People are calling for woman with ‘Michael Jackson phobia’ to star in new Big Brother series

With a new series of Big Brother officially on the way, a woman with a phobia of Michael Jackson has made the list of some fans' dream contestants.

The iconic reality show is set to make a comeback in May 2023 after being axed in 2018 due to a lack of ratings, so the pressure is certainly on for the creators to entice viewers with a memorable and entertaining cast.

ITV2, who are responsible for the return of Big Brother, have already promised to include a cast of 'carefully selected housemates from all walks of life', and some haven been hoping for the inclusion of a woman who has a fear of The King of Pop.

Obviously Jackson is no longer with us, but footage shared on TikTok proves his likeness alone is enough to make the woman squirm.

The recent viral video was shared by TikToker Mace, who captured it while on holiday with her sister in Aiya Napa. It shows the woman shaking her head and looking generally traumatised while behind her, a man dressed in a red jacket and black trousers shows off some Jackson-esque dance moves to the sound of 'Thriller'.

@mace_m/TikTok

Mace captioned the video: "Our first night in aiya napa took a turn for the worse", with words over the video explaining the woman 'has a phobia of Michael Jackson'.

The video quickly went viral, racking up more than nine million views in a matter of hours and quickly shooting the woman to the top of the public's list of 'potential Big Brother contestants'.

Sharing the video, Twitter user Harrison wrote: "If ITV don’t find this icon and get her in Big Brother next year they’re missing a trick."

Many other Twitter users showed their support for the woman, with one saying they were 'actual [sic] obsessed with her' while others said they could 'relate' to hear fear of Jackson.

Even the woman's sister, who shared the TikTok in the first place, appeared to be on board as she responded to the tweet, saying: "I never thought my little sisters claim to fame would be this but get it I guess."

Dinodia Photos/Alamy Stock Photo

There's been a lot of excitement for the new series of Big Brother since it was announced by ITV earlier this month, with Paul Mortimer, ITV2's reality TV chief, saying it will be a 'refreshed, contemporary' version of the series but promising it will include 'all the familiar format points that kept viewers engaged and entertained the first time round'.

Only time will tell whether the new series will live up to the success of its predecessors, but it's clear some fans think getting this woman involved would be a step in the right direction.

Topics: UK News, TV and Film, Big Brother, Viral, TikTok

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.