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Grünwald (pte035/28.02.2005/14:30) - The German version of Big Brother is set to open a small town mimicking the "Truman Show" concept tomorrow. In the Jim Carrey movie, a man called Truman is unwittingly the subject of a 24-hour TV programme that monitors his every moment for the gratification of a worldwide audience. As the Media Guardian http://www.mediaguardian.co.uk reports, in the new Big Brother village, the only difference is that contestants willingly participate in this next-generation leap to voyeurism, and it will run indefinitely. 15 people will move into the set of Big Brother - the village complete with a market square and stables.
The "village" includes three different types of housing: a "poor" home, located next to the stabes and equipped with only the bare necessities; a "normal" house; and a "rich villa", where occupants get three-course meals and daily massages. All contestants will have to work, either as a car mechanic, on a fashion label or on the show's farm, and fulfil duties according to their social status. "It's a societal microcosm complete with class struggle, envy and real chances for climbing and falling down the social ladder," said broadcaster RTL2 http://www.rtl2.de , which is making the show, in a press release. Contestants, who will compete for prizes and 1 million euros in cash each year, will also be required to take on personal challenges, such as learning a new language or getting occupational training. According to Katja Hofem-Best, the channel's entertainment executive, the show will be "endless, GOD and TV viewers willing".
It is hoped that contestants will live there for years, falling in love, going to school and even getting married. The producers are hoping to lure in more businesses to employ them, teachers to teach them and doctors to care for the sick. "We hope couples will get pregnant and family groups will interact with all the usual family frictions," said Rainert Laux, the producer of Big Brother. "They can do exams there if they want to go to school, learn languages, or any other type of professional examination for a career and eventual employment," he added.
Although celebrity contestants are expected occasionally appear, the main group of contestants will "remain for decades", Laux said. RTL2's Big Brother city, built from scratch along the lines of a theme park, will afford fans of the show visits to the community to see the residents just as if they were visiting a zoo. However, according to media psychologist Jo Graibel, people who stayed in the fake community for any length of time will find it hard to adjust to the "real world" again.
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