FORGET BIG Brother: the latest twist to the tired reality television genre has arrived online: Pig Brother.
Unknown to the contestants – Austrian piglets Pauli, Fredi, Piggy and Lilly – the world is watching them live online at the website www.pigbrother.at. Just click the “live cam” button.
For the next two months, visitors to the website can follow the foul-smelling events in the Pig Brother sty from their home and vote for their favourite pig.
Each vote earns the pig an extra potato and, at the end of the week, the animal who gets the most potatoes is crowned “Pig of the Week”.
Every Sunday, the pigs face off in the “Pig Challenge”: viewers can bet on the outcome and the winning pig gets extra points and potatoes.
All of the Sunday heats and the grand final – the “Pig Olympiad” at the end of May – are streamed live on the internet.
Leading after week one is Pauli, who says in his profile his favourite hobby is “philosophising in the straw”. Other pastimes include “enjoying the day” and “slobbing about”.
Blue-eyed Lilly, in second place, considers herself a lady and her favourite hobby is karaoke.
Fredi, in third place, is a self-described loveable rogue, while Piggy, in last place, is an appearance-conscious lipsticked pig who won a local beauty contest. Her motto? “Being beautiful is what it’s all about.”
Site visitors can also view an image gallery and watch video highlights. The idea for the website came from Peter Haudum, head of the regional tourist authority in the Austrian town of Helfenberg, near the Czech border.
His idea to boost the area’s tourism and culinary profile has really taken off. Pigbrother.at has already had more than one million visitors, while 27,000 people have registered to back their favourite pig. Mr Haudum said his money was on Fredi.
And what will happen to the pigs afterwards? Tabloid paparazzi hell? Public nervous breakdowns? The butcher’s block?
“The pigs won’t be slaughtered, they won’t end up in the smoke house,” says Mr Haudum, who owns a restaurant and produces pork products. “They will be allowed to live in peace on the farm until the end of their days.”
When pigs fly, perhaps.