[bbsuperfan]

Not to be rude, but I've been in hiding a few years ago so I've a pretty good grasp of the process and timelines. After the psych tests there's lots of long phone calls, they'll talk to your family/friends, get you to get med forms in, get police clearance form from you, if you get really far, in end April/early May they sent a person to spend time with you, meet some of your friends, see your home etc. If you're really lucky, you'll then get a call to go to hiding in Europe with chaperones, which is still not a guarantee that you'll be a housemate as they send more into hiding than they do in the house.
It's a fun rollercoaster if you get to be a part of it.

[mardibum]

Originally Posted by bbsuperfan

Not to be rude, but I've been in hiding a few years ago so I've a pretty good grasp of the process and timelines. After the psych tests there's lots of long phone calls, they'll talk to your family/friends, get you to get med forms in, get police clearance form from you, if you get really far, in end April/early May they sent a person to spend time with you, meet some of your friends, see your home etc. If you're really lucky, you'll then get a call to go to hiding in Europe with chaperones, which is still not a guarantee that you'll be a housemate as they send more into hiding than they do in the house.
It's a fun rollercoaster if you get to be a part of it.

So did they come to your home? Did you go to Europe? I'm guessing the nubers are smaller this year ...

[bbsuperfan]

We went for a bite to eat with some unsuspecting pals and met up with my dad.
They were really nice actually. Went to Europe for a week but didn't get into the house.
After experiencing hiding though I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have enjoyed being in the house as much as I thought I would - your phone is taken from you pretty much straight away and I found that horrible.
You go to a hotel around London for a night before where all the potentials are, you don't get to meet them or anything though as you're confined to your room and then head off.
If you're in the process, good luck!

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by bbsuperfan

We went for a bite to eat with some unsuspecting pals and met up with my dad.
They were really nice actually. Went to Europe for a week but didn't get into the house.
After experiencing hiding though I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have enjoyed being in the house as much as I thought I would - your phone is taken from you pretty much straight away and I found that horrible.
You go to a hotel around London for a night before where all the potentials are, you don't get to meet them or anything though as you're confined to your room and then head off.
If you're in the process, good luck!

Sounds bloody exciting!! aww wish I got past round 2..

Aww it is a shame you didn't get into the house!!

did you audition this year?

[*mazedsalv**]

Originally Posted by bbsuperfan

We went for a bite to eat with some unsuspecting pals and met up with my dad.
They were really nice actually. Went to Europe for a week but didn't get into the house.
After experiencing hiding though I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have enjoyed being in the house as much as I thought I would - your phone is taken from you pretty much straight away and I found that horrible.
You go to a hotel around London for a night before where all the potentials are, you don't get to meet them or anything though as you're confined to your room and then head off.
If you're in the process, good luck!

Okay this is kind of weird. Someone i know applied in the auditions as a joke, but i heard he got to like the third round. Now I havnt seen him for a few weeks and he even came late for a lunch with the family last week, didnt think much of it but he could actually still be in the running but isnt allowed to tell He has been away a lot compared to normally.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by *mazedsalv**

Okay this is kind of weird. Someone i know applied in the auditions as a joke, but i heard he got to like the third round. Now I havnt seen him for a few weeks and he even came late for a lunch with the family last week, didnt think much of it but he could actually still be in the running but isnt allowed to tell He has been away a lot compared to normally.

Your friend will be keeping it a secret Salv! Ooo if your friend gets on you should go on BBLB and support your friend

[*mazedsalv**]

Originally Posted by thebeast

Your friend will be keeping it a secret Salv! Ooo if your friend gets on you should go on BBLB and support your friend

See thats the thing, i dont want to say something just in case someone will find out. But i will say its a family member though. He's been away alot so maybe. And yeah i would defenitley go on there

[bbsuperfan]

Nope, only auditioned that once. It's the same people working on it nearly every year and you do get to know them a bit, so I felt like I'd be a bit of a saddo going back again.
It was brilliant fun, very disappointing at the time but in retrospect I think I had the best of it - all the excitement and none of the public humiliation.
Every year since I've told all my friends to audition just for the experience. I won't ruin it for others who might be in the middle of it but there's some elements of the secrecy that I still giggle about.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by bbsuperfan

Nope, only auditioned that once. It's the same people working on it nearly every year and you do get to know them a bit, so I felt like I'd be a bit of a saddo going back again.
It was brilliant fun, very disappointing at the time but in retrospect I think I had the best of it - all the excitement and none of the public humiliation.
Every year since I've told all my friends to audition just for the experience. I won't ruin it for others who might be in the middle of it but there's some elements of the secrecy that I still giggle about.

Like what? lol

[bbsuperfan]

Honestly, I would tell if it wouldn't take away from the experience for other people. THey're only small silly things, I'll tell you after it starts if you want but I'd hate to be the surprise ruiner for other people!

[keithafc]

Why didn't you get in? With some of the idiots who have been in the house in recent years, its amazing you didn't get in.

[BrooklynFan]

wow bbsuperfan I cant imagine the disappointment of making it through all the rounds AND going into hiding and then not going into the house! I can't believe those decisions are so last minute! and imagine, In BB8 the four guys who entered on day 17 had been in hiding for FOUR WEEKS! What excuse do you give your family? Doesnt everyoen kinda figure out that youre a potential housemate becuase you've disappearede?

[BBitterLemons]

Finally, I think we have someone with some genuine experience and input!

[bbsuperfan]

It was disappointing at the time but you get caught up so much in the excitement that you don't really give enough time to think about the downsides, like media etc. Even though they give you 'the talk of doom', it's just so exciting you tend to ignore it. So at the time, yes, disappointing; afterwards, a great time to look back to.
It really goes down to the last minute, there's more people in hiding than housemates and usually, they'll have a core few definites that they want and then they pick the rest around them to build up a wide range of people that will either really clash or really get on with the core group.
I personally think I didn't go in because I wasn't zany or extreme enough, that said, I must have been interesting in enough ways to get to hiding I don't hold any grudges, they're the experts and know what they want and looking back, I think I would have been a misfit within the bunch.
My family knew I was going into hiding, I think most people's families do (or at least those who trust their families). You've an official family member/friend that gets called while you're hiding to be given an emergency contact number in case they need to reach you, so the idea that noone on the outside has any idea who is a potential housemates is a myth.
The housemates that go in the middle (I don't know about the four guys though) are usually not in hiding and can be picked from pretty much any part of the audition process, once again it's determined by the group in the house at the time.
Some housemates audition for a previous year and get asked to be rehearsal housemates and then get asked on in the following, Becca was one of these - she's spoken publicly about it so not getting anyone in trouble

[BBitterLemons]

Originally Posted by bbsuperfan

It was disappointing at the time but you get caught up so much in the excitement that you don't really give enough time to think about the downsides, like media etc. Even though they give you 'the talk of doom', it's just so exciting you tend to ignore it. So at the time, yes, disappointing; afterwards, a great time to look back to.
It really goes down to the last minute, there's more people in hiding than housemates and usually, they'll have a core few definites that they want and then they pick the rest around them to build up a wide range of people that will either really clash or really get on with the core group.
I personally think I didn't go in because I wasn't zany or extreme enough, that said, I must have been interesting in enough ways to get to hiding I don't hold any grudges, they're the experts and know what they want and looking back, I think I would have been a misfit within the bunch.
My family knew I was going into hiding, I think most people's families do (or at least those who trust their families). You've an official family member/friend that gets called while you're hiding to be given an emergency contact number in case they need to reach you, so the idea that noone on the outside has any idea who is a potential housemates is a myth.
The housemates that go in the middle (I don't know about the four guys though) are usually not in hiding and can be picked from pretty much any part of the audition process, once again it's determined by the group in the house at the time.
Some housemates audition for a previous year and get asked to be rehearsal housemates and then get asked on in the following, Becca was one of these - she's spoken publicly about it so not getting anyone in trouble

I told you guys ^

I was in a guinea pig week with Bex among others. Its so nice to have someone who has been through it all too, welcome superfan!

[mardibum]

Originally Posted by BBitterLemons

I told you guys ^

I was in a guinea pig week with Bex among others. Its so nice to have someone who has been through it all too, welcome superfan!

What do you think comes after the psychological tests?

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by mardibum

What do you think comes after the psychological tests?

Talk of Doom?

[BBitterLemons]

Originally Posted by mardibum

What do you think comes after the psychological tests?

Right now I'd imagine people are in the process of, or already have seen the psychs and are back to waiting like right after the nationals. If I took a guess from previous years exp, I'd say they're nearing the end of the psych evaluations. People won't hear anything for perhaps a few weeks or even a month now until all the potentials through to the next stage have been through the psych vetting, then it'll be a long post-psych follow up phone call. Thereafter depends on if you're successfully progressing or not.

[BrooklynFan]

Which season of BB was it that you nearly made it in?
Jonty said on Digital Spy that he was in hiding for FOUR WEEKS before finally being called back to England and put on standby and then going into hiding for an additional week right before he was put in finally.
Once we're 2 weeks before the start of the series, can you tell us more about all the secrecy stuff, since the real housemates wont be reading anymore? It's fascinating. and probably a lot of fun too.

[mardibum]

Talk of doom is before that, on the group task day on the secret location. So I've heard.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by mardibum

Talk of doom is before that, on the group task day on the secret location. So I've heard.

Oh lol. Then maybe the psychology round is the last round? If you have passed it they probs do health checks after.. swap heir GP information and their bank account information and that then go into hiding. However once you are in hiding you are not always guaranteed a place in the house.. apparently about 50 go into hiding.. about 14 of them will go in on launch night and the rest are stand by's?

[BBitterLemons]

Originally Posted by thebeast

Oh lol. Then maybe the psychology round is the last round? If you have passed it they probs do health checks after.. swap heir GP information and their bank account information and that then go into hiding. However once you are in hiding you are not always guaranteed a place in the house.. apparently about 50 go into hiding.. about 14 of them will go in on launch night and the rest are stand by's?

No, there is more post psych evaluations. You won't have your med forms requested (which they have to pay quite high prices for) unless you're going into the rehearsal weeks OR into hiding but that is a good tell tale sign that you're far into the process. Only HM's and standby's go into hiding, so thats probably around 25, they don't send away 34 standby's. That said you could be in hiding and still don't know you're only a standby until you don't get into the house. They are that brutal.

[bbsuperfan]

Talk of doom is in group days in London mid March-early April. It's a talk where they tell you that BB won't change your life, for the better anyway, that you won't make any money from it and you won't be famous. They tell you what previous housemates are up to (most of the time exactly the same job they were doing before BB) and to consider the impact of BB on your family and friends as they're the people who deal with the fallout while you're in the house.
Psych evals are early April (also in London) - one psychiatrist and one psychologist.
Med forms and police vetting forms are requested in April.
All through April there's tonnes of phone calls (all password protected) - with you and usually your 'nominated' person - the one person you're allowed tell about your progress in BB auditions.
They'll require you to be a friend on facebook/twitter/bebo if you have any accounts with social media sites.
There comes a point towards the end when they change the password - this means you're really far.
'Day in the life' visits are end April/early May
You'll get a contract and printed talk of doom if you're going to hiding.
They'll request things from your childhood, photos videos etc.
They choose about 25-30 people to go to hiding. Some are sent mid-may, some can be sent anything up to only a day or two before the show kicks off.
Rehearsals in the house take place about two weeks before launch.
Sometimes the people they use as rehearsal housemates get in to the house, but only a few.
If you're in the process, the only time you know you'll be in is when you're asked to be (or not) when you're in hiding.
In hiding (west European countries) you'll have chaperones, won't have any communication with anyone and will do drawings, diaries, iq tests, that sort of thing.
If you haven't heard from them by now you're 99.9% out.

[GypsyGoth]

Originally Posted by bbsuperfan

Talk of doom is in group days in London mid March-early April. It's a talk where they tell you that BB won't change your life, for the better anyway, that you won't make any money from it and you won't be famous. They tell you what previous housemates are up to (most of the time exactly the same job they were doing before BB) and to consider the impact of BB on your family and friends as they're the people who deal with the fallout while you're in the house.
Psych evals are early April (also in London) - one psychiatrist and one psychologist.
Med forms and police vetting forms are requested in April.
All through April there's tonnes of phone calls (all password protected) - with you and usually your 'nominated' person - the one person you're allowed tell about your progress in BB auditions.
They'll require you to be a friend on facebook/twitter/bebo if you have any accounts with social media sites.
There comes a point towards the end when they change the password - this means you're really far.
'Day in the life' visits are end April/early May
You'll get a contract and printed talk of doom if you're going to hiding.
They'll request things from your childhood, photos videos etc.
They choose about 25-30 people to go to hiding. Some are sent mid-may, some can be sent anything up to only a day or two before the show kicks off.
Rehearsals in the house take place about two weeks before launch.
Sometimes the people they use as rehearsal housemates get in to the house, but only a few.
If you're in the process, the only time you know you'll be in is when you're asked to be (or not) when you're in hiding.
In hiding (west European countries) you'll have chaperones, won't have any communication with anyone and will do drawings, diaries, iq tests, that sort of thing.
If you haven't heard from them by now you're 99.9% out.

Thanks for the info

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by GypsyGoth

Thanks for the info

This! Thankyou bbsuperfan for all the info and thanks to bitterlemons who has also given us some info!!