February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Patrick Markey
You’ve seen Rich get the million dollars on "Survivor." You’ve heard of the television battles on "Big Brother."
Now Ireland is joining in the voyeuristic craze of prying into the lives of those willing to expose themselves to the world.
One of the first Irish companies to get in on the real-life-as-entertainment trend, the online company Oxygen, is planning to monitor and broadcast the lives of four Dublin students inside an undisclosed location in the capital.
Named "No. 54" for the apartment’s number, the online broadcast — or webcast — will follow the four as they study, work, party and live out their normal lives.
Organizers say, rather than an Irish "Big Brother," "No. 54" will be more structured with live bands, comedians, celebrity interviews and game shows appearing in the living room of the student home.
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"We are expecting viewers to log on at their leisure throughout the day and night just to catch up with what the students are up to," said Cara Given, Oxygen’s content manager. "There will be a news section to keep viewers informed of what has happened while they’ve been away, as well as online diaries from the students themselves."
More than 500 applicants tried to get a spot in the house. The final four were chosen from 15 finalists.
"Some very colorful characters have already applied. We’re aiming to get as much of a mixture of personalities in the house as possible. The boy-to-girl ratio of applications has been about 4 to 1," Given said.
Residents of No. 54 will not be subject to the same strict restrictions as the "Big Brother" residents. During that Channel 4 television series in Britain and a similar one in the U.S., a group of young people are kept in a house as viewers vote them out one by one. The show has a huge following in Ireland and the UK.
At No 54. the students will be allowed to leave the house, but the webcast will continue 24 hours a day. Oxygen members can also win weekends as a guest.
"Of course, the students themselves will be allowed to have any visitors they wish and there will be regular parties," Given said.
The Oxygen "No. 54" will go live this month and continue through December at www.oxygen.ie.