RTV Blog

Learning to Love More than Just the Money

 4 Reasons to Watch Big Brother

Proceeding into the 18th season of Big Brother (BB), a popular summer reality television show, filled with reality competitions, epic challenges, exciting romances and shocking eliminations. This show is a combination of a reality series and a game show, which the contestants battle each week to stay in the game, for their goal to win the grand prize of $500,000. Each week the episodes consists of a competition for Head of Household (HOH). The winning of HOH is safe for the week and can nominate two house-guest for eviction. The show then progresses with the competition of the "have or have nots". The competition of the "have or have nots" determines who in the house will get to eat normal food, the haves, and the house guest that will have to enjoy the slop, the have nots. After the drama of that competition the next one begins with the, the power of VETO. Winning the VETO gives you the power of safety for the rest of the week and for you to be able to remove an already nominated house-guest; if so the HOH of the week must nominate another house guest. After all of the drama and stress of the competitions the nominations are next. Nominations consists of each house-guest going into the diary room, a room secluded from the rest, to cast a vote to evict. After all the house-guest vote besides the HOH, which only just to vote in case of a tie, Julie Chen then pronounces to the house-guest the votes; and the evicted house-guest leaves the house, and the next HOH competition will begin. Although this show has a goal of winning the prize of $500,000, there are many more reasons to watch Big Brother.

Brendon and Rachel

One reason to watch Big Brother is the way the cast members show their real love and friendship for one another. Cast members Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas fell in love at first sight when they entered the BB house. While meeting each other in season 12, Rachel and Brendon shared many flirting and cuddling moments in the house. Rachel then started to referrer to Brendon as "her man". In episode 5 of season 12 Brendon and Rachel finally share their first kiss. Brendon and Rachel then got married after the show and now have a baby. Although there were many "showmances", what the show calls romances, there was also many long lasting friendships. Many of the house-guest from the same season still stay in touch today. The most famous friendship or so the show calls "bromance" is between Paulie Calafiore and Paul Abrahamian. These two men met on season 17 and became super close; they were even called the "twins" of the season. On episode 28 of season 17 Paulie and Paul take their relationship to the next level with Paul cutting Paulie's hair to match his own. While watching Big Brother you can really see the love through both relationships and friendships.

Will Kirby and Mike Mali

A second reason to why people should watch Big Brother is because BB can show great qualities in Teamwork. Throughout the seasons of BB there has been a variety of competitions. Winning these competitions is one way to secure yourself to survive through the game. Most of these competitions are crazy and unique in its own way.  Many of the cast member from each season to season have learned many different qualities to which makes teamwork flows well. Through all 18 seasons of BB many alliances were created whether they were successful or not. The top rated alliance on BB is called "Chill Town" including Mike Malin (season 7 winner) and Will Kirby (season 2 winner) whom allied together in season 7. This alliance lasted all through season 7 leaving Mike Malin to victory. This alliance of many has shown great qualities you can learn from just being a view of the show. Some qualities are being extremely loyal, being able to communicate with each other(s), and being competitive. All of the alliances thoughtout every season always adds extra drama and stress on to the cast members. This is expressed through casting, the producers cast members they can see getting along and also members that will cause troublesome. Learning the great qualities in teamwork is a great aspect to learn as a viewer.  

Thirdly, BB can change the way cast members or you as a viewer can think. Many of the competitions they have to compete in, involve many kinds of thinking such as physical and mental thinking. In season 7 during the VETO competition which is labeled the hardest competition, included cast members to use their mental thinking. Mental thinking is also required in competitions such as memory or counting based competitions. Cast members are also required to use their physically thinking such for endurance competitions; like is season 8 during the last HOH competition. This competition consists of the house-guest to stand on a small platform and dodge obstacles while standing in the cold rain for hours.There is always many frankinbites during the competition threw trash talking. Mental and physically thinking is one strategy that is learned through Big Brother.

Although Big Brother is a fantastic show to watch there is also negative drama. The producers add to this drama of the show by casting. The producers pick people with strong personality that will be mixed inside the Big Brother house, producers do this so it gets the viewers more into the episodes. Some of these arguments are draw out by the music present when the fight is happening, this music sets the mood for the viewers. There is also mini interviews or clips during the fights of people telling their views of the argument. Even though we see these arguments on TV there is many behind the scenes making up that we don't see. Many of these fights are resolved and make people think of another way of life, making them a better person.

Big Brother has more to watch than just watching to see who wins the grand prize of $500,000 at the end of the summer. If you analyze each episode you can clearly see that each season offers more then just seeing the winner. Many friendship and relationship bonds come out of BB. Also the quality of teamwork is expressed. Another thing that can be seen and learned through BB is the mental and physically thinking aspect of the game. Finally growing from the arguments and all of the negative drama can turn people into better people. 

Work Cited

Bignell, Jonathan. Big Brother: Reality TV in the Twenty-First Century. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Thornborrow, Joanna. Morris, Deborah.Gossip as strategy: The management of talk about others on reality TV show 'Big Brother'. Journal of Sociolinguistics, Vol.8 issue 2, May 2004, pp. 26. SocINDEX, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9841.2004.00260.x.

Reality Television Programs: Guide to Critical Analysis. Points of View: Reality Television Programs, by      , Great Neck Publishing, 2016, p4-1. 1p.

Deery, June. Reality TV. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2015.