[Matt]

Press Release:

TASK: JAPANORAMA
TX: Highlights show, 10pm, Wednesday 18th June, 2008

For this week's shopping task, housemates will learn and be tested on traditional Japanese culture.

Today, housemates woke up to find the living room transformed Japanese style, with low dining tables, futon seating and lantern style lighting. Later today, Big Brother will tell the housemates that this week's shopping task will consist of several challenges that will teach and test them about Japanese culture. These are:

" KARATE SCHOOL
" ENDURANCE KARAOKE
" LEARNING JAPANESE
" CHOPSTICK CHALLENGE

Housemates must decide there and then who will take part in each part of the task. Each housemate must take part in one task only which they cannot change.

Big Brother will give kimono's to all housemates apart from those taking part in the Karate Challenge who will wear karate costumes. Housemates have to wear their costumes for the duration of the task.

The housemates who take the Karate School challenge will be given an instructional manual and DVD plus DVD player. They will have four hours to learn their karate routine which they must perform, from memory, infront of the other housemates.

For the Endurance Karaoke challenge, five housemates will go to the small task room which will be transformed into a karaoke booth. The five housemates must work in shifts over 24 hours to make sure that at all times someone is in the karaoke booth singing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Bonnie Tyler.

The three housemates who have chosen the Learning Japanese challenge will be will be provided with a personal CD player and headphones, a "Japanese For Beginners" audio CD and a "Japanese For Beginners" phrase book. Housemates have until the following day to improve upon their conversational Japanese. Big Brother will call them to the Diary Room to take part in an oral exam on Wednesday Morning.

Housemates will also be provided with a Japanese banquet of Shashimi (thinly sliced raw seafood).

The task will conclude on Wednesday where housemates will be tested on their conversational Japanese and their chopstick techniques.