Big Brother Brasil, or BBB, is Brazil’s biggest group chat turned into a TV show. It’s inspired by the book 1984 by George Orwell, where a group of people lives together in one house, being recorded live by cameras 24/7, while the public votes on who stays and who leaves. Leading to the final prize after 3 months, which ranges from 1.5 to 5 million Brazilian reais. There are friendships, fights, alliances, fake smiles, dramatic speeches, and the most important: The paredao, when participentes face elimination. 

The most recent BBB was BBB26, which became a huge hit on the internet among Brazilians. This edition was different than the others, as this edition featured a cast mixed with unknown people, famous people, and people who had already attended the show in past editions. Ana Paula Renault, who had already been a major name in BBB history, came back after an expulsion in 2016. From the moment she stepped into the house, fans of the reality TV show already picked their favorites and helped her all the way to the finals. This edition also counted with Milena or “Tia Milena,” an unknown woman from Minas Gerais, and Juliano Floss, a viral TikTok influencer for his short and easy-to-learn dances. 

But BBB did not suddenly become viral. BBB20 and BBB21 helped create the modern version of the show we know. 

BBB20 was huge because it mixed anonymous contestants with celebrities for the first time. Thelma Asis won, but the season also had big names such as Manu Gavassi, Rafa Kalimann, Babu Santana, and Felipe Prior. Manu understood the internet and revolutionized the show with her “pre-made” videos that were posted daily during the time she was in the show. And Prior divided opinions and created intense debates online. Later, both of them starred in the most voted paredao of all time with a total of 1 billion votes, ending up in Prior’s elimination. 

Then BBB21 came and made the internet go even crazier. Juliette became a national phenomenon and won with massive public support. Gil do Vigor became an iconic personality for his energy and personality. The huge tension between Karol Conká and Juliette made headlines on many sites and shaped the reality engagement. 

This is probably why BBB feels so close to high school life. Of course, school isn’t a reality show, but sometimes it works in a similar way. There are groups, gossip, misunderstandings, people trying to fit in, and people being judged by a simple moment instead of their whole personality. A bad joke can spread fast. A friendship can become the main topic of the week, and a weekend gossip can be talked about for days. Someone quiet can suddenly become everyone’s favorite. 

BBB is dramatic because it puts real people under an inhumane amount of pressure. High school can feel dramatic for the same reason. Everyone is still figuring out who they are, who they trust, and how they want to be seen. Maybe that is why we keep watching BBB, as it is messy, funny, and exaggerated, but sometimes it might feel as if our lives are being mirrored.