Big Bola Brasil is a series created by the Brazilian blog Bola Nas Costas in 2010 and animated in Adobe Flash by Quadro Vermelho Produções. The show is based on 12 (14 in the second and third seasons) football mascots competing in a Big Brother-like competition. After the end of all episodes, the two contestants who were up for elimination (in the "paredão") would gain votes from viewers in the blog's page in Globo Esporte.
Its first season was just called "Big Bola Brasil", and had the mascots of the 12 biggest teams in brazilian football. It started in February 19th, 2010; and ended in May 2nd of the same year.
The second season started in January 27th, 2011, and ended in April 15th of the same year. Along with the 12 characters from Season 1, characters representing Bahia and Sport were in the competition.
The third season started in January 19th, 2012, and ended in March 30th of the same year. It removed the Bahia and Sport mascots, in order to introduce the Narrator and Hermano Culio, characters from other works from the blog, in the show.
Tropes found in the series:
- Back for the Finale: In Season 2, all the eliminated contestants were called back in order to cheer for the finalists. Two seconds later and we could hear the crickets.
- Brutal Honesty: Common to most contestants, but seen especially in Urubaldo and Seu Vicente.
- Camp Gay:Flúvio and Paulão are the stereotypical version of this trope.
- Celebrity Edition: It could be argued that Season 3 was this, due to Culio and the Narrator's presences.
-
Elimination Houdini: Urubaldo is a BIG example. He's only been eliminated once in the entire show, and his worst placement was 3rd. - Everyone Meets Everyone: Implied to be the case in the first season.
- Fake Video Camera View: Utilized by Pedro Legal in order to determine if Urubaldo was cheating in the Big Fone challenge of Season 2.
- Introductory Opening Credits: The intro was basically this trope in all 3 seasons, with the opening credits being made in alphabetical order, or by the team they were representing in the show.
- Pink Is Erotic:
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Urubaldo (who represents Flamengo, a team that plays in red and black) is the main villain of the series.
-
Romance on the Set: Flúvio and Paulão. - Sadistic Game Show Host: Downplayed. While Pedro Legal particularly likes to humiliate his contestants, he still doesn't put them in extremely dangerous challenges.
- Show Within a Show: Big Bola Brasil is a reality show in-universe.
- The Twist: Very common in the season finales.
- Season 1 had Raposo (the legitimate winner) being robbed out of 1.5 million after a light shortage happened in the stage. A minute later, Urubaldo was already with the check on his hands, only for him to rip it off and use the paper as decoration.
- Season 2 had the revelation that Pedro Legal was a puppet controlled by Vô Pipa, a secondary character.
- Season 3 had a bigger prize for the runner-up (Culio) than for the winner (Urubaldo). However, Hermano Culio won a trip to the Amazon Rainforest (in an area full of natives, one of the things that he hates the most).
- Theme Tune: A parody of the Big Brother's theme tune.
