S22.E04: Eviction #1; Head of Household #2

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

Eviction and HOH Competition

 

[Callaphera]

Chenbot > Start Episode Open Routine
<pause for audience applause>
Error 39: Fatal Error: Audience not found
<smile awkwardly>
ABORT ABORT ABORT

I'm sorry, whenever I see Tyler with his hair down and those eyeglasses on, I hear the soundtrack from St. Elmo's Fire start up in the background and I wait for a wild and sweaty Rob Lowe in a headband to appear with his saxophone. 

[mojoween]

OMG Da’vonne’s “justice for Breonna Taylor” was EVERYTHING.

Not gonna lie...I covet Memphis’s grandpa sweater.  Also Keesha’s red pants are fantastic but at this time I’m a little bit too porky to pull off a fit like that.

How many frickin’ pairs of glasses does Nicole have?  On the other hand, Kaysar can wear his glasses alllll the damn time (although, that HOH comp eesh).  And with Memphis winning, guess Kaysar is going.  Goddammit.

“Memphis can control [Keesha]”?  What, and I cannot stress this enough, the everloving FUCK, Nicole.

Julie should have to wear the mask, not Keesha.

[Runningwild]

What?! Julie Chen-Moonves is asking everyone to do unto others as you would have them do unto you?  Would that include don’t do what your husband did?

[vb68]

Even though she seemed so lost, I felt bad for Keesha. She didn't deserve that. I think Julie more or less felt the same way.

And I lost some respect for Memphis. He didn't have to be ice cold about it. " Well you didn't cry as much this time." Seriously? What a jerk. 

[Lamb18]

Funny that the NO STARS guy played all the characters in the videos.

But why did Julie say the Golden Rule? That was odd.

I liked Nicole A's makeup. Ian looked he was at a job interview. Tyler, with those long curls and wire-rimmed glasses, looked like someone from the seventies.

I wish Keesha was staying. And I'm feeling fearful for Janelle with Memphis as the new HOH.

[Cherry Cola]

Why did Keesha have to wear a mask? She has been in quarantine and tested.  That didn't make sense at all. Sad to see her go so soon. 

[Gummo]

Well, that couldn't'a gone worse. Another bro win. Yawn.

[willco]

Geez, I hate unanimous votes ! It's particularly galling when the evictee is someone as inofensive as Keesha ! They all think Kevin is just someone who will do as he's told, toe the line so to speak. I guess it's hoping for too much for him to actually grow a pair, not just be a number for the power group ? 

 

If the show continues to be this boring, it's not going to be the fun distraction from this, so far, pretty awful year that I was hoping it would be !

 

I was really hoping Janelle would win HOH, just to see what would happen.

Edited August 14, 2020 by willco
add a word

[gsnrocks92]

47 minutes ago, Cherry Cola said:

Why did Keesha have to wear a mask? She has been in quarantine and tested.  That didn't make sense at all. Sad to see her go so soon. 

PR purposes mainly so the show is ensuring the causal viewers they are taking the pandemic seriously. However Julie should also have to wear a mask in that case, either have them both do it or neither.

Edited August 14, 2020 by gsnrocks92

[Wandering Snark]

That comp made my brain bleed, I had to FF that shit... and I've liked that guy's previous work on the show but it was all just too much for me to handle.

I really felt bored and that's not what I'd have thought coming in.

Here we are plagued once again by the "house vote" and people talking about people aren't playing yet. WHY NOT??

I hope things pick up.

I'm not sure which I like less, seeing Constipated Kevin staying or seeing another 'dude' as HoH.

Chen was all kinds of odd tonight... the "sit over ther 40 ft from me with your mask on thankyouverymuch" and wtf was with that Golden Rule thing??

[Samwise979]

I was SO rooting for Da'vonne to win that one. Esp after her happy dance getting that one question correct. Her or red head Nicole.  I think they would have done something interesting with their nominations. Instead we're getting another week run by the dude-bros. 

[nickp1991]

Bayleigh and Day Need to play in The Safety suite Next Week

[iMonrey]

Well, goodbye Kaysar or Janelle. Probably Janelle. Worst possible HoH winner, although the odds of a good one were slim at best.

Cody, Memphis, Tyler, Christmas, Nicole F,, Dani in one alliance; Cody, Enzo, Bayleigh and Da'Vonne in another. So, basically, those are our final nine and none of them are going anywhere until nobody else is left. I predicted this week 1 and I still say Cody is a lock for F2. He was the minute he won the first HoH.

So Kaysar, Janelle, Nicole A,, Ian, Kevin and David are going to be our next six boots, in whatever order. 

Quote

However Julie should also have to wear a mask in that case, either have them both due it or neither 

Yeah I mean in this situation Julie is the more likely one to infect the other. She's out and about in life whereas Keisha has been locked up for a week. 

[Maverick]

 Yeah, having Keesha wear the mask and Julie plays into the misconception that it's meant to protect the wearer, rather than protecting everyone else from the wearer.  

[NYGirl]

36 minutes ago, willco said:

Geez, I hate unanimous votes !

Unfortunately it seems like every vote is a unanimous vote the past couple of seasons.  It's like they houseguests can't think for themselves anymore.

[Callaphera]

33 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

That comp made my brain bleed, I had to FF that shit... and I've liked that guy's previous work on the show but it was all just too much for me to handle.

ZERO STARS!!!1/Brett's Grandma/Jack's alien is much more palatable in short doses when he's writing "STUPID" on Jack's super dumb "Hello, My Name is" tattoo. Just stick to yelling at HGs and making them clean the toilet at 3 am. 

[Maverick]

19 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

Unfortunately it seems like every vote is a unanimous vote the past couple of seasons.  It's like they houseguests can't think for themselves anymore.

 I believe this is a casting issue.   At a minimum, I think they just cast people based on looks and what info they can use in their 2 minute intro clip to make it cutsie enough for the premier (at worst, they may actively looking for sheeple).  I don't think there's any thought beyond how they read in the initial marketing.   They don't do anything to try and suss out what sort of player they will be or how they'll react under the unique pressure of being cutoff from the world in the BB house.   Sam from BB20 is a perfect example.   When they found out she was a woman who could weld, that was such a fantastical concept they had her sign on the on the dotted line.   The fact she also filled the "country bumpkin" role just made her a twofer. 

 They used to administer psych evals to potential contestants of reality shows (presumable to make sure they don't murder the other cast members, now probably to determine if they might) but either they don't do it anymore or aren't looking for the right thing.

 Wasn't it last year Kass sent out a tweet about it was just a few hours before amateurs start bitching about how she does her job?  Since the point of the show is to entertain viewers and they're complaining en masse that they're not being entertained by the monkeys she picked to dance, I'd say the results--rather than her ego--speak for themselves.  

Edited August 14, 2020 by Maverick

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Also Keesha’s red pants are fantastic but at this time I’m a little bit too porky to pull off a fit like that.

Don't worry.  It's called the Quarantine 15.  We're all going through it.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Prophylactic Theater, Starring...Julie DeGeneres.  Chenbot took hypocrisy to new levels.  Of course, Keesha was forced to wear a mask for her own protection.  She was going to have to put one on anyway immediately after the interview.  The invocation of the Golden Rule betrays hardware issues.  If she starts singing "Bicycle Built for Two,"  RUN!

This ep demonstrated how terribly disappointing this first week in the house has been for so many mavens.  We were hoping to see interesting gameplay as they maneuvered into fledgling alliances.  Silly us.  Much of that was done before they entered the premises.  

Kevin did little to not become the go-to pawn nominee.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Julie should have to wear the mask, not Keesha.

They absolutely both should - but you're right, considering Keesha was only with all the COVID free hamsters.

I'm so new to this show.  Can someone explain why Janell (sp?) made that really rude remark "Do you really think he would go after Keesha SMITH????"   Was Janell basically implying nobody gives a shit about Keesha and would never target her?

[Growsonwalls]

Well to be fair Keesha wasn;t a huge threat. She's not good at comps, wasn't involved in pre-gaming alliances. So why would anyone go after her? She left with class, she seems like a very nice person and I'd love to have a beer with her, but she wasn't a good player in BB10 and she's still not a good player. 

[Callaphera]

7 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm so new to this show.  Can someone explain why Janell (sp?) made that really rude remark "Do you really think he would go after Keesha SMITH????"   Was Janell basically implying nobody gives a shit about Keesha and would never target her?

Compared to some of the other All Stars - Janelle especially - Keesha's threat level was way lower and it should have kept her safe. Keesha placed pretty well on her season (4th) and like Julie said, won America's Favourite Houseguest but she's known more for personality and moments in the house than she was known for her gameplay. 

Janelle wasn't being rude. Janelle was being Janelle. Her and Keesha were friends and allies. 

Edited August 14, 2020 by Callaphera

[Shadow Wave]

What cologne is Cody is wearing that Keesha says always smells so good? Eau de Badabing?

[Maverick]

1 minute ago, Shadow Wave said:

What cologne is Cody is wearing that Keesha says always smells so good? Eau de Badabing?

 Italian Sauvage.

[North of Eden]

And ugh. A Memphis win certainly appears to tee up the season as  your usual alliance of douche-bro young Alpha Males dominating and calling the shots in the house. Can't we do something different like a total random person like David running the house?

Julie better get that fashion show from Janelle ASAP because I have a sinking feeling that she and Kaysar will not be long for this game based on the fact that during the alliance building segments no one approached them, nor were they seen actively approaching anyone else and their one sure allie just got sent packing out the door (for real this time...no battle back). This makes me sad as I was as said a rabid Kaysar/Janelle shipper back in their heyday.

Why does Keisha have to wear a mask and Julie who is out in the real world instead of just 13 people and more likely to be exposed not have too?

Not happy that Day and Bay have hitched themselves to anything to do with Cody.

The most intriquing thing tonight was Bay and Tyler working together. If they follow through with that it would be brilliant plus I like that they can bury the hatchet (having flashbacks be in Black and White was super convienet to hide Bay's bleeding mouth from her epic meltdown of for the ages)

 

[30 Helens]

FFS, Kaysar. First round??

52 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 Yeah, having Keesha wear the mask and Julie plays into the misconception that it's meant to protect the wearer, rather than protecting everyone else from the wearer.  

No, I think it plays into the show’s misconception that only Julie is worth protecting.  She sounded a bit frantic with her last minute instructions: “Put on your mask! Head straight to that chair that has been placed a safe distance from me!” I’m surprised Keesha wasn’t hustled to an airtight limo and forced to do the interview on her phone.  

[lilabennet]

Julie's wardrobe people are just trolling at this point.

[Suzysite]

3 hours ago, lilabennet said:

Julie's wardrobe people are just trolling at this point.

She might be a bit long in the tooth for that look, but I thought it was cute and summery.

[amazingracefan]

6 hours ago, Cherry Cola said:

Why did Keesha have to wear a mask? She has been in quarantine and tested.  That didn't make sense at all. Sad to see her go so soon. 

It's unlikely they had to just before they entered [the social distancing definitely wasn't needed], it was to send out a message then more than anything and the same now.  We were told that the whole BB is some kind of bubble, so there plenty of testing and restriction including with Julie. 

We really should see the evictee without the mask for reactions, if one of them has to wear one for the show's image let Julie do it.

Edited August 14, 2020 by amazingracefan

[LoveLeigh]

Did Julie say "three months" for this to reach finale night? I might do what I have never done before: just tune in on finale night and get surprised. 

11 hours ago, willco said:

If the show continues to be this boring, it's not going to be the fun distraction from this, so far, pretty awful year that I was hoping it would be !

I find it excruciating. I think the "drama" is what fueled this show and without strong emotional conflict, the show is pretty bland. 

[Tuxcat]

Dani and David again missing in action most of this episode...

[Writing Wrongs]

So far, I'm not really feeling this season. It usually picks up for me when they have less people. Too many to keep up with right now.

 

[SnideAsides]

3 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

It is not going to be a fun distraction if the house guests continue to lecture the viewers and bring up real world events.  It is one of the reasons that the NBA's ratings are in the toilet.  Viewers need an escape from the real world, not be lectured on a "reality show".  There is a huge difference between being informed, and being inundated.

The point of "reality shows" is to make viewers think about society and how we treat others by reflecting reality. These producers being completely incompetent at it doesn't change that fact. (Escapism achieves the same goal in exactly the opposite way by challenging norms, and it's why science fiction is so strongly interwoven with feminism and the ongoing struggles for BIPOC, LGBTQI+, and disability rights.)

Yes, it's weird to have overt acknowledgment of real-world events on this show (as it was when they had to tell the house about 9/11), but the reality of Covid Times is "news" is hitting all seven billion of us personally, rather than being a vague nebulous thing for politicians to handle while we mostly go about our daily lives. The news is coming into our homes. Big Brother is just reflecting that. And it's about time they did.

Also, fuck whoever decided that Zoom call competition was a good idea. That was the single least funny thing I've ever seen on this show (perhaps on television ever), and... like, three seasons of Boogie.

[Jobiska]

Julie:  "Keesha, you have nothing to be ashamed of!  You....[whir whir whir] were in the final four in your season, and were voted America's favorite!"  

The dress was pretty, but the black shoulder strap/bow should have either been balanced on the other side, or eliminated, or smaller...when they started to zoom in from afar I thought she had a ferret on her shoulder or a piece of sound equipment was hanging too low or something!  

Janelle's star costume:  The worst thing to happen to coffee table tchotchkes since eager Golden Retriever tails!

Bay and Tyler were wearing their safety suite passes during that convo--are they all wearing them all the time or was this a timeslip edit?  

Poor ol' David, always hanging back in the hugfests (post eviction, post comps, etc.).  

[Never Again]

14 hours ago, Callaphera said:

Chenbot > Start Episode Open Routine
<pause for audience applause>
Error 39: Fatal Error: Audience not found
<smile awkwardly>
ABORT ABORT ABORT

I'm sorry, whenever I see Tyler with his hair down and those eyeglasses on, I hear the soundtrack from St. Elmo's Fire start up in the background and I wait for a wild and sweaty Rob Lowe in a headband to appear with his saxophone. 

So funny you said that about the saxophone, as soon as I saw Tyler’s new do I immediately thought he looks like Kenny G now.  Huge downgrade on my hot man chart, Tyler  

[iMonrey]

Quote

I was SO rooting for Da'vonne to win that one. Esp after her happy dance getting that one question correct. Her or red head Nicole.  I think they would have done something interesting with their nominations. 

Why? She's aligned with Cody and Enzo. They would have just talked her into nominating one of the outliers. So would Nicole. 

Quote

Unfortunately it seems like every vote is a unanimous vote the past couple of seasons.  It's like they houseguests can't think for themselves anymore.

They've adopted this weird mentality of voting "with the house" like they think any minority vote will count against them because everyone will know who cast it. I don't know why they think that. Maybe because some past houseguest - I can't remember which - was fond of throwing hinky votes and stirring up paranoia, and it kind of worked.

Quote

(at worst, they may actively looking for sheeple).

Oh, they definitely do. They have a very specific list of the same exact characters they cast every season and a good chunk of those are meant to be cannon fodder.

What's so frustrating and somewhat baffling is that all of these people have played before. Some more than once. And yet they don't seem to have learned anything from it.

Edited August 14, 2020 by iMonrey

[springbarb]

14 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Unfortunately it seems like every vote is a unanimous vote the past couple of seasons.  It's like they houseguests can't think for themselves anymore.

That's what made the beginning of Season 20 so interesting--a split house and not unanimous votes. So much "Who flipped?!" Blindsides left and right. Loved it.

This season there are a million alliances, but no big house splits. It's still early, of course. But these people all have history with each other, too, so it's going to be a different dynamic than most seasons. These aren't strangers.

[LoveLeigh]

4 hours ago, SnideAsides said:

The point of "reality shows" is to make viewers think about society and how we treat others by reflecting reality. These producers being completely incompetent at it doesn't change that fact. (Escapism achieves the same goal in exactly the opposite way by challenging norms, and it's why science fiction is so strongly interwoven with feminism and the ongoing struggles for BIPOC, LGBTQI+, and disability rights.)

Yes, it's weird to have overt acknowledgment of real-world events on this show (as it was when they had to tell the house about 9/11), but the reality of Covid Times is "news" is hitting all seven billion of us personally, rather than being a vague nebulous thing for politicians to handle while we mostly go about our daily lives. The news is coming into our homes. Big Brother is just reflecting that. And it's about time they did.

 

I completely disagree. Reality shows are for major "escape." If I wanted the news, I would watch Norah O'Donnell. This show is not about treating others well. It is about being cagey and cutthroat and getting rid of others so you can make it to the end. BB does not reflect reality. Many of the HGs were enemies during their season and after the show, they made up and became friends (e.g. Dani and Rachel). So I do not think it reflects reality at all because even on the Amazing Race, contestants have to do things to others because of the game when in real life they might be kinder. 

The producers had no choice if they wanted to move forward with a new season. They had to put safety measures in place. The news always came into our homes, And Big Brother is in the smallest way reflecting that news. Inside the house, it is business as usual. 

Edited August 14, 2020 by DakotaLavender
spelling

[Samwise979]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Why? She's aligned with Cody and Enzo. They would have just talked her into nominating one of the outliers. So would Nicole. 

I didn't know this. Was this on the episode? Must have missed it. 

So is everyone aligned with the "bros"? Is there even a reason to watch the show? 

[Ms Blue Jay]

18 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Well to be fair Keesha wasn;t a huge threat. She's not good at comps, wasn't involved in pre-gaming alliances. So why would anyone go after her? She left with class, she seems like a very nice person and I'd love to have a beer with her, but she wasn't a good player in BB10 and she's still not a good player. 

I still think it's pretty mean to say that to someone's face.  Tactless.

1 hour ago, DakotaLavender said:

I completely disagree. Reality shows are for major "escape." If I wanted the news, I would watch Norah O'Donnell. This show is not about treating others well. It is about being cagey and cutthroat and getting rid of others so you can make it to the end. BB does not reflect reality. Many of the HGs were enemies during their season and after the show, they made up and became friends (e.g. Dani and Rachel). So I do not think it reflects reality at all because even on the Amazing Race, contestants have to do things to others because of the game when in real life they might be kinder. 

People are cagey and cutthroat in "real life" as well.  

[LoveLeigh]

9 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

People are cagey and cutthroat in "real life" as well.  

True. But generally not for half a million dollars and only if they have big money. The stakes are higher on BB so every thing they do is more exaggerated. I just do not see a reality TV show as any mirror for real life especially since much of it is scripted and it has huge interference from production. 

Edited August 14, 2020 by DakotaLavender

[iMonrey]

Quote

I didn't know this. Was this on the episode? Must have missed it. 

Yup. Bayleigh, Da'vonne, Cody and Enzo are all in a four-person alliance. At the same time, Cody is also in a six-person alliance with Memphis, Tyler, Christmas, Dani and Nicole F. No, Bayleigh and Da'vonne don't know about the second alliance, but if one of them had won HoH you can bet Cody would have talked them out of nominating anyone from his six-person alliance. And vice-versa for an HoH from the six-person alliance. I'm relatively confident none of these nine people are going anywhere until they're the only ones left. I mean, once it's down to them and one other person, that 10th person could potentially win a Veto but otherwise, yeah - we're stuck with these people as the final nine.

Quote

So is everyone aligned with the "bros"? Is there even a reason to watch the show? 

Alliances splinter, it happens. But this time it seems much less likely since everyone already knows each other.

I suppose it will be somewhat interesting to see how it goes down once there are only those nine left. But for the next few weeks we'll just be watching them pick off the outliers one by one.

[amazingracefan]

3 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

I completely disagree. Reality shows are for major "escape." If I wanted the news, I would watch Norah O'Donnell. This show is not about treating others well. It is about being cagey and cutthroat and getting rid of others so you can make it to the end. BB does not reflect reality. Many of the HGs were enemies during their season and after the show, they made up and became friends (e.g. Dani and Rachel). So I do not think it reflects reality at all because even on the Amazing Race, contestants have to do things to others because of the game when in real life they might be kinder. 

The producers had no choice if they wanted to move forward with a new season. They had to put safety measures in place. The news always came into our homes, And Big Brother is in the smallest way reflecting that news. Inside the house, it is business as usual. 

Competitive reality shows are definitely modern gameshows where people are in it to win it.  They are put into unusual circumstances but there can be aspects of reality with tthe social dynamics.  That's the original idea of reality tv as a social experiment.

Of course neither of those perspectives has anything to do with teaching people morals.  Anything like that is more likely to be scripted and even feel shoehorned in (just like it tends to be in films).  To suggest things end happily and justly isn't reality, it's more a kind of idealist or preaching approach that wants to convince us everything works out as we should want.  Storylines can be guided in particular ways to that end.  But rather than telling people what's good maybe it's more powerful to let people work that out for themselves.

But the good thing with shows with a live aspect (that aren't all fully shot before being aired) is that the producers will struggle to know what conclusion they are building towards.  They may try and hide more dislikeable aspects to make things more vanilla for a mainstream audience but that just makes it less real and might make it even more hard to understand why people act as they do on the show.  

Edited August 14, 2020 by amazingracefan

[Wandering Snark]

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

What's so frustrating and somewhat baffling is that all of these people have played before. Some more than once. And yet they don't seem to have learned anything from it.

It was I think Christmas and Janelle talking about who they were going to vote for and they were like "Yeah well someone will start playing the game eventually I guess..." and they both just kind of shrugged... YOU ARE THE PEOPLE!! DO something!!! Frustrating indeed... and boring.

[Stats Queen]

17 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

It is not going to be a fun distraction if the house guests continue to lecture the viewers and bring up real world events.  It is one of the reasons that the NBA's ratings are in the toilet.  Viewers need an escape from the real world, not be lectured on a "reality show".  There is a huge difference between being informed, and being inundated.

THANK YOU!

I wanted some escape from my world....

 

13 hours ago, SnideAsides said:

The point of "reality shows" is to make viewers think about society and how we treat others by reflecting reality. T

You and I evidently have different goals and objectives when it comes to watching “reality tv” shows, which is fine. I watch reality TV to escape into another world.

if I want viewpoints on society and how we treat each other I can watch news programs or documentaries, reach out to others in my community or have substantive personal conversations about issues with those in my community.

When I watch reality TV, I want to distract from my life. It started with watching America’s Top Model while I was working on my doctoral dissertation to help turn my brain off.

9 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

[Lamima]

On 8/14/2020 at 11:22 AM, SnideAsides said:

The point of "reality shows" is to make viewers think about society and how we treat others by reflecting reality. These producers being completely incompetent at it doesn't change that fact. (Escapism achieves the same goal in exactly the opposite way by challenging norms, and it's why science fiction is so strongly interwoven with feminism and the ongoing struggles for BIPOC, LGBTQI+, and disability rights.)

Yes, it's weird to have overt acknowledgment of real-world events on this show (as it was when they had to tell the house about 9/11), but the reality of Covid Times is "news" is hitting all seven billion of us personally, rather than being a vague nebulous thing for politicians to handle while we mostly go about our daily lives. The news is coming into our homes. Big Brother is just reflecting that. And it's about time they did.

Also, fuck whoever decided that Zoom call competition was a good idea. That was the single least funny thing I've ever seen on this show (perhaps on television ever), and... like, three seasons of Boogie.

This is a reality GAME show not a reality show like Real Housewives or whatever where opinions on social issues might be discussed. It's a game show for $$$$. Just like I don't watch Wheel of Fortune to be lectured or made to think hard, I watch for mindless entertainment, I don't want to watch BB for  that stuff either (or Survivor or sports even). Anyway, I wanna see them scheming and conniving. That's what BB is all about.

[After7Only]

If I want to escape reality I don’t watch “REALITY” shows...lol.  I would watch some cheesy sitcom.  Or a reality competition show that was only about the competition like Ninja Warrior.   The beauty of BB that it is both a game show and social commentary on how people interact.   Those interactions are often based on the lives led by the contestants prior to BB.   And helps people see others who have led lives different than theirs.  We are living in unique times.  I would be disappointed and offended if the show edited out the real world stuff going on right now.  Particularly if it was done in the name of escapism.   There’s plenty of room for both fun and a bit of reality On BB.  

[Spicymustard]

I’m sure Memphis is a nice enough guy but I’m so sick of the frat boy types controlling the game. Ugh. 

[Mommycpa]

On 8/14/2020 at 10:22 AM, SnideAsides said:

The point of "reality shows" is to make viewers think about society and how we treat others by reflecting reality. These producers being completely incompetent at it doesn't change that fact. (Escapism achieves the same goal in exactly the opposite way by challenging norms, and it's why science fiction is so strongly interwoven with feminism and the ongoing struggles for BIPOC, LGBTQI+, and disability rights.)

Yes, it's weird to have overt acknowledgment of real-world events on this show (as it was when they had to tell the house about 9/11), but the reality of Covid Times is "news" is hitting all seven billion of us personally, rather than being a vague nebulous thing for politicians to handle while we mostly go about our daily lives. The news is coming into our homes. Big Brother is just reflecting that. And it's about time they did.

Also, fuck whoever decided that Zoom call competition was a good idea. That was the single least funny thing I've ever seen on this show (perhaps on television ever), and... like, three seasons of Boogie.

We have very different ideas about the “point” of reality shows. I don’t believe they actually need any point other than to be entertaining. I’d prefer drama between houseguests or showing them doing silly fun things. As much as I never liked Brenchel, I prefer Rachel’s fun and silliness than current events. I watch to be entertained, not enlightened!