Big Brother Mexico (2002)

Overview

Big Brother México is a reality television series based on the international Big Brother format produced in the Netherlands by Endemol. Big Brother México was launched by Televisa in 2002. Before its debut, the idea of being watched twenty-four hours a day by a camera was shocking to some in Mexican society. The series was successful, and it was followed by a special edition called Big Brother VIP with Mexican celebrities from show business and even politics. Congressman Jorge Kahwagi, minority whip of the Mexican Green Party in the Chamber of Deputees of Mexico's Congress, shocked and angered many people in Mexico when he asked to be excused from his post in Congress to be sequestered for months inside the Big Brother House. Critics among colleagues and the general public accused him of dereliction of duty, discrediting his office, and seeking personal gain. During the show, late-night variety-show host, comedian, and producer Adal Ramones, also from Televisa, made a send-up of Big Brother which he called "El Gran Carnal" or "Big Bro" in Mexican slang. In December 2009, it was announced that there would be an "Allstars" version of Big Brother Mexico and that if it favors well with ratings, a possible fourth season will likely follow.