Fort Simpson (Sep 26/03) - If it sounds like the reality TV show Big Brother, that's because there are more than a few similarities.

Twelve youths from around the Deh Cho are living in one house -- student residence in Fort Simpson. Thankfully it's not cut-throat, there are no cameras and no one gets evicted each week (but there's no prize money either).

Yet there are joys, annoyances and trivialities associated with spending so much time together in close quarters.

Let's take the television in the common room as an example. There are a dozen people but they can only tune into one show at any particular time. So what gives?

"Whoever gets the remote first is in charge so we all race for it," explained Nahanni Butte's Mike Matou, a 17 year-old who is in his second year in residence.

He added that some shows, such as Family Guy and Fear Factor, are usually acceptable to everyone.

Pretty much the same story applies to the bathrooms -- the early bird gets the first shower.

"You snooze, you lose," said Samantha Konisenta, who is also from Nahanni Butte and a second year veteran of the student residence.

Each student also has to share a room with one other person.

"It's OK. There's a little argument here and there but we manage," Matou said of having a roommate.

When a situation boils over, a house meeting is called to iron things out.

Speaking of ironing, the students are assigned chores: their own laundry, washing dishes, vacuuming, cutting grass, cleaning the yard and washing windows. Keeping their rooms from looking like a war zone is also expected.

Brenda Nirlungayuk, in her seventh year as residence supervisor with her husband Stanley, is the designated cook. She regularly asks the students what meals they want, but she can't cater to all their individual tastes every night. Spaghetti is a favourite, she noted.

The students have a 10 p.m. curfew on weeknights. It's midnight on weekends.

All in all, it's a pretty good deal, said James Simon, a 15 year-old from Jean Marie River.

"Everybody's friendly and all. Mostly everybody keeps to their own business and doesn't get into anybody else's," he said. "Everyone likes it here. It's pretty good."