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Ben wins Big Brother 2012 …and proposes

Benjamin Norris has won Big Brother 2012 and proposes to his partner Live on stage.

Benjamin Norris has won Nine’s Big Brother 2012 winning $250,000 and a new car -but he capped off his win with a proposal from Benjamin to his partner Ben live on stage.

“Since I met Ben all I’ve ever wanted is for him to be a part of my family. No-one’s going to tell us sitting on the couch at the end of the day pretending that we’re married that we’re not married,” he said.

The 32 year old Victorian accounts manager becomes the first gay man to win an Australian Big Brother Series. His mix of gossiping, analysis and humour saw him triumph over Layla Subritzky for the title. Fan favourite Estelle Landy was eliminated at the eleventh hour.

Final votes were Benjamin 40%, Layla 31% and Estelle 29%.

“I’ve never really won anything in my life,” Benjamin said. “I thought the only way I could win was to be myself.”

It was ten years since he had first applied for the series.

Runner up Layla Subritzky, branded as the “English Rose” of the series, proved to be a popular housemate with her vibrant personality, romantic storylines and occasionally ditzy comments. As the series runner up she won $10,000 on top of her previous prize of a new car.

Second runner-up Estelle Landy survived multiple eviction nominations but her exit on the Finale night mirrored 2001 third placegetter Sara-Marie Fedele. After being eliminated she remained resilient about her time in the house and defended her individuality. Upon being evicted she was trending worldwide on Twitter (#LegalizeGayMarriageInAustralia also trended in Australia) and took home the third prize of $5000 cash.

Nine turned it on with a dynamic finale with fireworks, dancing and surprises. It began with footage from former series on TEN and an opening number from evicted housemates. Choreographed by Tony Bartuccio, they performed Oats a la Layla and Gangnam Style (including a video appearance by Korean pop star Psy). They also led a congaline through the backstage area and the house.

All the evicted housemates also appeared on stage accompanying a montage of series highlights as  glammed-up Sonia Kruger looked back on the series.

Peter Overton appeared in a news package bringing Layla and Benjamin up to speed on headlines (including Obama’s re-election just hours before) -always one of the most fascinating features of the finale.

Benjamin’s mother Jane also entered the house for one of the show’s most emotional moments as mother and son re-bonded. Sonia Kruger also snuck into the Diary Room to surprise Benjamin, by taking him to the eviction stage.

Despite the sudden departure of one housemate for personal reasons, Nine’s Reality series managed to avoid a controversy all season -a feat in itself given the show’s tarnished reputation. It has also performed well in advertiser-friendly Demos.

The show ended with Big Brother thanking Australia for watching.

Big Brother will get back to you.”

75 Responses

  1. Also, to everyone else he got 40% of the vote. It was a thumping victory. If you all cared so much why didnt you vote? Personally I didnt vote because i didnt care enough to evoke hate regardless of the winner. They all “deserved” it, they all put their lives on hold and they all put their personality out there to be judged by millions of faceless voices.

    The voting lines where open for more than a week so this was by no means a fluke.

  2. @David. I disagree. I watched the entire series and yes he said things about peoples backs, but they all did. He was just not so discrete and was more to himself. I wasnt a big wrap for the bloke either, however, regardless of how it is edited, i have always been told and assumed unjustified ‘personal attacks’ has no home on this blog. I have been guilty of it myself at times and you have pulled me up thats why im stunned you allowed it here.

    It is very clear that the vast majority of distaste on here is trollying, something ive never before seen on Tv Tonight.

    1. Stevie: no it’s not the first time, go back and check comments on Deni Hines in Celeb Apprentice …again the show put it on the table, the audience responds. I agree others besides Ben were bitching, but that’s not what people are commenting on. I concur there is more to Ben’s personality than this, but people are making value judgements about rewarding the winner. When you enter a show like BB you are submitting your character for review, editing and voting circumstance. You become a character, of sorts, so in some situations you must accept the audience’s moment to judge you.

  3. Congratulations Benjamin! He was definitely one of the most entertaining housemates, closely followed by Layla. Yes, Estelle probably had the roughest time of any BB housemate ever, but that doesn’t make her a deserving winner. For the last 87 or so days, she did nothing, hardly adding anything other than to annoy other housemates. Funny how all those in the house found her so irritating yet Benjamin so worthy.

    More than happy with the result and the final two. Gutted though that my PVR stopped recording just as Benjamin and his partner started embracing meaning I missed the proposal. Any chance there’s a clip of it somewhere?

  4. What’s sad is, I’ve read many comments online how peoples kids were fans of Estelle’s because of how she dealt with the mob mentality. As they themselves dealt with it every day in the school yard.

    So the king bully winning is not a good thing.

    I don’t care if people say he was entertaining. He’s not a good role model.

    Oh and FYI being horrible doesn’t make someone more real. It just means they are horrible.

  5. I too thought Ben threw the horse for Estelle to get!

    I am thrilled Ben won – I loved him!

    We only saw what Nine wanted us to see – so many of the housemates wanted Ben to win and they lived with him so obviously they know him better than we do.

    Every single one of them spoke nasty at some time about someone else – it’s human nature and it happens in the ‘real world’. Even the nicest person in the world will have a bitch about someone at some time!

  6. This would have to be the worst Big Brother I have ever seen. Most nights I was left feeling negative and angry, not entertained at all. Ben is a manipulative man who everyone seems to make excuses for. Being locked up in a house for three months with people you don’t like just doesn’t cut it with me – learn to get on with others by accepting their differences. He is gay and should have some idea on how it feels to have certain groups call you names and segregate you. He did nothing but indirectly bully Estelle with the help of that stupid sidekick Stacey. Reecieboi, I hope you audition next year and get chosen because it is people like you, with respect for others and common decency that I will vote for. Best of luck.

  7. I’m really glad that Ben won BB. Despite his bitchiness, he was definitely the most entertaining out of the finalists and well deserving of the win.

    I actually think this may be the first time that an openly gay person has won any reality tv show by public vote in Australia … unless I’m forgetting someone?

  8. I don’t care what anyone says but this has to be the worse big brother season of all time!
    Not only did nine ruin it, but ppl actually rewarded this horrible and disrespectful person 250k????
    What a shame!!
    Only one thing can fix big brother…channel TEN!

  9. this has left a sour taste in my mouth. The distasteful remarks are extreme and troubling. Its also ironic David is allowing his proud blog to be filled with such hate speech.

    1. Granted, it isn’t ideal. In moderating I always try to ask myself “What is a fair and reasonable response to content?” BB has had 3 months of these storylines so it’s unreasonable not to allow the audience to respond. It’s only the second time I can think of a situation like this. I think it’s great that a gay man proposed to his partner live before a broad audience, it was emotive and powerful. But that doesn’t overlook the way he was edited in the show and that many viewers were troubled by his conduct. Reality shows cannot push storylines and then silence the audience. In my view these questions were put on the table by the show. That said, I don’t believe the best response to bullying and bitching is with more of the same.

  10. Ugh, this is awful. Any of the other housemates would have been better than Benjamin. I hope this terrible show never comes back. It infuriates me so much. Congratulations – you have made me hate Big Brother.

  11. @newtaste I’m glad they had his partner come out to give him and hug and kiss when they could’ve easily blamed time and wrapped up quickly. And thanks to that because what happened next was amazing! Oh, and I completely agree with you about the A Current Affair / McCormack thing.

  12. What are you guys talking about!! Benjamin easily deserved it. He was the Best and the most entertaining person, together with Michael!! Well deserved Winner, and Congratulations Benjamin!!!!!

  13. Because it ran so far over time, my recording cut out at the start of the proposal, and by the time I switched to live TV it had finished. Good luck to them, hopefully something good can come out of this.

  14. Interesting that some feel that Ben is the “worst winner ever”. I’m still trying to figure out why and how Jamie won over Camilla back in 2006. Alesha beating Zach back in 2007 was also a head scratcher. Australia has always loved nasty characters in soaps. BB really isn’t any different, except Ben isn’t a figment of some writer’s imagination. Maybe that’s why some people have a problem with it – he’s a real person, not a character. Also, various forums are in an uproar over Ben’s throwing Estelle’s horse over the wall. It didn’t even occur to me that he was being nasty until I read it online. I thought (and still think) that he was throwing the horse over the wall so that a crew member could give it to Estelle (he probably thought that it would go straight over to the walkway that leads to the eviction stage).

  15. newtaste November 7, 2012 at 10:44 pm

    I don’t watch ACA but a great comment on your part.

  16. What a fantastic result for Ben winning Big Brother this year. Tragic I know but I had tears streaming down my face with Australia choosing Ben to win. When he went down on one knee and asked his partner to marry him I was a wet soppy mess. Could not be happier and I wish Ben and his partner all the best in a slightly less homophobic Australia than it was yesterday. Bless!!!
    I also predict that if Ben wants a TV hosting career out of his BB experience then it is his for the asking. He truly has a natural Kennedyesque gift for entertaining in my opinion.

  17. So happy that Ben won as he was one of the most entertaining and complex characters! Most BB winners are bland and forgettable – not this time!

    Yes he was brutally honest at times (which i wasn’t a great fan of) but one of the few contestants that actually lived up to their video introduction.

  18. People congratulating a gay guy for proposing on Big Brother, (which is fine by me), so marriage equality is getting a plug on Nine like somehow Nine is all new age and sensitive … yet just over 2.5 hours earlier on A Current Affair, Ben McCormack presented the most racist anti-Asian story I can ever remember seeing on Australian television. McCormack had Pauline Hanson on as sprouting her Asians are invading us rubbish. The McCormack fronted report was atrocious with it’s only aim seeming to be to stir up anti-Asian feelings in Castle Hill and other Sydney suburbs. … And tonight McCormack is tweeting how great it is that Obama (a person with dark skin) got re-elected, and celebrating the gay proposal on Big Brother. McCormack seems to only support some equality.

  19. What a morbid season of Big Brother
    Ben was a nasty horrible manipulative person

    Sexuality has nothing to do with his awful character

  20. David, don’t get me wrong… I have no issue with what you have approved/posted at all, as I am happy to see the other side of what would not normally be accepted. I am just amazed at all the ‘nastiness’.

    I fully support where you are coming from with this David.

    Cheers, K

  21. I agree with the comments re Ben winning. It’s a surprise simply because he wasn’t often a decent person. But in a way, I think he will face a difficult time on the outside over the backlash of him winning. I don’t think this looks good for ch.9 and the next series of big brother.

  22. @Kathy

    No you’re wrong. People don’t like Ben because he was a mean, nasty, fake, two faced, compulsive liar. They don’t like him because of his personality.

    It’s not sour grapes. Many people all season have been discussing how horrible a person he is. It’s nothing to do with him winning over Estelle or Layla or anyone else.

    It’s just the fact many people saw his personality and his treatment of others as extremely repulsive. So it’s just unfathomable how people can turn a blind eye to it and vote for him to win.

    Hell Ben has said he’s gone for extended periods of time living as fake people, with fake personalities because he’s such a compulsive liar. He said that on the show and no one raised an eye brow.

    So yeah, I think with Ben there’s a divide of people who found his personality to be horrible. Then those that simply didn’t care how he treated others because he was entertaining.

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