The terrifying reality of Big Brother’s coronavirus lockdown

As the COVID-19 pandemic was getting worse in Australia and the county prepared for lockdown, the Big Brother housemates were blissfully unaware.

But on Sunday night’s episode, which was filmed in late March, viewers will see the moment when the contestants finally realised how serious the situation had become.

Host Sonia Kruger revealed on Sunrise on Thursday how the stars reacted to the shocking news that a crew member had come into contact with someone with coronavirus, leading to a 48-hour production shutdown.

‘Things were happening so quickly on the outside and I think when we got to about 100 cases [in early March], the decision was made to let the housemates know, that there was a global pandemic,’ Sonia said.

‘I think they thought we were joking. Then we got to 1,000 cases [later in the month], and one of our crew members had a brush with the virus. The game shut down.’ 

Sonia said that while the contestants felt ‘safe’ in the Big Brother compound, they were worried for their families on the outside.   

‘They wanted information but most of them were quite happy because they knew they were in a safe place,’ she said. 

‘They were concerned about their families on the outside.’ 

In particular, Sophie Budack was worried about her sister and mother, who live in Amsterdam, and Daniel Gorringe feared that his girlfriend, who was on holiday in the U.S. at the time, wouldn’t be able to get home.    

As a result, Big Brother’s production team allowed the housemates to speak to their family members, which normally isn’t allowed. 

‘What you see in [Sunday’s] episode is we actually let them speak to those loved ones on the outside,’ she said. 

‘It’s like witnessing a moment in history because these people have had no real exposure to what’s going on.’

Big Brother continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Seven