At Seven’s Upfront presentation Monday, Big Brother Australia was announced to be returning in 2022 with an all-star twist. So just who should return?
When Big Brother Australia returns next year, it will be the 14th season to air since it began, with 21 years under its belt across the three networks it has now been shown on.
While 12 of the housemates will be your everyday Aussies, 12 will be some all-star veterans, set to make a return to the game that has well and truly changed since it was revamped in 2020 for Channel Seven.
And thankfully, it looks like it won’t just be returnees plucked out of the two seasons Seven has screened, and will encompass favourites from all of the previous 13 BBAU iterations.
At TV Blackbox we want to know just who YOU want to see return in the new season, so leave us a comment with your top picks to be a second-timer housemate.
In the mean time, I’ve compiled my own list of 12 who I think should reenter Big Brother’s doors. And to keep it as fair as possible, I factor in a few things:
Even 6-6 sex split, men and women.
A fair distribution from all 13 seasons.
Recognisable (not a stretch) faces.
So with that, here’s my fantasy veteran lineup for Big Brother Australia in 2022. Let me know what you think.
2001 – Season One
Sara-Maria Fedele – 3rd Place
Absolutely, 1000x yes! Sara-Marie was one of the stand out housemates from the show’s original season and helped put it on the map of the staple television it has been for so many years. She was also the first housemate to transition into Celebrity Big Brother Australia (Danny Hayes will be the second). Now that she’s 44 years-old and not 22, like the first time she participated, Sara-Marie is the Season One face we need to represent Big Brother’s earliest year. Nobody can do it like her.
2002 – Season Two
Nathan ‘Marty’ Martin – Runner-Up
We have to bring in one half of the Marty & Jess couple who took Australia by storm circa 2002, and it seems only right the man who just missed out on the title of ‘winner’, Marty Martin, fits the bill. After marrying Jess in 2004, the couple quickly fizzled out 15 months later and divorced. Now, Marty’s got a nice family and may have put BB behind him. But if he were up for it, Marty would be another callback to the good old Big Brother days, and would be a great get for the 12 vets in 2022.
2003 – Season Three
Reggie Sorensen – Winner
Big Brother Australia’s first female winner is still one of the most popular. Reggie, the Tasmanian fish and chip shop owner, has to be the one locked face on this season. Her down-to-earth charm won over Australia before, and it is no doubt down to do so again 19 years later. A season featuring Big Brother all-stars is not right if Reggie isn’t on the list, and TV Blackbox exclusively knows she’s was in talks to appear in the VIP season. Perhaps this is Reggie’s moment.
2004 – Season Four
Trevor Butler – Winner
2004 had so many great characters, and I was tempted to put Fitzy on the list, but tried to stay a little more realistic. But Trevor is just as an iconic face from this season as any. Another winner on the list, I feel like Trevor would be a strong pick to join the cast. It would inject some racial diversity with his Fijian-Australian background, but mainly he’s been such an incredible face for the first few years of the show. My only hiccup is that since Trevor was the only BB winner to take home the $1million prize, would he settle for $250K?
2005 – Season Five
David Logan Mathew – 8th Place/Winner
As part of the Logan’s twin twist, David and Greg Logan were swapping out for weeks on the show, pretending to be one sole housemate. Eventually, the twist became undone, but the pair remained in the house as one entity… until they didn’t. A special eviction show saw the house vote between the two Logan’s, and it meant David has to go home and watch his brother fight it out and win the show himself. And Greg did. While David technically walked away with the win thanks to being of shared housemate status, it’s certainly a big asterisk to his name and something he could come back and remove, by winning for himself this time.
2006 – Season Six
David Graham – 3rd Place
David made headlines back in 2006, when he came out as gay on the show in a time where it wasn’t as accepted as much as it is now. But that’s only one part of David’s personality, he was also a lovable farmer and all-around good guy. 15 years later, Dave is still looking in shape and engaging with a sizeable audience online, so it certainly wouldn’t be out of left field to see him on the cast. I think Dave would be a lot of fun in the house again, let’s make it happen.
2007 – Season Seven
Aleisha Cowcher – Winner
2007 is another year with a really great group of housemates, especially those that round out the final few. But it was Aleisha who stood out amongst all the rest and went home as a 20-year-old winner of Big Brother after one of the closest finale votes in the show’s history. Her bubbly attitude and adoring personality made Australia fall in love with her. Back then she was in a relationship with Billy, now Aleisha would be playing as a wife and mother of two kids. We deserve to see how the latter Aleisha would win us over again.
2012 – Season Nine
Michael Beveridge – 4th Place
We’re moving into Nine’s iteration of the show now, and when it kicked off in 2012, Michael was a standout favourite from the start both in the house and with the public. He didn’t end up going all the way, but I think he would be a great addition to the house again if he joined the returnee lineup. Michael was a fun character, social powerhouse, and someone who could try his hand at the new game with some flair too. I think he’d be a great choice, 10 years later.
2013 – Season Ten
Tim Dormer – Winner
The first winner to really play Big Brother like it’s a game, Tim was a manipulator and strategist with a fun, quirky personality that would make him one of the ultimate grabs for the 2022 season. After trying his hand at the Canadian version of the show (similar in format to our Australian version now), Tim masterfully played the game there and made it all the way to 3rd. Tim’s already proven himself to adapt to the twists and turns of the game, and we could expect some big moves that would give Danny Hayes a run for his money if he joins next year.
Tully Smyth – 13th Place
Tully may be a more wild pick and she’s certainly not a face that managed to stay until the final few weeks of the house, but she was equally one of the most recognisable for the controversy she produced on the show. Tully effectively was known for cheating on her girlfriend with fellow housemate Drew when she was last in the house. Now that the game is about lying and deceiving, Tully would no doubt fit right in and be a key strategist against the others. We don’t need 12 lovable veterans in this season, we need some of those love-to-hate ‘villainous’ personalities.
2020 – Season Twelve
Angela Clancy – 11th Place
With lip gloss and tea in hand, Angela Clancy was a big reason Seven’s era of Big Brother has catapulted off to a great start. Her feisty personality and strong game sense made her a fantastic player and character to watch every week. Unable to win over her fellow housemates, Angela’s got a chance to tweak her strategy a little and make it to the top three, where she’d be a strong contender to win it all.
2021 – Season Thirteen
Tilly Whitfield – 8th Place
She was one of the biggest characters, competitive threats, and lovable personalities in the 2021 season. Tilly would come back with only those final few days in sight. With such a strong reputation in the house and huge fanbase outside, Tilly would be one of the biggest threats to win the game if she were to make it to the end. But we’re in need of some good people who understand this new game firsthand, and I think Tilly would round out the 12 all-stars perfectly.
There are so many faces Big Brother Australia could see return next year. And with only 12 to pick and run with, there’s really a chance to make them the best 12 possible.
My list is well and truly a fantasy grab, so who did I miss out on?
Join in on the fun and let TV Blackbox know who deserves another shot at Big Brother’s game in the comments, and tell me who needs to be swapped out.
Some housemates may have put the show behind them, but if enough of the great ones say yes – we’d be in for a bloody great show. And I don’t think the 12 newbies will even stand a chance against whoever the favourites crew ends up being.
I loved Gordon. I think he was in season 1 or 2.
Nathan, marty Martin.