Big Brother South Africa is a South African reality competition television series based on the international format and produced locally by Endemol South Africa in which members of the public live in a specially constructed house and are viewed 24/7 by the audience, who also decide - via voting - who ultimately wins the game.
The series premiered on M-Net on Sunday 26 August, 2001 and aired for two seasons.
It's a slacker's dream - getting off work for a few months, lounging in a jacuzzi for hours on end, achieving 15 minutes of notoriety and the possibility of winning a million bucks.
This is the premise of Big Brother South Africa.
A group of ordinary individuals, chosen from thousands of hopefuls, live together in a specially constructed house, isolated from the outside world, watched 24/7 by viewing audiences across the country.
At regular intervals housemates nominate each other for eviction.
The housemates who get the most nominations have to survive a viewer vote. If they don't, they're evicted out of the game.
Only the last person remaining at the end takes home the mega jackpot.
Along the way Big Brother, that infamous and legendary character at the centre of it all, introduces his own twists and turns into the game.
History
M-Net and format owner and production company Endemol SA introduced the concept of reality television to South African audiences in 2001 with the first 24/7 Big Brother broadcasts in the southern hemisphere.
Then, after a second South African season in 2002, Big Brother ventured onto the continent with Big Brother Africa.
After nearly 13 years the show returned to South Africa, rebranded as Big Brother Mzansi and now broadcast on Mzansi Magic.
Winners
Season 1: Ferdinand Rabie
Season 2: Richard Cawood
Broadcast Notes
The first two seasons aired on M-Net (daily shows) and a dedicated, 24-hour DStv channel. Viewers could also watch a live stream on the Big Brother website.