“How am I supposed to keep up with a TV show that comes on 3 out of 7 nights of the week? That’s such a time commitment.” “It’s not that bad, you just get to sit back and watch as the drama unfolds all week long between 16 people living in a house together and competing for $750,000.” This was a conversation I had with my girlfriend when she convinced me to watch a TV show with her this summer. The television show I am alluding to if you couldn’t guess by now is Big Brother, hosted by the one and only Julie Chen-Moonves on CBS. This reality show has earned a spot on my list of must-watch TV shows because it was something I could watch all week long, it was always new, and episodes just got more and more interesting.
Julie Chen Moonves Biography and Photo Source
Big Brother is a reality TV show that takes 16 people who become houseguests in the Big Brother House and live there all summer. There are over 100 cameras and microphones on them, and everything that is said and done is recorded for viewers to watch. During their stay, houseguests compete in weekly competitions: the HOH competition and the VETO competition. The HOH competition is where all houseguests compete to see who will become the Head of the Household and take power over the house. They are safe from eviction and must nominate two houseguests to go on the block to be sent home. The houseguests on the block however can compete in the Power of VETO competition, as well as the Head of Household, and three other houseguests. If a nominee wins the POV (power of veto), they can use it on themselves to be safe from eviction, and the HOH (head of household) has to name a new replacement nominee. If a houseguest wins, they are safe from eviction and can choose whether they want to use the POV to save a nominee or keep nominations the same. If the HOH wins, they hold all the power from the week. At the end of the week, all safe houseguests vote on who should be sent home, and the HOH is not allowed to vote unless there is a tie. After each week, one person leaves the show, and when there are 11 players left, all evicted houseguests are sent to the jury house where they will vote for who they want to win the cash prize of $750,000.
(Video Explaining How Big Brother Works)
Now that I have told you a little bit about the show, here are my reasons to watch Big Brother:
- The Competitions
The different competitions the houseguests compete in on Big Brother are so fun and interesting to watch. There are staple competitions that happen every year, such as the OTEV competition for the Power of VETO and the Hide and Go VETO competition just to name a few. These competitions are exciting to watch, and the winner gains power in the game. Also, the competitions help players identify targets based on their skills and figure out who they should vote to evict in future weeks. Photo Source
- The Drama
The drama in the Big Brother house should be enough reason to watch the show. With 16 houseguests all living together for the summer and competing for $750,000, tensions are bound to be high. Throw in the fact that people will lie about everything to one another and spill secrets from other houseguests in order to gain safety, the show is sure to be filled with drama. One of the tensest moments from this past season happened between Taylor and Daniel, where Daniel blew up at the house for evicting his “ride-or-die” partner, Nicole. Another moment happened when Turner stole Jasmine’s muffin, causing her to spiral out of control interrogating houseguests and creating drama amongst players. The drama from this season, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. There have been 23 seasons of big brother that aired before this one, meaning that there are 23 more layers of drama that I have not even begun to unpack.
(Video of some of the Most Intense Fights in Big Brother)
- The Romance
When you put 16 people together all summer, something is bound to happen between single people. There have been many relationships that have formed in the big brother house, but not many of them have lasted outside in the real world. However, one example of a couple that lasted outside of the show is Big Brother season 18 winner Nicole Franzel who married America’s Favorite Houseguest from that season, Victor Arroyo. In the most recent season, however, Taylor had a fling with Joseph in the house, and rumor has it that they have been inseparable outside of it after the show.
(Video of the “Showmances” that Formed From Big Brother)
- Representation in Media
Big Brother is worth watching, in my opinion, because of its dedication to representing as many cultures and demographics as possible. CBS has since announced that for all future seasons of the show, and another CBS hit show Survivor, that its casts will have a cast where at least 50% of contestants are people of color. “The reality TV genre is an area that’s especially underrepresented, and needs to be more inclusive across development, casting, production, and all phases of storytelling,” said George Cheeks, president, and chief executive officer for the CBS Entertainment Group. “As we strive to improve all of these creative aspects, the commitments announced today are important first steps in sourcing new voices to create content and further expanding the diversity in our unscripted programming, as well as on our network.” This past season of Big Brother clearly shows that, with 9 out of 16 houseguests identifying as a race, background, or ethnicity other than white. For this reason, I would consider their commitment to representation a noteworthy undertaking, making the show worth watching.
(Video of “The Cookout” Alliance Talking about Representation in Media)
For this blog post, I shared with you my reasons on why people should watch Big Brother: the competitions, the drama, the romance, and the representation. If these reasons are not good enough, then clearly, I have not done a good enough job trying to convince you to watch the show. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this show, and I definitely will be back to watch it next summer.
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