Big Brother 24 is wrapping up soon, and this season adds another reason fans miss the early days of Big Brother. There have not been any seasons that were considered great in a long time, and unfortunately the recent seasons seem like a race to the bottom. And one season that seems to be in everyone's bottom tier is Big Brother 19.
Big Brother 19 felt like a fever dream. A lot of the early drama and twists contributed to its poor reception by fans. This was a situation where the show tried to do too much but just confused and angered the viewers instead. Big Brother 19 is a hideous blemish on the show's history.
First Temptation
The first temptation of the season saw the houseguests tempted with $25,000. However, if one person took the money, a secret twist would be released upon the house.
The twist was Paul from the prior season would come and take someone's place. This first temptation was obviously a ploy to get Paul back into the game. It was apparent someone was going to take the money, as seven players pushed their buttons. Big Brother robbed someone of playing the game all because they wanted Paul back into the cast. They should have just had them at the start instead of taking someone's place.
Friendship Bracelets
Paul not only entered the house, but they had an absurd amount of power. They picked eight houseguests to save from being swapped out.
This was another instance where Big Brother favored Paul tremendously. They had the power to save anyone they wanted, so they made immediate allies. They wanted to make sure they were set up down the line, as the houseguests they saved felt an obligation towards Paul. Paul has a share of the record for most total competition wins in their Big Brother career, so they did not need any more help
Night One Eviction
This season's night one eviction was a direct result of the first temptation. Cameron was evicted only a few hours after he entered the house.
Night one evictions have only happened a few times in Big Brother history, and Cameron was one of the unlucky ones. Cameron expected he would be playing classic Big Brother, but was unexpectedly voted off just because the producers wanted Paul on another season. Cameron seemed like a smart player who understood the ins and outs of the game. He was denied a chance to become an all-time great.
Den Of Temptation
The Den of Temptation was another lackluster twist in Big Brother 19. This twist involved America as they voted for one houseguest to receive a special power.
These special powers did not add anything exciting to the game. They took away from the classic Big Brother gameplay, and they just became a frustrating, ridiculous variable. This is something that fans of the show hate about modern-day Big Brother. The majority of fans want the classic seasons, which saw the best gameplay and strategy, not outlandish powers.
Pendant Of Protection
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The Pendant of Protection was a power that was given out in the Den of Temptation. This was an overpowered ability that changed the course of the season drastically.
Paul was gifted this pendant, which granted them three weeks of safety. This power was fixed since America voted for who got it. Paul was loved by America, so it was extremely obvious they were going to win it. This ensured Paul made it further in the game and allowed them time to create good social bonds to make it far. Cody tried to put them up which resulted in one of the most chaotic veto ceremonies in Big Brother history. Another reason this season was fixed so hard for them.
Temptation Competition
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Jessica took a temptation in week 5 which resulted in a new competition called the Temptation Competition. It is optional to compete, and the winner gets safety, but the person who came in last is automatically the third nominee.
Third nominee twists are always hit or miss. It was interesting to have another competition throughout the week, but this added more chaos, and not the good kind. It was very easy for the houseguests to hack the competition and practically put up whoever they wanted. The execution of the third nominee twist in Big Brother 15 was much better since they never 100% knew who put them up.
Meghan Walked
Meghan was nominated in week one and was Cody's target. However, after a lot of arguments and confrontations, Meghan decided to leave the game.
This was all caused by an unfortunate misunderstanding when Meghan thought she overheard some racist remarks but was incorrect. Meghan had every right to ask to be pulled, as all the drama brought up some childhood feelings from a traumatic event. It is always unfortunate when a player walks, as there is always that 'what if' for viewers as that player could have been great. Nonetheless, her walkout is one of the most dramatic in Big Brother history.
Pairing Off
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As the season progressed, the houseguests naturally paired off. This essentially felt like a twist where they would play in pairs.
The pairs consisted of Matt and Raven, Christmas and Josh, Jason and Alex, Mark and Elena, and Cody and Jessica, who were one of the best showmances in Big Brother. When they played in pairs, it added a level of predictability. The pairs would never come after one another, so the viewer knew what was coming every week, especially when the numbers started to get low.
Bullying
Being one of the best players in the modern game, Paul would have performed great in the early era of Big Brother. However, some of their actions this season turned their reputation sour.
Paul was the leader of a bullying campaign against some houseguests, mainly Cody and Jessica. They advocated for the entire house to berate them to make them wish they were not in the house. These types of actions felt more personal than they did gameplay. It was very cringy to watch people like Raven scream at Jessica and Cody, while all they did was lay in the hammock and not react.
Poor Gameplay
One of the overarching reasons why season 19 was so terrible was the lack of excellent, or even average, gameplay. Paul was the only houseguest whose game was above average.
Paul had every pair, except for Jessica and Cody, wrapped around their finger. They made a final three with all of them, which was a good, but risky strategy. If any of the pairs compared notes about Paul, their game would be finished. However, they were all too concerned with protecting Paul. The only memorable game move from this season was when Paul convinced the entire house to throw a competition to Christmas, who had a broken foot.