We’re three weeks into the show and I finally have a moment to actually sit down and blog about the show. This is my first blog entry for 2007, but you may have found me spilling my guts in our BBBA podcasts over the last few weeks.
I don’t think I’m making a huge sweeping generalisation when I say interest in this season has been diminished. Ratings are down, and the general consensus on the forums is that this season is just not engaging enough. But so far we’ve had lots of in-house fights, behind the back bitching and plenty of joking around. This is supposed to be entertaining footage right?
A lot of the time people assume I’m 100% against Big Brother because this site is constantly criticising the show. This isn’t true – right now I am fully addicted to watching the daily show. I think its great viewing. So what if Adults Only is canceled? I never watched it anyway, there is only so much you can bare about people talking about their penises. And shower scenes? Well you can see more hardcore pornography on the internet for free. No adults only doesn’t mean the death of the show.
What I think IS killing the show is the constant, unnecessary and baffling interfering of the house and the natural flow of the show by ridiculous “twists” and specials shows. It’s getting out of hand. Really we are three weeks into the show but how well do you know the housemates? They are still relative strangers to me because we just haven’t had enough time to take a step back and watch what is going on.
I don’t understand why the producers won’t give us some breathing time – they are so preoccupied with throwing twists into the house, introducing new people and promoting flashy gimmicks (Golden Key URGH) they’re starting to beat the dead horse that is Big Brother. The housemates are not boring, but people are tuning away because they haven’t been given a chance to actually learn and connect with the people they see on their television screen. Have we even had a week of “normal” Big Brother yet? What happens when the producers use up all of their twists by week 5? And now there is word MORE intruders will be put in to combat failing ratings. Give me a break.. please…!
If its a matter of filling up their required Australian television content levels then whats the problem in extending the daily show? Extend it to an hour and you have immediately doubled your Australian content. Either way, we need to see more of what is actually happening in the house, and not these prescripted, predictable lame excuses for television. STOP INTERFERING AND JUST LET THE HOUSE RUN ITSELF FOR A BIT. Producers don’t you realise Big Brother is supposed to be unscripted reality? Or are you scared things will slip out of your control? If so, then maybe you shouldn’t be involved with a reality television show because right now with every lame twist you pull its another nail in the BBAU coffin. I shudder to think you think this is actually good quality television – ITS NOT, and I’m not the only person who thinks so.
Or is this just for money? The Golden Key show was basically a one hour ad for a lolly company. Kris Noble and Tim Toni, if you prioritise your sponsors over your viewers, they will tune out and take those sponsors with them. The falling ratings are proof.
Gah.. with that rant out of the way I would like to make one last complaint about the blatant position towards voting. Why is Big Brother, Gretel Killeen, and Lil Sis telling us how to vote? It’s utterly unproffesional they are trying to sway something that is the public vote.
“Keep the interesting housemates in” translates to the production team scared the HMs who pull in the ratings will be kicked out. Well thats their problem. If all the interesting housemates are voted out they only have themselves to blame. They should have picked ALL interesting housemates from the beginning. Kris Noble you’ve been running this show for 4 years now – you know how these things work so why do you make the same mistakes over and over?
Frankly I feel insulted that the BB production tries to passive-agressively blameshift the fact a show is boring on the viewers. There is a reason why people vote out the interesting ones – because they are the ones who they get the most emotional with. Viewers should be able to choose who they want to vote out without being labeled the reason a show becomes boring. If producers chose all interesting people from the begining there would be no problem!
Terms like “under the radar” wouldn’t exist if the producers actually thought about a little planning and proper housemate recruitment.