It may only be March, but it’s never too early to get excited for Big Brother. The long-running summer reality competition has just announced a slate of open casting calls for Big Brother 15. And if that’s not enough for you, the first-ever Canadian edition of Big Brother is currently going strong in the Great White North.

The open casting calls for Big Brother 15 will begin at the end of March in 17 cities across the country. Not all dates and locations have been determined yet, but you can check HERE for all the information. Here’s a quick rundown of when and where you can audition to be a houseguest this summer.

Saturday, March 23 in Fargo, North Dakota
Saturday, March 23 in Charleston, West Virginia
Saturday, March 23 in San Antonio, Texas
Sunday, March 24 in Columbia, South Carolina
Thursday, March 28 in New York, New York
Saturday, March 30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Friday, April 19 n New Orleans, Louisiana
Saturday, April 20 in Anchorage, Alaska
Saturday, April 20 in Gainesville, Florida

Auditions will also be held on dates to be announced later in the following cities:

Los Angeles, California
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Chicago, Illinois
Jacksonville, Florida
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Portland, Maine
Phoenix, Arizona

Big Brother Canada: What’s It All Aboot?

If the American version every summer isn’t enough for you, Canada is currently at the start of its first-ever Big Brother season. While it doesn’t air in the U.S., American audiences can still check it out via YouTube.

Big Brother Canada premiered on February 27 with 3.3 million viewers, which was enough to make it the night’s top show. It’s clear the Canadians have learned from 14 seasons of watching their neighbors to the south. The format is identical to the U.S. version with HoH, PoV, live eviction shows and even Big Brother Canada: After Dark.

The HGs have already evicted two of their own and it’s quite entertaining to see that the stereotypically polite Canadians can also be ruthless, backstabbing liars who form secret alliances and blindside unsuspecting pawns.

If you want to get caught up, here’s what you need to know about the HGs on Big Brother Canada.

The Shield: This is a two-man secret alliance between nerdy Peter and sexy Alec (a guy who doesn’t seem to own any shirts), who bonded on the first night and are loyal to each other above all else.

Quatro: The two members of the Shield joined up with the houses two strongmen, Tom and Emmett, to form a Brigade-style final four alliance that is in complete control of the house. Additionally, Tom and Emmett have a final two deal and have no problem telling everyone about it, which seems like a questionable strategy.

Showmances: Like the original Brigade, Quatro has side alliances with various female HGs. Alec and Topaz are cuddle buddies, Emmett and Jillian are more-than-cuddle buddies and Tom and Liza have something going on as well. But the women aren’t all clueless as Jillian and Liza have talked about sticking together and using Tom and Emmett (who they call the Ox and the Ram) to drag them to the end.

The Other Side: The most flamboyant houseguest is Gary (nicknamed Gary Glitter), a guy who makes Wil Heuser look like a buttoned-down conservative. He has been very loud and obnoxious and many of the others want him gone, except for Talla and Suzette, who are on his side.

The Floaters: Aneal is a smart guy who was nearly evicted in week 2 but saved himself because he had nobody and Quatro viewed him as a potential mole for them to use. He also has bad blood with Gary. The other guys are Andrew and A.J., but they haven’t really done much of anything in the first two weeks and seem to play no role in the group dynamic. They do go off in their own world and act like they’re important, which essentially makes them Turtle and Drama from Entourage.

Perhaps the best part of Big Brother Canada is the little details that make it “oot” of this world. There’s a talking moose that gives people secret missions. The producers gave the HGs vodka and in one HoH competition, the tie-breaker question asked for a measurement in liters. Oh, the metric system. They even have their own special twist, a phone that occasionally rings and, whoever answers it first is given a special, secret assignment.

Thus far I’m enjoying Big Brother Canada as a fun and fresh filler while I wait for the American version this summer, and I encourage all other Big Brother fans to do the same. Heck, watch it just to hear someone say “aboot,” because they totally do.

(Image courtesy of CBS)

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire DiariesSupernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.