“It was heartbreaking seeing him so upset…”

Big Brother Australia is known for testing the limits of its contestants, but many believe the first week’s “Most to Least Intelligent” challenge may have gone too far.

What began as a task for the shopping budget quickly spiralled into an uncomfortable moment in the second episode of the 2025 season, with aspiring MMA fighter Colin in tears and fans furious over what many are calling a “humiliating” setup.
Colin was ranked ‘least intelligent.’ (Credit: Ten)
Big Brother threw its first major curveball of the season when housemate Michael was told to rank his fellow contestants from most to least intelligent. At first, the group laughed nervously until the rankings began.

Michael, who confidently placed himself near the top, sparked visible discomfort among his peers and an instant storm online.

“He took that task way too seriously, it’s meant to be fun!” one viewer wrote on social media, while another added, “Ranking intelligence? That’s just asking for trouble.”
The aspiring MMA fighter was in tears. (Credit: Ten)
But the moment that broke viewers’ hearts came when Colin was placed at the very bottom. Trying to stay composed, the easygoing 21-year-old brushed it off in front of his housemates, only to later retreat to the toilet to cry, before breaking down in the Diary Room.

“It was heartbreaking seeing him so upset,” wrote one fan on Facebook, while another admitted, “I was in tears. It didn’t feel like entertainment; it felt like humiliation.”

Even Big Brother himself seemed to recognise the gravity of the moment, offering Colin a “digital fist bump” and reminding him that “everyone is intelligent in their own way.”
Many believe the challenge was unfair. (Credit: Ten)
The fallout has been swift. Social media has lit up with support for Colin, with many fans saying the task crossed a line. As one viewer explained, “Big Brother could’ve chosen funny, fashionable, or well-travelled — anything but intelligence. That cuts deep.”

A long-time fan shared a heartfelt post on Facebook that’s since gone viral, writing, “I hope the producers reflect on this and choose tasks that uplift rather than tear down. As an audience, we can be engaged and entertained without causing genuine hurt.”

Others have echoed this sentiment, saying that the challenge not only hurt Colin but also skewed the dynamics of the game, turning him into the “underdog” audiences now feel compelled to protect.

“Many viewers will now rally around him and refuse to vote him out simply because we saw him hurt in such a public way. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he now went on to win this,” the initial Facebook post read.

“In trying to create drama, Big Brother have actually distorted the social dynamic of the house and the audience response. Which – you could say – is very unfair on all the other housemates! We are no longer watching unbiased interactions. We are now watching with heightened protectiveness for someone who never should have been put in that position to begin with.”