This constant stream of doings in the house leaves nothing to the imagination: nowhere for houseguests to hide, and only each other to turn to for enjoyment as there are no outside influences such as television, phones, or newspapers. Forced interaction by a group of total strangers - could anything be any more compelling from an experimental standpoint?
Humanity never fails to amaze and watching Big Brother proves that point again and again. One can ‘know’ a character extremely well, yet be flabbergasted at a certain action or discussion. Therein lies the delight for many of us: the study of humanity, the study of ourselves.
We are never more fascinated than when all those strangers begin to forget the cameras and simply interact: the gloss is off, the honeymoon is over. And then? One season, people with highly-unpopular points of view happen to end up in that house.
Were they cast for that very unpopularity? Of course not. Who really wants that kind of controversy wrapped around their show? On the other hand, ratings are absolutely lovely. That New York Times article did no harm, although it slammed both the show and the controversy. That the NYT even took notice of Big Brother was a coup for producers!
CBS President Les Moonves said it best: “We don’t cast wallflowers for reality shows.” Well, of course not. Who on earth would want to watch a group of people with the same opinions?
“Me too,” night after night. That show would be off the air in a hurry. As is, it’s in its 15th season and roaring along quite nicely, thank you. The producers are brilliant: casting is well-done, and we reward this by being faithful to the show for all these years and cursing those producers as often as possible!
Does the public suppose that producers went out and casted specifically for racist types, types that watch child porn, or someone who constantly purges in the house? How ridiculous is that! It’s a lot like blaming me because someone posted something unpopular on Joker's - it happens so often I no longer pay attention to it.
Some pundit said ‘opinions are like assholes: we all have one,’ and never were truer words said. You’ll hear opinions on Big Brother, then see them discussed in detail on Joker's. What you will not hear on the show or see on Joker's is the “me too” type of people: those who agree with anything. Not going to happen and thank GOD for it, I say. What could be more boring?
Say what you will about CBS’s Big Brother: it’s lasted 15 seasons now and shows no signs of closing down. On the contrary, it’s up 22 percent in the ratings since last year.
Say what you will, but know the truth: the show is indeed a social experiment, and for many of us it’s both fascinating from that standpoint as well as a HELL of a lot of fun to watch!
