Big Brother 5 (U.S.)

Big Brother 5 was the fifth season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It is based upon the Netherlands series of the same name, which gained notoriety in 1999 and 2000. The series premiered on CBS on July 6, 2004 and lasted eleven weeks until the live finale on September 21, 2004. This season was the first to be accompanied by the House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show spin-off series, which was viewable online and discussed the events of the game. The fifth season continued to have the ratings success of the previous season, averaging more than eight million viewers per episode. The Big Brother 5 premiere garnered 9.55 million viewers, almost matching that of the previous season's launch night. Ratings stayed gradually the same, with the finale receiving more than 10 million viewers. The season premiere currently has the third highest ratings for a premiere episode, only behind Big Brother 1 and Big Brother 4. Big Brother 5 featured a total of 14 HouseGuests, an increase from previous editions. The series ended after 82 days, in which HouseGuest Drew Daniel was crowned the Winner, and Michael Ellis the Runner-Up.

Shortly after the confirmation of the fourth season, it was confirmed that producers such as Allison Grodner and Arnold Shapiro would return to the series for this season, and were also contracted to do the fifth season. Despite signing on for Big Brother 5, the series had not been confirmed at the time. In September 2003, following the ratings success of Big Brother 4, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that CBS had renewed the series leading up until 2006, ensuring three more seasons to air during the Summer time period. Casting for Big Brother 5 began on September 15, 2003, before the conclusion of the previous season. On the fifth season, producer Arnold Shapiro stated, "Allison [Grodner] and I are excited about Big Brother 5, and the new surprises and twists that await this summer's HouseGuests [...] The one constant we can promise participants and viewers alike is: expect the unexpected. We’re seeking the most outgoing, competitive, quirky and charismatic players we can find." Shortly afterwards, host Julie Chen began teasing about some changes to the format, and a video posted online also promised a "twisted" change to the game. The HouseGuests for this season, excluding Natalie, were revealed through the official CBS site for the series on June 30, 2004.

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