Mel Tracina is just days away from hosting her second season of Big Brother Australia when The Weekly speaks to her. “I remember when I was a kid in my bedroom, trying to sneakily watch Big Brother Uncut.”
The 37-year-old isn’t sneaking around anymore. But she’s still “nerding out behind the scenes.”
“It’s always buzzing. Last year, my dressing room was basically just outside of the house, so I had to be quiet. If the housemates were cooking, I could smell the food. When they were talking or laughing, I could hear it. It was so, so cool,” Mel shares.
There was a certain kind of pressure when Mel signed up to host in 2025. Not only was the beloved reality show making a nostalgic return to Channel 10, but Mel was following an impressive list of hosts, particularly Gretel Killeen.
It’s safe to say, Mel was adored by OG fans.
“I just had so much fun last year, so I plan on bringing that same enjoyment,” she shares, although there was one issue: “I probably need to limit my live stream time. I rocked up on set with bags [under my eyes]. The poor makeup artist really had to work hard.”
Like viewers, Mel is yet to meet the housemates – but she has watched all their audition tapes. For the 2026 season, there will be more housemates than last year’s 13 and more juicy episodes for audiences to sink their teeth into.
“A longer season, more housemates, and more twists that prove just how devious Big Brother is,” she says. But when The Weekly probes about all the live nominations and twist evictions that Channel 10 has teased, Mel reveals Big Brother “doesn’t even tell me.”
“Even the button! I’m like, ‘Hey Big Brother, what does the button do?’ And he’s fully ghosted me. I’m excited though because the live shows always bring something interesting… I pray for the housemates.”
Unfortunately, there is so much that fans won’t discover until the epic season drops on October 26.
The one thing Big Brother can reveal is its new home. Channel 10 made a big commotion that with Big Brother’s return to the network in 2025, it would also return to Dream World in Queensland. This ticked a lot of nostalgic boxes, considering this was its home from 2001 to 2008.
During these eight years, fans watched proposals, bum dances, twins pretending to be one person, and even Corey Worthington entered the house.
But for the 2026 season, Big Brother has relocated to Screen Queensland Studios in Hemmant, Brisbane.
“[A huge] Big Brother rule is having no interaction from the outside. I love that we’re in Brisbane because there’s no rides hanging overhead now,” Mel laughs.
“It will be really fun stepping into a new build, a new location, and just a new experience to attach it to. Dream World held so many incredible memories for the original seasons and last year’s season. Now we get to go to a different location and make new memories.”
