Okay! Big Brother is not my big priority right now. I’m not sure I can even make it through this season with my mind intact. My priority is finishing up Riverdale which makes Big Brother a burden. I have watched a few Thursday/Sunday episodes and I have spotted some issues that need to be addressed by CBS. Surprisingly enough, the Twitter (X) residents and Blue Sky people have seen the same thing. So what are my issues? Let’s go!
The big elephant in the room is Cirie. I have no issues with her, really. I thought her play against Russell Hantz on Survivor was amazing. The problem I have with her is that she’s just finished The Traitors and won. I’m sure this is the reason that the Big Brother executive producers wanted her – the name quality and a new group of viewers for the show. I’m not sure that the viewers of The Traitors would want THIS type of show. After all, The Traitors was set in a beautifully furnished castle with each player treated like royalty. You don’t see this on Big Brother.
The next issue again involves Cirie. Her son, Jared, is playing the game with her. While we have had family before, usually the parent/child is at odds. Can anyone forget that Danielle Donato had not even seen her father, Evel Dick Donato, for years until they were put in the house together? At least Jared and Cirie get along. And while the rest of the house hasn’t made the connection yet, what will happen when they do? Jared is apparently a member of the “Handful” alliance while his mom runs “The Professors.” And Jared shares with Cirie. As long as this goes on, “Handful” will be gone soon.
While we’re dealing with Cirie, let’s not forget the other issue that has caused a stir. She didn’t even play for the first Head of Household. To me, that wasn’t fair. Her fame has been her running the house ever since her appearance was made known. I hate it when the show gives anyone a bye, but this was over the top.
Let’s move on to the issue I have about the “special needs” person. I love Matt and think it’s great that the producers added a deaf person to the show. The problem I have with this is that Big Brother is full of whispers of subplots. As a wearer of hearing aids, I can honestly say that conversations are always hard to understand. The quieter you whisper, the harder it is for me to hear (and I have the volume on the hearing aids up to high). I’m not sure if he wears a hearing device but I know that he will have major problems in the house. If he can’t see the person speaking, reading lips will be hard. The whisper gameplay puts him at a disadvantage. The one good thing about being hearing impaired is that the loud noises that the producers play during games shouldn’t have a major impact. I hope he can adjust now that both ladies who were helping him have left the game.
Luke Valentine is another problem that Big Brother didn’t consider. Yes, they are given sensitivity training and lectures on respecting each other, but Luke used an offensive word and was out of the game. He even realized he used it and tried to cover but live feeders heard it! The social sites have been going crazy with this question: Would it have happened without “live feeds?” We may never know but whoever was operating the feeds didn’t use the five-second delay. It got out on the air and the producers had no choice but to put him out of the game. He said in a recent interview that the lack of sleep and food caused his error (https://ew.com/tv/big-brother-luke-valentine-racial-slur-reaction/). Luke states that it was only a “slap on the wrist” offense. Sorry, Luke! You knew the rules and what to expect and should have used restraint.
Now, let’s get down to the physical issues, shall we? I will state point blank that with the Writers/Actors Strike, we’re in for a terrible period of television. And having said this, let’s remember that Big Brother is not shot at a remote location but in the center of television production. Here we go.
The word “nether regions.” While CBS probably meant to use the first definition of “hell,” with this being Big Brother, people took it for the second definition (in other words, body regions). I have covered many science-fiction shows and there were other words that CBS could have employed if they meant hell. Many shows have referred to it simply as purgatory. Others have called it “Hades.” Others have called it a “waiting room.” CBS, with a supposedly creative team assigned to Big Brother, couldn’t find an ingenious new term. Really?
The special effects for going into the “nether region” also could have been done more spectacularly. I know you give away a good sum of money, but that can’t be where all the money for production went. With an in-house animation department for CBS, couldn’t you have come up with something a little different and not so hokey? And I do know you have an animation department! I worked for a university that had interns working for you. Since I wrote about television on the side, they always found their way to my office and shared their experiences.
The back lots are there and should be used but the one time so far it appeared stupid. The HoH competition that Hisam won was so limited that a child could play. Was it supposed to be a commercial for a horror film or did you just not want to put the effort into the “hide and go seek” segment? By having only set spaces where the contestants could stand, of course, they would end up out easily. I was expecting so much better from you! Backlots have many opportunities for games. You chose, again, to go the easy route.
I’m going to stop for now. I’ve hit all the problems I have seen so far. Let’s all keep a monitor on what else is problematic for us. After all a tropical storm is expected in the area by Sunday. I’ll be watching (but not every episode). Until the next rant, goodbye.
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