1 Week Until Big Brother Australia
@Nine Network Australia
In both the US and UK we are in full swing of Big Brother. And in one week's time Australia will be joining the mix. BBAU is teasing us with the "Biggest Twist Ever" campaign. From the video (left) it appears as if the new housemates will be split in half, possibly some sort of glass wall so they can see each other but not communicate or interact. If this is so it will definitely be an interesting twist. Big Brother has also revealed that there will be more housemates than ever before. To wet our appetite BBAU has started to release short VTs of a few housemates. The first 3 housemates revealed were Matt, a soldier/surfer, Tahan, an attractive socialite who is half aboriginal, and Sharon, a mother of 3. Watch their videos at the bottom of this post. Check back throughout the week as more housemates will be revealed. And watch Big Brother Australia, starting Monday on Nine.
©Nine Network Australia
©Nine Network Australia
©Nine Network Australia
Offensive Big Brother
With another season of Big Brother, we get to watch another set of loud and outspoken houseguests who have no filter. And with 24/7 live streaming, we hear everything they say. It's not unusual for houseguests to come under scrutiny because of things they have said. In 2008 season 9 winner (and future drug dealer) Adam Jasinski came under fire for offending numerous autism organizations around the country. Two years ago fan favorite Jeff Schroeder was criticized for saying if he had kids he would not allow them to go to Hogwarts because Dumbledore was gay. And every season housemates use the word "retard" in offensive ways. But this season is in a category all of its own.
This group of houseguests seemingly doesn't understand what is acceptable to say and what is not. The houseguest have come out and said statements that were racist, homophobic, sexist, and just disrespectful.
Aaryn is the main offender saying/doing things such as:
- (In regards to Candice who is African American) "Be careful what you say in the dark, you might not be able to see the bitch."
- (In regards to Helen who is asian) "Dude, shut up. Go make some rice."
- (In regards to Andy who is gay) "No one's going to vote for whoever that queer puts up."
- Mocking an asian woman who does her nails.
- Bragged about making "asian eyes" in the diary room.
- She also made comments about wanting to water board a fellow housemate.
It's not surprising that today, "Zephyr Talent", a modeling agency in Austin, TX that represented Aaryn, released her from her contract. "Zephyr Talent" released the following statement:
"We certainly find the statements made by Aaryn on the live Internet feed to be offensive. Upon much consideration, we have decided to release Aaryn from her contract with Zephyr Talent."
The second biggest offender was GinaMarie. Coming from Staten Island, NY, she went into the house claiming she was very loud and outspoken, but I don't thing producers expected her to say/do the following:
- "Candice is on the dark side because she already is dark."
- Called welfare "Ni**er insurance"
- Said they should make Helen's eyes "straight."
- Also made a comment about Helen cooking rice.
- Continues to make comment about Candice's "blackness."
Like Aaryn, GinaMarie has also been fired. Earlier today "East Coast USA Pageant, Inc." whom GinaMarie was a pageant coordinator for said in a statement,
"We have never known this side of GinaMarie or have ever witnessed such acts of racism in the past… We are actually thankful that this show let us see GinaMarie for who she truly is. We would never want her to be a role model to our future contestants… In a business where we are surrounded by beauty every day we are saddened to see something so ugly come from someone we put on a very high pedestal."
Other offenders include:
Spencer who has called women "c**ts" and "bitches" multiple times. He also referred to Helen as Kim Jong Un, and called Andy "Kermit the fag."
Kaitlin who has used the word "ni**er" and has called gays "untrustworthy."
Jeremy who referred to Kaitlin's vagina as his "meat wallet."
Big Brother producers and CBS honchos released the following statement:
"We certainly find the statements made by several of the Houseguests on the live Internet feed to be offensive… At times, the Houseguests reveal prejudices and other beliefs that we do not condone."
During tonight's live show Julie Chen (host of Big Brother) made a quick statement saying that, "emotions are running high and people are starting to show their true colors."
Former Big Brother winner Rachel Reilly (who's sister Elissa is currently on the show) and hubby her hubby and BB alum Brendon Villegas also said today that they "think it's vile and disgusting and are completely horrified that people can even think such hateful things… Being former houseguests we understand how people can turn on each other… but the offensive things that Aaryn, GinaMarie, Kaitlin, Spencer, and Jeremy say disgust us, and make us sick to our stomachs." Amen Rachel, Amen.
So, should BB kick out some of the offensive houseguests or is that just part of what happens when you broadcast people 24/7? Let us know your thoughts! We'd love to hear them.
What's Better? Sexy Big Brother? Or Honest Big Brother?
With the launch of Big Brother (US) 15 tonight, it’s clear that the producers have upped the “sexy” factor yet again. Let’s be real. In general, our 16 new houseguests are HOT! But is that what we want? This group looks like it could have been pulled straight from a Vegas pool. It’s not a coincidence that CBS recently posted more cast pictures of the houseguests... in their swimsuits... by the pool. And it’s clear that none of them are ugly, and 90% of them could be models. So yes, they are physically sexy? But do any of them have sexy personalities. Obviously, we are only one episode in so it’s yet to be seen, but on first impressions, there are only a few people I really want to know more about. Two of those people are Andy the professor, and Spencer the train conductor. So, what do these two guy have in common that the other houseguests do not? Well, I’m sure most people would agree that these two are the least physically sexy. In my mind, it’s clear that these two were cast for their personalities, which can not be said for a lot of the houseguests. I can’t wait to learn more about them... Oh wait... Big Brother US doesn’t allow the viewers to connect on personal levels with the houseguests. The only way to learn more about the housemates lives is to be glued to the live feeds. The main shows only focus on people hooking up, and people stabbing other people in the back. The gameplay is the best reason to watch Big Brother US, and I do think that it can be very entertaining, but it is so overpowering that we don’t really get to know our houseguests.
Let’s jump across the pond to our East and take a look at “Honest” Big Brother. Big Brother UK follows the same format as the majority of the world, in which the housemates are the focus of the show and not the gameplay. While the US housemates were discussing gameplay minutes after walking into their house, the UK housemates were confronting each other about Hazel’s boyfriend committing suicide, Charlie’s grandmother dying on top of her, and Jemima having to resuscitate her baby. It sounds depressing but it was 10 times more entertaining than tonight’s launch of BBUS. But why? Normally I’d much rather watch a bunch of sexy people in bikinis sitting around the pool, but when it comes to Big Brother, it’s the exact opposite. Big Brother UK has been on for 2 weeks and the viewers already have this deep personal connection with the housemates. I know that Dexter has always had trouble creating friends and that he has relied on money to gain connections with people; I know that Jackie and Charlie Travers have had a rough mother/daughter relationship but have retained this undying love for each other; I know that Wolfy has gone through life being an outcast and has learned to overcome her struggles and continue on with life as if no one was watching. I’ve watched Dan Gheesling on Big Brother US for 2 summers and all I know is he loves his wife and is great at deceiving people. Dan is my favorite BBUS player of all time, yet I know basically nothing about him.
Outside of North America, Big Brother focuses on the people and allows the viewer to gain these connections with the housemates so they actually care about them. When a housemate I love gets evicted for BBUK or BBAU I actually feel sad. Sad! A real emotion when watching a television show. If a housemate I dislike gets evicted I feel a sense of joy. When watching “honest” Big Brother, it is clear I’m watching real people. When watching “sexy” Big Brother, it’s as if I’m watching a bunch of money hungry people who have no personalities. Maybe they are actually really interesting people, but BBUS doesn’t show us any of that; they only focus on the game.
Lastly I’ll have you take a look at the housemates and houseguest from Big Brother UK and Big Brother US respectively. Just by looking at the pictures you can tell that BBUK gives us “honesty” while BBUS gives us “sexy.”
Big Brother US Houseguests Big Brother UK Housemates
Let's Talk Big Brother 15
With the premiere of Big Brother 15 being less than a week away, our new houseguest are in lockdown and we are getting filled in on what we can expect this season. Let's start with out 16 new houseguests.
@CBS Broadcasting Inc.
16 is tied for the most houseguests to ever be put into the BBUS house. This year's cast is relatively young with an average age of 27. The oldest housemate is political consultant Helen Kim (37) while the youngest is college student Aaryn Gries (22). When looking at the cast as a whole it seems like these are pretty normal people, which I like seeing on reality shows. There are no models, actors, or anyone from Los Angeles (Hallelujah). Some notable occupations include a professor (Andy Herren), a lifeguard (David Girton), a youth counselor (Howard Overby), a pizza delivery boy (McCrae Olson), and a railroad conductor (Spencer Clawson) (Is it odd that all the jobs I found interesting belong to men?) Big Brother producers seem to be looking for romance this year as 14 of the 16 houseguests are single. It also needs to be pointed out that reality star Rachel Reilly's (Big Brother 12, 13. and the Amazing Race 20) sister, Elissa Slater is going in the house.
Now lets move on to this year's twists. The first major change from previous seasons is that 3 houseguests will be nominated every week instead of the normal 2. This is great for the game as it adds a whole new layer of complexity when voting. This also makes it much more likely to have a tie vote meaning the HOH could be more powerful than ever. Nothing has been said about how the vote will be revealed but I think it would be very beneficial for Julie Chen not to reveal the vote count to the houseguest. If it is unknown to them, we could see people make their own game moves with no one else knowing. The second major announcement is that there will be a new power, the house "M.V.P." This will be a power designated by the public. Not much is yet known about what the M.V.P's power will be, but every week the viewers will vote for who they want to see become M.V.P. This twist will clearly allow viewers to influence the show like never before. It was also announced that there will be live votes via twitter (which is clearly an attempt to incorporate the best aspect of the short lived ABC show "Glass House").
Finally, the new house photos were revealed but they are pretty underwhelming. The house has a "Mad Men" theme with the bathroom designed like a spa. The layout of the house however is exactly the same which is disappointing but not surprising. It would be nice to a complete remodel like BBUK and BBAU do every season.
@CBS Broadcasting Inc.
S0 there you have everything you need to know about the upcoming season. Join us on June 26th for the premiere of Big Brother 15.
Big Brother Australia - What's The Twist?
Today Channel 9 released the first promo for the upcoming season of Big Brother Australia. The promo centers around a very big twist which will be unleaded upon the new housemates. But what could this twist be? It's hard for me to imagine a "major" and "new" twist. I think it's quite likely that the twist in question is the same that Big Brother UK currently has in place, having a mole in the house. We're going to have to wait a while before we know exactly what the twist is as Channel 9 has yet to announce a starting date for the 10th series.
Big Brother UK 14 Launch
©Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited
Big Brother UK kicked off its 14th series this evening by sending 8 housemates and 1 puppet into the newly remodeled house. Emma Willis began her stint as new host and did magnificently for her 1st show. Our first housemate(s) into the house were 18-year-old twins, Jack and Joe. They "stumbled" a bit entering the house but quickly got their feet planted firmly on the fresh BB carpet. The second housemate to enter was 25-year-old DJ/glamour model Sallie. She stands out for her heavily tattooed right arm and her large and revealing (side)boobs. She is also a proud mother of a 3-year-old. Third in was 41-year-old cougar and renowned gold digger Jemina. She blatantly states that she wants love, money, and a young man. 4th in was 29 year old Irish postman Michael… I'll get back to him in a bit. 5th in was 28-year-old football coach Callum. Being a good-looking lady-pleaser, he'd like to find someone in the house to cozy up next to. 6th was 20-year-old "lesbian fisherwoman" Wolfy. She says that she loves 3 things in life: the beach, the babes, and fish. Our 7th housemate was 23-year-old partially deaf Harry Styles look-a-like Sam. The crowd cheered loudly for him as he went in, although he probably didn't hear it. (Yes, a deaf joke. Don't hate! He's one of my favorites). Our second to last housemate was the lovely 20-year-old Sophie. A say-it-straight person who dislikes people who "love themselves." Lastly was the "man of all traits" Dexter. Dexter's claim to fame is blowing £120,000 at a bar after winning it at a casino. So, there you have it, our 9 housemates… But not was all as it seemed. Remember Michael the postman? Turns out, he's actually an actor hired by Big Brother and he will work for us as the People's Puppet. The night concluded with Michael deciding to destroy everyone else's suitcases. Oh Big Brother you knotty man. Tune in tomorrow when 6 more housemates enter the house. What are your thoughts on the new housemates? Feel free to voice your thoughts.
Big Brother UK 14 House Pictures
©Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited
Channel 5 has just released pictures from this year's Big Brother house. It is quite astonishing as it is very different from past houses. A large blue staircase will greet houseguests as they walk in the front door. After decending to the main floor they will see many diffent colored doors, but where do they lead? Once in the living area there seems to be a central kitchen counter with an off looking wooden cow near the stairs. In the middle of the living area is a group table very similar to that in Big Brother US. behind the table there are many blank TV, maybe to display housemate pictures. The lounge where housemates will probably hear the crowd booing them is filled with many plush couches and chairs. Once in the bedroom the housemates will see large glass windows looking out to the garden. They will be sleeping in small cot-style beds. There is also a stationary bike in the bedroom which seems to be a theme as there are also bike seats near the kitchen counter. The backyard is pretty spectacular featuring an interesting 2-story structure in the back.. It looks like some sort of hangout spot. The backyard also features a large garden so housemates can grow their own vegetables. One thing missing from these pictures is a pool, something which housemates will not like living without. Big Brother 14 premieres this Thursday on Channel 5.
Big Brother Canada Renewed
After great ratings for season 1, Big Brother Canada has been renewed for season 2. Slice announced today that the long running American show has been renewed for a second Canadian season. Season 2 should air about the same time as season 1, sometime next winter. Hopefully season 2 won't feature a major mistake like the finale of the first season (Topaz!).