Fans tuning into Big Brother: The Group Chat tonight will notice a familiar face missing from the hosting desk. GK Barry is absent from tonight’s episode, though viewers can rest easy knowing there is no cause for concern—her night off was completely planned in advance.
At the end of Sunday’s instalment, GK reassured fans directly, telling viewers: “Now, no one panic. But tomorrow I will not be here, so I’m leaving you in capable hands of…Jordan Banjo!”
She added: “In tomorrow’s episode we have got an incredible guest.”
“That is Lee Peart.”
Together, Jordan Banjo and Lee Peart will break down a dramatic evening inside the Big Brother House as tensions escalate among the Housemates and a high-stakes week kicks off.
Catrin Voices Her Frustrations as Drama Unfolds
Following Rob’s eviction, Catrin is upset and discusses the House dynamic with Lynx, saying, “I feel so frustrated. I feel like there is such a clique. I just hate it.”
Lynx says, “You’ve got mates across the board.”
Catrin says, “You’d think that but they’re still whispering everywhere. It’s horrible.”
Later Omar asks how Catrin is feeling and she says, “It feels like I’m back in school again. I can’t do the whole, the bitchiness of it.”
Omar asks, “Who’s being a bitch to you?”
Catrin says, “No-one’s been a bitch to me but people are being bitches about each other. People are being nasty about each other. I don’t like that.”
Some of the other Housemates are in the kitchen as Yasmin asks, “Is she ok? She looked like she’d been crying.”
Twinks says, “Yeah she is. She’s struggling with the dynamics of the House. Big time. It’s getting to her a lot. She’s a sensitive, stunning, little soul and the whole us and them, the whole hierarchy of this spot. Let’s not pretend this isn’t a thing.”
Rhianna heads into the bedroom and relays this conversation to Philip and Rochelle leaving Philip less than impressed.
Philip wastes no time and heads into the lounge and says, “Twinks. Who is the highest person in here?”
Twinks says, “You are.”
Philip says, “Who’s upset Cat then?”
Twinks says, “Not me babe.”
Philip says, “Keep your f***ing mouth shut.”
Philip heads into the garden to speak to Catrin who soon retreats to the Diary Room to speak to Big Brother. The atmosphere remains tense—leaving viewers to wonder if the Housemates can put their differences aside.
Housemates Battle It Out for Precious Time
The drama takes a shift as Big Brother gathers Housemates at the sofas and says, “This week you will be competing again but for something closer to home. Welcome to the House of Time.”
Big Brother adds, “This week, time is currency and each and every one of you will be taking part in tasks to win time. Every second and every minute you earn buys you something that you have all been yearning for – time with your friends and family.
“Time can be won but it can also be lost. To get you started, each of you will start with 30 seconds in your time bank. Housemates, it’s all to play for. Your friends and family are waiting. How long will you get to see them? Time will tell.”
Soon it’s time for the first task and Housemates choose Frankie, Lynx and Rochelle to take part in ‘The Human Clock’.
One Housemate acts as the hour hand, one as the minute hand and one as the second hand. Big Brother sets the starting position and when the cuckoo clock chimes, Housemates begin moving in real time until it chimes again. If their final positions are within ten seconds of the actual elapsed time, each Housemate will earn an additional ten seconds in their time bank. If they fail, five seconds will be deducted from each other’s time banks.
Whether they can beat the clock and get the job done remains to be seen.
Big Brother Enjoys Soaring Ratings
The night’s drama comes alongside major viewing success for the reality staple. The success of this series has seen Big Brother and Big Brother: The Group Chat accumulate 37m streams alone, up almost 14m streams (+58%) compared to Big Brother and Big Brother: Late & Live at this point last year.
Last Wednesday, Big Brother received its second biggest audience of the series with 762k, marking the biggest year-on-year increase of the series, up by more than 400k viewers, doubling the audience.
Last night’s installment of Big Brother attracted its biggest 16-34 audience this series with 193,000 on ITV2 and ITVX. It was the series best Sunday performance since the launch episode, and fourth biggest across all episodes. Overall, the series is up 68% for 16-34s.
Big Brother airs at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX, followed immediately by Big Brother: The Group Chat.