An unearthed article from 2014 reveals that the current Big Brother Australia housemate, Coco Beeby, auditioned for the show over 10 years ago. Published by The Canberra Times, the writer chatted to a handful of hopefuls waiting for their chance to be sealed inside the Big Brother house.
Among them was 19-year-old student Coco Beeby, who travelled to Hotel Realm in Canberra from her home on NSW’s North Coast. Big Brother Australia’s housemate Coco is currently 30, so the ages and name match up.
“It’s something I want to do. I can’t wait, have a break from the kids,” Coco said at the time.
The executive producer, Alex Mavroidakis, said 300 contenders would be picked from the initial hunt in 2014, before narrowing it down to 15 to 20 housemates. Open auditions took place in Perth, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Albury, Launceston, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Townsville throughout April and May that year.
Producers also combed through online video applications, ultimately choosing housemates such as Priya Malik, Penny Higgs, and Skye Wheatley. 26-year-old Ryan Ginns ended up taking out the win, with Travis Lunardi, 24, coming in as runner-up.
Big Brother fans react to Coco’s previous audition
When the article featuring Coco was posted on a popular Big Brother Australia Facebook group, reactions were mixed.
“Just because she auditioned long ago doesn’t mean now she is on the show, she isn’t doing it for [her kids] and for herself, I honestly hope she wins,” one person wrote.
“She just said on live stream that she’s only ever watched two episodes of Big Brother. I find that extremely difficult to believe to be honest,” another replied.
“But she’s doing it for her kids,” another quipped.
“She wanted to just get a free holiday,” a fourth theorised.
Were the Big Brother housemates surprised by Coco’s application?
Recently evicted Vinnie Brigante tells Chattr he understands why Coco applied for Big Brother Australia back in 2014. “She told us that in the house. Big Brother [is] a massive show, it’s the best social experiment in the world,” he recalls. “I’m not surprised at all. The show is awesome.
“Big Brother saw something in her, and he had her on the second time she applied.”
Vinnie recalls Coco telling him she was glad she was accepted when she was 30 rather than 19, because it’s part of her “journey”.
Big Brother Australia 2025 airs Monday to Friday at 7.30pm, and Sundays at 7pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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