By Jennie
One of the main things I like about reality television, a much maligned genre, is that you get to see real people in real situations. Yes, yes, I know – scenes are staged and people act up to/for the cameras, and don’t even get me started on the manipulative editing, etc. I know it’s not “really real.” Real reality would undoubtedly be too boring for anyone to want to watch.
But…that said, the people on these shows aren’t actors (usually). The shows themselves aren’t scripted (usually). On the shows that I watch, I believe that to some lesser or greater degree (depending on the show) people *are* being themselves. And that interests me.
“Big Brother” is frequently criticized as “trash TV” (especially in light of the racism scandal this season), but it’s a unique reality show in that we are allowed to watch the hamsters (as they’re called) in real time, without editing, via live feeds. There are restrictions on this – CBS may tout “24/7 access!”, but the truth is that the list of things live feed viewers don’t see is fairly long and heavy on stuff we’d all probably *like* to see. Competitions, whether they are for veto, luxury or have/have not, are blacked out. So are nomination ceremonies and veto ceremonies. Diary room discussions with production are never on the live feeds.
The exception is the actual Head of Household competition – usually seen live on the show (well, live if you’re on the East Coast or watching an East Coast television feed), but if it extends over the end of the show (as, say, endurance comps tend to), they’ll usually switch the feeds back on a few minutes after the show ends.
Still, production can simply control what the viewers see by deciding what to show them. There are four camera feeds, typically showing two separate areas of the house (the feeds on the same group usually show different camera angles). Occasionally all four feeds will be on one group of people. Sometimes the feeds switch in the middle of a really juicy conversation between two houseguests, in order to show us another houseguest plucking her eyebrows or another two having a desultory conversation about their favorite/least favorite fruits. This is infuriating.
Still…still…I maintain that the live feeds make BB unique and do allow viewers to get the “most real” reality show experience possible, at least of the available options on now. (And yes, the real reality, even in the BB house, is frequently boring – witness the fruit discussion referenced above.)
One thing about watching a reality show is that your perspective can change on the participants radically during the course of a show. This is particularly true of “Big Brother”, because, again of the live feeds, and because even the edited show occurs in close-to-real time. This means that the producers don’t have the time to shape the narrative the way they do with other reality shows. They don’t have the luxury that, say, “Survivor” has – of getting an entire season shot and then editing it to develop storylines. On “Survivor” or other reality shows, if someone is to be the villain of the season, you often see glimpses of it early on, or at least you don’t necessarily see that person portrayed in a positive light. On BB, someone may seem perfectly likable, both on the feeds and the show, until something happens – they get HOH (caution: huge power trip ahead!) or they get nominated or they get drunk or whatever – and another side of that person comes out.
Joker’s Updates is a comprehensive “Big Brother” fan site (they cover other reality shows as well), and one of the things that’s interesting to watch on that site is the “rate the houseguests” feature. Registered members can vote once a day. Since the site prominently features transcription of live feeds, it’s safe to assume that people who vote also either watch the live feeds or read the live feed updates. My point is that it’s a pretty informed group that’s voting – not just people who watch the show (and thus get the edited version). So it’s interesting to see how people move up and down in the rankings based on what’s happening in the house. Judd has been at or near the top of the rankings for a while now (he’s just now starting to fall; he’s being kind of a jerk lately); so has Elissa.
Aaryn, the not-so-accidental-racist, has been at or near the bottom of the rankings since about day 11; probably around the time that a lot of her racist comments were getting widely aired. She was all the way up at #8 for a while (about mid-pack), a high she hadn’t seen since the first week. I like to get an idea of why someone is ranked the way they are – I kind of get her creeping up a bit because she was out of power and semi-behaving herself for a while there, but I’m not surprised that she’s dropped back down because since winning HOH a week ago she’s been up to some of her old tricks, albeit not quite so in-your-face about it. She’s decided that she’s “NEVER” said anything racist and that Candice is trying to “ruin her life” by claiming she has. Personal responsibility, clearly, is not Aaryn’s strong suit. (Meanwhile, late last week she called Candice “Aunt Jemima” behind her back and said that she should go and “make [Aaryn] some pancakes.” Nope, no racism there!)
Meanwhile, others, notably Amanda, have stepped up with the racist and inappropriate comments. This is the same Amanda who warned Aaryn about how her racist comments were being perceived, yet she herself refers to Candice’s “greasy nappy haired head.” Amanda considers herself “the least racist person”, but this YouTube video would suggest otherwise.
Bringing up the rear: Gina Marie, who suggested that Candice should wash her towels, “You know, like “The Help?” She also stated that Candice’s own mother didn’t want her (Candice was adopted as a baby), which isn’t racist per se but is a really ugly thing to say.
Where was I? Oh, yes, trying to make the point that “Big Brother” isn’t just trash TV and is worth watching. I may have lost some of you there…but I think there’s value in seeing that people do talk and think like that, especially if, like me, you’re lucky enough to not encounter such people in everyday life. Some people believe we live in a “post-racial society” but the racism rampant on BB this season would suggest otherwise. I guess it could be seen as an anomaly, but I think of “Big Brother” as, while perhaps not entirely representative, a microcosm of our society. One that, through isolation and the tension of fighting for the grand prize, unfortunately often brings out the worst in people.
Jennie has contributed to Imperfect Women since its inception in 2009. She writes about politics, celebrity news, and anything else that catches her interest.
I do watch a lot of reality tv and sadly I have never seen Big Brother!! I think I will have to check it out you made it sound really interesting :)!
I haven’t watched TV in a long time – and sometimes I am sad that I miss all this crazy reality TV when I hear people talk about it, lol!
I don’t really watch much TV and not a real fan of reality shows but this does sound interesting.
I rarely watch television but this seems like a very dramatic show. 🙂
I watched a season years and years ago (we still lived in Florida so it had to be 6 or 7 years ago). They’ve been airing a long time!!!
The only one I watch is The Bachelorette and the The Bachelor. They are fill with drama.
I have to admit I do like reality TV – probably not as much as I once did, but then I love people watching so for me its an extension to that. x
I like some reality TV. I don’t watch BB. I used to love Hoarders but last night we were going to watch one we had recorded. We had not watched in a long time. After about 5 minutes I said to my husband, “I really don’t want to watch these anymore.”
I think the first year or so it was just so new to me and I didn’t realize so many people hoarded to the extent that they do in the US. Now I just see it as such a painful disease and I feel like it would be watching an alcoholic destruct. No more for me.
@Alissa Apel, I know a lot of people who watch The Bachelor(ette) – I’ve never been able to get into it. I’ve heard it’s very dramatic and entertaining, though!
I don’t do a lot of tv but I guess a lot of it is reality tv in a sense. Do You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, The Voice things like that or cop shows. Castle, NCIS, NCIS LA, Elementary
I would not want to be on BB I can tell ya that. Drama and who wants to live with a bunch of strangers locked in a house. Not me.
I watch BB religiously! Lol I’ve watched it every season. I love it! I admit I was a little put off this season though with all the racial slurs. We def are not past this racism as a society.
I dont watch BB, bu maybe I should-sounds interesting!!
I feel cheated that I let myself miss out on the whole BB experience. I wish I had watched it from the beginning.
I love Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant. But, I am way way behind on those and don’t know if I’ll ever get caught up.
I used to be a huge fan of Survivor.
This is one reality TV show I’ve not watched yet. The one I do love to watch is America’s Got Talent and the Duck Dynasty show 🙂
I rarely watch TV and never the reality programs–they just do not interest me.
I watch way, way to much reality TV… My Daughter and Grandkids used to laugh at me because I would watch Jersey Shore.
My tv honestly hasn’t been cut on in three days! My little girl has watched a few things on her tablet…but that’s it! lol
Lily, I used to watch Survivor, too – I stopped a few seasons ago, though I made an exception when (former SF Giant) Jeff Kent was on a couple of cycles ago.
I used to watch big brother before, but not anymore as I have better things to do than watching tv.
Well, today promises to be an interesting day with a double eviction. Please let Jessie or Elissa win and get rid of at least one of the awful ones! #BB15
I can not get into Big Brother. The whole premise of this show does not interest me. I think this show is for the younger crowd. I do watch some reality TV and find some of the shows very fascinating, but I do not spend a lot of my time watching TV. I do like to watch movies though.
I used to watch a lot of reality TV, but I don’t as much any more. I am reading on my kindle most of my free time now. Big Brother was a show that I never got into, much like Survivor. I was more into Dancing with the Stars and the Bachelor. Can’t stand them anymore. lol
I’m not a fan of many reality shows. I don’t care for the mean behavior it brings out in some and I don’t care to see the pain it causes.
I used to love Big Brother. I am watching the current season, but I’ve been really turned off by all the racism and bullying. I don’t even know who I’m rooting for because they are all so unlikeable.
I have never seen this or any of the shows listed. I don’t have cable t.v. I am curious about these shows and like to read what they’re about.