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Nathan told to keep Big Brother secret for 48 hours

He told Big Brother of his decision last Friday, but Nathan didn't tell housemates he was quitting until Sunday.

2013-10-08_2306It was whilst watching a challenge between new intruders Boog and Madaline that it dawned on Nathan to quit Big Brother.

After struggling to fit into the house for days, he realised the girls were a better mix for the housemates and it was time to take action.

“When they came in and slotted in so easily it was only then that I realised ‘I’m actually not fitting in.’ So I accepted it as part of the process,” he told TV Tonight.

“It wasn’t that I was just an Intruder (that I didn’t fit in). There was something particular with me.

“It was the moment when they scored equally well that I saw through that process that they both wanted it so much and it highlighted that I didn’t want it anymore. I’d lived the dream of being in the house and pushed myself psychologically.”

With that revelation he walked to the Diary Room to tell Big Brother he was quitting. He was so firm on his decision that he declined an offer to speak to the show’s resident Psychologist.

“I said I didn’t want one. Because I gave them level-headed reasons, Big Brother said ‘I can see that you’re serious.’”

That discussion with producers took place last Friday, requiring Nathan to stay silent on his decision for 48 hours with his housemates. He even proposed the way his Eviction should take place.

“I knew that people had paid money (to vote) so I didn’t want to stuff that up and I knew they needed an Eviction moment. So I put on my little producer hat and said ‘How about you do the Eviction and I say I will give my spot to you?'” he explained.

“I’m sure they would have thought of it anyway, so I don’t want to take credit.

“They said ‘The Eviction will be on Sunday, so don’t tell anyone. Keep your poker face on for 2 days.’”

His Eviction was filmed on Sunday in readiness for the Monday broadcast.

During that 48 hour wait, while keeping his news a secret, he still had to participate in the weekly challenge, a Rock Paper Scissors challenge which saw housemates tied to one another for several hours.

But having made his decision, he then found the inner strength to confront those he had trouble with.

“It took me knowing I was leaving to grow some balls and being tied to Tim and Tahan that I knew they couldn’t escape from me. They had to listen to what I had to say.”

Nathan, 35, says he entered Big Brother having been a fan of the show since the first series. It was a personal ambition to be on the show, as well as the possibilities it offered. But he struggled to fit in.

“I wanted to get a break in the Entertainment industry. I’m a jack of all trades. I didn’t think I was particularly good at anything but I thought I’m good at talking to people and making people laugh, naturally,” he said.

“So I thought it would be a good fit, but I just couldn’t bring that side out without referencing songs or being filthy or without people understanding my references.

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to reference music but I thought in the banter I’d still be able to make them laugh.

“I just tried to be natural, to be myself. I know when I try hard to make people laugh, rather than it coming from a natural place, that I’d just come across as a tosser.

“It was a struggle the whole time to remain positive and natural, if that makes sense.

“As I struggled to find my way I became more and more withdrawn. Towards the end I think they were fed up with it. I didn’t count on Tim, Drew and Tahan getting to me as much as they did. I thought if I had more support I would have overcome that.”

Frustrated by a lack of music, he was even told off for whistling a Strauss classical melody.

“I thought ‘It’s the 16th Century. Surely you’ve got copyright for that?’ I can’t even whistle that?” he laughed.

Rules against swearing also dogged him. A moment in defending the Sugar sisters got him into trouble.

“I went into the Diary Room and said ‘Australia I think you’re f***ing stupid.’ And Big Brother said ‘You can’t address Australia and you can’t swear.’ So I said ‘Ok, Australia I think you’re incredibly stupid for voting those girls out. They are beautiful. What qualities are you rewarding?’” he asked.

But he denies his sexuality set him apart from the housemates.

“I don’t think any of that was really a problem,” he said.

“Ben got all my references. He loved the 70s and the 80s and we’d laugh about Carol Channing. But they were ‘Carol who?’ So we bonded on that level.

“I began to realise if I’m not funny I’m going to be the sook in the house. So I was very conscious that would be my storyline.

“The only reason to stay was to win $250,000 and that just seemed too far down the track to even think about.”

His exit on Sunday triggered all kinds of Social Media reactions and there were efforts to keep his identity secret.

“When I came out of the house the Producer smiled at me and said ‘Mate that was great TV!’ Not just because of my exit but because everyone was so traumatised by having to vote in front of people.

“They gave me a cigarette but while I was sitting there puffing away the steam train from Dreamworld came past and everyone craned their neck and I thought ‘Why am I standing here? Everyone’s going to see this!’

“People are saying I was being consoled, but we were just chatting. I find it funny people say I couldn’t handle not smoking.

“Then I came to the Hilton and had to walk with a towel wrapped around my head.”

He spent the day in a hotel room with his sister, declining to answer messages from puzzled friends until they had viewed Monday’s episode.

But now he’s out he talks with few regrets. He got to live his ambition, leave on his own terms and while he doesn’t care to be seen as a ‘martyr’ is happy that a female Intruder got to take his place.

“I understand people will think I gave up or that I was trying to look good. But the whole way through I tried to be in the moment and react naturally, which is the most impossible thing to do when you have cameras on.”

Big Brother airs 7pm weeknights on Nine.

16 Responses

  1. Well done to Nathan for his honesty and all the other BB housemates that have been evicted, why do we always have to judge and be so critical of people for wanting to audition or enter the BB show. Im sure we wouldn’t have any idea what it would really be like. I love the BB show have watched it for the past 4 years but am very dissapointed that most reviews we read have to be about putting people down for reasons we obviously couldn’t put ourselves in, is it because we didn’t make the short list or would never audition I find that people focus more on the negative than the positive today. And well done to BB for giving us the show to watch maybe some shouldn’t watch if feeling (So many talentless wannabees are so easily forgotten) what a awful life some must lead if they feel like this comment is to said. Nasty people are jealous people.

  2. You could see his reaction in the diary room when they told everyone there was a competition for the Intruders. Nathan was sitting on the floor in the bottom right hand corner of the screen & his face went dark as BB told them the details.
    BB needs to give all the intruders an even start next year. This year the male intruders got no help from the producers at all the way they were introduced compared to the girls.

  3. I have a love/hate thing going with this show, but the most interesting aspect is that – unlike in the outside world – housemates can’t choose their company. Seeing the reaction to not having people around who simply validate them all the time is priceless (Tully’s a perfect example), and I think this is the crux of Nathan’s problems. He got along with the easy mollycoddlers and had an allergic reaction to the more challenging straight-shooters.Then he takes a cowardly swipe at them on his way out the door, when they were the ones he could have learnt most about himself from.

  4. Thanks for this. It gives great extra info. I think there is a slight mistake though.

    Where it says he swore and got in trouble for that, as he was mad at Australia for voting the girls out. I think that was in reference to the sisters, not maddie and boog (Australia didn’t vote them out) I remember watching the show and he was really angry the sisters left.

  5. I remember, back in the day, they used to do interviews with Carmel on the Live shows. And she’d talk about why the housemates were behaving in certain ways etc.

    1. The show has always had a psychologist going back to S1, her name was Carmel Hill, and it would be irresponsible not to have. Duty of care was cited by Producer in a previous interview, and the fact it was offered in this case is indicative of that. Just because you don’t know the name of a crew member isn’t really reason to have a go?

  6. Good get interview, David. Great to hear his thoughts. I would have liked to have heard and seen more in the show; but the bigger, focus pulling characters dominate the screen time.

  7. Referring back to an interview you did with the executive producer earliy in the series:
    http://tvtonight.com.au/2013/08/behind-the-scenes-at-big-brother-eviction-night.html

    “I am a fan. I’m a Big Brother purist. To me it’s the original and the best because it’s as raw and honest as reality TV can get. We genuinely do not ask them to say things twice when they fluff a line. We don’t ask them to stand three metres to the left if we can’t get a good shot. We don’t ask them to change their clothes if they look like shit in the morning.”

    But they will ask housemates who want to leave to surpress their true feelings in order to manufacture a twist they can then promote promote promote.

  8. Oh, so that was him everyone was talking about being spotted from the steam train. Well he kept to himself so much, that I don’t think it was too difficult to keep it quiet. Well that’s one way to force Tim & Tahan to listen to you, being tied up to them.

  9. Yet another desperate attemtion seeker leaves the BB house and still seeks those last few desperate moments of fame. So many talentless wannabees are so easily forgotten

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