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Big Brother 5 (American season)

Big Brother 5 is the fifth season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It is based upon the Netherlands series of the same name, which gained notoriety in 1999 and 2000. The season premiered on CBS on July 6, 2004, and lasted eleven weeks until the live finale on September 21, 2004. This season was the first to be accompanied by the House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show spin-off series, which was viewable online and discussed the events of the game. The fifth season continued to have the ratings success of the previous season, averaging more than eight million viewers per episode. The Big Brother 5 premiere garnered 9.55 million viewers, almost matching that of the previous season's launch night. Ratings stayed gradually the same, with the finale receiving more than 10 million viewers. The season premiere currently has the third highest ratings for a premiere episode, only behind Big Brother 1 and Big Brother 4. Big Brother 5 featured a total of 14 HouseGuests, an increase from previous editions. The series ended after 82 days, in which HouseGuest Drew Daniel was crowned the Winner, and Michael Ellis the Runner-Up.

Production
Development Shortly after the confirmation of the fourth season, it was confirmed that producers such as Allison Grodner and Arnold Shapiro would return to the series for this season, and were also contracted to do the fifth season. Despite signing on for Big Brother 5, the series had not been confirmed at the time. ensuring three more seasons to air during the Summer time period. Casting for Big Brother 5 began on September 15, 2003, before the conclusion of the previous season. On the fifth season, producer Arnold Shapiro stated, "Allison [Grodner] and I are excited about Big Brother 5, and the new surprises and twists that await this summer's HouseGuests [...] The one constant we can promise participants and viewers alike is: expect the unexpected. We’re seeking the most outgoing, competitive, quirky and charismatic players we can find." Shortly afterwards, host Julie Chen began teasing about some changes to the format, and a video posted online also promised a "twisted" change to the game. The HouseGuests for this season, excluding Natalie, were revealed through the official CBS site for the series on June 30, 2004. Prizes The 14 HouseGuests this season were competing for the main prize of $500,000. The winner of the series, determined by the previously evicted HouseGuests, would win the $500,000 prize, while the Runner-Up would receive a $50,000 prize. Other than the main prize, various luxuries and prizes were given out throughout the season. ==Broadcast==
Broadcast
Big Brother 5 was broadcast on CBS from July 6, 2004, to September 21, 2004. This season featured a change in the airing format, with episodes airing on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday each week. This was a change from the previous season, which aired on Wednesday and Friday instead of Thursday and Saturday. The Thursday episode, which aired at 8pm Eastern Time, featured the live eviction and subsequent Head of Household competition taking place. During the live eviction, the show was hosted by Julie Chen. The Saturday episode, which aired at 9pm Eastern Time, featured the food competition and nomination ceremony, as well as some highlights from the previous days. The Tuesday episode featured the Power of Veto competition and the Power of Veto ceremony, along with more highlights of recent events in the game. Some changes to the scheduling format were made. The season premiere lasted for a total of ninety minutes, and aired on Tuesday at 8pm Eastern Time due to conflicts with the premiere of The Amazing Race 5. This season saw the return of the fantasy game first introduced in the previous season. In the game, players would make a team of HouseGuests and earn points when a member of their team did certain things in the game. The website for the series also featured a "Love 'Em or Leave 'Em" poll, in which fans could monitor the popularity of the HouseGuests each week. Much like the previous editions, the live feeds were also available again for this season. HouseGuests enter the house a few days before the premiere, and the feeds are not live for the first few days. They later go live after the broadcast of the launch episode. This season also saw the introduction of the first spin-off series, House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show. The online webshow, hosted by Gretchen Massey and Big Brother 3 HouseGuest Marcellas Reynolds aired thirty-minute episodes on weeknights, and allowed fans to call in and express their opinions on the events of the game. Evicted HouseGuests were also interviewed on the series following their eviction. This made House Calls the first live Internet talk show produced exclusively for a television network. ==House==
House
The house used for Big Brother 5 remained mostly unchanged from the previous edition in terms of structure. The house was a one-story building which featured numerous two way mirrors around the walls. Behind these mirrors are numerous camera men, who film the HouseGuests non-stop while they are participating in the game. Aside from these, various cameras and microphones are planted in the house, to catch what is happening at all times. The living room featured two white couches sitting across from each other, with the nominees having their own chairs as in the previous seasons. These yellow chairs were in the middle of the couch, and HouseGuests were required to sit here on eviction nights. The bathroom remained unchanged from the previous editions, featuring blue walls with a bathtub and shower. There were a total of four bedrooms this season. One of these had four stone beds in it, with host Julie Chen referring to the room as "pretty bad" in an interview before the premiere. The HoH for the week has this rooms, which features perks such as privacy, laundry service, and pictures from home. This was the first season in which a spy screen was placed in the Head of Household room, which featured a video feed of various rooms in the house. The house also featured a swimming pool and a hot tub, with HouseGuests competing for the hot tub in the first week. This season saw the removal of the basketball court from the backyard, and the fish tank in the house now features miniature sharks rather than fish. ==Format==
Format
The format remained largely unchanged from previous seasons. HouseGuests were sequestered in the Big Brother House with no contact to and from the outside world. Each week, the HouseGuests took part in several compulsory challenges that determined who would win food, luxuries, and power in the House. The winner of the Head of Household competition was immune from nominations and was instructed to nominate two fellow HouseGuests for eviction. After a HouseGuest became Head of Household he or she was ineligible to take part in the next Head of Household competition. HouseGuests also took part in a weekly food competition, with the losing team being placed on the peanut butter and jelly diet for a week. Some competitions allowed all HouseGuests to earn food for the week, while others cause them all to lose food for the week. The winner of the Power of Veto competition won the right to save one of the nominated HouseGuests from eviction. If the Veto winner exercised the power, the Head of Household then had to nominate another HouseGuest for eviction. On eviction night all HouseGuests except for the Head of Household and the two nominees voted to evict one of the two nominees. Unlike other versions of Big Brother, the HouseGuests could discuss the nomination and eviction process open and freely. The last seven evictees of the season, known as the jury members, voted for the winner on the season finale. The jury members were sequestered in a separate house and were not allowed to watch the show except for segments that included all of the HouseGuests. The jury members were not shown any Diary Room interviews or any footage that included strategy or details regarding nominations. The season's main theme was titled "Project Do Not Assume", or "Project DNA" for short, and was incorporated through two twists. The first of these twists were that HouseGuests Michael "Cowboy" Ellis and Jennifer "Nakomis" Dedmon were, unbeknownst to them, half-siblings. The two share the same father, whom Ellis had never met. Ellis quickly figured out the twist, and Big Brother later gave the two letters from home explaining the situation. This twist had no impact on the format of the game, other than the personal implications that arise with the situation. The second twist was that a set of twins were switching spots in the house, with the goal of making it to the fifth week. If they succeeded this without getting caught, they would both be eligible to play as individuals. The twins, Adria and Natalie, both played as Adria, and would switch places at various times in the Diary Room. The sisters succeeded in the task, and Natalie entered the game on Day 35. This twist was later implemented in Big Brother 17. This was also the first season to feature a Fast Forward Week (later seasons were called "double eviction" week), where two HouseGuests were evicted in the span of one week with a second HoH and Veto competitions played concurrently during the remainder of the live show. Additionally, this is the first season in which only six people participated in the Power of Veto Competition: the Head Of Household, the two nominees, and three other players selected by the previously mentioned three's choosing. ==HouseGuests==
HouseGuests
Future appearances Holly King appeared on Big Brother 6 to host a Power of Veto competition. Diane Henry, Jennifer "Nakomis" Dedmon, and Jase Wirey all returned to compete on Big Brother: All-Stars in 2006. Michael "Cowboy" Ellis was a candidate to return for Big Brother: All Stars, but ultimately was not chosen. Marvin Latimer and Scott Long returned to Big Brother: All Stars to participate in various competitions as well. Jase later made an appearance on Big Brother 10 to participate in a food competition. Michael was also a candidate to return for Big Brother 11 in 2009, but ultimately did not enter the game. Jase Wirey was one of four international Big Brother alumni up for a public vote to compete in the fourth season of Big Brother Canada, but was not selected. ==Summary==
Summary
On Day 1, the original thirteen HouseGuests entered the house. That same night, the HouseGuests competed as a group in the "Hungry Hungry Helix" food competition. For this competition, HouseGuests had 75 seconds to crawl through a rotating helix DNA strand with small yellow balls attached to it. Each ball had the name of a food item on it, and each ball they managed to get across the helix would serve as an eatable food for that week; everyone except Holly successfully earned food for the group. During the competition, Lori obtained the "lobster tail" ball, which she was later instructed to keep. For finding this ball, Lori was offered $10,000 in exchange for putting the house on the peanut butter and jelly diet for the week; she accepted this offer, earning the prize. On Day 2, Drew, Jase, Michael, and Scott formed the "Four Hoursemen" alliance. That same day, Karen, Lori, and Will formed an alliance as they feared Jase and Scott as a duo. Michael later discovered that Nakomis was his sister, but chose not to reveal this to anyone yet. That night, HouseGuests competed in the "Treadmills of Terror" Head of Household competition. HouseGuests paired up, with one member of the team answering questions while the other walked on a treadmill. Each question that a HouseGuest's partner missed caused their treadmill to speed up, and the last pair remaining would be finalists for the title. Due to an uneven number of HouseGuests, Will chose to sit out from the competition. Jase and Scott were the finalists, and it was then revealed that Will would ask them a tie-breaker question to determine the winner; Jase correctly answered, and became the first Head of Household of the season. Shortly after the competition, Michael revealed to Jase and Scott that Nakomis was his sister, and they convinced him to tell her. Big Brother revealed the twist to all of the HouseGuests later that night. On Day 4, the HouseGuests competed in the "Margarita Madness" luxury competition, in which they competed for the hot tub. Mike later began attempting to form an alliance to "protect themselves" from the stronger players. On Day 8, the HouseGuests competed in the Power of Veto competition; Jase chose Scott to play in the competition, with Mike and Nakomis choosing Holly and Drew respectively. In the "Flaringo Toss" Power of Veto competition, On Day 14, Mike became the first HouseGuest to be evicted from the house in a unanimous vote of ten to zero. Following Mike's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Majority Rules" Head of Household competition. On Day 15, HouseGuests competed in the "Catapoultry" food competition. Following these nominations, Lori's allies secured the five votes they needed for her to stay in the game. When picking players for the Veto, Marvin chose Drew, Holly chose Jase, and Lori chose Karen. The group then competed in the "Snag the Veto" Power of Veto competition. On Day 18, Jase chose to use the Power of Veto on Holly, with Karen being nominated in her place. On Day 21, Lori became the second HouseGuest to be evicted from the house in a vote of seven to two. Following Lori's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "High/Low" Head of Household competition. On Day 22, HouseGuests competed in the "Alphabet Soup" food competition. a decision which immediately formed a rift in the Four Horsemen alliance. When picking players for the Power of Veto, Drew chose Scott, Holly chose Jase, and Nakomis chose Natalie (pretending to be Adria). The HouseGuests then played in the "Bluff Me a Veto" Power of Veto competition. On Day 25, Nakomis chose to use the Power of Veto on herself, with Adria being named the replacement nominee. On Day 28, Holly became the third HouseGuest to be evicted from the house in a vote of seven to one. Following Holly's eviction, the HouseGuests competed in the "I Have a Secret" endurance Head of Household competition. Due to the endurance Head of Household, no food competition was held that week. On Day 29, Diane chose to nominate Jase and Scott for eviction. When picking players for the Power of Veto competition, Diane chose Will, Jase chose Michael, and Scott chose Drew. The HouseGuests then competed in the "This Little Piggy Won the Veto" Power of Veto competition. For this competition, each player had ten Veto chips to distribute into six ceramic pigs representing a HouseGuest. They had to use the chips on at least two pigs. The pig closest to having 20 chips inside of it without going over would be the Veto winner. Ultimately, Jase was the winner of the competition. He later made the decision to remove himself from the block, with Marvin becoming the replacement nominee. On Day 35, Scott became the fourth HouseGuest to be evicted from the house in a vote of four to three. Moments later, the HouseGuests learned of the twins twist, and Natalie entered the house as an official HouseGuest. Following Scott's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Home Is Where the Answer Is" Head of Household competition. On Day 36, HouseGuests competed in the "Fast Times and Custard Pie" food competition. During the Veto competition, she and her allies would choose three other allies, thus ensuring a member of their team won the Power of Veto. When the Veto was used, she hoped to nominate Jase as the replacement nominee, with the plan ensuring that he could not play for the Power of Veto. On Day 36, Nakomis set forth the plan, nominating Diane and Marvin for eviction. When picking players for the Power of Veto competition, Nakomis chose Adria, Marvin chose Will, and Diane chose Drew. The HouseGuests then competed in the "Pop Goes the Veto" Power of Veto competition. Drew later chose to remove Diane from the block, with Jase being nominated as the replacement nominee. On Day 42, Jase became the fifth person to be evicted from the house in a vote of six to one. Following Jase's eviction, HouseGuests competed in "The Puck Stops Here" Head of Household competition. On Day 43, HouseGuests competed in the "Backyard Burger Bonanza" food competition. When picking players for the Power of Veto competition, Adria chose Drew, Will chose Diane and Marvin chose Michael. HouseGuests then competed in the "A Very Veto Christmas" Power of Veto competition. The HouseGuests later competed in the "Admit One" luxury competition, in which Diane, Drew, and Will earned the right to watch the comedy film Without A Paddle. Later that week, Adria chose to leave the nominations intact. He was the first member of the Jury of Seven. Following Will's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Who Said It?" Head of Household competition. On Day 50, HouseGuests competed in the "Smoothies from hell" food competition. The HouseGuests later participated in "The Web" luxury competition, in which Diane won a $1,000 online shopping spree. She later chose to use the power to save herself, with Nakomis choosing to nominate Michael in her place. On Day 56, Natalie became the seventh HouseGuest to be evicted from the house in a vote of four to one. She was the second member of the Jury of Seven. Following Natalie's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Putting for Power" Head of Household competition. On Day 57, Marvin chose to nominate Adria and Michael for eviction. Karen later decided to leave Adria and Michael nominated for eviction. On Day 63, Adria became the eighth HouseGuest to be evicted from the house in a unanimous vote of four to zero. She was the third member of the Jury of Seven. Following Adria's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Chemical Reaction" Head of Household competition. Following his win, the HouseGuests learned that it would be a Double Eviction week, and that an eviction would occur the following day. That night, he chose to nominate Diane and Marvin for eviction. On Day 65, HouseGuests competed in the "Bounced" Power of Veto competition. She chose to use the Power of Veto to save herself, with Nakomis being nominated as the replacement nominee. He was the fourth member of the Jury of Seven. Following Marvin's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Ready, Set, Gone" Head of Household competition. On Day 65, Nakomis chose to nominate Drew and Michael for eviction. On Day 66, the HouseGuests competed in the "Caged" Power of Veto competition. On Day 70, Karen became the tenth HouseGuest to be evicted from the house in a unanimous vote of two to zero. She was the fifth member of the Jury of Seven. Following Karen's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Before or After" Head of Household competition. On Day 71, HouseGuests competed in the "Trashin' the Fashion" luxury competition. The HouseGuests later competed in the "Socket to Me" final Power of Veto competition. For this competition, there were a total of ten boxes, each with the image of that week's Head of Household, nominees, and Power of Veto winner. They were required to electrically link all of the Power of Veto winners to one another in order, and the HouseGuest with the quickest time would win the Power of Veto. Michael was the winner of the competition, giving him his first win of the season. On Day 75, Michael had to use the veto to save a nominee, therefore evicting the other nominee not saved and chose to use the Veto on Diane. With Drew (the HoH), Michael (the Veto winner), and Diane (Vetoed) all immune from eviction, Nakomis was evicted by a Michael's sole vote, making her the sixth member of the jury. Following Nakomis' eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Earthquake" first round of the final Head of Household competition. Drew was the winner of this competition. Diane and Michael later faced off in the "Twisted twosomes" Head of Household competition, which Michael won. On Day 82, the Jury of Seven chose to award Drew the grand prize in a vote of four to three. ==Episodes==
Voting history
Color key: ;Notes ==Reception==
Reception
Ratings Big Brother 5 had similar ratings to that of the previous season, and averaged a total of 8.30 million viewers per episode. The season premiere drew in 9.55 million viewers, finishing first in its time slot for both total viewers and in key demographics such as Adults 18–49, Adults 18-34 and Adults 25–54. The Thursday, July 15 episode of the series, which saw Mike being evicted from the house, had a total of 8.76 million viewers, up 12% from the previous episode. This episode won its time period for both total viewers and all key demographics. The episode averaged a total of 8.98 million viewers, and won all the time period for the night. The Thursday, August 12 episode, which featured Jase's eviction from the house, garnered a total of ten million viewers. The Tuesday, August 17 episode of the series came in third for the night, behind the Olympics, garnering a total of 8.2 million viewers. The Tuesday, August 24 episode of the series averaged 9.6 million viewers. The Tuesday, September 7 edition of the series averaged 10.7 million viewers. The same episode had a strong 6.8 Nielsen rating and an 11 share. The Thursday, September 9 episode had a 6.2 rating and a 10 share. The finale had a total of 10.54 million viewers, making it the highest rated episode of the season. ==References==
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