A 5 a.m. wake-up call and a three-hour lineup did little to drain Scott Betson's motivation when it came to his shot at stardom.

The 19-year-old was beaming Sunday morning when he showed up - along with 600 other reality TV show fans - to audition for Big Brother Canada at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

The game show locks contestants in a home brimming with cameras and microphones to capture every move they make for three months. Players build alliances and compete in challenges before voting each other out, while the last person standing walks away the winner.

Although most contestants 24 hours spoke to were tight-lipped about their strategy, Betson wasn't nearly so coy.

"When it comes to having to form alliances, I'll be someone's Luca Brasi," he said, referring to a character from The Godfather, who played loose with his mob allegiances.

Exemplifying, Betson flashed an ingratiating Vulcan hand salute to a hopeful contestant wearing a Star Trek T-shirt, before stepping into the audition room.

"I'd be the nerd (of the house), really," he said, adding if selected, he'd no doubt entertain his housemates with movie and music factoids.

Hayden Moss, who won the American version of Big Brother in 2010, told 24 hours he was impressed with the array of people he saw trying out for the show that premieres winter 2013 on the Slice network.

"There's some wild Canadians out there and Canadians like to drink a little bit. I have a feeling (Big Brother Canada is) going to get wild."