WHEN Big Brother 9 launched in the summer of 2008 it came with a slight change to the format.
For the first time since BB4, which had been dubbed 'the most boring series ever', host Davina McCall headed back inside to interact with the housemates.
It was felt the crowd's chants during live broadcasts could influence the contestants, which was at odds with the idea of them having zero contact with the outside world.
But despite the change, which was only relaxed on the final night, BB9 was certainly not as 'boring' as Big Brother 4.
Here, we look at the 2008 contestants and where they are now...
Rachel Rice - Winner
Former child actress Rachel Rice won the hearts of the nation while she was in the Big Brother house.
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The Welsh contestant was working as a model while also training to be a teacher when she scooped the £100,000 prize money.
Rachel, a practicing catholic, discovered she had passed all the modules of her PGCE teaching qualifications when she was in the house, apart from her teaching experience.
She deferred this and returned to her studies after her BB stint.
Rachel now lives back home in Wales and is married with two sons She teaches drama full time at a comprehensive school close to her home.
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Michael 'Mikey' Hughes - Runner up
Mikey Hughes was Big Brother's first blind contestant.
After leaving the show in second place, Mikey headed back into the 'real world'.
He earned a PhD in Economic and Social History from the University Of Glasgow. He also became an author, writing a book called Anarchy of Nazi Memorabilia.
In 2019, Mikey found himself too scared to leave the house after an alleged mugging in Glasgow.
He told The Scottish Sun that he was learning martial arts in an effort to feel safer. The eight-week course was run by a visually-impaired instructor.
Sara Folino - Third Place
Sara Folino had already had a brush with fame when she entered Big Brother.
She was working as a personal assistant to the VP of Programming & Production, Emerging Markets, at MTV.
The Australian was hoping to end up as an MTV presenter but sadly it does not appear to have come to fruition.
Sara is now thought to be back living in Australia but has slipped out of the public eye.
Rex Newmark
Rex Newmark repeatedly dodged eviction but ended up making it to the final.
Thanks to a twist, the trained chef had a surprise during this BB stint when his girlfriend Nicole Commack entered the house after hiding in the store room.
The couple lasted another six months after BB9 but split up amid cheating allegations.
Rex has returned to the day job, working as Executive Chef for his father's business Beach Blanket Babylon in London's Shoreditch.
Darnell Earl Swallow
Darnell Swallow was already working as a songwriter when he took part in BB9.
After leaving the house in fifth place, he made the most of his newfound fame by working the showbiz circuit and appearing in nightclubs.
Darnell, who was raised in the US, has since returned to his day job and works as a freelance A&R in the music industry.
He is still producing his own music and his single, Kisses Aren’t Contracts, reached number 15 in the Urban Music Video Charts.
Kathreya Kasisopa
Big Brother's first Thai housemate Kathreya Kasisopa had been living in the UK for seven years when she chanced her arm at Big Brother.
The massage therapist entered the house holding a jar of cookies and was almost kicked out for discussing nominations.
Kathreya now goes by the name Kat Kasisipa and works as an "exotic, interactive cabaret comedian".
Last month, Kat performed at a stand up comedy night in London under her stage name, Pussy Kat.
Mohamed Mohamed
Mo Mohamed was desperate to bag a place on Big Brother. So much so that he auditioned four years on the trot.
2008 turned out to be his lucky year and he ended up in the house, lasting a respectable 90 days.
Mo was working as a toy demonstrator in London's Hamley's when he went on Big Brother.
After his eviction, he returned to his job and worked with Hamley's until 2014.
These days, Mo states on his LinkedIn that he is a 'founding member, presenter and editor' of online magazine ChuckieVision.com.
Two years ago, Mo also popped up on ITV's Judge Rinder and was in court over a £3,000 row.
Lisa Appleton
Former bodybuilder Lisa Appleton made Big Brother history when she entered the house with her boyfriend Mario Marconi.
They were the first couple to take part in the show, but Lisa ended up staying for more than double the time than Mario did.
After Big Brother, Lisa and Mario made the most of their fame and took part in countless TV appearances and magazine shoots.
The couple had got engaged in the BB house and they televised their wedding for Channel 4 series The Wedding House.
Once married, however, Lisa and Mario became victims of a fraudster and were followed by a camera crew for several months as part of a bogus reality TV show.
In 2012, businessman Selva Carmichael was jailed for three-and-a-half years for fraud in connection to part of a £500,000 con involving Santander Bank.
Lisa and Mario split the following year.
In August this year, The Sun revealed that Lisa was working as a delivery driver for Amazon. She also makes money on adult site OnlyFans.
She previously appeared in a documentary about living on benefits.
Nicole Cammack
Nicole Cammack entered the Big Brother house on Day 58 to join her boyfriend Rex Newmark.
But it was not all roses, as the coupled rowed continuously until Nicole was evicted 21 days later.
Nicole and Rex were together for another six months and she turned her hand to modelling for the lads' mags.
Since their breakup, Nicole has stepped right back from the public eye and her current whereabouts remain a mystery.
Stuart Pilkington
Property developer Stuart Pilkington once said if he won £1million he would carry on working.
Sadly he didn't win the BB prize money (which was £100,000) but he has had a change of career.
After Big Brother, Stuart signed up to a model agency and even did a shoot for Yves Saint Laurent.
He is now a yoga instructor and can be found showing off his extremely bendy body on Instagram.
Stuart has two children with his long-term partner Louise Cliffe.
Dale Howard
Hunky Dale Howard got pulses racing when he entered Big Brother.
The part-time DJ admitted he was desperate for fame and fortune - and BB brought him that, albeit briefly.
Not shy to get his kit off, Dale enjoyed a spot of modelling work and appeared with the Dream Boys and the Wild Boyz after his BB stint.
He also appeared stark naked in a poster campaign that raised awareness of testicular cancer.
Dale now works as a successful DJ full time and has a baby daughter.
Luke Marsden
Luke Marsden was a politics student when he signed up to the ninth series of Big Brother.
He also worked as a technical services operator in a bread factory.
Despite their very different personalities, Luke began flirting with housemate Rebecca 'Bex' Shiner and the feelings were reciprocated.
The pair kept the nation gripped over the summer and they ended up in a relationship for 18 months.
Bex explained that she "fell out of love" with Luke, which left him very "angry" at her for a long time.
Last December, the pair were forced to reconcile over the death of their dog.
Luke is now a columnist for his local newspaper Wigan Today. He has also previously stood as a Tory councillor in his council's local elections.
Maysoon Shaladi
Maysoon Shaladi was only in Big Brother for 26 days before she decided to quit.
The model told BB she wanted to leave after being overwhelmed with homesickness.
She said: "I want to leave. I have been thinking about it for a while. I've done my time. I feel I'm just homesick."
Upon her exit, Maysoon returned to her job in the model industry and also appeared in the Bollywood movie Naachle London.
The BB contestant has since disappeared from the public eye.
Rebecca Shiner
Rebecca Shiner referred to herself as 'The Bex' and she was working as a nurse when she entered the BB9 house.
She struck up an unlikely romance with Luke Marsden in the seven weeks she was in the show, although they split in November 2009.
Bex has now given up nursing and works as a glamour model, earning thousands from OnlyFans. She has also presented on adult TV network Babestation.
The former reality star is expecting her second child, although she is finding her pregnancy tough and has temporarily quit social media.
She recently said: "I'll be back soon on all socials before December! I just need a few more months."
Belinda Harris-Reid
Theatre director Belinda Harris was given the boot from Big Brother after 44 days and her fellow housemates were thrilled.
The chronic snorer had kept everyone awake and she was described by one housemate as "the biggest nosey parker I have ever met in my entire life".
These days, Belinda is a professional knitter and sells her wares online. She previously ran her own knit shop in Exeter but it has since closed.
Mario Marconi
Although Mario Marconi entered the history books as one half of BB's first couple with Lisa Appleton, these days he prefers a much quieter life.
Mario enjoyed several years of fame but has bowed out of the spotlight since his split with ex-wife Lisa in 2013.
Prior to his time on Big Brother, he had run a post office for 21 years. He also worked as an electronic tag officer at the Home Office.
The freemason has now disappeared back into obscurity, unlike Lisa.
Jennifer Clark
Determined to win BB9, Jennifer Clark described herself as "ambitious, ruthless and opinionated".
She was a mother to a 22-month-old daughter when she went on Big Brother and she was evicted within three weeks.
Jennifer's then-husband was not impressed. He claimed in an interview at the time that Jennifer had told him she was heading to London for a "trial run to test the house".
He added: "I couldn't believe she was prepared to leave her baby daughter for a TV show.
"I thought my wife was at her parents. But I turned on the TV and there she was, bold as anything, waltzing into the house."
Jennifer and her husband split and she dated BB housemate Dale Howard briefly. She also modelled for lads' mags.
Here current whereabouts are unknown.
Sylvia Barrie
Student Sylvia Barrie's time in Big Brother came to an end after just 23 days.
Originally from Sierra Leone, the Londoner still managed to make the most of her five minutes of fame.
Sylvia went on to star in BBC3 'structured reality show' South Side Story.
The series was described as a "structured reality show focusing on the real lives of a group of 18 to 25-year-old south Londoners, who like to burst into song to express themselves via the UK's biggest chart hits".
Sylvia has since vanished from the spotlight.
Dennis McHugh
Dance teacher Dennis McHugh was kicked out of Big Brother for spitting.
His temper flared during a row over a painting and he gobbed at housemate Mo, earning him an immediate ejection.
Dennis later apologised for his behaviour and said he was ashamed of his actions.
He was banned from taking part in any other Big Brother appearances and has since disappeared from the public eye.
Alexandra De-Gale
Housemate Alexandra De-Gale lasted even less time than Dennis McHugh before she was ejected by show bosses.
Alexandra was removed from the BB house on Day 14 for 'intimidating' her fellow contestants with repeated aggressive and abusive behaviour.
She went into hiding over fears for her safety and insisted she was the victim.
Alexandra found herself back in the headlines in 2009 when she was accused of carrying a knife in public.
But following a trial at Croydon Crown Court, a jury found her not guilty of possession of a knife in public. Alex has kept a low profile ever since.
Stephanie McMichael
For Stephanie McMichael, her Big Brother experience was very short-lived.
She was the first housemate of series nine to be evicted but that didn't stop her reaching for more.
Stephanie earned a tidy sum of cash glamour modelling and tried her hand at a singing career.
In 2012, she auditioned for The X Factor as one half of duo Poisonous Twin and made it to Judges' Houses.
Stephanie later moved to Australia where she worked as both an estate agent and, more recently, as a sales manager for a marketing company.
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