(Sorry, the new forum only allows 10,000 characters per post so here's more...haha!)
Getting back to the point about knowing the results of the show thus "taking away all the fun", while I agree it's true that I already know exactly who gets evicted each week, it's not about that for me at all. It's about re-living the series, watching it with fresh eyes and also having the opportunity to watch several days or weeks of the show in bulk within a much shorter time-frame, which actually gives me a much more interesting outlook and way of analyzing various aspects on many different levels, including the growth of the show as a whole (not to mention its slow decline in later years too). In my opinion, Big Brother differs from all other reality shows in that sense because it's not a singing competition or a building contest that maintains the exact same concept week after week with an otherwise predictable outcome. You really never know what you're going to get with Big Brother and that is exactly what makes the concept so unique and original.
One of the benefits of watching a show like Big Brother again
is the hindsight of knowing exactly what is happening and when because you do get to see it in a completely new perspective that way. You've eliminated any uncertainty one may have about who might end up winning or any concern of your favourite/least favourite HM being evicted, because what's done is done. Now is the chance to take the show for what it is and "enjoy the ride", so to speak. A recent example of my own is when I re-watched the 2004 season of the show I was able to see a totally different side to Paul who, as a 12 year-old when I watched it for the first time, I originally saw him as a very manipulative villain of sorts in the house. But re-visiting it several years later I saw Paul as somebody who played that game extremely well, a HM who I actually really loved by the end of it and, had the same show been aired today, I would have wanted him to win it 100%.
I think that the idea of being able to see the full development of a HM within a duration of what could be only 3 weeks as opposed to 3 months in such quick succession actually changes your perception of things a lot.
Another cool thing about re-watching it is, as I said, the fact that you do know the end result, therefore you witness the so-called "journey" of each HM all over again with the full knowledge of exactly where they end up in the game. This is especially true when it comes to the winner of each season. When I re-watched 2003, being able to see each episode consecutively in a shorter space of time, I realized just how truly deserving and fortunate Regina was to win that year. It is for that reason I can now honestly say that in the entire 10 regular seasons of Big Brother so far, I have never wanted any HM to win more than I did with Regina - and that's a feeling I only felt whilst re-watching that season the second time 'round.
Of-course, re-watching also has nostalgic benefits too. For me, in a weird way it's a bit like the whole "Where were you when 9/11 happened?" question. With Big Brother being such a huge part of Australian TV when I was growing up, I can distinctly remember exactly where I was when the very first episode aired and the enormous scale of success it received during its first few years on-air. I can remember the exact moment and how I felt when Merlin walked down that eviction plank and refused to speak in protest live on TV. I can remember being saddened when Christina was evicted in 2001, and being glued to the screen when Glenn was evicted and confronted by Michelle on-stage in 2005. I remember where I was when I found out Gordon from the first season had suddenly passed away overseas, and my feelings when the news eventually broke that Big Brother had been axed from Channel 10. I can understand that it might seem strange to some people but by re-watching the show all over again it does bring back these small memories from my childhood and, even if it's on more of a personal level for me, it does make you reflect back on days gone by. I can't recall any other reality shows that have that same effect.
And hey, do you know any other Aussie TV show that has its own fan forum, let alone one that's bigger than the official site itself?
The evolution of Big Brother in Australia as a reality show is another aspect that stands out to me as being significant, and it's another reason why I enjoy re-watching it. The evolution of the Australian version of Big Brother, in particular, is quite incredible to watch unfold. Over the course of what is now 14 years, and having all 11 seasons practically laid out in front of you, you can actually see the show transform from something so innocent, simple and almost naive, to a pinnacle of event television in Australia, before transitioning into something that regrettably became a lot more sexualized, watching the target demographic of the show slowly shift as twists and gimmicks took over before quickly becoming the completely family-friendly edition we have today. Every season, every HM, every episode brings a totally different aspect to this multifaceted show.
One of my absolute favourite things about Big Brother is also the "social experiment" aspect and having the ability to watch these people in an isolated environment - most importantly, seeing how humans with different personalities live together and how they
interact and
react. At the end of the day this is exactly what Big Brother is about.
Other members above have already described re-watching BB perfectly by calling it a "time trap" and saying that it's "not about the destination, but about the journey". That's very true.
Even little things like watching older seasons as an adult, admittedly I now find myself understanding some things a lot better. There could be certain conversations or incidents that I can now relate to that I may not have been able to understand at a younger age, and things that might've completely gone over the top of my head the first time 'round. Plus, I was obviously never allowed to watched Uncut until I was about 15 so it's nice being able to go back and see some of those episodes and have a better understanding of a lot of the mature content too.
On another note, I am actually really looking forward to re-watching the 2008 season once I get up to it the most. Even as a fan, it's still the one season of BBAU that I legitimately forget about completely and at times I often fail to recall it even existed. This goes to show just how much the show changed by that point in time. Even though I watched it from start to end when it initially aired, today I struggle to remember much of what happened at all and I unfortunately believe the HM's from that season are without a doubt the most forgettable in BBAU's history. Sadly, too. But that's yet another reason I like to re-watch the show.
So yeah, sorry to bore you all with my post.
I just wanted to explain why I personally enjoy having the chance to look back on old seasons of Big Brother. I mean, once I eventually finish my complete run-through, I'm even excited to just have all the episodes on-hand for whenever I might be bored and feel like watching a random episode or two "just 'cause".
That's just me, though.
