Samanda

Lore & Background

Amanda and Sam Marchant were social-care students at Manchester Metropolitan University before entering the Big Brother house. Prior to fame, they participated in an advertising campaign for a student travelcard, featuring a photoshoot at Manchester Piccadilly railway station where a magician performed a double sawing-in-half illusion. During Big Brother, they were bookmakers' favorites to win but finished second, spending 94 days in the house—then a record for longest duration—and became the only housemates to reach the final without ever being nominated.

After Big Brother, they released a cover of Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' on 8 October 2007, which charted at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. Their second single, 'Honey Love'—an original song that samples or interpolates the melody of Donny Osmond's 'Puppy Love'—was released in 2008 but did not chart in the top 200 on the UK Singles Chart. It was tied to Sugar Puffs cereal, featuring the Honey Monster in the video. An unreleased song, 'Whistle for a Hottie,' was later leaked on YouTube.

They launched a skincare and fragrance range, Samanda by Young and Pure, on 5 November 2007, aimed at girls aged 10–22. In January 2008, they signed a two-year contract with Young and Pure. They also released a keep-fit DVD titled 'Samanda - The Twins: Dance Workout' in 2008. In an interview on GMTV, they stated they had made over £1,000,000 between them. They served as celebrity guest judges at the Miss and Miss Teen Galaxy UK pageant in March 2009 and hosted a Q&A session for the Teenage Cancer Trust in April 2009.

Reader's Guide

Samanda's significance lies in their unique status as a twin duo who leveraged reality television fame into a multi-faceted career spanning music, skincare, and fitness. Their joint participation in Big Brother—where they were never nominated and set a duration record—highlighted a public fascination with identical twins in competition. Their music releases, though modest in chart performance, demonstrated the crossover appeal of reality stars into pop culture, while their skincare line targeted a young demographic. Their legacy is tied to the mid-2000s era of reality TV celebrity, where contestants could parlay brief fame into commercial ventures. The duo's later lives—both married with daughters born a few months apart—reflect a shared personal trajectory. Their record as the only housemates to reach a Big Brother final without a nomination remains a notable achievement in the show's history, though Nikki Grahame later surpassed their duration record.

Did You Know?

• Samanda are the only Big Brother UK housemates to reach the final without ever receiving a nomination.
• Their second single 'Honey Love' is an original song that samples or interpolates the melody of Donny Osmond's 'Puppy Love' and featured the Honey Monster from Sugar Puffs cereal.
• Before fame, they were social-care students at Manchester Metropolitan University and took part in a photoshoot where a magician sawed them in half.
• As of 2019, both sisters are married and each have a daughter, born a few months apart.