TORONTO - A former Canadian reality TV contestant will host the inaugural edition of "Big Brother Canada."
Arisa Cox says her experience on the 2001 series "The Lofters" makes her especially suited to the job.
In that Toronto-set show, eight people lived together in a camera-rigged loft for a year.
Slice's 10-week-long "Big Brother Canada" will feature 14 people living together in a camera-rigged house. The winner gets $100,000.
More recently, Cox was an entertainment reporter for CBC News Network and a host on the entertainment channel E!
But the 34-year-old says it's experience as a former reality show contender that makes her a good fit for Canada's first "Big Brother" spinoff, which kicks off Feb. 27.
"I feel like I'm bringing something else to the table. It's not just, 'Oh wow, I'm not like you. I would never go on a show like this'," says Cox.
"I've been on a show like that, I've been those people trying to survive a really surreal place. So, I feel like I'm one of them, even though I'm not."
While Cox notes that "Big Brother" host Julie Chen takes "a very serious, journalistic angle" to the U.S. version of the show, she expects to get a bit more personally involved in the game.
"I also come from a journalism background but I've also done a lot of entertainment. So I'm really interested in getting in there with them, finding out details. There's not much I'll shy away from," she says.
"I might be a lot more emotional when it comes to the show."
Cox was a 22-year-old journalism student at Carleton University when she joined "The Lofters."
"I did it really for the experience and to see what I could learn from this," she says. "I don't regret any of it. I don't think I could do it again for a year, that's a long time. Those reality shows are three months or less because people crack up."
Cox says she already knows who the houseguests will be and expects some great drama.
"It's a great group. I think once people start watching the first couple episodes I think it's going to be really hard to look away."
"Big Brother Canada" will air three times a week on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
"Big Brother Canada After Dark" — comprised of three hours of raw, uncut material from the house — will run nightly starting Feb. 27.
And for those who crave even more, Bigbrothercanada.ca will offer a 24-hour live feed following the series premiere.
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Online: Bigbrothercanada.ca
