Big Brother has been on the air for decades, and fans love tuning in every season to see a new cast of houseguests, exciting new twists, and all of the drama that will inevitably ensue. There are a lot of negative details about the show, however, that have come to light over the years, from its lack of diversity to controversial things that houseguests have said, particularly ones caught on the live feeds.
Big Brother has changed quite a bit over the years, and even though there are flaws in the show, that hasn't stopped fans from tuning in.
It Isn't An Actual House
The very premise of Big Brother is that 16 houseguests are brought to live together in a house. They can't leave (except to go to the backyard) and are cut off from the real world and all outside sources. But there's one small detail that throws a wrench into this: it's not actually a house.
One thing fans never know about life in the Big Brother house is that the house is actually a studio with a sound stage studio loft and fake backyard connected to it. The front of the house where Julie Chen conducts her exit interviews, meanwhile, is a theater stage.
Lack Of Diversity
While season 23 set out to correct this, and Big Brother has committed to 50% diversity going forward, the reality show has historically cast mostly white males and females. There has only been a handful of BIPOC winners, and until season 23, there hadn't yet been a Black winner of the show (with the exception of Tamar Braxton, who won season 2 of Celebrity Big Brother).
Despite this lack of diversity, fans continued to watch, though they also vocalized their frustration over this. With that said, the changes moving forward should be positive ones that ensure greater diversity in all seasons to come.
Recruited Houseguests
Whatever their nationality, another issue with Big Brother is that the majority of houseguests are fit and conventionally beautiful. It makes sense since the show wants people to tune in and marvel at the chiseled looks and beautiful faces of people put into a difficult situation. But it isn't exactly truly representative of America.
What's more, this often leads to many houseguests being recruited for the show instead of auditioning. It means someone who is a true fan of the show might not get cast because a model or aspiring actor fits the mold better and is asked to join, even if they don't know anything about the show.
It's Very Formulaic
Part of Big Brother's charm, and the charm of most reality competition shows, is its formulaic nature. Everything happens in the same sequence, with the same types of competitions, virtual visits from Julie, secret conversations, eviction ceremonies, and so on.
Fans love this since they know what they'll get each episode, with a few twists and turns thrown in for good measure each season. Even though it's a lot of the same season after season, episode after episode, however, fans still seem to love it.
Typecasting Houseguests
Along with a lack of diversity and the casting of young and beautiful people alongside those who actually audition to be on the show, Big Brother also has a habit of typecasting people each season. There's always a jock, a bikini model-type, the nerdy person, the mom, the LGBTQ person, the quirky or loud one, and so on.
Despite fans calling for casting changes on Big Brother, the typecast "characters" continue and fans always find one or two with whom they relate to the most.
Obvious Diary Room Editing
There are instances when houseguests talk in the diary room and it's obvious that what they're saying is being spliced together or taken out of context to make it look like they're reacting to a certain situation that might not necessarily reflect their true feelings.
What's more, many fans have discussed online that they feel that some of what houseguests say in the diary room seems fake, scripted, or like the person was influenced to say it and it isn't really how they feel. According to Reality Blurred, Jun from the 2003 season said that sometimes houseguests do need to repeat something they said in a clearer way because it didn't come out right the first time, but that they are not delivering "rehearsed" lines. Nonetheless, fans of the show sometimes dislike the editing.
Seemingly Unfair Twists
A few times, Big Brother has created unfair twists that sent people home on the first night, before the game even started, like David in season 21. The Camp Comeback twist, in fact, put David and the other first evicted houseguests back in the house without actually being able to play. It was deemed one of the worst competition twists on Big Brother.
With cases like Cody Nickson, meanwhile, the twists during the first eviction night led him to have to nominate multiple people, immediately putting him at a disadvantage while returning player Paul Abrahamian was dubbed a hero. The twist was arguably unfair.
All The Controversies
Despite all the controversies that have plagued Big Brother, fans continue to watch. From houseguests who have made racist or disparaging remarks while in the house to drama with houseguests after their seasons were over, not every season nor houseguest has been squeaky clean.
Fans have complained and even urged production to step in like, for example, when they felt that JC was acting inappropriately towards Tyler while he was sleeping, or when Jack Mathews was bullying Kemi Fakunle. Many of the issues were addressed by production, in the house or out, but fans never stopped hitting play.
Rushed Finale And Reunion Specials
Way back when, the finale episodes used to be longer. In addition to hearing the final speeches, jury deliberation and questions, and a couple of comments from each returning houseguest, there was a lot more.
Houseguests were shown clips of pivotal moments, including diary confessionals, secret alliances meeting, or even just bloopers. Those clips and seeing houseguests' reactions to them were a huge part of the finale, but they were cut entirely.
The Camera In The Toilet
In one of the many times a houseguest went too far on Big Brother, Shannon scrubbed the toilet using Hardy's toothbrush then put it back on the bathroom counter for him to use. Production knew this happened because there is indeed a camera in the toilet.
While the footage has only ever been used to show Shannon doing that on the episode from way back in season 2, houseguests and fans, alike, seem to shrug off the lack of privacy. It's obviously necessary to ensure houseguests who are on slop aren't sneaking food into the toilet. Nonetheless, there should at least be that one boundary.