Thousands of reality TV hopefuls will be looking to enter the Big Brother house for its long-awaited return next year - this time on ITV2. While applications are not yet open for its 2023 comeback, BB19 runner-up, Akeem Griffiths, has revealed all about the challenging recruitment process, which he says was actually almost as fun as being on the hit show, so applicants have an idea of what to expect.
But Akeem, who came in second place behind winner Cameron Cole in the final 2018 series, has advised people to treat the selection process like a serious job interview in order to avoid missing out on becoming a housemate. The 30-year-old Welshman, who now lives in Kent with his partner Kristin and their four-month-old baby daughter, says he was put in some awkward situations at a group stage interview with Channel 5 before being put into a week-long hideaway at a remote cottage.
"The first part of the process is the initial application which required me to answer some questions about myself, and then at the end, I also had to send a two-minute video about who I am and why I wanted to go on the show," Akeem explains to the Mirror.
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At the time, the reality star was working as a training consultant in Cape Town, South Africa, and knew that he was about to be made redundant from his job, so took a chance in applying for the show.
He didn't hear anything for six weeks but was then invited to the next stage in London - which had a similar set-up to the X Factor auditions.
"There were about 500 people in the building," Akeem, who takes part in charity fundraising alongside his training to become a police officer in the Metropolitan Police, says.
"They split us into groups of 20 and each group went into a different room with four judges sat behind a table.
"Firstly, they would fire questions for us to answer openly and honestly. I then had to line everyone up and put them in order based on initial looks - they were looking at how I would manage an uncomfortable situation.
"I then had to explain to an individual why I had put them last - talk about being put on the spot!
"We then had to give our opinions on topics that would cause agreements and disagreements - one of them being abortion.
"This time they were looking at how you communicate and deal with confrontation."
After 45 minutes, Akeem was then told he was through to the next round, which commenced immediately after.
The dad-of-one had to sit in a white room with a replica of the famous BB chair, and was asked questions about himself by a camera - representing Big Brother.
He didn't hear anything for another six weeks, and when he found out producers wanted him to be a housemate, he initially thought it was a scam.
"I remember working on my laptop and I received a link from the production company, which directed me straight to Skype," Akeem recalls.
"I really thought this was a scam until they said 'Akeem, it's Big Brother speaking, we want you to be a housemate.'
"It felt like I was dreaming and I froze for about two minutes and then screamed with excitement; I never expected it."
But the recruitment process wasn't over yet. A fourth and final challenge tested how potential housemates coped with isolation and not being able to leave a house - something that we've become accustomed to thanks to the many lockdowns over the past two years.
Akeem says he was whisked away to a remote cottage in the countryside, without being able to access his phone or live TV.
Show bosses wanted to test how the remaining applicants could cope mentally being away from the outside world, Akeem claims.
Just seven days before the show aired, he was told to pack a suitcase as if he was entering the Big Brother house.
"They told me that I had to go to a specific destination and that was it - I had no idea what was going on," Akeem remembers.
He was paired with a chaperone from the production company, who he lived with for the next week, and they took it in turns to cook for each other.
"It was a cottage in the middle of nowhere," Akeem, who says contestants were placed in remote locations across the country, continues.
"I was only allowed to leave the cottage at certain times during the day for about an hour.
"It was a challenge but I was still allowed to watch Netflix and the chaperone was great company."
Will you be applying to be on Big Brother 2023? Let us know in the comments.
He passed the last challenge and spent his final two nights in a hotel next to Elstree Studios before being picked up by a limousine and driven to the Big Brother house, partially blindfolded with headphones on.
"It was an incredible process," Akeem added.
With no regrets about joining the show, Akeem gives his advice to those looking to apply to be a part of the new series, which he hopes features public voting; secret tasks; on-the-spot evictions; jail time for misbehaviour; luxury suites for winning tasks; and housemates being allowed one family member each to live with them for the day.
"Make sure you treat your application as if you are applying for your dream job," he states.
"You are competing against around 40,000 other people so you have to stand out from the crowd.
"Secondly, if you are looking to apply for Big Brother just make sure that you have something to fall back on after the show finishes - don’t give up everything. Enjoy the experience but don’t quit everything else."
His final piece of advice is for applicants to be authentic.
"If you are lucky enough to experience life as a Big Brother housemate, please make sure that you are yourself and you are not pretending to be someone else because I promise you that the public and the housemates will find this out quickly and ultimately you will get evicted very early on."
The Mirror contacted Big Brother 2023 producers Banijay UK about what the new audition process will look like moving to ITV2, however they said they could not comment.
Details of the upcoming casting process will be released in due course, a spokesperson added.
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