Where are your favourite Big Brother Australia contestants now?
Some lost their winnings, others went on to find fame. Big Brother has never been short of big characters. But where are the most memorable housemates?
Confidential
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It’s the reality TV show which has captivated Australian viewers since 2001.
From blossoming romances to an alleged sexual assault scandal, there has certainly been no shortage of drama and controversy on Big Brother over the years.
Despite its hiatus in 2008 and 2014, along with format changes, the show has never lost its spark with millions tuning in each week to watch their favourite housemates ruthlessly compete for a cash prize.
We take a look at the most memorable contestants of Big Brother.
REGGIE BIRD, 47, SEASON 3
She was the humble fish and chip shop manager from Tasmania, who instantly went from rags to riches after winning season 3 in 2003.
But in hindsight, Reggie Bird’s $250,000 windfall and overnight fame was more like a curse than a blessing.
Within weeks of winning the show, her seemingly happy marriage to her husband Adrian fell apart after he had an affair while she was on a promotional tour and her prize money dwindled.
Bird had generously paid off his $100,000 mortgage before discovering he had cheated and lost $40,000 after being scammed by a man posing as a TV producer.
She also paid $20,000 in advance renting an apartment in Sydney which she ended up living in for just two months after a stalker found her address and she was refused a refund.
Bird eventually found herself broke and homeless after being evicted from her rental property.
She was unable to find long-term employment because no one would take her seriously due to her “ditzy” image on the show.
There was some good news, she found love again with fireman Dale Sorensen and they had two children, Mia, 14, and 11-year-old Lucas, but it was short-lived as the couple eventually got divorced and she became a single mum raising two kids on disability pension.
To top it all off, she was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition and was declared legally blind.
Bird now lives in Queensland with Mia and Lucas, who has cystic fibrosis.
She previously said fame isn’t what it seems.
“Everyone knows who you are and you’re so loved but deep inside you’re really lonely, it’s a bizarre and weird feeling,” she told A Current Affair.
TREVOR BUTLER, 48, SEASON 4
He was the first and only housemate to win $1 million on Big Brother but season 4 contestant Trevor Butler admits the prize money didn’t go very far.
A former furniture packer from Broken Hill, Fijian-born Butler won fans around the country with his easy going nature and down-to-earth persona.
During the live finale, he famously proposed to his girlfriend of six years, Breea Forrest, who he later married and had two children with — Maika, now 14, and Creedence, 10.
After the show, the couple lived off the interest of their prize money for one year before buying a house which eventually doubled in value along with cars and some investments.
“We’re living a comfortable life but $1 million doesn’t actually go very far. We also lost a fair chunk during the global financial crisis,” he previously said.
Butler didn’t return to work straight away but later landed a cameo in Chris Lilley’s Summer Heights High.
He lives with his family in Queensland and works in promotions for Gold Coast radio station 102.9 Hot Tomato.
“All I do is drive around and talk on the radio for 15 or 20 seconds, act like a goose and give out free stuff,” he told Mamamia.
“The thing I like about this job is I can drop the kids off to school and pick them up from school. Heaps of parents can’t do that because they’re working. I get to walk the kids down to their classrooms and say hello to their friends and I don’t want to miss out on all that.
“Being a dad is the best thing in the world. It’s just awesome.”
SARAH MARIE FEDELE, 43, SEASON 1
Former strip club manager, Sarah Marie Fedele, was just 21 when she landed on the inaugural season of Big Brother in 2001.
Known for her trademark pyjamas and bunny ears, the bubbly housemate became an instant favourite among viewers, who couldn’t seem to get enough of her famous “bum dance”.
Despite not winning, Fedele had established her own brand and quickly signed with a talent agent after being evicted from the Big Brother house.
She launched a pyjama line with Holeproof Underwear, released a book and the Sara-Marie bum dance music video, which landed in the Top 10 list on Video Hits.
A media sensation at the time, Fedele had TV and radio gigs including stints on Dancing With The Stars, Totally Wild and Celebrity Big Brother.
While at the time, she appeared to be “living the dream”, behind the scenes she was still working nine to five at Sportsgirl and a childcare centre.
Despite some health struggles including cysts, endometriosis and laparoscopy surgeries, she’s doing well, has retreated from public life and doesn’t use social media.
She lives in Perth and reportedly works in the mining industry while studying to be a teacher’s aid for kids with special needs.
One of her biggest achievements has no doubt been the birth of her daughter six years ago.
“I haven’t been in hibernation, I just didn’t care to be known. I’m still the same person before, but a grown up version. I did what I did and then I was happy to go,” she told Mamamia last year.
TIM DORMER, 37, SEASON 10
He’s the curly-haired Big Brother star who won season 10 in 2013 and Tim Dormer is still one of the most talked about housemates.
Known for his sneaky tactics inside the house, Dormer often divided viewers with his calculating approach to avoid nominations each week.
The former university student was ratings gold for the show and later starred on the fourth season of Big Brother Canada, where he placed third.
Dormer, who previously worked for Nova in Brisbane, scored plum media gigs with Channel 9 after Big Brother including presenting segments on the Today show and Getaway.
However, he swiftly ended his career with the network after trashing the show in an email that was shared online without his knowledge.
There has also been drama surrounding his private life.
Dormer delighted fans when he debuted his same-sex relationship with his best friend Ash Toweel five years ago.
The pair got engaged and were said to be planning a wedding, however earlier this year the fairytale came to an end.
They abruptly split after a dispute in Newtown and police were called.
Dormer now works as a disability support worker and lives a quiet life in Sydney.
JESS HARDY, 43, NATHAN MARTIN, 39, SEASON 2
It seemed like the perfect love story, a farmer from Perth marries a city girl after a whirlwind romance but the marriage between Jess Hardy and Nathan “Marty” Martin was short-lived.
After meeting on season 2 of Big Brother and taking viewers on a romantic journey of love, the pair called it quits one year after saying ‘I do’.
Fans who watched them tie the knot on their spin-off show Marty & Jess: An Outback Wedding were heartbroken.
Hardy, whose brother Billy tragically died in the 2002 Bali bombings, blamed public scrutiny at the time and said, “We just decided to part ways because we were living different lives.”
The pair, who admitted to having sex on TV, cut ties and Hardy threw herself into studying law while working odd jobs.
She later landed radio gigs at ZZZ FM in Lismore, Radio 97, Townsville’s Zinc 100.7 and Star 104.5 on the Central Coast.
Hardy is believed to be single and living in Queensland, meanwhile Martin retreated from public life and runs his family farm in Toodyay WA.
He lives with his second wife Lexi and their sons Joel, Sam and Billy.
He previously said he doesn’t miss the spotlight.
“For the first few years after the shows, I used to get recognised in the streets, but now it’s great to be just plain old Nathan,” he told the West Australian.
CAMILLA HARPER, 36, SEASON 6
It was the scandal that prompted former Prime Minister John Howard to call for Big Brother to be axed in 2006 and former housemate, Camilla Harper (née Severi) found herself at the centre of it.
At just 22, Harper was embroiled in an infamous Turkey slap incident which saw her fellow housemates Michael “John” Bric and Michael “Ashley” Cox ejected from the house after slapping her across the face with their penises.
The brief moment overshadowed her experience inside the house, however she was able to establish herself outside of that incident when she eventually left, including once being linked to singer Ed Sheeran.
The outspoken season 6 contestant was a polarising figure on the show and finished in second place behind winner Jamie Brooksby.
She admittedly struggled to adjust back into normal life at first.
“It was several weeks afterwards I was checking myself for my microphone, I was unable to sleep with the lights off. I was quite fragile when I first came out of the show,” Harper told SBS show Insight last year.
She went on the launch a successful radio career, with gigs co-hosting on Southern Cross Austereo’s B105FM and Brisbane’s Nova 106.9 breakfast show.
Now living in Bali, Harper has four children – two sons and a daughter with her husband Heston and a third son with her ex Glen Krohn.
While the turkey slap incident remains one of the most talked about moments in Big Brother history, Harper bears no ill will towards her ex-housemates.
“Am I scarred by it? No. What I’m scarred by is the constant attention, you know, and the fact that I went on to do eight years of breakfast radio, I have three beautiful children, I’m married, like I’ve got a really full life, I’m studying, there’s so much other stuff that’s going on in my life and this was such a blip on the radar,” she told The Anj, Rob, and Robbo Show.
SIMON DEERING, 43, SEASON 5
Known for his cheeky pranks, including a nudie run inside the Big Brother house, Simon Deering (aka “Hot Dogs”) was a colourful character on the show.
Deering went on to have several TV stints including an appearance on the Channel 7 renovation show House Rules while also dabbling in theatre.
He once dabbled in theatre and was cast in the role of Eric Bana in a play about the actor’s journey to Hollywood.
He now works as a real estate agent in Perth and is married with two children, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“A devoted husband and very proud father of two daughters, Simon’s passion for community and family is evident with his connection and commitment to his local community,” his profile states.
BLAIR MCDONOUGH, 40, SEASON 1
Growing up between Singapore and Melbourne, semi-professional footballer Blair McDonough signed up for season 1 of Big Brother and went on to become a soap star.
At just 19, McDonough was an instant favourite among viewers thanks to his good looks and charm.
He finished in second place behind Ben Williams and went straight from the Big Brother house to Ramsay Street after being cast in the role of Stuart Parker on Neighbours.
McDonough dated his former Neighbours co-star Delta Goodrem but the romance fizzled out and he eventually moved to the UK, where he appeared in a West End play as well as UK reality shows before returning home and making his debut in Summer Bay.
McDonough was cast in the guest role of Alan Ellis before reprising his role on Neighbours.
He is married to Kristi McDonough and they live in Byron Bay with their two children.
CHRISSIE SWAN, 47, SEASON 3
She was the strong-willed Melburnian loved by viewers for her self-deprecating humour — Chrissie Swan is one of the most successful housemates to come out of Big Brother.
Prior to joining season 3, Swan worked as a humble real estate copywriter but catapulted to fame on the series and was crowned runner-up behind winner Reggie Bird.
She initially tried to go back to her day job after the show, but her life was no longer the same.
“I went back to work about four days after the show finished but I couldn’t do my job,” Swan told TV Tonight.
“I couldn’t make a living because what used to take me 10 minutes was taking two hours. People would lose their minds because Chrissie from Big Brother was in their house.
“I think I was really naive. I just thought I could go and do this funny thing and go back (to my life) but I couldn’t do it. I tried for about a month but I wasn’t making any money. The bills weren’t getting paid.”
In her 20s, Swan eventually made her mark as a radio star and TV presenter, co-hosting shows like The Project and The Circle, which earned her a Gold Logie nod.
In 2011, she won the Logie for Most Popular New Female Talent on The Circle.
Now a mum-of-three, Swan lives in Melbourne with her family and partner Chris Saville and co-hosts Nova 100’s Chrissie, Sam & Browny show.
BEN ZABEL, 38, SEASON 10
Former flight attendant Ben Zabel was adored by fans for his quirky persona and awkward moments in the house during season 10.
He was tipped to win the series so his shock departure weeks out from the finish upset fans.
While he brought joy to his housemates and constantly drew laughs from viewers, Zabel struggled after leaving the show and sadly suffered a drug overdose the following year.
He struggled with depression and anxiety for some time and eventually got the help he needed.
Despite being unemployed when he signed up for Big Brother, Zabel scored various media gigs after his stint including a roving reporter job at Studio 10 and a regular appearance on Channel 9 show Mornings.
He now lives in Queensland with his mum Margaret and works doing data input and analysis.
“I enjoyed what it gave me,” he told Mamamia of Big Brother. “I’m just a working-class guy and all of a sudden you’re getting presents sent to you in the mail and getting invited to things. I was off to the ARIAs and Logies.”
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