BB -- I Can't Take This Season Anymore

[LindaM]

My late weekly column

Big Brother:  So Long Until Maybe Next Year

Most people who know me knows that I go into Big Brother each year with high hopes.  I’ve watched since season six.  I’ve lived through the “four horsemen,” Evel Dick, Jessie and Dan’s funeral, the Derek/Frenchie era with little or no complaints.  I’ve seen good contestants like Jordan and Jeff and awful contestants like – well I’ll not name them.  I’ve recapped and watched hours of live feeds.  This year’s Big Brother has done me in.  I thought the bullying at the start of the season was bad enough only to have it come back, without the “mean girls,” but led by the following:  a lying, cheating weasel, a PoC who hates women, an original “mean girl” who I thought had learned, and a floater with no sense sof loyalty or who really seems to care.  There was I honest enough. 

The show had more issues than this.  Let’s start with the cast list.  There’s something off when we have no cast list until two days before the show premieres.  Yes, I know Covid reared its head again and one supposed contestant did “America’s Got Talent,” but we weren’t even given a whisper.  Then, to have the house guests enter live (only Julie in the audience) made it a little suspicious to me.  Typical house guests though led this year by a 20 something (who will remain nameless) girl who had a bad case of paranoia (being kind) and took an instant dislike to one of the other girls.  The reason:  she was a beauty queen, said things that the silly  leader didn’t like, and had nice clothes (or that’s how I saw it).  She poisoned (yes I said poisoned) the rest of the girls.  While things changed for our beauty queen, it was four weeks of isolation (which now seems to be returning).  The paranoid contestant – left the game supposedly of her own free will – but left the poison behind.  (She would make a great “Lady MacBeth!”)

Second major issue as the show aired for me was the theme.  They said “beach days” and summer carnival.  Instead, everything seemed off.  Instead of a beach theme, it appeared the show was going for backstage at the sleazy side show and recked of slimy, underhanded games.  Even the throne that was won by the “backstage boss” looked like it came out of an old movie like “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”   I also don’t think that people were “randomly” assigned to their game. I honestly think that this was rigged as the contestant and contest came up too quickly.  I have to question if the players had a fair shot at winning.  Remember, in the messy first game, it went straight down the line.

Moving along, shall we to the “gimmicks” or “themes.”  Gimmick is a better word.  The plan was to have three under the backstage boss with a free ride until the first eviction.  The one with America’s vote of the three would be safe while the one of the others would go up for eviction.  Great scheme until one backstage member became paranoid and left the game.  So, quickly, the show came up with “festie bestie” which set the teams up with a “bestie” for three weeks.  On paper this looks good until you realize that one of the “mean girls” took the isolated girl as her partner just to get her out.  Funny that this would have actually worked if six players hadn’t begun to realize what was happening.  So, after four times on the block, the group (Leftovers) saved her and a new alliance and hope for the season was born. Actually, I thought I might make it through the year.

While the backstage, carnival gimmick wasn’t bad enough, we got the “fests” with one group attending an inhouse “Coachella” style while the other group outside at “Drye” fest.  My question to producers (especially Allison) is:  what would have happened if the notorious LA weather had gotten bad.  The heat was bad enough but what about smog (breathing), torrential rains and flooding, or tornados or strong winds.  Oh, that’s right.  You did have gale force winds which allowed you to get out a fan favorite during Thursday’s eviction.

And that brings me to the real problem with this year’s Big Brother.  While “The Leftovers” was truly a very good alliance, an alliance is only as good as it’s weakest link.  Their weakest link turned out to be the one who founded the alliance, Kyle.  If I was to describe Kyle as seen by production, I would say the “fair hair kid.”  As a feeder and viewer who knows that television only broadcasts what the producers want, we saw a child man who liked to snitch.  Not only a snitch, he fell for the old showmance theme.  Granted, it took him several weeks to move into that mode but when he did it was with a “mean girl” who accepted him for the sweet boy he appeared even having a “10 second fling” under the covers.  Little did she know that he was running back to the larger group with her team’s information.  I think Kyle will probably win the game with his lying, cheating way because he gives production what they want – a showmance.  To me, he will always go down as “Allison’s good boy” who did what she asked.  It’s happened before – remember Jackson who won!

And Kyle brings another angle to the story.  When he first appeared, I didn’t see the underside of his character.  He came out as a racist in a big way by plotting his all white “Cookout 2”.  Producers have managed to keep this from the casual television viewers but it’s there.  It’s evident and known by feeders and those who read the feeds for what happened inside the house (more on feeders in a minute).  To the casual viewer, the show has been traditional Big Brother.  To the feeders and readers, the show has been one atrocity on top of another.  From the “mean girls” savage behavior to Kyle’s actions, we have followed it all. 

How bad has it been.  It’s been especially bad to the People of Color.  I’m Caucasian but loved the Cookout due to their strategy.  So, for me to watch as a PoC, Terrance, has attacked other people of color and women, I’ve become more angry as it progressed.  Terrance gets a special mention as he has made women cry, called Taylor all sort of negative names (which I refuse to type) and even made racial slurs against the only Middle Eastern person, Joseph, in the cast.  The last two happened this past week.  I don’t know if he thinks this will win him a prize (maybe booby) but it was about the last straw to break my viewing back.

This article is already too long.  Big Brother doesn’t deserve the press.  I’ll end it with a few facts:

The show has won its time slot but think of it this way.  During this season, it constantly won its time slot.  On Sundays I covered Riverdale.  While Big Brother won, Riverdale wasn’t that far behind and neither ratings are good.  Use to be in the 6 and 7 million.  Now they’re lucky to pull 3 million.  Granted, we have many more viewing options (and I plan to start watching other series myself).  The rise of streaming gives us that option now and we don’t have to rely to National television.

The show has given us interesting characters, especially Season 23.  Season 23 was an abnormality.  It had contestants that cared for each other with no bullying and strategic play.  Point that out to me for this season please and I’ll reconsider.

The show is still strong in the 18 to 45 age group.  Really?  Neilsen Ratings don’t really know how many members of a family really watch at any given time.  I know, my family when I was growing up was one!

In conclusion, I want to offer my sincerest thanks and well wishes to “Hamsters,” “Joker’s Update,”  “Big Brother Daily,” and too many more that I can’t remember to mention.  I’ve been in your shoes and you have my admiration for sticking to this heavily produced “for casuals” show.  Thank you for giving me recaps so I don’t have to suffer the show that has been ruined by production.  Hopefully, we get more original producers who care for the contestants, the audience, and don’t cast according to script next year.  Also, could we please have better themes and a new house location?  If the producers and CBS do not change, I cannot speak to Big Brother’s future.

[trouble405]

 

You have nailed my feelings exactly.

[Snowbird]

No matter what color her skin is, Taylor still comes off as a conceited girl who is concerned with material things and who came into the show not caring what the females thought of her as long as she was admired by the men.  How petty of her to get so angry as to threaten one of the so-called "mean girls" for doing what was expected in a game by taking something she wanted from her.  How dare that "mean girl" do that on her HOH week. 

As far as being ignored by the younger people Terrance has had to put up with feeling isolated for most of the weeks he has been there.  Who can blame him for making the moves he did when he finally gained some power?  There are some things he has said and done that don't make him very likable but as far as playing the game, I welcome the fact that he is finally having some power.
 
The name of the game is to win the money by staying in the house till the end.  How many people each year have done things that they would not do outside the house to make it to the end?   It seems to be alright if someone a person likes is doing it but if the other side of the house that they have decided they don't like do it they don't like to watch it anymore.  Why do they watch it in the first place? They know the theme of the show is to do what you have to do to win.

I have gone back and forth this year as I usually do with those I like.  I don't like when a large group takes over and eliminates the others one by one and that is why the inside/outside groups were a twist I liked.  I just wish they had done it sooner when more people were there.  I don't particularly like Kyle who seems like a spoiled mama's boy but I don't blame him for trying to win the game by trying to protect someone who he is sure is on his side. Joseph was one of my favorites but I thought it petty of him to criticize Kyle for doing what he also did.  He played up to Jasmine and Indy until they both trusted him more than anyone else and then took the information back to his group.   

f you look back at all the winners on the show you will see some lying and underhanded things they did to get to the end.  You can say that about anybody that has ever been on the show probably.  Each season I have watched til the end.  I didn't watch season one.  Sometimes I am satisfied with the winner (Jordan and Rachel)  I helped with and attended the after party when Rachel won as she was much prettier than she was on TV and so tiny.  Sometimes I don't like how it ends.  But you will find me watching as long as it is on and as long as I have breath in my body.  Unless I get too senile to care. 
That is my opinion of the show. 

[LindaM]

I've had the argument on Twitter about Taylor, but here is how I see it.  She came in to have fun.  She thought she was being "cute" at the pool table but the other girls added that list of beauty queen, conceited, etc.  They isolated her and so Taylor went into a shell.  As I have experienced the same thing at work, I know what Taylor was feeling.  You sit in your office, do what you are supposed to do and then get (excuse my French) shit on and told you can't be yourself, you do isolate.  You do stay to yourself.  You do lose trust in others.  I had only been at the university I graduated from five years and won a secretary of the year award.  Instead of being happy that I won, as I left the awards I got -- "I was supposed to go to so and so."  "You are full of yourself."  Then about 12 to 14 years ago, I got told that I was going against work policy.  I couldn't be published if I was a secretary.  I went to someone in the provost office and got told to do it but use a pen name and never say anything about writing where it could get back to Elon.  I self-isolated and didn't even go to the "community" functions at my university.  Taylor had to find a way to get away from the stress..

As for material, she didn't do the packing alone of her suitcase.  BB packed some of it for her.  They always have a hand in that.  Material girl for Taylor, I don't see it but to each their own. 

Regarding Terrance -- I never got a good read on him but he seems to go with the wind.  He won the outdoor festival which means that he felt he had control.  His control was only as good as what Kyle wanted him to have and he didn't realize it.  He felt that he was a leader and he was being led by his nose.

Yeah, you win the money and this worked in the age of Evel Dick but now so much more relies on reputation.  Jackson is having problems in the real world.  Victor has changed his image and became a cop not a wrestler.  Do you think BB influenced their change in career?  Victor relied on his rep to get ahead in wrestling (look at Jessie) and between what happened on the show and Nicole, he didn't really have the media look or savie to do it. 

I hate to see anyone come out and feel embarrassed about their time on the show.  We've seen that happen time and again with the newer seasons.  I think it is based on what you see and what you know about "life" situations.  I've seen kids hurt their reps at the college with their post on social media.  A few even lost jobs on campus (guns/throwing off on other workers) due to the posts about it on social media.

[trouble405]

I know people have to lie in this game and also in Survivor. I used to go to Reality Rally and work the event as a "celebrity handler" and found I enjoyed most all of the celebrity stars (evel dick was an exception!!) I can take the lying and strategizing.  What I cannot stand is the bullying and just downright meanness and calling it game play.  I think Kyle is a racist idiot and I am sure he will get all sorts of crap for his 10 seconds comment. I dislike Terrance for the nastiness and names he has called Taylor and women in general. I hope his wife smacks him when he gets home. I think one of the more gracious winners was Derrick. As for Taylor -- I think CBS let that situation get way out of hand. The players are manipulated to help with ratings. Remember Aaryn the racist from BB15?  Well she has parlayed her bad reputation into several businesses and was a "nice girl" until the past 6 months. She got tired of people judging her choices and politics and has now gone pretty wild. I also am over all those people having sex after knowing each other 3-4 days!  Trashy!!

[bacali]

Trouble, wonderful post and I agree with you.
I am behind in watching the show but, was not crazy about the "cookout" last season picking off the white players one by one and NO ONE in the media said a word. If it had been the opposite, it would have been all over the news, and I've said this before.
Now, let someone menton that alliance and say, we can't let this happen again... yes, I feel it it racism.
I don't like this at all.
I also agree with you, trouble, that the players are definitely manipulated by the producers.
Linda has also said this many times.
I want to watch and enjoy the show we have loved for years, but, it's hard now feeling these thoughts.
And, yes I do remember Aaryn. Her reputation was , then, supposed to hurt her future endeavors. Now, you say she has parlayed her reputation into several businesses Incredible!!
Just don't know what is going on with this world .
And, where on earth do they find these houseguests? 
We get used to looking at them program after program, but, initially say.... HUH? 

[ponytail]

Glad to read the insights all of you have on this season. I seem to get less and less invested in it as the years have gone by. Now, I am down to just the aired show. I haven't read Joker's at all. Linda. thanks for giving us your perspective! I have always enjoyed your point of view.

[bacali]

Glad to read the insights all of you have on this season. I seem to get less and less invested in it as the years have gone by. Now, I am down to just the aired show. I haven't read Joker's at all. Linda. thanks for giving us your perspective! I have always enjoyed your point of view.

I am right there with you, ponytail. I used to read everything I could find about BB. Now, I am behind in watching even the aired shows which is what I only watch.
I have the feeds. Thought I'd treat myself this year and it has been a waste. I have put them on only a few times and it is so NOT exciting.

[Snowbird]

I would like to say again for those who didn't read my post or choose to not believe it. Kyle's statement was not at all what Michael said it was.  People on Facebook are upset with Michael and say they have lost respect for him and Brittney for what they told Alyssa and the others.  I heard what he said and it was not racist at all, nothing like the group from last year who targeted one race.  He did not mean to target the people because they were black but because he thought they planned to go to the end together.  HE wants to win the game and now because of an innocent remark that has been turned into a whole new "racist" problem he has no chance. 
Michael and Brittney even told Taylor that Alyssa was jealous of her.  They have ruined Kyles's chance to stay in the game because he was an easy target to get them off the block and be sure Taylor didn't go home either and to get rid of someone who they felt would come after them.  They have succeeded in that and will be able to evict Terrence and Allyssa next.  I cannot blame Kyle for wanting to save Allyssa and them putting pressure on him to get her out by taking someone off the block was the reason he turned against him. 
Kyle wasn't my favorite player but he is being bullied now which all of you seem to be against as long as it is someone you like.

I still say Taylor has an ugly attitude when things don't go her way. 

[bacali]

I finally today caught up to what your were speaking about ..about the racist ideas and who said what to whom.
I can not crucify Michael at all. He is a super fan of BB and IMO was just in conversation talking about last year, and what the Cook out did.
He , always thinking, and being very good at everything... thought... maybe this could be something that the others may be doing this season 
Again, and I want to make this brief. If anyone said anything pertaining to race I feel it was Taylor who said she would never evict a black woman.
Now, I haven't yet watched the show.. so I'm waiting to see this explosive show they advertised for tonight.
Be back later.....
 

[LindaM]

Big Brother #24 – A Tale of Big Brother’s Woes

Tonight, Big Brother is bringing the drama and once again the talk of racial issues have reared its head.  After the Jack and Jackson issues of Season 21, I thought the sensitivity training and other workshops would kick in.  Evidently Big Brothers counselors don’t know what to do to weed out the riff raff and get  people who care involved.  I didn’t want to address this in regard to Big Brother ever again but after reading FaceBook, Twitter, listening to pod cast and seeing news articles, I find I need to clear my head and this is my technique.  As a journalist, I have been taught to observe and be objective. So to do that, as always, I have gone to the very beginning of this Big Brother season to trace this saga and to look at facts.

Week One – No make that day one – Paloma developed an intensive dislike of an African American contestant, Taylor.  There are really two reasons:  her talking to the guys in a sexy swimsuit and her beauty queen identity.  Let’s be honest.  To play this game to win, you need a social game.  I went back and watched this incident and other Paloma’s blowup today.  She was always raving about the beauty queen and superior attitude she felt Taylor had.  These reasons got her followers (with Amerrah as the co-head) to separate Taylor from the girls by ignoring her and making fun of things she did (like crying). 

Paloma never gave Taylor a chance and the other girls saw a leader and followed.  Whatever Paloma and her second in command, Amerrah, said was true.  Did any of them try to get to know Taylor.  No!  Instead, they formed the Girly Girls group and even shunned Britney out (due to being different).  Now what kind of girls alliance is that.  Later Paloma would tell Monte and others that Taylor made fun of her in the shower.  When did a joke and a look become bullying.  When Monte told Taylor after they became friends, she explained how she felt.  No one but Paloma took offense and Paloma is still talking about the bathroom incident that she saw as bullying.  Paloma wanted Taylor out and used whatever means she could to do it.  Instead, Paloma went out of control and left the game by her decision for mental health issues. 

I will say this.  There was no sign of racial tension in those early weeks. Taylor, though, took the blunt of the anger and micro-aggression of the other houseguests.  If something happened in the house they didn’t like, Taylor had to be behind it.  She was on the block four times because the others saw her as being the one who got Paloma to leave and hated her for that.

Then the “festie besties” (one of the worse twist ever) occurred.  Nicole chose Taylor as her festie buddy because Nicole knew she would be safe if nominated for eviction.  Who wanted the chef (Nicole) to leave?  What Nicole and the “Mean Girls Club” didn’t realize is that Monte, Kyle and others were noticing that the things that were happening.  They were hearing comments from the girls that didn’t meet their vision of what Taylor was doing.  She wasn’t aggressive.  She was forced to stay by herself.  Everything and everyone seemed to make her cry.  If Taylor hadn’t been as strong as she was, she’d probably have broken down and either tried suicide or asked to leave.  She didn’t and I applaud Taylor for that.

Monte and Kyle were members of the Pound with Turner and Joseph.  They decided that Taylor was being treated unfairly.   Then Taylor thought Nicole’s mom was worse and made a statement that Nicole might need to be with her.  She and Monte even prayed for Nicole’s mom.  Nicole took it the wrong way and found a way to target Taylor.  In front of the entire house, she jumped down Taylor’s throat about what she had said.  In the process, Daniel took Nicole’s side and verbally attacked Taylor in the living room reducing her to tears.  The Pound was shocked.  That’s when the idea of a larger alliance started.  The meeting was held in the HoH Room and “The Leftovers” was formed.  Now let me fill you in on the membership.  Monte and Taylor were the African American members, Joseph was the Middle Eastern member, and Kyle, Turner, Michael and Brittany were the Caucasian members.  Does that sound like the Cook-Out?  No way!

Now, here is where things went downhill.  Kyle and Alyssa began the path to a showmance.  Yes, they even had “10 second sex” several times.  Now, as the house had lost Ameerah, Nicole and Daniel (to their comments and attitude toward Taylor), Kyle realized it was only a matter of time before Alyssa would be facing the same fate.  He started looking at “his” alliance differently and started thinking them of “The Cook-Out 2.0.”  But, instead of only including the original members, Kyle deleted Turner, Michael, Brittany and himself.  He turned Monte, Joseph and Taylor into an alliance and added Jasmine, Terrance, and Indy to the group.  Didn’t matter that Indy didn’t meet the PoC definition.  She was from Brazil after all and wanted to be the first Brazilian native to win the American version of Big Brother.  I honestly guess Kyle was thinking more with his body than his mind or he would realize how stupid this sounded.  There is no way that this could be considered the Cook-Out 2.  But Kyle, in his confused little mind, saw it not only as a way to keep Alyssa longer and get to the end and win.  So, he started looking for allies.

Kyle’s big mistake was the people he first approached.  His first two were Michael and Brittany and he pitched that the three of them with Turner could form a new group that could counter any Cook-Out that came to be.  Kyle logic was that Monte, Taylor, Joseph, Terrance, Jasmine, and Indy were banded together like the original Cook-Out.  Don’t ask me where he got this logic!  This wasn’t what the first Cook-Out was about  because they did worked as a team to get the first Person of Color as a winner.  .  He surprised Michael and Brittany who appeared at first in the live-feeds and a brief clip on the show to consider it.  Apparently Diary Room (and possibly second thoughts) showed them what the optics would look like and they dropped the idea.  Evidently, Kyle had the same discussion with the Diary Room because he mentioned it in a conversation with Brittany where she tried to use logic on him.  It just didn’t take.  Kyle saw this logic as his means of winning the $750,000. 

Now here’s where it really gets messy.  Turner was in for it as he saw strong players being taken out.  He didn’t care that they were African American.  That’s not the messy part.  The teams were now divided and everyone knew that Jasmine would leave the indoor group.  When Terrance (an African American) went for his nominations (as HoH), he chose Turner and Joseph.  Somehow Kyle convinced Terrance that Joseph wanted him out (which Joseph did) and the network didn’t bother to allow live-feeders to see it.  For at least two days, feeds were down in the backyard as the show tried to figure out how to play it.  In the end, it was brushed over.  Turner won the PoV and Kyle went up.  But the die was cast and Terrance with Alyssa urging, put up Kyle to make sure that Joseph was sent to jury.  I don’t want to talk optics but the images of 1930s movies movedin my brain.  Kyle spread the Cook-Out 2 rumor by broadcasting the “Leftovers” and implying that something bigger was brewing.

It all came to a head this week when the groups reunited.  The outdoor crew had decided to blame Joseph for outing the Leftovers and took much glee in telling Taylor that (a) Joseph hadn’t cared for her and talked trash on her and (b) he had outed the Leftovers.  The more this was spun, the more Monte and Taylor seemed to see through it.  Why would Joseph have done that?  When Turner won the HoH, he put Taylor and Brittany up for eviction.  Turner gleefully could care less who went but he did state he wanted Taylor out due to the first weeks of the season.  So, his alliance saw that he was untrustworthy.   Terrance wanted Taylor out because he blamed her with getting his friends, Paloma (making her spiral out of control), Nicole and Daniel (trickery) evicted.  Now, remember Terrance is African American but he played turn coat this week.

Did I say Michael and Brittany decided that it was time to out Kyle.  The reason:  they saw that Turner (with Kyle’s encouragement) was going to use the two of them to get Michael out.  Michael and Brittany first approached Monte and Taylor with all that happened.  Then it was on to Alyssa and the rest.  Alyssa with her big mouth told Kyle who went to Diary Room where he stayed (and apparently cried) for five hours.  We’ve been promised the house meeting but will the producers protect Kyle as they have been for a afew weeks.

Tonight’s show opens with Julie talking about the house meeting and the reveal about Kyle that Brittany and Michael made.  We open after Kyle leaves the Diary Room (5 hour blackout).  He goes to Brittany to talk and she looks worried as she should be.  Both are straight forward with each other.  He admits he knows about the talk in the house (from Alyssa) and she hides nothing from him. Brittany reminds him that she talked to him about his Cook-Out 2 comments on Day 43.  He admits he remembers but now Kyle realizes what she was saying but is he getting it now.  She said she had to pick and she picked the “right side.”  Brittany says she doesn’t think he’s a racist, but he hasn’t realized how his thoughts came across.

Kyle next approaches Terrance and Monte and tells them he realizes that they were close with Joseph and Taylor.  Kyle wanted to break them up.  Excuse me Kyle, Terrance hates Taylor.  Kyle knew it would break up the alliance but everything to him added up to a new Cook-Out.  He apologizes (again) and Monte reminds him that all of the Leftovers had been transparent.  If he had questions, Kyle could asks them at meetings.  Monte is disappointed in Kyle and tells Kyle the thought process was based on race and lies imagined.  Terrance feels that Monte, Taylor, and joseph was running the “Leftovers” (because he was not included).  Kyle calls himself foolish and asks for advice.  Later Monte and Terrance talk to Turner on Michael and Brittany’s timing.  If this came up weeks ago, then why Sunday.  Turner thinks they need to do the house meeting and talk about it.  Monte tells him to use it as a life-learning event and learn about relationships.  Terrance on live-feeds would talk about keeping Kyle and sending Taylor to jury. 

At the house meeting (which we only see some of), Michael discusses that during his HoH, Kyle had come to him with a plan for a new alliance.  Kyle felt that Michael and Brittany were his closest allies and he didn’t know where he stood with the People of Color.  Kyle uses Taylor’s failure to put up a “black” woman.  Kyle implies he was shelter and had no experience with how she felt.  Kyle is asked why didn’t he ask in the meeting about it and Kyle wishes he had.  Terrance turns to Michael and Brittany and feels they are “smart people.”  Terrance wants to know why the house is only hearing this now.  Brittany says she wishes it had happened sooner and she wishes she had put herself in their shoes.  She didn’t want to hurt them.  Michael uses the “fests” as his reason for holding back.  How could this be discussed with the groups split?  Terrance tells all that if he had known this, Joseph wouldn’t have left during his HoH and sees it as a slap in his face.  Taylor tells Kyle that she won’t hold this against him.  She will hold Kyle accountable but he must earn trust.  Monte hopes he uses it as a learning experience in the real world.  Taylor tells Kyle he needs to address the issue and offers to help him.  Kyle seems sincere in his apology and calls himself an “imperfect person.”  Kyle knows he is going to jury and plans to take the next days to start changing and apologizes about Joseph. 

At the veto meeting, Michael uses the veto on Brittany (and people were upset that he didn’t use it on Taylor).  Turner then announces that Kyle will replace Brittany on the block.  Taylor and Kyle hug and hugs all around.  Kyle tells them all that he wants to have conversations and give them the opportunity to talk and forgive him.  Monte doesn’t like Kyle’s actions but he will talk with him.  Kyle cries when he talks to Monte because they played the same game.  Monte didn’t do anything wrong.  Monte shares his high school experiences and culture.  His relationships with high school individuals that were not like him ended sadly.  To Monte, when Kyle attached his actions to Monte’s race, Kyle thus will lose Monte’s trust.  Alyssa tells him that she can’t trust him because he put himself first in their relationships.  She ends the relationship (at least for now). 

Monte talks to Taylor about the timing of Michael and Brittany’s revelations.  They agree that there was something wrong with it and it will color any relationship in the future.  Monte wants to win the HoH and put them up and Taylor agrees. 

During the Eviction, Kyle tells Taylor she has style and grace.  He addresses all with Alyssa the last.  .  Taylor speech about the stay in BB has been a journey of strength and offers Kyle and the others her love.  With a vote of five to zero, Kyle is evicted from the Big Brother house and to jury.  He hugs all with Taylor the first and Alyssa the last.  He exits to polite claps to talk to Julie.

Kyle tells Julie that the week has been tough but he’s thankful for the experience.  Julie mentions the Cookout and his “proposed” alliance with Michael, Brittany, Alyssa, and Turner.  Kyle realizes that what he said didn’t click in his mind and how terrible it was.  Julie asks if this discussion affected his game.  Kyle admits it went into his decision making.  His decision to out the Leftovers was to safeguard his game (my words) as he knew he was on the low end of the group and their decision making.  He wanted a group with Alyssa thus the After Party formed with Terrance and Turner. 

Next Thursday is another double eviction!  The HoH competition is a Zingbot’s Festival called “Burning Bot” featuring a puzzle and visit from Zingbot. 

[LindaM]

New article.  Next week I'm going to have a section on the spoiler people on Twitter.  In case you didn't know, someone supposedly found out who Spoiler Girl was and war and threats were issued.  The person doing the revealing didn't back down and she issued threats by DM to them which got posted on his account.  It was ugly.

rt of my series on how to improve Big Brother.  Each year, you tell us to “expect the unexpected” but each year, it’s more of the same old, same old (especially in competitions).  From casting to set design, I must wonder if your production crew live in the real world or some imaginary world of the network or production company’s creation.

This week, I’ll try to limit it to five (again).  Let’s start with one I touched on last time and expand it.

Number One:  The house guests.  I will straight up and say this.  The Big Brother 23 cast was the best you have had in a long, long time.  They came in and seemed to be aware of the “real world” outside of the bubble.  Their sincerity was evident from the first show.  They also had a smart cast.  There is no way I would have suspected that a group of six could come together and get as far as they did.  I don’t know if it was the splitting of teams or the “common goal” but it worked.

Let’s deal with this year’s cast.  On paper, for production and to present to the network, it might have appeared to be stellar (cough).  It wasn’t!  To me, it looked like you took a casting list and went down the line checking off characters.  I’m going to apologize to Turner here.  I compared him to a surfer dude from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  Just like the character of Spicoli, Turner proved us wrong.  Turner, like his character at the end of the movie, showed that he knew what went on around him.  The other characters also didn’t play out as you planned, did they?  May I ask, what made you think that a “mean girl” would accept a “beauty queen?”  Didn’t you suspect that a “mean girls club” could exclude her.  And on the guys’ side, the “Pooch” should have raised alarms as he was so sure he would oversee the men’s team.  Then you made him the “back-stage boss.”  And by the way, did any of them do any of the “training” they were supposed to complete before entering the house?  This time, asking for the Twitter community.

Second, this leads me to the next issue.  The set décor.  You said you wanted a “fest” or “festival”.  If so , why did it look like a cheap carnival for the backstage area.  Your games to pick teams were stupid.  The selection of games looked so rigged.  And the dress that Jasmine wore?  I hope you paid for it to be cleaned or provided it to her as a costume.  This looked like one of those fly-by-night carnivals minus the rides.  And then you said that Pooch had won the “Backstage Boss.”  Well, he looked more like the evil lord on his throne from movies like Something Wicked This Way Comes.” (He didn’t look smart enough sitting there to be a character from Game of Thrones.)  Handing out the backstage passes also was problematic.  The backstage people at a carnival operate the rides or do grunt work.  The back stage of a music concert has them moving things quickly on and off stage and acting as security.  These stooges got away with no work and had a good week (until Paloma started to spin out of control).

Third:  While we are on set décor, who came up with the cheap hotel theme and “Drye Fest.”  The décor of the hotel has been used before during various seasons.  Didn’t you have a budget to get anything new?  It looked like it was out the 60s and a rundown beach hotel.  This entire design set up was an alarm bell going off in my head.  Too much cheap color used in locations that needed some calm.

Now let’s deal with sticking half the group outside for a week.  I have friends in California who are complaining about the heat.  Who, in their right minds, would choose to send five people to live outside in heat of 105 degrees with no tents or cooling tents?  What would you have done if a storm had come up?  Oh, that’s right.  When the wall yeller happened, you supposedly moved the Broh-ella upstairs and the others supposedly came in.  I don’t know since we were blocked from 24/7 feeds.  Now, there has been wind (which supposedly messed up a competition) for the Drye side.  I’m sorry!  Why not announce there would be have nots and arrange something safe!  I’d hate to read that a contestant on Big Brother was taken to the hospital by extreme weather conditions while playing the game.

Fourth:  The “twists” of teams.  I understand that week one threw you.  You had to come up with something unique.  Plus, you had someone that the whole house wanted out staying but really – “festie besties.”  If you were thinking this through, you would realize that Nicole’s plan could   have happened with any of them.  They could have chosen their target (Taylor) in the hope that their popularity would keep them.  Nicole though was so obvious in her scheme and Monte and others started to wise up about what the girls were doing to Taylor. Getting Taylor out that way didn’t work to Nicole’s cost.  And let’s not even deal with the Drye Fest which I listed in number three.  School yard picks seem fair but it always comes down to the last picks feeling like they didn’t count.  Back to bullying again!

Fifth and the worse:  The gross treatment of Taylor.  Look, this has been said in many of my posts before.  There comes a time when the show needs to step in and take control.  You can’t let the bullying and insults fly like Daniel and Nicole did.  You can’t let a group of people isolate one!  If it was a misunderstanding (like between Nicole and Taylor), talk it out – not mistreat the individual or yell it out.  If it is game strategy, stop it from being used.  If it is just control (like I feel it was with Daniel), take the cameras down, call Daniel out in front of the house guests, and check on Taylor’s well-being.  A lesser person than Taylor could have been scarred for life by the attacks and isolation she faced.  Do you want to read that it led to attempted suicide?  You’re supposed to have counselors on hand.  Do you?  If so, did they talk to Taylor?  Did they try earlier than when Paloma asked to leave to talk the matter through with her?  Or did some producers see it as good television and let it run.

I have a few more issues, Big Brother, but I think this has given you enough to think about for today.  Next week, a new list and many more questions.  Actually, I may include a big issue that’s been simmering over there since Celebrity Big Brothers and spoilers.

[Snowbird]

For the record, Taylor made a statement a couple of nights ago that she wished she had tried to develop a relationship with the girls when she first came in the house.  Evidently, she realizes her behavior was part of the problem from the beginning.  Also, bragging never sits well with others and she has done her share of that.  Some of the ladies that happen to buy clothes at regular malls might not like to hear someone say something like who would buy clothes at a mall with a Gap store or an Old Navy store..  I shop at luxury malls..

[LindaM]

Odh, when Paloma asked her to model her finale dress, that was bragging.  Look, none of these people have been good.  To me, each have problems.  The biggest problem is thinking you are above someone else. 

I just finished working on a chapter of a book about the Hydra as seen in Sociology.  This show was a classic example of most of that book. 

Also, note:  we are not to judge.  Only God does that.

[ponytail]

And now I'm gonna have to look up info on the Hydra. LOL!