Big Brother (Dutch TV series) season 1
Big Brother 1999 is the first season of the Dutch version of Big Brother, and also served as the debut season of the Big Brother franchise. The show ran between September 16 and December 30, 1999 for a total of 106 days and was broadcast by the Dutch television channel Veronica. The specially built house was located at a factory-site in Almere and presented by Rolf Wouters and Daphne Deckers.
Development
The program was an instant hit and experienced exceptionally high ratings. Viewers and stream-watchers of internet forum FOK! alike were fascinated by the boredom and the group dynamics of the nine housemates. Brabant-born Ruud was considered to be the alpha male of the little community. This Burgundian became the darling of the public with his often repeated oneliners and his simple philosophies in the diary room. His lieutenant was the Frisian Willem, who took up the role of house cook. Hotly debated was the relation between the leading female, housewife Karin, and her much younger 'mate' Maurice. Also much talked about was a sex-scene between Bart and Sabine. The long-awaited action under the blankets was captured by the night-vision cameras in the bedroom.The first-ever evicted housemate was Martin, who also vied for Sabine's attention and had accused Bart of being gay. He was voted out with 30% of the vote with Bart being a close second. The first-ever voluntary exit was for young Tara, who left after only nine days because of boredom. Much maligned was Amsterdam-born intruder Mona, who took her place. In the end, Willem betrayed his friend Ruud in the nominations, and Bart became the first-ever winner of Big Brother. He has won ƒ250,000.
During the season the housemates were visited by artists George Baker, Marco Borsato and Anouk. After they had left the house, both Tara and Sabine obtained photoshoots in the Dutch Playboy. The communally recorded song Big Brother and the tune Leef reached number one in the pop charts.