“You know us more than we do,” the protagonists of the popular Italian Big Brother show admitted yesterday as they struggled to introduce themselves to an audience that had scrutinised their every move for six months in the Canale 5 reality-TV show.
What the public may not know is that winner Andrea Cocco has yet to receive a cent of the €300,000 he won: “I was told I would get the money after six months but when taxes are deducted and a chunk goes to Endemol, I should end up with 40 per cent less.”
But that is not such an issue for the Japanese-Italian pretty boy, who stole the show for his diplomatic, gentle, calm and collected attitude – as opposed to being the normally victorious “shouter”. His was not a calculated strategy and he walked away with his true love, the real prize.
Andrea and Margherita Zanatta are still going strong, even though their paths crossed on the rebound and doubts hovered as to how genuine their relationship was.
Today, she is grabbing his cheek and pursing her lips, and he confirms that she is “the last Italian woman to know me as Andrea and not Andrea of Grande Fratello”. So far, that particular bond has proven to be buoyant.
Together with the other finalists, Jimmy Barba, Guendalina Tavassi and Ferdinando Giordano, after being cooped up under the hot spotlight of the GF house, they are now on an MSC Crociere cruise, spending a week of full-on mingling with the 4,300 passengers and crew, who can have daily contact with their “idols” while on holiday aboard the Fantasia.
The playful bunch of simpaticoni, sporting beach wear and oozing confidence as they pull faces – and each others’ legs – show a proficiency in English. They are totally grounded and pretty much true to the characters they displayed when millions of eyes were on them.
Andrea remains that balanced, educated and humble person, whose attributes never quite matched the standard criteria to shine in reality TV. But he goes to pains to explain his reason for auditioning:
“I was living in Hong Kong for the last five years and had to return to Italy due to my mother’s serious illness. I tried to seek out any opportunities and I gave it a shot. It was about being back and having an economic base. I was surprised they chose me...”
For single mother Guendalina, participation in GF changed her life, particularly financially. She now has a house for her and her daughter. “I have not actually bought it, but it is a start.”
And she does not mind being recognised wherever she goes. “I just have to be sure I am made-up all the time,” she says, with her trademark, wicked chuckle. She is aware it could all die as the next edition is born.
The Big Brother Cruise initiative, organised by Television Travel in cooperation with MSC Crociere and production company Endemol, includes casting for the upcoming editions, and each of the finalists has a role: Jerry is giving dancing classes; Ferdinando is in the gym; Andrea is showing off his culinary creations; and the girls are entertaining with apertivo games.
But other than an event of the sort, not everyone can say they got anything out of their participation. Larger-than-life Margherita, still the liveliest, is nevertheless the most downbeat about life post Grande Fratello.
“It was good because it was fun and I met Andrea. But from a career point of view, I am not doing anything and I am not earning a cent. Honestly, I was earning more in the job I had before.”
Moreover, it is “absurd” that some of those who did not participate, but got momentarily involved, using them for their own fame, had turned into the protagonists. “I cannot believe the public follows them,” she says.
Outside the house, Margherita admits she had a mental crisis, experiencing cruelty, even in the form of death threats and heavy insults from Andrea’s fans.
“You need to know how to manage it,” she warns, shocked that Andrea’s former girlfriend, who left him for another during the show, was being portrayed as an example to follow. “It is crazy and we witness these situations every day.”
Back in the house, they were not always a happy family and an element of light-hearted discord still surfaces as Guendalina and Margherita giggle, while Ferdinando, hindered by the language barrier, finally decides to grab the mike and go deep into his experience, insisting no competition exists between them and that “we are just challenging ourselves”.
Some dynamics seem to be the same in real life, while others have changed, such as the scars of a fall-out between the two girls, who appear friendly now. Everyone denies any friction, as well as the manipulation of their roles and reactions by the producers.
Jimmy, who has found many open doors into showbiz and released a record, insists the brilliance of GF is down to the clever authors, who let them be who they wanted to be and free to make their own choices.
Later, however, their freedom is called into question when they stop for lunch at a Valletta café. More than willing to speak to the media, they are forbidden and, apologising respectfully, their feet firmly planted in the reality of who they are, they are forced to hold back.