DRPS PHCA Free: On This Day in PH TV: Pinoy Big Brother was premiered on ABS-CBN (August 21, 2005)

​It’s been twenty (20) years ago since the time when the Big Brother’s house was built and opened for the first time on-air as ABS-CBN brings viewers to a well-known reality show based on the franchise of Big Brother (originally owned by Endemol, now known as Banijay). This is the 31st country to have a Reality Show based on that franchise, and the 2nd in Asia.

The first season, dubbed as “PBB Season 1” was premiered on August 21, 2005, which was aired on ABS-CBN and on Studio 23 (or the now-defunct ABS-CBN S+A), that entered twelve (12) housemates inside the house. These twelve housemates are among of the about 25,000 hopefuls to take inside the house during the auditions for this reality show.

The season 1 comprised of thirteen (13) housemates – Rico Barrera, JB Magsaysay, Racquel Reyes, Bob dela Cruz, Chx Alcala, Jenny Suico, Franzen Fajardo, Say Alonzo, Sam Milby, and the Big 4 of that edition – Uma Khouny, Cass Ponti, Jayson Gainza, and it’s first-ever Big Winner – Nene Tamayo.

To date, there are twenty Big Winners of Pinoy Big Brother was proclaimed since it’s launch, with Brent Manalo and Mika Salamanca, was the latest Big Winner from it’s most recent edition, under “Celebrity Collab Edition”, which is in a collaboration with the Big Brother franchise holder, ABS-CBN, and the most viewed and highly rated TV Network, GMA Network, together with Star Magic and Sparkle (the networks’ respective talent agencies) – the first PBB edition to air on the Kapuso Network.

The last edition of PBB before ABS-CBN halted it’s broadcast airwaves in May 5, 2020 was Otso (2018-19), then during the time when the Kapamilya Network did not have a broadcast franchise, the first edition of the reality show was Connect (2020-21), being broadcast for the first time on Kapamilya Channel and A2Z, as well as on TV5 for the remaining days, from March 8 to 14, 2021. PBB Kumunity Season 10 (2021-22) was not shown on TV5, until when it’s successor, Gen 11 (2024), was broadcast on that channel in full, along with KapCha and A2Z.

PHCA CID: PHCA-2025H2-3664