When contestants enter the Big Brother house, they know that they should "expect the unexpected," but the Big Brother Backstage Boss twist is unfair during week one. On premiere night, Big Brother kicked off the "BB Fest," which is the theme of the season. The houseguests each took a ticket from one of the rooms in the Big Brother house, which indicated in which game they would compete. The games were "Potty Talk" at the Porto-Potties, in which contestants had to listen to crowds of people and count how many times numbers were mentioned, won by Monte Taylor; "Piercing Tent" in which the houseguests had to clip pieces of jewelry onto their faces in the correct order shown on a screen, won by Matt "Turner" Turner; and "Hanging Tough" during which the players had to hold on to a t-shirt that lifted them from the ground without falling, won by Daniel Durston.
The winners of the three Big Brother 24 games then competed in the Head of Household (HOH) competition, and Daniel won. However, there was one houseguest who gained even more power than the HOH: Joe "Pooch" Pucciarelli became the Backstage Boss. With this title, Pooch will not compete in any competitions or cast a vote on eviction night, but he has the luxury of being safe from being nominated or evicted for the week. Pooch also had to choose three other contestants to join him "backstage." Because the houseguests had just met, and he did not even know their names, to be fair, he chose the first person eliminated from each of the BB Fest games. They were Big Brother 24 contestants Paloma Aguilar (Potty Talk), Alyssa Snider (Hanging Tough), and, since the Piercing Tent did not have an elimination, he chose Brittany Hoopes because he said that she stood out. They also will not compete, be nominated this week, or vote on eviction night. However, unlike Pooch, one of them could be in danger of going home during Thursday's live eviction. Fortunately for one of them, America will be able to vote for the one houseguest whom they want to save.
There have been many premiere night twists and many America's Votes, but this one seems especially unfair for the first week of Big Brother 24. While fans of the show know that twists are a part of the game, this one seems weird and poorly executed, especially since the houseguests and the viewers do not yet know the contestants well enough to make an informed decision. There are many reasons that it was unfair to unleash the Backstage Boss twist on premiere night.
Pooch Did Not Have A Choice
Often when a power is up for grabs in the Big Brother house, the contestants are aware that they are competing for it, even if they do not know the details about what it might entail. Because Pooch picked a ticket at random from inside the house, he had no opportunity to throw the competition if he did not want the power. It was given to him randomly, which made it more about luck than skill, which is also unfair to the other Big Brother 24 competitors.
Pooch's Uncomfortable Position
When Pooch had to decide who would join him "backstage," he did not even know the houseguests' names. Although they allowed him to watch a video in which the contestants introduced themselves, he still had trouble making his decision. Although he decided to choose the houseguests who were eliminated first from their games, he admitted that he could not even see the Potty Talk competition from where he was sitting on the balcony in the backyard. His decision about whose game he put in jeopardy was poorly informed, through no fault of his own, and could come back to haunt him later in the game if the houseguests hold grudges. This twist would have been more effective later in the game when the competitors know each other better.
Paloma, Alyssa, & Brittany's Fate Is In America's Hands
When Paloma, Alyssa, and Brittany entered the Big Brother house, they must have had some strategies and game plans in mind. However, because of a random twist, their games are now partially in America's hands due to the America's Vote. While this has happened many times in the past on Big Brother, giving America a vote on the first night when viewers barely know the contestants is a bad idea. Fans who do their research and read interviews with the Big Brother 24 houseguests might make a more informed decision, but many will vote based on looks, first night gameplay, or possibly at random. Fans who subscribe to the live feeds will have an advantage because they will have much more information than people who only watch the episodes on CBS. Fans who only watch the show on television really should wait to vote until they see the Sunday and Wednesday night episodes. If Paloma, Alyssa, or Brittany is the first Big Brother houseguest evicted, it will be because of a course of events that was mainly beyond their control.
Daniel's HOH Could Be Affected
Daniel won two competitions to earn his place as the first Big Brother 24 HOH, but his entire reign could be for nothing if the Backstage Boss twist ends up evicting someone he did not even nominate. This could cause problems for him because both of his nominees will still be in the house, and could possibly hold a grudge against him. It would be a shame if the Backstage Boss twist backfires and makes Daniel a target, especially since he was not even part of it.
While Big Brother twists are fun, the Backstage Boss twist came too soon in the game for it to be meaningful. The decisions being made by Pooch and America are uninformed and based mainly on first impressions that are not always correct, through no fault of their own. This Big Brother twist might have been better a few weeks into the game when the houseguests know each other better and the decisions are not so random.
Big Brother airs Sundays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET and Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.