Big Brother Australia 2026: Start Date, Host Mel Tracina, New Brisbane House and How to Watch

For months the only word on Big Brother's 2026 season was "coming". Then 10 put a month on it, and the season finally had a shape: October, on 10, from a new house in Brisbane.

Short version: Big Brother Australia returned on Monday 26 October 2026 on 10, on air and streaming, hosted by Mel Tracina. It started at 7.30pm, and TVmaze lists weeknights at 7.30pm with Sunday 1 November at 7.00pm; the box above tracks the nights.

When does Big Brother Australia 2026 start?

It started on Monday 26 October 2026. Pedestrian reported on 5 October that the network had confirmed the date, and Now To Love and New Idea carried the same date on 6 October. Until then, Mediaweek and Variety Australia had only the month and the Brisbane location.

None of those three reports gives a start time. TV Blackbox, writing up 10's announcement on 6 October, does: 7.30pm on 10, six nights a week. That was one report, and premiere night wasn't in yourTV's guide when we read it on Friday 9 October. When we read the Sydney guide again on Tuesday 20 October, it had Big Brother on 10 at 7.30pm on Monday 26 October, so the start time now has a guide listing behind it as well as the report.

What nights will Big Brother be on?

Six nights a week, according to Paramount's 22 September release to advertisers. Which six hasn't been published; TV Blackbox's report gives 7.30pm for premiere night. Last year is the guide: the 2025 season premiered on Sunday 9 November and ran Sunday to Friday, at 7.00pm on Sundays and 7.30pm on weeknights, 26 episodes in all, finishing on 8 December, according to TVmaze. That's 26 episodes packed into 30 days.

An October launch also comes after the daylight saving change, which happened on Sunday 4 October. If the show goes out live at 7.30pm in Sydney, that's 6.30pm on a Brisbane clock, which is awkward for a Brisbane-based show, and nobody has said how 10 will handle it. On the east-coast feed, the same 7.30pm start would be 7.00pm in Adelaide, 6.00pm in Darwin and 4.30pm in Perth.

Who is hosting Big Brother 2026?

Mel Tracina. Mediaweek named her as host back in April, when 10 first confirmed a 2026 season.

Will Big Brother have live evictions and a live feed?

10 has described the 2026 season as leaning on live moments, with nominations and evictions happening in real time. That's the format that separates Big Brother from the pre-recorded shows it will be up against.

The feed is on the record too: Paramount's 22 September release promises 24/7 streaming on 10. When the stream opens and whether Perth gets a delayed broadcast are still unknown; those details normally arrive in launch week.

The official Big Brother Australia YouTube channel has been posting audition-tape clips tagged #BBAUdition since late August, alongside old 2005 episodes, and the teaser above went up on 9 September.

How can I watch Big Brother Australia 2026?

On free-to-air, it'll be channel 10. Online, 10's streaming service at 10.com.au (called 10 Play until the network folded everything into the 10 name in mid-2025) is the home for the live channel and catch-up, free with an account, so a missed episode can be watched on demand after it airs. Outside Australia, it is geo-restricted.

What about Australian Survivor and MAFS?

Both have confirmed seasons but no premiere dates. TV Blackbox reported on 6 September that Australian Survivor: Rivals will air on 10 in 2027, with David Genat hosting, filmed in Malaysia, and 24 castaways competing in 12 pairs; the cast was announced the next day.

Married at First Sight season 14 is filming. New Idea reported in August that production is expected to run until November 2026 and that early February 2027 is the likely launch, while noting Nine hadn't locked in a date.

So the order of returns looks like this: Big Brother on 26 October, then Survivor and MAFS some time in 2027. The Block's auction is on Sunday 1 November on Nine, in Big Brother's first week; our Block guide has its nights, and The Block collects the nightly posts.

FAQ

Is Big Brother on Channel 10 or Seven this year?
10. The show has been with 10 since the 2025 revival.

Where is the Big Brother house in 2026?
Brisbane, at Screen Queensland Studios in Hemmant, which 10 named when it confirmed the move in August.

How do I apply?
Applications for this season are over. Casting opened in late May, TV Blackbox reported, and TV Tonight had it closing in mid-August after an extension. For any future call, check 10.com.au/big-brother rather than third-party casting sites.

What else is on reality TV while we wait?
The Block on Nine. The Voice finished on Sunday 27 September, and the result is on the Voice finals page; see also our weekly schedules and every explainer under TV guides.

Sources

• TV Tonight, 27 October: Big Brother and Love Island return
• TV Tonight: Big Brother 2026 cast (14 housemates, $100,000, Mel Tracina hosts live shows)
• TVmaze: Big Brother season 2 episode list (26 October to 6 November, read Wednesday 28 October)
• yourTV, Sydney guide for Monday 26 October (read Tuesday 20 October: Big Brother on 10 at 7.30pm)
• Pedestrian, 5 October: premiere date revealed
• Now To Love, 6 October: premiere date confirmed
• New Idea, 6 October: return date and the Brisbane move
• Paramount ANZ, 22 September: six nights a week and 24/7 streaming on 10
• TV Blackbox, 27 May: casting opens
• TV Tonight, 15 August: auditions closing
• Mediaweek, 8 September: Big Brother reveals when it's back
• Variety Australia: 10 confirms October return
• Mediaweek, April: host and format
• TVmaze: Big Brother (2025 episode dates)
• TV Blackbox: Australian Survivor Rivals 2027
• New Idea: MAFS 2027 timing

By the AU Reality On Air desk · Updated 28 October, 11.27am AEDT