'Big Brother' ready for prime time

LOS ANGELES -- William arrived in anonymity. In a few days, the world will know his every move.

A police escort early Wednesday delivered the 27-year-old -- along with nine fellow contestants -- to the door of their new 1,800-square foot home built on a corner of a CBS Studio Center parking lot.

For the next three months, their lives will be tracked for ''Big Brother'' by 28 cameras and 60 microphones, their actions broadcast on national television and the Internet. The show debuts Wednesday night.

Real emotions poured out as the contestants, whose full names and identities are being withheld by the network, said goodbyes to their loved ones.

''I'll see you in three months,'' said a contestant named George, who gave a tearful kiss to his wife and three daughters before entering the home.

CBS is hoping the show will match the success of its ''Survivor'' game show, which gathered 16 contestants on a Malaysian island to compete for a $1 million prize under television's watchful gaze.

The contestants on ''Big Brother'' sent in videotaped applications and underwent what CBS called extensive screening and background checks. They will be vying for a $500,000 prize.

Although the original Dutch version of ''Big Brother'' was harshly criticized as exploitative and voyeuristic, the show became a hit .