Big Brother (Australian season 1)  Big Brother 2001, also known as Big Brother 1, was the first season of the Australian reality television series "Big Brother". It is based upon the Dutch series of the same name, it premiered on Network Ten on April 23, 2001 and lasted twelve weeks until the live finale on July 16, 2001. "Big Brother 1" proved to be an early ratings success. In total, the season averaged 1.4 million viewers, thus making it the fourth highest rated season to date. This season aired for a total of 85 days, with evictions occurring once every week beginning with the second week. In total, fourteen Housemates competed in "Big Brother 1". The original twelve entered on the first night, with two intruders entering at a later date. Ultimately, Housemate Ben Williams was later announced as the winner of the series, with Blair McDonough becoming the Runner-Up. The premise of the show remained largely unchanged from other installments of the series. "Big Brother" revolves around ten strangers living in a house together with no communication with the outside world. They are filmed constantly during their time in the house, and can have no communication with those filming them. Each week, each contestant, referred to as "Housemates", choose two people to be up for nomination. The three (or more) people with the most votes will be nominated to leave the house. The viewers then decide which of the nominees should leave, with the selected person leaving during a live show. This process continued until only three Housemates remained, in which the viewers would decide which of the Housemates would win the grand prize. A Housemate can be ejected from the show for breaking rules, such as discussing nominations when not permitted. The Finale was watched by 2.789 million Australian viewers. Shortly before the premiere of the season, a special entitled "Big Brother Revealed" aired, featuring information on the casting process and the development of the house. The series held a live launch on April 23, 2001. The contestants were recorded 24 hours a day with cameras fixed around the house, and had to wear portable microphones. Each night, Network Ten broadcast a daily highlights show, and from the second week there was a live eviction show hosted by Gretel Killeen, where the evicted Housemate was interviewed. The nominations aired during the daily highlights show during this season, making it the only season to not feature a live nominations special. This season also aired alongside the "Big Brother Saturday" spin-off series.