Hey guys, another week, another riveting reality television show that has taken America by storm: Big Brother. Most people have heard of the dystopian novel 1984, written by George Orwell, which follows a totalitarian state ruled by the overarching eyes of “Big Brother.” As simple as the concept of this reality television show may sound, it incorporates the complex idea of always having eyes on contestants along with plenty of classic reality drama.

Host of the show for over 19 years, Julie Chen Moonves, stands in front of the iconic Big Brother logo on the first episode of the show. 

Now, this show doesn’t follow the classic dating show mold that most of my other posts have gone by, it is truly one of a kind. The allure of this show comes with one idea (not to mention an overwhelming amount of drama), but the idea that someone is ALWAYS watching. Over the 20 seasons (and running) the show has illustrated a social experiment questioning how people change their behavior in a competition with the knowledge they are constantly being watched. The answer, although this isn’t even a spoiler because it is what most would expect, is that contestants will do whatever it takes to take home the $500,000 prize money at the end of the season.

So, let’s get down to what actually goes on in this mad house. At the start of each week the head of the household (HoH) is chosen by “Big Brother” (not a real person just a figurative ruler of sorts). The HoH essentially is the contestant that resumes power and control over the house for their residing week, and especially the power to nominate two other contestants to be eliminated at the end of the week.

The image above illustrates an endurance competition from a season of Big Brother, where the winner of the competition was crowned Head of the Household by “Big Brother.”

Now, although I may have made winning HoH an easy feat, often it comes with its challenges and much drama, as you would expect from any reality television program. Competitions are lead by the host in each episode at the beginning of the week which dictate who is worthy of the title and the power in the house that accompanies it. These competitions typically come in three categories, each more entertaining then the next. They are broken into skill, endurance, and quiz competitions, each which combined determine who is most deserving of the title for the coming week. 

Ultimately, the HoH holds the power to determine who will be eliminated at the end of the week based on their two nominations, but occasionally they can nominate more if there is a twist in that weeks episode series. The show itself is relatively straight forward, but what adds the dramatic reality TV flair is truly the knowledge that only one houseguest holds the power for that week. Contestants who generally know they are in danger of elimination often do all they can to stay in the running to win the poised prize money, which creates the much needed dramatics to keep viewers coming back for more.

So, as the show alludes to along with the infamous George Orwell, “Big Brother is watching you.” (Orwell)