TV shows and TikTok series: All the Big Brother 2023 cast’s desperate attempts at fame

The devil works hard, but applicants for British reality TV shows work harder. No matter what show it is, it seems as though contestants always have a backlog of other times they’ve been in the public eye. We’ve now been introduced to the cast of Big Brother UK 2023, and you guessed it, they’ve tried their hands at fame many, many times before.

Yes, the casting team did a decent job at getting us normal people from all walks of life, instead of a bunch of semi-famous influencers and TikTokers like we all feared they might, but still this bunch have been on TV before and you might recognise them from the other times they tried to get their names out there.

Here are all the times the cast of Big Brother 2023 attempted fame before going on the show.

Farida – Blankety Blank

So THAT’S why Farida seemed familiar… She was on #BlanketyBlank the other week, with former #bbuk hosts Rylan and Emma!! pic.twitter.com/NmtN5UQetE

— Elliot Gonzalez (@elliot_gonzalez) October 9, 2023

Farida is a bit of an icon, and she’s been on some iconic shows, too. Big Brother is actually her third show, and she was very recently on TV, appearing on an episode of Blankety Blank alongside Bradley Walsh, and Big Brother presenters Emma Willis and Rylan Clark!

There’s a clip going around on Twitter of people recognising her from the show, and in it Bradley Walsh asked her: “Farida, when I’m on telly, I aspire to be more like Rylan Clark. The trouble is, he’s got way more [blank] than me.” Showing the answer on board, Farida had said: “Jazz.”

Farida – Come Dine With Me

via Channel 4

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Farida also went on Come Dine With Me, way before her other TV appearances. She was on the cooking show back in 2009, and said she wanted to “immerse her guests in authentic Indian culture.”

They stuck into a three course meal, enjoyed on her floor with cushions and rugs, and dressed in traditional Indian clothes for the occasion. The episode description reads: “It’s day one of the competition in Wolverhampton and bubbly beautician Farida Khalifa is planning to immerse her guests in authentic Indian culture.”

Ahead of appearing on Big Brother, Farida said: “I’m very proud of who I am and I feel like Asian women and Asian culture is underrepresented on TV. A lot of people think that wearing a headscarf might stop you from having opportunities, whereas for me, it’s been completely the opposite.

“I embrace it with confidence and it’s actually given me lots of opportunities. I want to let people know that us Muslims, we really aren’t suppressed. I’m far from suppressed – I used to be a holiday rep!”

Zak – Modelling for ASOS

Clocked him immediately #BBUK pic.twitter.com/VTkdY0Up4u

— jamie 🤠 (@jdmx93) October 8, 2023

Zak is a 28-year-old model from Manchester. Ahead of the show he has worked with brands such as ASOS and BoohooMAN. Of course, people were quick to find pictures from his modelling portfolio. “Clocked him immediately,” one person said.

Olivia – Rate My Takeaway

@rate.my.takeaway

I FOUND BANGING TAKEAWAY IN GLASGOW | Part 1

♬ original sound – Rate My Takeaway

23-year-old Olivia was working behind the till at a burger joint which featured on Rate My Takeaway. She was on the TikTok series with Danny Malin, when he tried out a takeaway in her hometown of Glasgow.

The TikTok is split into five parts, and I know you’re desperate to know what he thinks, so after eating the fries, burger and having a milkshake, Danny loves it.

Kerry – Deal or No Deal

via Channel 4

I’m sorry, but Kerry doing a stint on Deal or No Deal before Big Brother is absolutely iconic. Not only did she appear on the show, she went and won a bloody red! Kerry left the game show with £35k in her back pocket, which I’m sure The Banker was absolutely livid about.

She was on the show 16 years ago, and her episode went down in history as there was a power cut in the studio midway through her game. At the time, host Noel Edmonds said: “Well, here’s a first for us. We’ve obviously had a power problem here in the dream factory. Kerry, I’m so sorry. We have a procedure which we will now follow because we don’t know how long this is going to be.”

She obviously wasn’t too happy with her £35k, as she’s now on BBUK trying to win the grand prize of £100k.

Noky – Miss Great Britain

Noky Simbani has joined the cast of #BBUK 2023 pic.twitter.com/C95j4LHd1E

— Big brother and reality tv stan ❤️‍🔥 (@LoveRealityTV4) October 7, 2023

26-year-old Noky is a former Miss Great Britain, who represented GB at Miss Universe. She said: “I want to show people what pageant girls are really like and disprove a lot of stereotypes around them. I also want to show what it’s like being a woman who’s worked in male-dominated fields. I want to show that women are capable of doing anything they want.”

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