Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Coronavirus: Watch Big Brother Canada contestants get told pandemic has prematurely ended series

‘I just don’t know how to move on from this,’ one housemate said upon learning the news

Jacob Stolworthy
Thursday 02 April 2020 09:12 BST
Comments
Big Brother Canada contestants learn coronavirus has ended show midway through series

Big Brother housemates in Canada have been forced to leave the house after production of the series was shut down by coronavirus.

A video clip from Wednesday night’s episode (1 April) – filmed last week – shows the 12 remaining contestants listening in shock as they’re told by producer Erin Bock that the eighth series was being discontinued the very next day due to the spread of COVID-19.

“We are forced to officially end the production of this season,” Bock can be heard telling the housemates, with many breaking down in tears over the fact their experience was being cut short.

One named Brooke described their Big Brother opportunity as “the biggest dream I’ve ever had”, while another named Sheldon said: “I just don’t know how to move on from this.”

Bock told them to “take solace in the fact you provided a much needed distraction and comfort to Canadians”.

They were given one final day to spend in the house together before the series came to an end.

The $100,000 prize fund has been donated to a coronavirus charity.

A month ago, in a clip that went viral, the same contestants could be heard talking about why they thought there was no audience to cheer out the first person who had been evicted.

The shut down of Big Brother Canada by Global comes weeks after housemates in the German version of the show were shown on-screen learning of the pandemic.

They were among some of the only people in the world not to know how widely coronavirus had spread.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in