M-Net and Endemol South Africa are frantically working on finding a new camera house which could be elsewhere in Africa or in the world to enable the kick-off for Big Brother Hotshot, following the fire outbreak which destroyed the Big Brother Africa Hotshots house at Sasani Studios in Johannesburg yesterday.
Big Brother Africa Hotshots, the 9th season of the voyeur reality format show was supposed to start this Sunday at 19:00 with a live event, after which cameras would have tracked the antics for 24 hours per day for 91 days on two DStv channels and with highlights shows on the AfricaMagic Showcase (DStv 150) channel.
A destructive fire caused the cancellation of the start of the show and threw the Endemol South Africa produced show into chaos. With 56 cameras and special one-sided glass panels destroyed, a frantic search started to find a new Big Brother house – possible one elsewhere in Africa or on another continent the contestants and crew would be transported to.
“M-Net and Endemol SA have a full team working on an alternative venue for Big Brother Africa,” Caroline Creasy from MultiChoice Africa tells Channel24. “This includes a globalreview of Big Brother houses that may be available for the production”.
“At this stage no final decision has been made on the venue or the possible timing,” she says. “The team is working around the clock to find solutions to get the show on-air”.
A huge logistical nightmare is looming for the show if its able to secure a new house. The productions staff already had a massive headache securing visas for pan-African contestants following abrupt changes to South Africa’s visa regulations which first saw Ghana and then the contestants from Sierra Leone and Rwanda dumped from the show.
Moving house will mean not just a move for the contestants but also the South African crew and producers and a new round of visa applications and changes, as well as the shipping of some technical equipment.