The White Room

 is a special psychological endurance competition that has appeared in Big Brother. In every appearances of the challenge, it served for different purposes but with the same endurance theme.

It was first introduced in Big Brother Australia 7 in 2007 as a competition for the Wildcard Housemates.

However, it first appeared in Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up as a rewards competition in 2009. In 2012, it reappeared again as a special rewards challenge in Big Brother 13 (UK).

It reappeared again in the Philippine version for the second time in Pinoy Big Brother 7 in 2017, but served as the competition for the 3rd Lucky House slot.

The White Room Challenge
The White Room is an asylum-like room covered in white paint, furnished with white beds and white foods with housemates wearing white clothes. The Housemates would then stay there for as long as they could. There is a red buzzer found in the room that the housemates could press if they decided to leave the room. Whoever stayed the longest becomes the winner.

Big Brother Australia 7
The White Room was first introduced on the Live Launch of Big Brother Australia 7. However, the mechanics weren't announced until the day after. It was then revealed that the Wildcard Housemates who weren't voted by the public to become an official housemate will be staying in the White Room where they will compete for becoming an official housemate. Four Wildcard Housemates were sent to the White Room; Cruz Chue, Demet Sahan, Kara Otter, and Harrison Rhoades.

Before the Wildcards entered the White Room, Big Brother showed the White Room to the housemates inside the house, causing them to wonder what it was about.

When the Wildcards arrived in the White Room, Big Brother then asked them if they wanted to stay or leave. All of them chose to stay. A red button was located at the center of the room. The challenge for the Wildcard Housemates was to stay there the longest. Who ever decided to leave the White Room will lose his/her chance of becoming an official housemate and whoever stayed the longest will become an official housemate.

Throughout the week, Big Brother showed video clips of the White Room with its occupants on to the main house, without any audio at all. The Wildcard housemates however, were unaware of it. As the days passed by, Big Brother started giving temptations to the Wildcard housemates. The first was a $500 offer. Whoever chose to take the money must press the red button. No one decided to press. Big Brother then offered $750. Eventually, Cruz pressed the button, taking the money and losing his eligibility to become an official housemate.

After his departure, no one took Big Brother's offers anymore and the pressure started to sink in. They then asked Big Brother if its possible if they walk out altogether, but Big Brother gave them second chance to think about it. They were then given by Big Brother a nomination process where they could nominate one Wildcard for eviction. Whoever received the highest votes will be evicted. Both Harrison and Demet nominated Kara, evicting her out of the White Room.

The two remaining Wildcard Housemates' status were then handed on to the Housemates. The Official Housemates have to choose who among the two Wildcards they want to become part of them. The majority voted for Demet making her an official housemate and evicting Harrison out of the White Room.

Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up
The White Room Challenge was introduced to the housemates on Day 125 where the final six housemates saw a miniature house in the living room. Big Brother then announced that in order for them to win the special house and lot reward, they must compete for the White Room Competition. However, they must choose only two among themselves who would compete. It took them a long time to decide on who would take the challenge but they eventually voted unanimously that Jason Francisco and Johan Santos would compete for the house and lot prize. The said prize is separated from the Big Winner's house and lot prize.

In the middle of the night, while the rest are sleeping, Jason and Johan were awakened by two white clothed ninjas who entered in their bedroom, where in they took both of them and sent them to the Confession Room first to let Big Brother explain the challenge and then finally sending them to the White Room while being blindfolded.

When the two housemates arrived, Big Brother revealed the red button and told to them once they wake up for Day 126, they must not communicate with each other until the challenge ended.

Big Brother then showed a clip of them to the rest of the housemates.

While Johan and Jason are in the White Room, they only have to eat white porridge, white soup and milk. Later that day, Big Brother added a dripping sound in the white room, then sound became worse as the day goes by.

34 hours after they first arrived in the White Room, Big Brother finally announced that they could now communicate with each other.

Eventually, Jason decided to give up for Johan to take the house and lot prize, ending their challenge in the White Room.

Big Brother UK 13
Situated in the corner of the garden, a mysterious 'White Corridor' appeared on Day 57 in which three housemates were to compete in order to win a free pass to the Final. In receiving the fewest nomination votes that week, Conor McIntyre, Luke Scrase, Sara McLean and Scott Mason had to decide which three of them would move into the white room. With Scott dropping out, Conor, Luke S and Sara entered The White Room. Soon after entering The White Room, the white housemates competed against the main house in several challenges. If the housemates in the main house failed to win 2 out of the 3 challenges, the housemates will only receive an economy shopping budget.

The three challenges are as follows:
 * In the first challenge the main housemates and the white housemates were shown a diagram of 26 cups, with some of them including paint balls. All housemates had to do was hit the cups that didn't have the paint balls in them. The white housemates won.


 * In the second challenge white housemates took on the main housemates in a mind test in which they were given statements housemates made on their application forms. Ashleigh won the task for the main housemates.


 * With the current scores tied, the third challenge took place, in which Deana and Luke S went head to head in a test of agility in which they had to pour milk into a long glass tube whilst in body wire which made it hard for housemates to move. Luke S won and therefore the main housemates received an economy shopping budget, whilst the white housemates, Conor, Luke S and Sara won luxury white foods.

On Day 58, housemates in The White Room were told they now had to eliminate someone from the group. Sara volunteered to leave and therefore Conor and Luke S remained in The White Room. As a result, for losing a task in which the white housemates had to guess what the main housemates were dancing to, Conor and Luke S received a punishment: slicing onions and putting them in a bucket in the middle of the room until it reached the top.

On Day 60, the true nature of the White Room task was revealed, when Conor and Luke S were faced with a dilemma. The two housemates were presented with half of the winner's £100,000 prize fund, and were informed that pressing their button would allow them to receive some of the money, at the price of their place in the house. Not accepting the offer would result in the housemate returning to the house with a guaranteed pass to the final night. Starting at £0, the amount of money that one of the two would receive rose over one minute, before reaching a five-second countdown at £50,000. The first housemate to hit his buzzer would leave the house with the amount displayed at the time he pressed the button. Despite initially seeming to encourage Luke S to hit the buzzer, upon seeing his opponent prepare to hit the buzzer, Conor swiped at the last moment, winning £50,000 and leaving the house moments later. For being the last housemate to hit his button Luke S earned a guaranteed pass to the final night of the series.

Pinoy Big Brother 7


The White Room reappeared again during the last days of the Adults Chapter. It was first introduced to Wil Dasovich and Baninay Bautista when the two were fake evicted after a fake eviction took place on Day 174. The two, were then sent into the White Room. They were then followed by Cora Waddell and Jerome Alecre, after Aura Azarcon was announced for getting the 2nd Lucky House slot, leaving Tanner Mata and Aura Azarcon who got the first two Lucky Houses inside the main house. It was also announced to the fake evicted housemates, they were competing for the 3rd Lucky House slots. However, it would be the Lucky 7 Teen Housemates that will choose among them would receive the 3rd Lucky House based on their performance in the White Room Challenge.

Unlike the previous series that featured the White Room as one area, this season featured four small white rooms where each of the four adult housemates who failed to get the first two Lucky House slots will stay for a day. Each of the rooms are similar in everything. There were only a box of bottled water, chamber pots, soap, tissues, a white table, a red button bolted to the wall and a vintage monitor screen where Big Brother could communicate with them. In order for them to get various luxuries such as pillows and food, they must accomplish atleast one of the two reward Challenges.

The two reward challenges were:
 * Food - the housemates must find in a bowl of rice grains all the rice grains with the letters S-W-E-R-T-E (eng. Luck) in it. They must put all the letters in a clay accordingly. If they successfully completed the task, they will be provided with a sweet potato as their food for the rest of the day.


 * Bed, pillow and blanket - the housemates must take all the 7 lucky coins out of the piggy bank. These lucky coins are 5 Peso coins mixed with 1 peso coins. If they successfully completed the challenge, they will be provided with a folding camp bed, a pillow and a blanket

The housemates can accomplish both two tasks depending on their needs.

Aside from that, they must also accomplish one of the four 24-Hour White Room Challenges in order to get themselves out of the room for the following day and to be provided with luxuries for the remaining of their stay in the White Room. The housemates must choose which task they should accomplish based on their needs.


 * Needles & Thread Task: For the Entertainment Reward, the housemates must successfully put the thread within 100 needles with various sizes. If they successfully completed the task, they would be provided with an entertainment stuff. It turned out to be a stuffed teddy bear.


 * Bottle Flip Task: For the Food Reward, the housemates must flip the bottle and make it stand upwards for 5 consecutive times. If they successfully accomplished the task they will be provided with a Cake and an Ice Cream.


 * Sweat and Tears Task: For another Food Reward, the housemates must fill a cup with their sweat and tears in order accomplish it. If they successfully completed the task, they will be provided with Pasta and Steak.


 * Tower of Cards Task: The housemates must be able to create tower made of cards in order for them to have a Shower Time and a chance to change clothes.

All of them successfully accomplished the tasks they chose and eventually got out of the White Room on time. The housemates then stayed in the refurbished Eviction Room for one day before the Lucky 7 Teens' decision were announced to them the following day.

When the announcement came, it was revealed that Jerome Alecre won the 3rd Lucky House slot, making him part of the Lucky Houses who would advance for the final chapter of the series, the Dream Team. Meanwhile, the three who failed to get the slot were finally evicted out of the house altogether.

Trivias

 * Three Seasons where the White Room Challenge appeared featured various prizes; $750 in Big Brother Australia 7, a House and Lot in Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up and £50,000 in Big Brother 13 (UK)
 * The White Room in Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up was located in House B's corridor to Girl's Bedroom.
 * The White Room in Pinoy Big Brother 7 was located in the Activity Area.