As spoken on this week’s BBBA Radio!
One of the popular criticisms of the show this past week has been the amount of twists, intrusions, and general external interference we’ve had in the house. Well I’m saying, as someone who has followed things on the OS and watched every daily show this week, that it’s really not that bad.
I’ll use Thursday’s Daily Show as an example. On this particular day the dominant storyline was the weirdness between Nathan and Renee. The other things going on included the ongoing Brigitte saga, and the Wednesday night family dinner. There were some brief clips from the cricket task, and Dixie broke down in the Diary Room when BB asked her a question about exercise. This is all stuff that has come out naturally through the Housemates and their interactions, and the things that are a traditional part of the show, like the weekly task.
The key thing is, all of it was entertaining. And all of it helped me learn about the HMs, and helped me engage with them better, which is what some people are saying we’ve been missing out on thanks to all the twists. I’m not missing it at all. It’s right there.
As for the other stuff they’ve had going on this week – earlier on they had the Bali thing – and while it was largely pointless, except for some funny airplane moments, I’m with everyone on the forums who are saying that this time was just a setup for a future one. Also, even Corey this week was pretty much a background character, so I was quite happy with that.
Programming-wise, this week has brought mixed thoughts from me. The eviction show was the lowpoint of the series thus far, no question about that. They’d already done a couple of stupid things, such as the web-voted HMs who were there for two days, but this was the one thing that made you sit back and think ‘good lord, what have they done?’. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Big Mouth – because that show is fantastic. The interview with Saxon is what a true eviction interview should be. They grilled him – they explored, discussed, and challenged his views and his character. I hope Big Mouth continues to be as excellent.
As I already said, Daily Shows are great. I think they’re picking the right stuff to show, and we’re seeing stuff that’s interesting and revealing about our housemates, as well as just some simple funny shit. Case in point – Thursday night, and one of the all-time best ever lines from Big Brother.
The Carson thing didn’t bother me – yes, it was blatant cross-promotion, but it was an added show so it didn’t infringe on our normal viewing. And it rated well – it won its timeslot easily, which is good for the series and for Ten overall. I even found it funny at times. Lastly, Friday Night Live. This show hasn’t changed a bit. It goes on for half an hour too long, but it panders well to the younger audience, and as long as you just take it at face value, it gives some fun Friday night viewing.
I think that where it matters, BB is sticking to the core ideas of the show and its concept. Three weeks in and I’m completely engaged with the show, more than I have been for at least the past couple of years.
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