The R$1.5 million prize, although it seems like a lot, may not be all that a participant of the program can win after appearing in the prime time of Rede Globo – and even those who are not among the finalists can make good money during and after participation.
Here’s a list of a few participants mentioning what they did with their winning amount after the show.
Jean Wyllys (BBB5 Winner)
Former federal deputy Jean Wyllys was the first to win the R$ 1 million prize in Big Brother 2005. In 2014, his fortune was estimated at R$ 1.19 million.
Mara Viana (BBB6 Winner)
Mara Viana, who won the BBB6, invested her R$ 1 million in an inn and real estate in Porto Seguro, Bahia.
Diego Alemão (BBB7 Winner)
Diego Alemão, the winner of Big Brother 7, stated that he made a lot more money when he left the program, starting the trend observed in recent editions.
“The ‘BBB’ award wasn’t very close to what I got when I left. I worked, and I got a really strong boom. I invested in real estate, and I built, I bought things at auction, I managed the family business, technical assistance in São Bernardo. I work a lot”, he said in Altas Horas, also in 2019.
Rafael Ribeiro (BBB8 Winner)
Rafael Ribeiro, who won the BBB8, started living off his income from renting properties in his hometown of Campinas, São Paulo. In an interview with Altas Horas, he also invested in a music and tattoo studio and “did not stop working a day later.”
Max Porto (BBB9 Winner)
Max Porto, the winner of the ninth edition of the program, was one of those who sold out the entire prize. According to him, a good part was devoted to paying off his debts while he spent what was left. Today, he coaches and consults for people who want to participate in reality shows.
Marcelo Dourado (BBB10 Winner)
In 2010, the prize was already worth R$ 1.5 million, and Marcelo Dourado was the winner of the season. Dourado says he invested the money in what he likes.
“There are people who think we are going to retire. They don’t know the value of an apartment in Barra, a neighborhood on the west side of Rio, which could be worth the price for all of us together. In the last three years, I invested in my athletic career. I had no sponsorship, and I took some money to live an athlete’s life. It was a good investment”, he told UOL in 2019.
Maria Melilo (BBB11 Winner)
Maria Melilo, who won in 2011, also invested in real estate in São Paulo.
Fael (BBB12 Winner)
Fael, the winner of the BBB12, invested his R$ 1.5 million in farms, and cattle and has already owned two nightclubs in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul.
Fernanda Keulla (BBB13 Winner)
The 2013 winner, Fernanda Keulla, became a presenter and collected a good amount of followers on social networks, increasing her fortune with her sponsored posts.
“I’ve never seen this money. I always thought that the first money I ever made would be for my family. That is what happened. My father manages, I invested in the education of my sister, who is now a doctor. I renovated my father’s house in Carmópolis de Minas,” she said in Altas Horas.
Emily Araújo (BBB17 Winner)
Emily Araújo, who won the 17th season of the show, claimed to have tripled her fortune with her work as a digital influencer.
Paula Von Sperling (BBB19 Winer)
Paula Von Sperling Viana, who won Big Brother Brazil 2019, would have spent her entire fortune of R$ 1.5 million.
In 2020, Sperling denied spending the money. “I paid off my family’s debts, thank God, so it was a part of the prize. The other I invested. There is no way to spend R$ 1.5 million in less than a year,” she told Altas Horas.
Thelma Assis (BBB21 Winner)
Thelma Assis, who won the Big Brother Brazil Season 21, saw her fortune increase after earning R$ 1.5 million. As an ambassador for a cosmetics brand, she would have earned a fee of around R$500,000, in addition to making paid publications on her social networks.
