BB6 Rumours Roundup: Two houses?

It's that time of year again: rumours are in abundance as just weeks remain until the new series of BB gets underway.

DS:BB presents a full roundup of the latest speculation on Monday, May 2 (with 25 days to go).

Sun House / Owl House?

Many rumours have suggested that this year there actually will be two houses - an idea previously put into practice on the Aussie version of the show.

Along those lines, one of today's biggest rumours asserts that the new crop of housemates will be divided into two groups: half living in the 'Sun' house and the other half residing in the 'Owl' house.

Those in the Sun house would have the luxury of windows and a full reign of the garden during the daytimes. The Owls, meanwhile, would live in an area devoid of daylight and would only be allowed to roam the garden once the sun goes down.

Each house would be required to be awake during their respective daypart, ensuring that at least one group would be active at any given time of the day.

Such a proposition would be in keeping with both the (confirmed) 'shattered' and duality themes of this year's logo.

The DS:BB Verdict: Unlikely. The idea of a two-house setup has been touted every year for the past few years and hasn't come to fruition - yet. Fundamentally, the UK series never tends to stray away from the basic premise; instead, the show always begins in the same manner, then specific twists are introduced as the weeks go on. Such an idea would represent a significant deviation from the tried-and-tested formula. On the other hand, one of Big Brother's most popular twists ever was the bisection of the house (and the housemates) in 2003, so anything is possible.

Housemates revealed?

A production insider has tipped off DS:BB with what it claims are the names of this year's housemates.

In keeping with most theories, the sixteen contestants are divided into two groups:

'Floor 1': Kim, Chantel, Gemma, Abbie, Ben, Matt, Harry, Luke
'Floor 2': Denise, Sue, Jaswinder, Carla, Adam, Jake, Zac, Patrick

The DS:BB Verdict: Extremely unlikely. Although a shortlist is drawn up several weeks in advance, the final lineup isn't chosen until the week before the show begins.

Announcement upcoming?

Several reports, all citing Radio 1, have claimed that Channel 4 will be making an official announcement about the new series tomorrow (Tuesday).

The DS:BB Verdict: Possible, but unlikely. In previous years, Channel 4 announced details of the new series on the first Thursday in May, although last year it decided to hold off until just a few days before the show actually began. In any case, when an announcement finally does show, don't expect to be blown away: the jucier details will almost certainly be saved for the launch show itself and/or strategically leaked to the tabloid press in the days beforehand.

Stick with DS:BB in the weeks ahead for the latest!