Big Brother is delicious, guilty-pleasure television, which is why the reality TV series has been going strong for 23 seasons and counting. In each season, 16 people from across America are brought together to live in a house where their every move and word is captured on camera. They compete, plot, forge friendships and alliances, and turn against one another as they try to avoid eviction from the house. The last person standing is crowned the winner of the $500,000 prize.
As with any popular series, Big Brother has spawned lots of hilarious memes, many of which we can all relate to in one way or another.
Updated Sept. 27, 2021 by Paul Ciampanelli: Big Brother remains a stalwart in CBS' longtime stable of core reality shows. Every summer, a new batch of houseguests serve fans the meme-worthy content they crave from the both the main broadcasts and the live feeds. There's always excellent material for more shareable content.
Brent And Michael Scott Are The Same Person
Part of what makes Michael Scott from The Office so infurating is that he's so familiar. Just about everyone has some annoying try-hard in their life — a relative, a neighbor, a co-worker — who is oblivious to how obnoxious they are.
Certainly, anyone who watched Big Brother 23 knew someone like that. Maybe it was when they first saw Brent wearing his bandana like Michael's alter ego Prison Mike that they made the connection. Then all the pieces fell together when they realized that Brent truly is the Michael Scott of Big Brother.
An Apple Pie Made Of Arsenic
The look on Britney’s face in this meme says it all: you disgust me. Britney Haynes is a master of witty conversation in the diary room sessions with producers, and she could deliver some harsh words in the most hilariously sarcastic ways.
This meme shows how most people have felt about someone at one time or another, gritting their teeth as they offer their frenemy (or just their enemy) something that appears to be a treat when really, they secretly wish it was laced with poison.
Rules For Playing Big Brother
One of the all-time best players of Big Brother, if not the best, Derrick managed to fool everyone, never having a vote cast against him. He maintained friendships with everyone in the house and had no blood on his hands, nor did he harbor ill will towards anyone, even though 99% of the time, he was secretly calling the shots.
Most Big Brother fans can relate to the feeling of having that one friend who just seems to have it all together, has all the answers, and is universally loved and respected. Basically, the best thing to do is to let them win, because everyone knows they will anyway.
That's Not Friendship
Paul was a masterful, strategic player, but he was also one of the most chaotic Big Brother houseguests, a hothead who rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and was far too arrogant for his own good. Because of it, the underdog Josh ended up winning the game while Paul came in second for the second time.
The old adage that says “nice guys finish last” doesn’t always ring true. Even though Josh wasn’t exactly a “nice guy” himself, many fans felt Paul got robbed of the win he deserved. They relate to the feeling of being passed over for something in life despite having earned it by any reasonable metric.
I. Can’t. Stop. Watching.
While Big Brother usually airs three times per week when it’s on, with clips edited together to create one-hour episodes along with some live footage, CBS also offers a 24/7 live feed so die-hard fans can watch and listen to the Big Brother house whenever they want.
Once fans pay the fee, the live feed can become pretty addicting. While it’s sometimes like watching paint dry, with nothing more going on than clandestine whispered conversations in the middle of the night, snoring, and mundane daily doings, viewers can find themselves glued to their screens, afraid they might miss seeing something big as it's happening.
I Don't Want To Sound Petty, But...
Usually, if someone begins a sentence by saying “I don’t want to sound XYZ, but,” chances are, they really are XYZ, whether that’s angry, bitter, annoyed, hurt, or, in this case, petty.
Kat Dunn, who appeared in Big Brother 21, at least told it like it was, and fans can appreciate coming across someone like this who isn't afraid to own up to the way they are feeling, even if it is being petty, over-reacting, or bitter.
"Celebrity" Big Brother
Using Dr. Evil and his signature air quotes is perfect for this meme, which says what everyone is thinking when they tune into a new season of Celebrity Big Brother and question the celebrity status of the majority of the houseguests. It's like when someone talks up a main guest or person who will be at a party or event and the person turns out to be completely underwhelming.
Usually, containing a mix of so-called celebrities such as former stars of other reality shows, athletes, D-list actors, and even political figures, some wonder if the name really fits. Are they truly a celebrity if half of the viewers don’t have a clue who they are?
Fruitloop Dingus
A lot of folks have that one friend who always dishes out the oddest insults that no one really understands but them. Multiple times during his season, Zach threw around the inane insult "fruitlook dingus," usually toward Nicole, even though it made no sense.
Was he trying to say she was loopy, goofy, stupid, or something else? No one really knows. It turned out he meant it more as a term of endearment than anything else. That's also relatable, since a lot of people have their own weird pet names or made-up insults that make recipients laugh more than they feel hurt.
Big Brother Strategy Isn't For Everyone
Whether at work, home, or in your personal life, you probably know someone who tries to play things strategically and ends up failing miserably. Or they simply have no game and sit on the sidelines with zero clue about what’s actually going on. Blissful ignorance, so to speak.
As this meme suggests, gameplay strategy in Big Brother maybe isn’t for everyone, mainly meaning that some people simply lack it or just employ terrible strategies. In the game of Big Brother, not having a valid strategy, even if yours is just to “lay low,” will likely end in disaster, just like it probably would in real life.
Why Are You So Special?
Anyone who has ever lived with roommates knows the arguments that can start because of food, whether it’s storage in the refrigerator, someone eating someone else’s leftovers, or someone not paying their fair share for the groceries.
In the Big Brother house, 16 people live with one refrigerator. In season 21, in a scene that resulted in much backlash against Jack, he chastised Kemi for placing her drink shaker in the fridge. Fans thought Jack needed to calm down in this situation when he was making a big deal out of something small. Thus, this meme compares him to a viral video character known for exploding in rage over the smallest inconvenience.