He was one of the most popular Big Brother housemates in 2025.

But Vinnie Brigante’s headline-making stint on the reality hit was not the 21-year-old’s first foray into TV.

Throwback footage emerged on TikTok of the Melbourne barber’s appearance on an episode of Channel 10’s game show Deal or No Deal in 2024.

The footage, posted by the So Many Receipts podcast, sees Vinnie being called out of the audience to play a round of the game by host Grant Denyer.

Viewed by 57.2K users since it dropped on Tuesday, the clip also includes a video of Vinnie talking about how he auditioned for the quiz.

Appearing on Deal or No Deal along with his brother and grandmother, Vinnie left behind a golden suitcase worth $50,000 after making a deal for $18,800.

Vinnie Brigante’s (pictured) headline-making stint on Big Brother Australia this season was not the 21-year-old’s first foray into TV

Throwback footage emerged on TikTok of the Melbourne barber’s appearance on an episode of Channel 10’s game show Deal or No Deal in 2024. Pictured with host Grant Denyer

According to Pedestrian TV, producers caught Vinnie’s appearance on the game show and were impressed with his personality so they urged him to audition for Big Brother.

Meanwhile, throwback footage of Colin Young’s TV ‘debut’ was also shared to Big Brother’s TikTok.

In the footage, the Big Brother star can be seen being interviewed for WIN News earlier this year, for a piece on construction noise near his home in Wollongong.

Wearing a black hoodie and baggy trousers, Colin’s now-familiar extrovert personality is on full view in the brief report.

‘The noise over on that end is actually insanity, and sometimes the works get so bad here that like, legit the whole of Illawarra’s dogs are barking at like, 9pm,’ he says.

It comes after Daily Mail reported exclusively last month that controversial Big Brother recruit, Michael Downs, was never meant to enter the iconic house at all.

The 47-year-old publisher was initially cast as an intruder on Married At First Sight 2026 – but the plan was scrapped at the eleventh hour after producers failed to find him a suitable match.

According to a well-placed production insider, Endemol Shine Australia was in active discussions with Michael for months about bringing him into the MAFS experiment as a late-season shake-up.

Throwback footage of Colin Young’s (pictured) TV ‘debut’ was also shared to Big Brother’s TikTok earlier this week

In the footage, Colin can be seen being interviewed for WIN News earlier this year, for a piece on construction noise near his home in Wollongong

‘They genuinely thought he’d be great TV. Michael is strong-willed, blunt and totally unfiltered,’ the insider said. ‘But the problem was his criteria. He was very specific about what he wanted in a partner. They just couldn’t find a bride who matched what he described.’

Another source added that producers felt ‘backed into a corner’ as the filming deadline approached.

‘They tried every avenue, but nothing fit,’ the second insider explained.

‘He wasn’t willing to compromise, and they weren’t willing to force an incompatible match just for drama. Eventually they pulled the pin and told him they’d circle back for another series.’

Instead, Michael was quietly redirected to another franchise under the same production umbrella – Big Brother Australia – where executives believed his personality would be ‘better utilised’.

And it hasn’t taken long for the outspoken father-of-three to make waves.

Upon entering the house, Michael introduced himself as the boss of a media company known for stirring debate, frequently clashing with cyclists and so-called ‘woke’ culture.