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Local youth put to the test in Big Brother event

Flipside Big Brother will be held on Feb. 9 at the Sylvan Lake Family and Community Centre
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The Flipside Youth Centre held a Big Brother competition last year with special guests Raul Manriquez and Kelsey Faith from Big Brother Canada. This year the competition will be held on Feb. 9. File Photo

Youth from Grades 7-12 are put to the test through mental, strategic and physical challenges in the annual Flipside Big Brother event.

Similar to the show “Big Brother”, Sylvan Lake youth will compete one another in a series of challenges to be the last one standing, with a few twists and turns thrown in.

Deshon Lennard, teen program coordinator with Sylvan Lake FCSS Flipside, says there could be anything from double eliminations to new ways contestants can play.

“We want to keep the competitors in the dark for the most part, but there will be some surprises throughout the day,” he said in a phone interview.

One such twist will be the addition of four coaches. These four were once players who will help the current contestants throughout the game.

Two of the coaches are past winners of the game and two are players who have done well in the past.

“We try to have a new twist the game every year, but still leave the kids unexpected as to what is to come.”

While staying mum on what will occur during the game, Lennard can confirm there will be a “special guest” attending the game.

While the day-long game will have many similarities to the popular T.V. show, there will be a large difference.

Different from the show, contestants will be encouraged to talk to one another and get to know each other during the down tome between challenges.

Contestants will also be given a questionnaire to fill out about their fellow contestants at the beginning of the challenge.

Talking to the others in the challenge can help kids meet new people, but also possibly get ahead in the competition as there may be challenges based on the others competing.

Lennard says Flipside is really trying to emphasize getting to know others.

“A lot of times they come out of the game with new friends,” said Lennard. “You know we’ve seen a Grade 7 student leave with a new buddy in Grade 10.”

There is only 16 spots open for contestants, two per each grade. Each year the competition has completely filled up with youth from Grades 7-12.

As of publishing, there are still spots open. Registration can be done at http://recreation.sylvanlake.ca.

While supper will be provided for the contestants, they are expected to bring a water bottle, lunch and snacks. Contestants are also advised to dress in comfortable clothing, bring indoor shoes and appropriate outdoor clothing as some challenges may be outside.

There will be prizes for first and second place at the end of the day.

Flipside Big Brother will be held at the community centre on Feb. 9 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.



megan.roth@sylvanlakenews.com

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