Big Brother Brasil 8 was the eighth season of Big Brother Brasil which premiered January 8, 2008 with the season finale airing March 25, 2008 on the Rede Globo television network.
The show is produced by Endemol Globo and presented by news reporter Pedro Bial. The season was officially confirmed since 2001 as part of the original contract between international Endemol and Rede Globo that provided seasons until 2008.
The grand prize was R$1 million with tax allowances, with a R$100.000 prize offered to the runner up and a R$50.000 prize offered to the 3rd place. In the end, 26-year-old musician Rafinha Ribeiro from Campinas, SP, won the competition over student Gyselle Soares with 50.15% of the final vote. There were 75 million votes cast on the season finale, the show's record at the time.
Natalia Casassola returned to compete as a veteran in Big Brother Brasil 13.
There were fourteen housemates competing for the grand prize, a decrease over the previous season. The season introduced the Big Phone and the Have and Have-Nots concept. It lasted 78 days, a decrease of one week over the previous season.
On week 7, journalism student and housemate Juliana Góes fainted inside a glass chamber during a HoH endurance competition. Newspapers and websites proclaimed Big Brother Brasil to be inhumane. However, the show was unaffected by the negative press.
The cast list was unveiled on January 3, 2008.
(ages stated at time of contest)
^Note 1 : During the launch night, the housemates competed in a surprise challenge. Bianca and Natalia were the winners and the public voted for of them to win an extra immunity. Bianca won the vote with 50.68%.
^Note 2 : Gyselle and Rafinha received the most nominations with 3 each. Bianca, as current Head of Household, had the casting vote and chose Rafinha to be the second nominee.
^Note 3 : Minutes before the second eviction result was announced, Rafael answered the Big Phone and won the Fulminat Nomination Power for week 3 eviction. He chose Gyselle, who could only remove herself from the block if she had won the week 3 HoH competition. Since she lost, she remained nominated for the rest of the week. After the live nominations on day 20, Alexandre (nominated by the HoH vote) and Thatiana (nominated by the House vote) joined Gyselle as this week's nominees, making this the first time 3 housemates were nominated at the same time (excluding the finals).
^Note 4 : Bianca answered the Big Phone and therefore, was automatically nominated for eviction.
^Note 5 : Marcello and Thalita received the most nominations with 4 each. Gyselle, as current Head of Household, had the casting vote and chose Thalita to be the second nominee.
^Note 6 : Marcelo answered the Big Phone and was ordered to choose two housemates to stay handcuffed with him until the vote. On Sunday, they decided as a group who would become the first nominee. Marcelo chose Gyselle and Juliana. On Sunday, he volunteered himself to be the first nominee.
^Note 7 : Felipe, Gyselle and Natalia received the most nominations with 2 each. Thatiana, as current Head of Household, had the casting vote and chose Felipe to be the second nominee.
^Note 8 : Felipe answered the Big Phone and was ordered to choose two housemates to wear gloves until the vote. Then on Sunday, the current HoH Marcelo would decide who would become the first nominee. On Sunday, Marcelo chose Thatiana to be the first nominee.
^Note 9 : On day 45, host Pedro Bial revealed only to the public that the first housemate to be eliminated in week 7's HoH endurance competition would be automatically nominated for eviction. Thatiana was the first person out of the challenge and become the first nominee. However, the housemates were only informed about the twist during the live nominations on day 48.
^Note 10 : Thatiana answered the Big Phone and won the Power of Veto. This power gave her two options: veto the HoH or PoI holder. Since Thatiana won the PoI, she could only veto the HoH Marcelo's choice. She was ordered to wear a red shirt until the vote. Then, on Sunday, veto holder Thatiana had to use her power on the HoH's choice Felipe, forcing HoH Marcelo to nominate Natalia in his place.
^Note 11 : Marcos answered the Big Phone and won the Fulminat Nomination Power for this week's eviction. He chose Marcelo to be automatically nominated.
^Note 12 : Marcelo answered the Big Phone and won the Immunity Veto. He was ordered to choose one housemate to wear a yellow shirt until the vote. On Sunday, that housemate wouldn't be allow to receive immunity from the PoI holder. Marcelo chose Rafinha, who won the PoI competition the following day. Rafinha gave immunity to Gyselle.
^Note 13 : Natalia and Rafinha received the most nominations with 2 each. Thatiana, as current Head of Household, had the casting vote and chose Rafinha to be the second nominee.
^Note 14 : Gyselle answered the Big Phone and was ordered to anticipate her nomination. She should put a bracelet on the person she was nominating as way to keep this secret from her fellow her housemates. She nominated Marcos, who should wear the bracelet until the vote.
^Note 15 : Natalia won the Head of Household and nominated Gyselle for eviction. Since Marcos and Rafinha's votes would cancel each other out, only Gyselle was eligible to nominate. She chose Marcos to be the second nominee.
^Note 16 : Rafinha won the final Head of Household competition. Therefore, Gyselle and Natalia were automatically nominated for eviction by default.
