[Amy]

The fifth season of Big Brother has begun in Australia - and the lid has finally been lifted on a number of its promised secrets.

Fourteen contestants entered the house - all aged under thirty and most of them single - including an office worker who compares herself to Margaret Thatcher, a country boy who loves hunting and an estate agent named 'Hotdogs.'

The group contains at least two who are bisexual and one who claims to be a "try-sexual."

The house, located on Australia's Gold Coast, has been significantly redesigned to include a sauna, spa and a communal shower area. All of the beds are double.

Unbeknownst to most of the housemates, there is also a secret room housing one extra contestant. One of the group, 'Logan,' is actually one half of an identical twin. While one twin is in the house, the other is holed up in the secret room with only DVDs for company.

The pair will switch places on several occasions in the first fortnight - beginning on Monday night - and, if they manage to do so without arousing suspicion, they will both be permitted to enter the house together as individual contestants. The twist was first employed on Big Brother in the US last year.

Another twist has been drafted in from the UK: for the first time, the AUS$1 million prize fund (£400,000) will be a variable amount. The total will reduce if the group fail in weekly challenges - but also by the not insignificant sum of $5,000 (£2,000) every time a rule is broken; even for small breaches such as forgetting to wear a microphone.

One further "secret" is rumoured to be located underneath the grass in the garden.


Article DigitalSpy