Heard About the Pandemic? On ‘Big Brother,’ They Hadn’t

Contestants on the German TV show have been secluded since Feb. 10. So producers had to break the news of the coronavirus to them. BERLIN — It has spread to every continent except Antarctica, brought the global economy to its knees and turned life upside down for millions of people.

But, until Tuesday night, there was one lucky group of attractive, young people who knew nothing about the coronavirus pandemic. After weeks of being cut off from the world, the contestants of Germany’s version of “Big Brother” were told about the unfolding crisis in a midseason live show on Tuesday night. The TV show centers on 14 contestants confined to two adjacent houses for 100 days. They are filmed around the clock and gradually eliminated by viewer voting, with the winner taking home 100,000 euros (around $110,000).

The current season began on Feb. 10, when most cases of the coronavirus were still in China. Speaking from behind a sheet of protective glass, “Big Brother’s” host, Jochen Schropp, explained that “a disease called Covid-19 had spread across the world” and “reached Europe. ” Contestants were then shown news clips of recent events, including footage of deserted streets in Italy and Germany.

Most of the contestants watched in shocked silence. Several erupted into sobs. Wiping away tears, one contestant, identified as Michelle, 26, explained that because she works as a geriatric nurse, she was particularly worried about her patients. Another, who works as a bartender, expressed concern about what the virus might mean for the country’s economy.

The show had gone on as usual in recent weeks, even as the pandemic upended life in Germany. On Monday night, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced sweeping measures to combat the spread of the virus, including shutting the country’s borders with France, Austria and Switzerland to noncommercial traffic, and forcing the closure of most shops. As of Tuesday afternoon, 8,009 cases have been reported in Germany, a majority in North Rhine-Westphalia, the region where “Big Brother” is filmed.

“Now that we live in the era of “social distancing,” the contestants’ closeness has seemed like a relic from a more innocent time.”