If you have ever driven to work with Nova playing in the car, you have already heard Mel Tracina’s voice. What has changed in 2025 is that her voice now comes with a face at the centre of one of Australia’s most iconic reality shows. According to ELLE Australia, she has been chosen as the new host of Big Brother Australia 2025. It was just as the show returns to Network 10 and reclaims its classic Dreamworld setting. Her appointment feels less like a random casting shake-up and more like a promotion for someone who has spent years walking the line between pop-culture obsession and professional broadcasting.
Early Days in Community and Regional Radio – Big Brother Australia 2025
Like many Australian broadcasters, Tracina started in community radio, and later worked as a breakfast announcer in regional markets before shifting to a national platform. ELLE That progression matters because it means she has spoken to very different slices of the country—from sleepy regional towns listening at 6am to office workers catching up on music and celebrity news mid-day. In a show like Big Brother, which claims to be a “social experiment” about everyday Australians, that experience helps her understand the diverse viewers watching at home.
The Nova Daytime Show and Building Trust with Listeners – Big Brother Australia 2025
Tracina’s Nova daytime show has trained her to build intimacy with listeners in short bursts, reacting in real time to breaking stories, social media trends and callers’ emotions. ELLE Translating that relationship to Big Brother, she now has to hold the attention of a national TV audience. While dealing with the unpredictability of live nominations and housemate drama. The difference is that instead of callers on the phone, she is now dealing with emotional housemates standing under bright studio lights.
The Cheap Seats and Reality TV Credentials : Big Brother Australia 2025
On top of radio, Tracina serves as the cultural correspondent on The Cheap Seats, a comedy show that recaps news and pop culture.ELLE That role has turned her into a professional reality-TV watcher. She has already spent years poking fun at TV tropes, analysing contestant edits and spotting the difference between genuine moments and manufactured drama. Big Brother’s producers clearly see that as an asset; it means their host fully understands how the sausage is made and can still bring sincere enthusiasm to the live product.
Fan First, Host Second (Big Brother Australia 2025)
The most charming detail in ELLE’s profile is that Tracina openly describes herself as a big fan of the show and says the audition process felt like a whirlwind.ELLE She believes one of the reasons she landed the gig was that the producers knew she genuinely loved Big Brother. That fan-first mentality can be powerful. When a host cares about a show’s history—about Gretel Killeen’s early years, about Kyle and Jackie O’s chaotic season, about Sonia Kruger’s polished era—they are more likely to respect the format and the fanbase rather than treating it as just another job.
Why Her Career Story Matters to Viewers
For Australian viewers, especially those who grew up with the original run. For those are seeing someone like Tracina in the hosting role sends a reassuring message. She is not an imported celebrity or a randomly parachuted influencer; she is a local broadcaster who has slowly worked her way up the ladder. That mirrors the idea behind the housemates themselves: ordinary people, thrown into extraordinary circumstances. When you view Big Brother Australia 2025 through that lens, Mel Tracina’s promotion feels like part of the show’s core narrative rather than a superficial change.
Table: Key Milestones in Mel Tracina’s Career
| Year / Period | Role / Platform | Relevance to Hosting Big Brother 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Early Career | Community and regional radio | Learnt to connect with diverse Aussie audiences |
| Pre-2025 | National daytime host on Nova | Built live broadcasting and conversational skills |
| Pre-2025 | Culture correspondent on The Cheap Seats | Developed reality-TV literacy and pop-culture expertise |
| 2025 | Host of Big Brother Australia | Combines all previous experience in a high-stakes live format |
Mel Tracina’s journey to becoming the host of Big Brother Australia 2025. It become a textbook example of how long-term broadcasting work can lead to a defining television moment. Her progression from community radio to national TV, mixed with a genuine love of reality formats, positions her as a host who can both entertain and empathise. For the franchise, she represents a bridge between old-school social-experiment roots. With a new era in which audiences want authenticity, diversity and a host who feels like one of us.
