O brother, where art thou?
Wide open spaces: the small queue for Big Brother auditions in the RDS yesterday. Photo: Frank McGrath
The 'Big Brother' bubble may have finally burst, with a lacklustre turnout at auditions for the ninth series in Dublin yesterday.
Scantily-clad bunny girls and "up-for-it" students did their best to fill the near-empty hall with their excited shrieks, but there was no getting away from the fact that fame-hungry young Irish people are looking elsewhere for their 15 minutes.
Blame YouTube and FaceBook, but it's no longer necessary to quarantine yourself in a house with a dozen obnoxious "mates" for three months to secure a moment in the spotlight.
Around 120 auditionees were waiting patiently when the doors opened at the RDS at 8.30am. However, less than two hours later, there was no-one queueing outside, while a corralling area inside was less than a third full.
Organisers admitted the turnout, by mid-morning, "wasn't massive" but were hopeful that more would come in dribs and drabs throughout the day. There was talk that a nearby hall full of third-level students sitting an exam might yield some candidates.
Queue or no queue, one man was taking no chances. Richard Elliott, a kilt-wearing unemployed 22-year-old, had flown in from Ayrshire in Scotland in a bid to become a housemate in Channel 4's 'Big Brother'.
However, he soon hit a snag -- he got a place in today's second round of auditions but did not have enough money for a hotel overnight.
Likewise, computer student Ella O'Donoghue could have saved herself the early start. She had left her home in Limerick at 5.30am to ensure she would get her chance in front of the producers. Dressed in a revealing bunny girl outfit, she confessed to being a die-hard fan of the reality show.
"I wanted to make an impression. I have been watching from the very start," she said.
But not everyone was a willing auditionee. Orlagh Bailey (19), from Skerries, who is studying at DCU, was at pains to point out she was there solely as a dare. "I'm doing this to write an article for the DCU magazine -- it's part of the 'Campus Dares'. So, I'm really hoping I don't get through."
Auditionees were divided into groups of around 10 and encouraged to let loose with a series of party games. Those with the all-important stamp on their hands got a call-back for a more in-depth personality appraisal with producers today.
- Breda Heffernan
