''Big Brother Canada 8'' is the eighth season of the Canadian
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series ''
Big Brother Canada
''Big Brother Canada'' is a Canada, Canadian television Reality competition, reality game show based on the Big Brother (Dutch TV series), Dutch reality show of the same name, which is part of the wider ''Big Brother (franchise), Big Brother'' f ...
''. It is based on the Dutch series of the same name, which gained notoriety in 1999 and 2000.
Arisa Cox
Arisa Cox (born December 7, 1978) is a Canadian television and radio personality, best known as the host of '' Big Brother Canada''. The season premiered with a two-night premiere on March 4–5, 2020, on
Global
Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003
* ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007
* ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989
* ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015
* Bruno ...
and was expected to end on May 21 with the live finale. Preceding the two-night premiere, on March 1, there was a one hour long event, titled ''Big Brother Canadas Supersized Season 8 Preview with
ET Canada
''ET Canada'' (previously referred to as ''Entertainment Tonight Canada'') is a Canadian entertainment news television series, using the same format as the American entertainment newsmagazine ''Entertainment Tonight''. ''ET Canada'' is a broadcas ...
'', which featured interviews with the entire cast, an exclusive tour of the house with Arisa Cox, a retrospective on the past seven seasons, and the official reveal of the season's supersized theme.
The season was planned to run for a total of 83 days. However, on March 24, 2020, ''Big Brother Canada'' announced an early end to production on the season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...
, with the season finale airing on April 1, 2020. All filming ceased on March 24. The prize that would have gone to the winner went to a
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
relief charity.
HouseGuests
The HouseGuests' images and profiles were released on Wednesday, February 26, 2020.
Future appearances
Jamar Lee and Minh-Ly Nguyen-Cao appeared on the fifth season of ''
Ex on the Beach
''Ex on the Beach'' is a British reality television series that is broadcast on MTV. The series was first announced in February 2014, and premiered on 22 April 2014. The series is narrated by Andrew Maxwell. ''Ex on the Beach'' follows the forma ...
''.
Production
Development
On May 30, 2019, ''Big Brother Canada'' was renewed for an eighth season. Nine months later, on January 20, 2020,
Global
Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003
* ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007
* ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989
* ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015
* Bruno ...
announced the two-night premiere on March 4–5, 2020. With the premiere date, they announced the "supersized" theme, but nothing about what that entails.
Arisa Cox
Arisa Cox (born December 7, 1978) is a Canadian television and radio personality, best known as the host of '' Big Brother Canada''.
On March 4, or Day 5 inside the house, Nico Vera decided to leave the game. This was the second time HouseGuest quit ''Big Brother Canada'' and the first time for non-personal reasons, after Ramsey Aburaneh left on
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation) Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughte ...
due to a family emergency.
Then, on March 16, or Day 17 in the house, Jamar Lee was expelled from the house after he broke a house rule by threatening fellow HouseGuest Kyle Rozendal. On March 18, or Day 19, Rozendal was also expelled from the house. These instances were the first and second expulsions in ''Big Brother Canada'' history.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
On March 12, 2020, or Day 13 in the house, ''Big Brother Canada'' suspended all live audiences for their shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 15, or Day 16 inside the house, all of the current HouseGuests were notified of the current events outside of the house, including the pandemic. They were informed that all of their families were healthy. Also that day, production suspended the Have-Not cycle for the week to relieve stress, particularly for the Have-Nots. The HouseGuests were all assessed by a doctor to see if any of them showed signs of the virus; none of them had any symptoms related to the virus. That same day, Global and Insight Productions stated that they plan to continue with the production of the eighth season. On March 22, some of the sixty ''Big Brother Canada'' crew members resigned due to concerns about working during the pandemic.
On March 23, 2020 at 4:47 p.m. EDT, in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
where the show is filmed,
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Doug Ford
Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He ...
ordered the mandatory 14-day closure of all non-essential workplaces by March 24 at 11:59 p.m. As a result, Global and Insight Productions announced that production for the season had ended on March 24, moving the finale up from May 21 and having it air on April 1, 2020; they had no plans to resume production at a later time. The prize that would have gone to the winner went to a
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
relief charity.
It became the third season of ''Big Brother'' worldwide to ever be discontinued, the other two being the
Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
Kasting Inc. returned to cast the eighth season. On August 15, 2019, casting opened online, with open casting calls beginning on October 12, 2019. Open casting calls were held in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
,
Moncton
Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...
,
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
,
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
Kelowna
Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki ...
, and
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. The ability to apply online closed on November 15, 2019. The HouseGuests were announced on February 26, 2020.
Filming
Filming started on February 29, 2020, with a live audience for the premiere episode. A live audience was featured during the two-night premiere. However, on March 12 during the fifth episode, Arisa Cox announced that there will no longer be a live audience over concerns of having large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming took place at Studio 550 in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
Filming came to a halt on March 24 after production ended the season due to the pandemic. The finale was scheduled for May 21. Instead, a special farewell special aired on April 1.
House design
On February 24, 2020, Global released eight images from the house, including the Head of Household room, kitchen, diary room, and backyard. With this drop, the theme for the season was confirmed to be
comic books
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
and
superheroes
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
. During the ''Big Brother Canadas Supersized Season 8 Preview with
ET Canada
''ET Canada'' (previously referred to as ''Entertainment Tonight Canada'') is a Canadian entertainment news television series, using the same format as the American entertainment newsmagazine ''Entertainment Tonight''. ''ET Canada'' is a broadcas ...
'' special on March 1, Arisa Cox gave the viewers a full house tour. The house features an
Expedia
Expedia Inc. is an online travel agency owned by Expedia Group, an American online travel shopping company based in Seattle. The website and mobile app can be used to book airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruise ships, and vacat ...
departure lounge, a swamp-styled Have-Not room, and a
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. It is the place where Superman first learned about his true identity, heritage, and purpose on Eart ...
style Head of Household ensuite.
Release
On January 20, 2020, a press release from Global announced that a never before seen special will air on March 1, 2020, three days before the two-night premiere starting on March 4. ''Big Brother Canadas Supersized Season 8 Preview with
ET Canada
''ET Canada'' (previously referred to as ''Entertainment Tonight Canada'') is a Canadian entertainment news television series, using the same format as the American entertainment newsmagazine ''Entertainment Tonight''. ''ET Canada'' is a broadcas ...
'' will feature interviews with the entire cast, an exclusive tour of the house with Arisa Cox, a retrospective on the past seven seasons, and the official reveal of the season's supersized theme. The free 24/7 live feeds, hosted on ''Big Brother Canada''s website, started on March 5 at 9:00 p.m. EST (6:00 p.m. PST) after the first eviction episode and ended on March 23 abruptly at around 4 p.m. EDT (1:00 p.m. PDT). On March 24, 2020, Global announced that they would be moving the finale broadcast date up from May 21 to April 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing the season to end earlier.
Episodes
Notes
Have-Nots
Notes
Nomination shortlist
Voting history
Notes
* : When the cast was revealed, voting opened for Canada to save a HouseGuest of their choice. The four people who received the fewest votes, Chris, Minh-Ly, Nico, and Susanne, would compete in two competitions. The winners of each competition would be saved. Minh-Ly won the first competition and Chris won the second, leaving Nico and Susanne nominated for the first eviction.
* : On Day 5, Nico walked from the game, cancelling the eviction vote set for Day 6.
* : During Week 3, The Power of Veto Competition was played in pairs. The original player picked had to choose a player to play with them during the competition. If that pair won, then the original player picked would win the Power of Veto and their teammate would receive immunity. Madeline won the Power of Veto, and her partner, John Luke, earned immunity for the rest of the week.
* : On Day 17, Jamar was expelled from the game after allegedly exhibiting "threatening" behaviour toward Kyle. On Day 19, Kyle was expelled from the game for problematic behaviour. As a result of both expulsions, no eviction vote was held for Week 3. The game reset for Week 4, allowing Sheldon (outgoing Head of Household) to compete in Week 4's Head of Household competition, which he ultimately won.
* : The HouseGuests were told that the winner of Week 4's Head of Household competition would win a special power. Sheldon won the competition and was secretly awarded the Wendy's Power Up Necklace - which awarded the holder the ability "Spice up the Veto" (allowing the HoH to play in the PoV) or to "Chop A Vote" (voiding an eviction vote from a HouseGuest at the next eviction). Sheldon chose to "Chop A Vote".
* : On Day 25, ''Big Brother Canada'' announced an early end to production on the season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...