Channel 7 Are Denying Rumours That Gretel Killeen Will Host Their ‘Big Brother’ Reboot
Gretel Killeen is absolutely not confirmed as the host of Channel 7’s Big Brother reboot, despite what newspapers may tell you.
TV insiders apparently told The Daily Telegraph that Gretel Killeen will return as host. But a spokesperson from the network told 7NEWS that they haven’t even discussed who might be taking on the hosting gig.
“It is not just contestant applications with which we have been inundated… Everyone is putting their hand up and wants to be involved,” said the spokesperson.
The Big Brother reboot was rumoured, then confirmed, early this month. Applications opened a day later.
The Daily Tele story said that Killeen, host of the show from 2001 to 2007, had been in talks with the network since last month, and was up against another 2012 to 2014 BB host, Sonia Kruger, and fseason three runner-up, Chrissie Swan.
Talking to Kyle & Jackie O in September, Killeen said that if BB were to return, it would be a “hoot”: “I think watching ourselves is something we could actually learn from now. I think this is a time of analysis and introspection and redefining our values, so I think it would be a hoot.”
Punkee spoke to Killeen in September, after her appearance on The Masked Singer, about the way reality TV has changed since she first hosted the show in 2001.
“It was a different world then. Facebook didn’t exist. You used to vote by text message. The first people who went into Big Brother –YouTube didn’t exist,” Gretel said. “So the people who went into it weren’t looking for fame at all, they were looking for an experience and an adventure.
“I think there were really interesting qualities that were pursued then. Big Brother in those days was about, the original essential theory was, watching people in a house. It was really an anthropological study of how will people relate for 12 weeks in a house. Now [reality TV has] evolved.”
Honestly, we cannot wait for the series to come back. But it just wouldn’t be the same without Gretel.