Big Brother 2025 (Dutch and Belgian TV series)

Big Brother 2025 is the fifth cooperation season of the Dutch and Belgian version of Big Brother. It is the eleventh regular version of Big Brother in both Belgium and the Netherlands. The show is broadcast on RTL 5 in the Netherlands and Play4 in Belgium beginning on 6 January 2025. Live streams are available 24/7 on Videoland for Dutch viewers and on GoPlay.be and Telenet for Belgian viewers.

In the summer of 2024, when calling for candidates, the program makers announced that the new season would be completely different from previous seasons. At the unveiling of the house in early January 2025, this was confirmed. The house received a complete makeover and was barely furnished. There was also only 1 bed in the only large bedroom. There were several new rooms such as the Decision Room, the Panic Room and the Vault.

In addition to changed spaces in the house, the concept was also greatly altered. For example, the season started back-to-basics and residents had to compete for furniture, their own clothes and food. There were several new game elements. Critics again called the program fun.

The Live show was changed by a short Live Exit Broadcast. Starting in Week 2, a podcast was also recorded in the house.

The budding relationship of Jeffrey Leijzen and Jolien Pede received much attention in the broadcasts. One of the most talked about residents, Lennie Blockmans, left the house after a few weeks for health reasons. When three housemates voluntarily left the house on three days midway through the season, the question was raised whether this season was too harsh. Programmers assured that the three candidates left the house for three different private matters related and that it was always planned that from midway through the season the residents would have more luxuries. Because of the harsh conditions during the first half, tensions and discussions often arose between residents. Halfway through the game, tactical player Jordy de Maar formed a nomination union "the cartel" with some fellow residents, this created a tough game and backlash from the other residents.

Viewers spoke of manipulation by favoritism for members of "the cartel" by Big Brother through exemptions, tailored assignments and chosen images in the television broadcasts. A plane with message for the cartel, collected by fans, for "the cartel" was shown in a broadcast, while the first plane of that season for Jane Karto a week earlier was not featured in the broadcasts. Karto had to leave the house as the last contestant before finals week, while the last three members of "the cartel" did advance to finals week.

The final was on April 4, 2025. Jordy de Maar, leader of “the cartel,” won and received his individually saved prize money of 55,500 euros.

After five seasons, this series was axed after this season.

Production

Format

Big Brother 2025 followed the same format as the previous seasons. Housemates lived isolated from the outside world in a custom-built house for a period of 100 days, hoping to be the last one to leave the house as the winner, and walk away with its cash prize.

Concept

Programmers announced in advance that this season everything would be different. At launch, it was announced that basic comforts would no longer be a certainty. The first photos of the house showed a stripped house with a barely furnished house, an enclosed kitchen, locked closets and an outdoor shower. There were also new rooms such as the Decision Room and the Panic Room. In "The Vault," housemates could buy gamechangers to bend the game to their will. In the 'Panic Room,' housemates were challenged in different ways. There was a Big Brother suite - a luxurious room to which only the housemates who had access were allowed to go. A boudoir was added.

Not only did the house look different, the game play was also different.

Changes in the concept:

• The Decision Maker: every week one resident had a special role, decision maker. This resident made important decisions in the new Decision Room about team compositions, the distribution of bedrooms, etc. In addition, this resident could choose and purchase the weekly basics and luxury ingredients.
• Each resident could create their own prize jackpot, from which only the winner would receive their effective cash prize.
• The legacy ("de erfenis"): if a resident was voted out, the residents who had nominated that resident received that resident's money.
• The nomination targets: the nomination target pin was introduced. Not everyone could be nominated. By losing assignments, being chosen by a decision maker or by a twist, a resident could become a nomination target. During the nomination round, only residents who were nomination targets could be nominated. Residents could also gain immunity through a favor or game win.
• The gamechangers: on a weekly basis, residents could use their prize pool to purchase gamechangers from the Vault. With these gamechangers, nominations could be influenced, changing the course of the game. Housemates could buy gamechangers such as double nomination vote, the revenge, the theft, the collector...

Housemates

On January 3, the first ten housemates were announced. Lennie Blockmans was the first transgender candidate in this Dutch and Flemish co-produced Big Brother series. Sharice Van Steelant and Vikaash Lalbiharie entered the house under fake identities, respectively, as Nele and Remi.

Weekly summary

The main events in the Big Brother house are summarised in the table below.

Episodes

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Nominations table

Housemates from The Netherlands

Housemates from Belgium

Notes

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• : Wicky, who received the smallest votes to stay in week 3, could stay because of the voluntarily exit of Lennie, but was automatically nominated in week 4. Niels wad automatically nominated by losing a balancing game.
• : Elsa, Eva and Jane were automatically nominated by taking the nomination badge after losing tasks in duo.
• : By deploying the gamechanger "the rebounder," all votes on Jordy were undone and returned from who they came from.
• : Jordy used two gamechangers: the red saboteur to replace Mattheüs by Milena as nomination target, and the green saboteur to remove himself as nomination target.
• : because Axel deployed the gamechanger "censorship" on Jordy, the latter could not nominate.
• : because Jordy deployed the gamechanger "censorship" on Jane, the latter could not nominate.
• : decision makers Jolien & Mattheüs had to put 1 of themselves on the nomination bench. Mattheüs chose himself. He bought himself an exemption afterwards, thus undoing his nomination.

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References

External links