I stayed at BBB 24’s house for half an hour, pressed the Quit Button and became Boninho’s terror

If you knew what to do: what would you do? The questioning of “Vida Real”, the theme song of Big Brother Brasil since its debut —and there have been more than two decades and I don’t know how many arrangements with Paulo Ricardo’s charmingly hoarse voice—, has never stopped being topical.

After all, what Brazilian has never imagined themselves (for even a microsecond) participating in the country’s highest-rated reality show, capable of making anonymous people acclaimed and celebrities needing crisis management after a massive cancellation? If you were being filmed 24 hours a day, which team would you be closer to? Would you pay to see it?

I didn’t have to pay, but I got a taste of the experience last Thursday (4), when Globo invited a group of journalists to visit the so-called “most watched house in the country”. The idea was to see the new decoration and then participate in a press conference with presenter Tadeu Schmidt and director Rodrigo Dourado. I was representing the F5.

The “confinement” begins when disembarking the plane and meeting colleagues from different parts of the country in the van provided by the broadcaster to take us to Estúdios Globo, in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro. Without traffic, the journey from Santos Dumont airport, in the center, to there was short due to so much speculation about who the BBB 24 participants should be — the first 18 names would only be confirmed on Friday (5).

Arriving at Projac (yes, I’m from that time, leave me) is always a curious dive, you can find Fernanda Montenegro passing her badge or a group of teenagers at the door waiting to see some young starlet of the moment; depends on luck. And anyone who says they don’t feel a little comfortable traveling in the electric cart (the kind used on golf courses) to shorten the long distances inside is lying.

The “house” is right there, behind several soap opera studios and buildings used to house the broadcaster’s artistic and administrative structure. On the outside, zero luxury, zero glamour. Just a lot of walls that in no way indicate that one of the broadcaster’s biggest revenues takes place inside.

Before entering, a surprise: the nucleus director Boninho, almost an entity of the program, is there to welcome you. “You just can’t scream woohoo,” he says. I joke about turning around and leaving, because what’s the point of going into BBB’s house if you’re not going to get the full experience. “Okay, you can, you can”, Big Boss resigns himself.

And then you go through a dark tunnel, full of wires and equipment, and suddenly you are in the outdoor area, the scene of so much bullshit, shouting and confusion. I leave pressing all the buttons next to the doors, because, yes, I’m anxious, but they only open after a beep warning that “the house is cleared”.

Inside, I become an architect visiting a Casa Cor: I open all the doors, check all the rooms (I would choose the one with fairy decorations!), think about how that bathroom will be enough for 26 people and see what’s in the closets and even in the fridge. Without relying too much on my memory (I’ve already been introduced to the same person four times), I started writing down all the details in my notebook, since my cell phone had to be left outside.

And then I arrive in the room, where, between the screen where the presenter communicates with the participants and the confessional, there is the Withdrawal Button (yes, the one used by Tiago Abravanel and Bruno Gaga in the most recent editions). Whoever presses it is renouncing the “privilege” of having been chosen to be there. It just wants to leak.

It is worth mentioning that it cannot be used at any time. The button is inside a kind of round glass safe, surrounded by a light that turns red (when it is locked) or green (when the saying “the front door is a use of the house” applies).

With no limits to exploration, I see the light is green. I turn a small knob that opens the glass door and press the button. A very loud siren starts to sound. The lights start to flash (ok, that part might have been just in my head). All eyes turn to me. “Why did you do that?” asks a colleague. “I missed my family”, I improvise.

“We were excited at the switcher: ‘This one is curious'”, says director Rodrigo Dourado at the end of the visit, which lasted around half an hour in total. “We broke your trouble because you were going to be expelled. Boninho wanted to come in and get you out (laughs).”

So that’s it, I spent half an hour at BBB and, like Manu Gavassi, I became Boninho’s terror. I can already say that I was eliminated, but at least I generated entertainment.