Former Big Brother Australia housemate Vinnie Brigante has spoken out about the extraordinarily brutal method producers used to inform him of his eviction from the Channel Ten reality show.
A Savage Serenade in the Dead of Night
The 21-year-old barber was told his time was up on Tuesday night in a manner that has stunned viewers. Housemates were abruptly woken in the middle of the night and forced to dress in full Christmas attire before being made to sing the classic carol Jingle Bells.
However, the final verse of the song was cruelly altered, with the lyrics revealing to a shocked Brigante that he had been voted out by the public and had to leave the house immediately. Speaking to TV Week about the experience, Vinnie admitted he found the bizarre exit strangely fitting.
'The Way I Would Have Preferred to Go'
"It was hilarious and it's the way I would have preferred to go," Brigante said. He explained that the sudden, dramatic nature of the eviction spared him the typical Sunday night anxiety faced by contestants. "No anxiety for a whole Sunday. I woke up, sung some Jingle Bells and got evicted in the most savage way possible."
Despite his philosophical take, the young barber conceded that one song will be absent from his festive playlists for the foreseeable future. "I'll never be able to listen to that song again but what a laugh," he remarked.
Viewer Backlash and Parting Shots
The unconventional eviction sparked immediate outrage and disbelief among fans watching at home, who took to social media platform X to voice their opinions.
- "This is a lowkey evil way to evict someone," wrote one viewer.
- "That's so f***ed up actually," stated another.
- "That is the cruellest way I've ever seen anybody be eliminated on reality TV, oh my god," a fan chimed in.
- Others described it as "psychological torture" and "brutal," though some conceded it was "kinda awesome" in its sheer audacity.
Before departing, Vinnie left some pointed feedback for his fellow housemates via a letter read aloud by Emily Dale. He told Allana Jackson to "stop analysing everyone, it's draining," and suggested his relationship with her felt like "a constant test." He also advised Edward Doak to listen to his own advice on "acting your age" and implied he was being "fake" inside the house.
Brigante's dramatic exit follows the recent eviction of controversial contestant Holly Young, who was voted out during Sunday's elimination to cheers from the Dreamworld crowd.
