Woodwork teacher, blogger and mum of two Zoe George can now add ‘Big Brother contestant’ to her resume.
The Subtle Mummy blogger made her way into Australia’s Big Brother house after a gruelling three month long audition process.
“It went from November to January…There’s a psychology test, a well being test, a physical test and every blood test you could think of,” Ms George told Neos Kosmos.
Worried she would not even make it past the second round of auditions, Ms George had only told her husband she put her hand up for the experience when ‘in person’ auditions began, but she is glad she did.
“I wanted to show Australia that mums can do these sorts of things for themselves as well…Of course we sacrifice things for the kids all the time, but why is it when there’s something you want to do, we feel this guilt all the time and worry people if people go ‘will the kids be okay?’. Nobody questions the husband when he goes on a footy trip, I’ve got a capable husband, he’s very capable of taking care of the kids and I had a lot of family support,” she said.
READ MORE: This year’s ‘The Voice’ has a strong Greek presence
Entering the Big Brother house was a surreal experience says Ms George although it did not take her long to forget the cameras were there.
“When Big Brother’s voice comes over the microphone, you jump. There was some people who were really conscious of the cameras, but I wasn’t, I was in my own little world,” she explained laughing.
There were times however when Ms George remembered that all eyes and microphones were still on her.
“The one in the toilet took the most to get used to and forget about… In the mornings you say ‘sorry to whoever’s listening into your mic and then cover it because you don’t want them to hear what you’re about to do in the morning in the toilet,” she said.
READ MORE: Giannopoulos challenges Big Brother
On the bright side, Ms George says participating in the challenges were her favourite part of living in the house.
The real challenge however was not having contact with home, especially when tensions and emotions were high.
“My husband’s my biggest cheerleader and the fact that he wasn’t there to support me I found really hard,” she says getting a little emotional.
“It really made me appreciate how much he is there for me. That distance really made me realise how big of a support he is for me in my life, because you take that stuff for granted. When you’re married you don’t send each other messages saying ‘I miss you’ because you’re going to see them later that day. Having that time apart makes you notice more.”
The show wrapped up filming in early April and so Zoe George now watches on with the rest of us as the episodes unfold all the while not shying from social media critics.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the reception I’ve had…there were a couple of people who said that they were disappointed that I had aligned myself with people who have been portrayed as bullies and that goes back to I never saw these people behaving like that in the house, I wasn’t there 24/7…It was upsetting to see that because people thought I was aligned with someone in a game, that I was aligned with them morally,” Ms George said.
It is usually common for reality television stars to point the finger at harsh editing, but that does not phase Ms George.
“Editing can be manipulated in many ways…but I said to the producers that at the end of the day I need to be responsible for stuff that comes out of my mouth, so if I don’t say something negative about someone, it can’t be used.”
READ MORE: Influencer and popular Greek mum wins silver at AusMumpreneur Awards
Between now and the finale Ms George hopes we can see the more playful side of her as she plays pranks on the other housemates and thanks the Greek community across Australia for “being such a great support”.
Big Brother airs Sunday 7.00pm, Monday-Tuesday 7.30pm on Channel Seven.