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Make It Stop

Oh (Big) Brother

March 19, 2007

Page 1 | Page 2

He aint heavy...and nobody's watching.

Why is it, in these days of perpetual voyeurism—the frankness of myspace, the relentlessness of the paparazzi, the total disclosure of blogs—people in this country don’t seem to get into "Big Brother?"

Abroad, the show is wildly popular, the actions of some of the housemates causing ripples literally across the globe. Winners and notables on the British version are instant megastars of the Anna Nicole variety, complete with their own fragrances and exercise videos, but here, in the States, the show is a drop in the bucket of reality television. A summer fling while we wait for our appointment television to come back to us in the fall, and look forward to the new line-ups.

For whatever reason, Big Brother just hasn’t caught on around these parts. Thanks for the effort, and for the memories (if you have them), but it’s just never going to measure up. Please, Make it Stop.

It doesn’t make a heap of sense to us that a show which involves hunky, tanned men and bikini-clad women wouldn’t be the talk of the town, or the stuff of water cooler conversation. What more do people what, exactly?

Comments

Paul wrote:

Please, don't make it stop!

My wife and I start to get BB withdrawals around this time of year, yearning for that first week in July when our favorite reality TV show hits the airwaves once again.

I don't know how the ratings are, but for seven seasons, BB has survived. There are a core of BB fans that like this show enough to bring it back year after year. You have to watch every episode from beginning-to-end to gain a clearer perspective of the houseguests and their little quirks. You can't judge this show simply just by "passing through." And unlike The Real World, these people are cut off from society for 80 days. They can't escape to a club or bar (other than for the occasional winner of a Luxury Competition) like the 18 to 25 year olds on TRW. So there can be an added tension in the air after a verbal disagreement, because the houseguests cannot get any further away than opposite sides of the house. Eventually, they must come in contact with each other again where tensions can once again flare up.

For me, I look forward to seeing who will align with whom, who will try too hard in the beginning and ultimately get evicted, and who will be the one who "flies under the radar" to get to the Final Four. For me and my wife, it's the ultimate in voyeurism, to peek into the lives of 12 to 16 people (depending on the season) and watch, like a train wreck (that's what all Reality Shows are, pretty much), the whispering, the scheming, the planning, and in the end, the back-stabbing when alliances must de-rail so the individual prevails.

Yes, BB is my guilty pleasure. And I'm surprised it has not caught on here in the US. But you can't judge abook by it's cover. Read, or in this case watch, an entire season without missing an episode. Then, write a follow up to this article come mid-September 2007 and tell me if you can still say there's "not enough pure action."

posted at March 21, 2007 03:20 PM

Ty wrote:

Enuf is Enuf! If we have to be subjected to so much reality TV, the weak shall perish. This series has been on a respirator for way to long, is brain dead, and to stop any further suffering, pull the plug. If I have to watch one more episode of overloaded testosterone males and fake boobed broads, I can watch Angie Dickinson's "REALITY" show. At least those are people trying to get work, not a cheap thrill or quick lay. What is the point? A social experiment? A psychological test? Oh wait, money, money, money! Isn't BB just a regurgitated, contrived version of MTV's Real World? Another show that I think is past it's prime. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of reality shows that I Tivo every episode. Shows like Amazing Race, Top Chef, Top Design, Designers Challenge, Hell's Kitchen, and Project Runway are competitions that show an individuals skills and talents. What skills did Howie or Janelle (BB #7) show us? How to be an arrogant, womanizing, horn-dog and a superficial, manipulative vixen respectively? I mean for gosh sakes, we now have an entire network devoted to reality series, highlights and commentaries. If you have a yearning for BB, just watch that channel for a weekend and you will get your fill of Big Brother, Rob and Amber, Trading Spouses, My Big, Fat Obnoxious Boss, and so on. As I stated at the beginning of this rant, enuf is enuf! Weed out the weak, make room for more RIDICULOUS REALITY TV!

posted at March 21, 2007 06:33 PM

Jan K wrote:

I love Big Brother and wouldn't miss it. Please keep it on the air. If you don't like it, don't watch it.

posted at April 11, 2007 06:31 AM

Jill wrote:

If you make a comparison of BB to TRW, or have to ask what the difference is then you obviously haven't watched Big Brother. With the exception of putting a bunch of stranger in the same house, there is NO comparison. BB is the only real reality show, in that viewers can watch the house guests 24/7 (and many people do just that) on the internet. I don't watch online but do keep up on what's going on via various websites. The televised shows are a very small part of the BB experience and it truly is different from all the rest.

posted at April 11, 2007 09:09 AM

Mary Francis wrote:

BB is one of my favorite shows, I look forward to watching it every summer. While everything else is a rerun I'm getting to see 2 new episodes a week of BB. It is nothing like the real world (a show that could have been cancelled a long time ago for all I care). It is all about the people, the challenges, and the strategy. If you watch all the epidsodes it is a really fun show to watch.

posted at April 22, 2007 04:48 PM

Anna wrote:

Please bring back BB. My daughter and I love this show. We have really missed it. BB is our favorite reality show. We will be watching for it.

posted at April 23, 2007 01:18 PM

Jake wrote:

I think more people would watch Big Brother if it airs in Fall. I am 17 and i am in love with BB show. I come from Europe and BB is very popular overthere, and trust me much better.And it dosent air over the summer when nobody watches TV. I think the British version is the best , and if USA BB wants more viewers it should deff copy Britain BB in some way.

posted at April 23, 2007 02:04 PM

Lisa wrote:

As long as BB promises not to bring back Janelle and Will Kirby or any all star, bring it back. The All Star version was just a desperate attempt to give Janelle ANOTHER chance to win so it became tedious and somewhat predictable. Forget about her and get on with the show. I am sure if they had fresh new faces it would get more ratings. BTW did I mention I just had a operation so bring it back so I can look at 24 hours with my Superpass to pass the time.

posted at April 23, 2007 03:32 PM

JoAnna wrote:

BB is my favorite reality show. A cast of people of all ages would make it even more interesting. Please bring it back!!!

posted at April 24, 2007 10:53 AM

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Make It Stop Archive

June, 2007 1 entry
April, 2007 1 entry
March, 2007 2 entries
February, 2007 2 entries
January, 2007 2 entries
December, 2006 2 entries
November, 2006 1 entry
October, 2006 1 entry
September, 2006 1 entry
May, 2006 1 entry

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