The Big Brother Australia host has recalled the nervous wait as Bruce and Alana played for a car during last season’s final episode. Both had chosen the prize opportunity over staying in the house, with the winner decided by finding a key hidden beneath a cup.

Mel was watching the game unfold alongside the studio audience. As the cups dwindled, she started wondering whether a rather essential prop had been forgotten.

“Hey, guys, are you sure there’s a key in there? Have we forgotten the key?” she recalled asking her team, in an interview with TV WEEK.

There is no claim that the key was actually missing. The scare was Mel’s, as the live game approached its final cups.

The Host Has Unknowns Of Her Own

Mel said the adrenaline comes partly from never knowing what a housemate will say, or what somebody in the audience might shout. A host can prepare the questions, but the room gets a vote on how smoothly things go.

She also felt the weight of following the franchise’s previous hosts. Gretel Killeen helped make that less daunting, offering advice before Mel’s first season and staying in touch afterwards.

The pair have since exchanged congratulations over their work, including Gretel’s role on The Traitors and Mel’s singing promo.

Yes, That Was Mel Singing

The musical promo prompted questions about artificial intelligence, but Mel says the vocals were hers. Her mum was apparently ready with supporting evidence, reminding Facebook friends that she had paid for singing lessons.

Network 10 told PEDESTRIAN.TV that the performers and Mel’s singing were real, with CGI backgrounds creating the heightened setting.

Even with those lessons behind her, Mel found singing for an audience considerably more daunting than karaoke.

New House, Same Reality TV Obsession

With the show moving to Brisbane, Mel is teasing a house capable of creating trouble for its residents. Her interview hints include a mystery button and a cast ranging from a self-described bogan to a Susan Boyle enthusiast and someone who says they have never been kissed.

She has kept following last season’s housemates online, although, from what she has seen, their romances have not lasted. She was just as invested in the livestream, sometimes watching late at night and finding that fan-made TikTok updates helped her keep track.

That enthusiasm follows her outside work. At a wedding in St Kilda, she recognised Love Island’s Zac Nunns and asked for a photo, a moment that rather neatly blurred the line between reality TV professional and fan.

And she has no plans to give up The Cheap Seats. Mel said she loves working with Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald, finding the funny moments in reality television and bringing them to the desk.

The show returns Monday, 26 October at 7.30pm on 10. Mel will have another house full of unpredictable personalities to handle, hopefully with every prize key accounted for.