Big Brother finished its 24th season earlier this year and recently had two seasons added to Netflix, in addition to the whole catalog being available on Paramount+. Dedicated fans often love to re-watch their favorite seasons but dipping into certain eras of Big Brother has some downsides that can be difficult to face.
Some of these downsides revolve around the cast while others are format changes that shook up the game - not always for the better. Most of Big Brother's many seasons hold up well, but there are some weird aspects of some seasons that fans need to accept.
The Show Used Low-Quality Cameras
When fans watch back their favorite early seasons of the show, they are going to have to deal with a lower-quality picture.
Big Brother did not introduce HD cameras until season 16, so every season before that is going to have a slightly fuzzy picture. This may bother some fans in the beginning, but after a few episodes, it's easy to get so immersed the low-quality doesn't matter.
Some Players Used Offensive Terms
One big difference between earlier seasons of Big Brother compared to now is the use of some terms that would not be shown on television nowadays.
There were many instances in the early seasons where players would make insensitive remarks. For example, Adam, the winner of season 9 and one of Big Brother's most controversial players, referred to the children with autism he worked with using derogatory slurs multiple times. This all came to a head in season 15 when racist and homophobic comments were made by multiple players. Rewatching these moments from earlier seasons will definitely make viewers cringe.
The Cast Featured Mostly White Players
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For a while, the cast of each season of Big Brother was made up of mostly white players. Each season usually featured an overwhelming number of white houseguests with only a few cast members who are POC.
This problem plagued Big Brother for the majority of its existence. Season 23 was a historic season as it featured the most POC players ever as well as the first black winner, Xavier. Prior to this season, however, there was usually only one or two contestants who are POC.
The Old Seasons Had Better Competitions
Competitions are a very important part of the game and are always evolving. However, it seems Big Brother only likes to bring back certain challenges.
There are classic challenges that are on pretty much every season, like the wall competition or Otev. But there are some competitions from the early seasons that were only played once and never returned. For example, the pressure cooker competition from Big Brother 6 is one that fans would love to see again. The challenges from recent seasons pale in comparison to certain competitions from the earlier seasons.
Having To Watch Julie Talk With The HOH
There have not been many changes to Big Brother's format over the years. However, one key change was removing Julie's talks with the current HOH.
Fans who rewatch certain seasons will have to endure these awkward conversations that often formed the least interesting part of the show. Every week, before the vote, Julie would talk with the HOH to get their thoughts about how their HOH reign went. These talks were pointless as the HOH pretty much just reiterated what they already said in the diary room earlier in the episode. It was a good idea to take them away and give the screentime to more strategic discussions.
There Was No Power Of Veto
If fans go back far enough and watch the first couple of seasons of Big Brother, they will realize one major difference: The Power of Veto was not in the game at its inception.
Big Brother 3 was the first season that featured the Power of Veto. With no veto, the game was very predictable once the nominations were made. The addition of the veto gives the nominees a lifeline and adds an agent of chaos to the game, which automatically attracts more viewers. If fans like the first two seasons, they will need to bear the fact that there will be no Veto competition. The Power of Veto ceremony has also given fans some very memorable and chaotic Veto moments.
The Old Nomination Ceremony Was Better
In season 16, the nomination ceremony changed and instead of pulling out the keys of all the safe houseguests, the HOH only pulled the keys to the houseguests that were nominated.
The old version of the nomination ceremony was so much better. It added a level of suspense to the nominations that fans do not get to see now with only two keys involved. The show most likely changed it since the new one is a lot quicker and allows for more screentime for game talk, but it was a classic staple of the game that added a bit of flare. Rewatching seasons that feature this format makes fans realize how boring the new structure is.
The Jury Was Smaller
One change to the show that fans will easily catch when they rewatch earlier seasons is how small the jury used to be. Starting in season 4, the jury consisted of only 7 houseguests and was eventually increased to 9.
With the jury smaller, it allowed them to make a more educated vote rather than including some houseguests who missed half the game. For example, Jack in Big Brother 21 came in 11th place, but was still on the jury and was able to cast a vote for who won his season. The smaller jury was overall better for the game and makes the now larger jury seem impractical.
The Jury Used To Be Able To Watch The Show
Fans who rewatch the first few seasons easily recognize one big fo pau of the show that was quickly sniffed out. This issue caused a change to how they handled evicted houseguests.
There was no jury on Big Brother 2 & 3 and the evicted houseguests watched the show before they voted for the winner. Fans that rewatch these seasons have to deal with the fact that the people who voted for the winner watched all the private diary room confessions, which influenced who they voted for in the end. Fans, to this day, still believe this is the reason why Danielle Reyes lost season 3, as the voters thought she was too cocky in her diary room confessions.
The Jury Deliberation Was Better Without Dr. Will
Big Brother fans love Dr. Will, as he is one of the best and most entertaining players ever. But, his addition to the jury deliberation might have been a mistake.
On rewatches of earlier seasons, fans will realize that the jury discussing the vote by themselves is better than having a conversation with Dr. Will. He really does not add anything and is really only there as a talking head that seems to only say things given to him by the producers. The open forum without Dr. Will feels more natural and a lot less rehearsed.