“Big Brother, beyond reality”: curiosities of the first edition, 23 years after the premiere

Big Brother (Telefe) is a phenomenon that has been affecting Argentina for a long time. 23 yearspunctually since March 10, 2001.

He reality It didn’t start off in the best way. There were some problems on the air in his debut and he barely made it 15 rating points.

But the success was unstoppable and the final exceeded 36 points.

Some of the best-remembered participants from that period (there were 12 in total) are Gaston Trezeguetwho is currently the producer of the cycle; Daniela Ballesterwho gave a turning point to her career and today she is presenter of C5N, Marcelo Corazza; that he was the winner and that in 2023 he was tried for corruption of minors; AND Tamara Paganinirecognized for the consequences that his time in reality in your mental health.

Of course, back then there were details that were very different from those we see on the screen today: from the furnishings of the house, to the dynamics and prizes, up to the situations, acts and dialogues that scandalized viewers at the time. but which today are common currency.

Here, a review of the curiosities of the first edition of Big Brother Argentina.

1) New beginnings: the players and the prize

Although 22 participants have now signed up and many more have joined with repechages and new registrations, there were far fewer back then. On March 10, 2001, 12 people entered the most famous house and were the finalists 112 days locked up.

The program ended on June 12 and the winner was Corazza, who took the sum of 121,200 pesosa large sum of money for what it was at the time.

2) Controversies and conspiracies

This first edition was not without controversy. Gastón Trezeguet was in a relationship with Eleonora González and they decided commit inside the house.

For the party, which was unthinkable at the time, they asked for special clothes, gifts and foods. The ceremony was officiated by Tamara Paganini and after the wedding vows her friends appeared to toast in a hot air balloon.

Furthermore, the current manufacturer of Telefe He said live that he was homosexual, which was revolutionary for the time.

Trezeguet was a great player and confessed that, to ally himself with his teammates, He wrote the initials of the person he wanted to be named on the ice in the freezer.

Another player who caused shock was Tamara Paganini, who admitted at home that she had danced on the pole in a bowling alley.

3) Iconic moment

One of the most iconic moments of reality It was the one in which a famous person entered the house to visit his ‘little brothers’: none other than himself. Diego Armando Maradona.

The former footballer was also the protagonist of a controversy that continues today and concerns the question of whether he brought a bag of cocaine into the most famous house.

In the images you can see the football star jumping in the garden with the boys when he throws something he had kept in his pocket.

Some time later, in conversation with Clarín, Marcos Gorbán, then executive producer of the series, revealed that what Diez had brought home was a bag with cigarettes.

4) The house and the “Great”

The house was very different and with a very typical decor of that time when colors and puffs were in fashion.

The doors through which the expelled players filed were much smaller than the current ones and also less conspicuous. At the entrance there was a large stable where Margarita the cow and her calf lived, who did not make it to the end of the program. The production had to remove them on the advice of a vet who said the animals were “stressed”.

Next to the stable there was a garden to which the boys spent a lot of time.

The house was much smaller than it is now. The living room had some armchairs facing each other, a coffee table and, of course, the inevitable square television, typical of those years, through which the little brothers watched Solita Silveyra.

In the rooms there were many walls of various colors: they were yellow in the garden, green in the living room, blue in the bedrooms and lilac in the bathroom.

The confessional had the typical red walls that isolated the noise.

Clarification: Big Brother’s voice was COMPLETELY different.

They didn’t have a gym, just a treadmill to walk on.

5) Weekly spending and budget

Weekly shopping was totally different because each person had their own budget. 23 years ago, in 2001, the money available to each participant was 2 dollars a week (something unheard of these days!). That’s as long as they didn’t miss the weekly test… in that case it cost $1 per person.

Weekly tests already existed but they were different from now. They have always been about donations: making chairs for a dining room or cooking to donate to different organizations.

Also, of course, they had the garden where they grew vegetables and also milked the cow Margarita.