[zakman440]

http://www.spreaker.com:80/episode/5132606

Skip to 35:40. He was meant to be instead of Helen! This really shocked me, I'd have much preferred him over Helen, also it would have been exciting to have had a BBAUS contestant in our BB!

Big Brother Australia winner Benjamin Norris has claimed that he was considered for Helen Wood’s place in this year’s ‘Power Trip’ series of Big Brother UK.

The 34-year-old told fan radio show BB Couch Potatoes that BBAU executive Alex Mavroidakis arranged for him to audition for BBUK.

However, Norris – who was voted winner of the ninth series of BBAU in 2012 – said he was eventually told he wouldn’t become a housemate as he didn’t fill the ‘villain’ role that Channel 5 bosses were specifically looking to cast.

“I went over to the UK to participate in the last season,” he revealed. “Alex sent my bio video over and they liked it, and when I flew over there I shot my bio video.

“Once I’d arrived in England and met these producers, the strongest problem that they had with me was that they were looking for a villain for their show, and I wasn’t a villain. I think I’d been humbled by the Big Brother experience in some way.”

“The person they went on to replace me with in the house was Helen, who went on to win. Maybe if I’d been nasty in my auditions in the UK I’d have won another season!”

The salon owner turned out to be the main antagonist of the series, going on to win despite being branded a ‘bully’ for her often aggressive behaviour. The result was controversial, prompting 469 complaints to Ofcom that were later rejected.

Norris added that he was kept on standby for a mid-series twist that failed to materialise.

“I was speaking to the producers about going in as a power play, maybe putting me in there as a winner of Big Brother to help manipulate or do something in a task,” he said. “But there was a few complications… it didn’t work out.”

BBUK hasn’t been involved in an international Big Brother crossover since 2010, when it teamed up with the German version for a World Cup-themed task.

http://www.bbspy.co.uk/bb15/news/102...#ixzz3HX3aeL5B