In the local restaurant Larry’s Pizza in Bowling Green, live music played and about 40 people from across the country, including Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky, sat at restaurant tables and waited for their chance to audition for the 21st season of CBS’s reality show Big Brother.

The show follows a group of people living together in a house, where dozens of cameras record their every move all day long. Each week, the contestants vote someone out of the house, and the last contestant remaining receives $500,000. The show airs in June every year and lasts until about September.

Atlee McHeffey, digital and promotions manager of WNKY 40, said this was the fifth year they held auditions for the show in Bowling Green. He said they expected about 75-150 contestants to audition.

McHeffey said open calls such as the one at Larry’s Pizza allowed fans of the show to come and audition from across the country, including Michigan and Florida.

“They have a love for the show,” McHeffey said, regarding the audition contestants. “Since they’re not really competing against each other in these auditions, they are really supportive of one another.”

Atlanta, Georgia native Phylipp Frazier, 27, said she became interested with the show during its 15th season while staying at home with her mom, where the two began watching the show together.

“I wanted to get a shot at doing that,” Frazier said.

Frazier said she enjoyed watching the challenges on the show and enjoyed the show’s premise, which included the isolation of the contestants inside the house.

“I like how they’re like, ‘We have nothing better to do, so let’s win these challenges,’” Frazier said.

Nashville, Tenn. native Keira Graves, 37, said she started watching the show around season six. Although Graves said she plays billiards competitively, she said she felt more nervous about her audition for the show than during her competitions.

“I’ve lost 50 pounds in the last year, and I felt like trying out for it,” Graves said.

Louisville native Luke Adams, 23, said he has seen every episode of the show, and he wanted to try out for it because he enjoyed board games, which he compared the show to, and he was competitive.

“It’s my life’s dream to be on it,” Adams said.

Grayson, KY native John Wells, 24, said he has watched Big Brother since he was 6 years old, and he wanted to try out for the show because he loved the show and loved competition.

“I wanted to be a part of something that has been a huge part of my life for so long,” Wells said.

While he waited outside Larry’s Pizza as contestant number 51, Wells said he was excited to try out for the show.

“I’ve waited 18 years for this day, and I’m just over the moon right now,” Wells said. “I’m just here to be myself and have fun.”

News reporter Nicole Ziege can be reached at 270-745-6011 and [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @NicoleZiege.