion for hip-hop and her community

Peter Brown – 26 - this calculating professional YouTuber from New Brunswick approaches everything like a mathematical equation

Thomas Plant – 24 - handsome and hardworking, this Calgary firefighter loves to party

Emerald “Topaz” Brady – 27 - a sweet dental hygienist from Scarborough, this gem is single and ready to mingle

So there you have it, quite a nice balance of ages, personalities, and occupations mixed in this house. It's great to see a totally fresh cast since since they will all be new to the game and won't know what to expect.  All the action kicks off next week on February 27th!  Here is a video that might show us how outgoing this cast might be, as they give us a bit of a debut in the form of song:

 

First Big Brother Canada Commercial!

Can you believe we are only a couple of weeks away from the debut of Big Brother Canada?  The show premieres on February 27th on Slice in Canada; we're still waiting on word on how we in the U.S. might be able to watch.  Given we are 2 weeks out, the lack of information has been quite surprising, although we do know that the live feeds will be available free (at least in Canada.)

We can finally say that we at least have a commercial for Big Brother Canada and of course since this is the first one and there isn't any footage from past seasons, we instead get a humorous approach with Candian classics like lumberjacks, snow, of course hockey along with some mentions of Big Brother traditions like fake smiles and broken promises.  Just seeing this commercial has us pretty pumped for a winter Big Brother, the next full days should be full of more information and hopefully a cast reveal!