Big Brother 2020 production / schedule / format talk

Isee said:
I haven't watched the us version - is that what they do?
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The US evictions are live, but then again they also have live feeds.

I agree with you though, I'm not too sure why seven would want a host for Big Brother if it isn't live.
 
Big Brother wasn't broke when it was first cancelled, I saw both 2007 and 2008 a few years after they aired. Maybe some were a bit tired of the format or there were some rival shows that were taking some of the audience. They experimented more 2008 but it was still a format that was invested in and wasn't budget.

The American version has better casting for me than the Canadian, so I would still have it superior to that. Obviously they are more used to the gameplay element , and there's a big question as to how much that would be accepted in Australia. I'm not sure how much it's accepted in Australian Survivor by some.

The American version has mixed in a public vote aspect to make the gameplay element less predictable. It's never been like American Survivor on a gameplay level, people tend to get in cliques (normally so called 'cool kids' v 'oddballs') and there isn't much change through it. So bringing in other aspects, like occasionally using competitions for control with pretty much random winners, is used.

It can be said that with live feed they managed to keep some of a real edge, of course some of the audience will always complain and even twist and manipulate footage. But at least they dare show a rounded picture. I really doubt that would ever happen in either the UK or Australia ever again.

If it's prerecorded they may think they can put a spin on the gameplay aspect were the hero/heroine wins and the villains get vanquished. But there could also be a problem with that approach, if it's all part of playing it safe the storyline may be too easy to predict as it unfolds. Unpredictability can be one of the strong points of reality tv, making it more real, even if not always pleasant. It could also mean spoiler people get active, which happened to Australian Survivor this year for many people (even the final wasn't live, so the winner was known). Also if it isn't going that well how do they change things up? That would suggest if prerecorded it could be a shorter length budget version and not the longer format people are used to.
 
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I'm watching bits of the previous seasons, like holy crap was Big Brother amazing? The energy the show gives off, it was bloody awesome, but almost the whole country (well not the WHOLE country), media, everything was hooked into the show, it was such a big thing, a big event? Bringing it back, it's good and all but it just seems like all the other channels, like 9 and now 7 are trying to scrape off the drippings of success the show previously had to try and get something back from it?

I understand you can't put the same show on for years, people would get bored, and I know you can't keep milking the 10 era over and over saying how good it was, but again the show was so popular was because it worked. The live streaming, the up late, even FNL is all a thing they could incorporate into a new series, especially with today's tech. I'm pretty sure 7 use those digital channels now, don't they? They could just make people sign up to 7plus or whatever it is for people to access streams, they could use online polls, voting, texting, anything, everyone has a smartphone now.

It's just bleh, I'm happy for new things for the show, but I totally get what you guys are all saying, if they change it up so much it shouldn't be called big brother.


Anyway, sorry for my long post, just 'venting' out what I feel, I am hoping for the best with this season, and I hope they plan the show to be decent.
 
dirtypikauchu said:
Agreed... Give me any annoying former housemate or cringe-worthy media personality over Peta fucking Credlin.
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Why?

I think the host should be someone who can be firm when that is needed. I think Peta has demonstrated this on Credlin, Sky News.

I want a tough season with a strong female host. I want the housemates to be opinionated and political.
 
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Aphrodite Fan said:
Why?

I think the host should be someone who can be firm when that is needed. I think Peta has demonstrated this on Credlin, Sky News.

I want a tough season with a strong female host. I want the housemates to be opinionated and political.
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I'm very conscious that this is not a political conversation so I'll leave this by giving my reasoning here and try to be apolitical so that I can leave it at that. If you're keen to have a conversation about it though, happy to through private message. I'm a big fan of having meaningful and respectful conversations with people you don't necessarily agree with. (Great way to get a different perspective that you might not otherwise consider).

So anyway, why I think Peta would be a bad idea for hosting:

1) She'd never go for it - she's vocally socially conservative and I think a lot of the conversations and other facets associated with BB would go against what she believes in.

2) I work in a role where I need to be all over politics. Both when Peta was Abbott's chief of staff and now that she's a political commentator on Sky, I have found her to be extremely biased and extremely inflexible to other people's opinions. I personally fall in the centre politicly. Tilt to the right on some issues; to the left on others. I agree with some of what Peta has to say and I have absolutely no doubt she's a highly intelligent woman. And yes, a trailblazer for females in power. However, she fails to come to the table when it comes to debate and will shut down the conversation if someone criticises her argument. If you thought Gretel was hostile with housemates she didn't personally like (despite what the public's view of them was generally), wait until you see PC attacking them without allowing them to get a word in post-eviction. Just try mentioning one of the (objectively) poor decisions Tony Abbott made while he was PM and she was chief of staff.. you'll soon see what I mean.
 
I think political conversations on BB can be interesting. As long as there's at least one person who has some clue about what they're talking about and is able back their argument up. It's either interesting to watch a debate/discussion between two informed people, or funny af to see someone get torn to shreds when they talk out of their ass.
 
Lucas said:
Well our worst fears have been confirmed.

Not going live is just going to make Big Brother like every other reality show out there. I don’t see how this is going to be a success on 7.

If it is airing in August it is going to be up against Survivor which already has a established fan base and building up year on year. The Olympics might get people interested at first but I can see the numbers dropping off.

What is the point of watching Big Brother “live” on 7 when you can just watch it later and in your own time on catch up days, weeks, months, years later. Survivor is going to win this ratings battle against it. People aren’t going to switch over when a show like that is gaining momentum. There is no point of difference to switch.

Big Brother has a big fan base but I am sure a lot will drop off as soon as they hear it is not live. Let’s face it 7 needed those Big Brother fans to watch if they had any hope of doing decent in the ratings. This is the 3rd time the show is coming back. Will the average viewer be interested and in the long term? It needed all of the help it could get. You’re now going to struggle to get the casual and the fan base to watch.

I may be proven wrong but I can’t see Big Brother doing well on 7. It is not going to get the numbers they want and now they are alienating the fan base.
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Absolutely. Going up against Survivor is almost more stupid than pre-recording it, especially after the success of the most recent series and an All Stars coming up to build the brand further. Add to that you're switching to a format where you really need to appeal to Survivor fans to come on over and it's just a non-starter.

Lucas said:
I would have done Big Brother live Apr/May/Jun or May/Jun/Jul.

Think it has the best chance of success at that time on 7. MasterChef could be vulnerable with the new judges. The Voice isn’t really a thing anymore.
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Absolutely, though I guess they don't want to push House Rules into going head to head with The Block.

Gayspie said:
Maybe all they really mean is no live feeds which is something i can live without.
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It's a real shame that is the best we can hope for. The live feeds are just so important for driving the show - so often this summer on BBUSA it was events on the live feeds which actually drove audiences to the live show. Indeed the biggest argument of the series was actually blocked on the live feeds as it happened in the hours leading up to the live show, but producers knew how important it was and it therefore was conveniently "leaked", and that only served to make you really want to watch the next episode rather than thinking there is no point because you'd seen it all.

starry said:
Big Brother wasn't broke when it was first cancelled, I saw both 2007 and 2008 a few years after they aired. Maybe some were a bit tired of the format or there were some rival shows that were taking some of the audience. They experimented more 2008 but it was still a format that was invested in and wasn't budget.
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It was certainly tired - perhaps a bit rose tinted to say it wasn't broke but I do think it had another year in it. BB2008 was the year they tried things and most of them didn't pay off, but I think the producers and us as viewers actually learned alot from it and I think a 2009 series would have probably bounced back creatively at least. I think the Nine version died out mainly because it just felt unloved by Nine - having no live feeds was a big issue, but the bigger issue was in the end it just had no presence outside the TV show at all. Big Brother really was the first show that was so much more than just a TV show and had a 360 approach and was able to go viral long before TV shows were constantly trying to do that.


I do think we need to keep the change in format and switching to pre-recording the entire series seperate when it comes to critiquing Seven's plans. It's worth noting that Endemol are now actively shipping the US/Canadian version, along with Secret Story (the French version) as a product in their own right and perhaps had they just left the traditional Big Brother on the market Seven wouldn't have been too interested, but a new interpretation is something I think that certainly has appeal to TV execs, even if I have doubts whether it appeals to the Aussie audience. However it is a risk worth taking IMO.

However you need to mitigate that risk by also keeping the fundamentals of the show the same - and the most fundamental element of the show is it is produced as it goes to air and unfolds before all our eyes. I think you can change the format, host, narrator and house and keep most Big Brother fans onside - but tamper with the fundamentals and it is the most loyal fans who will abandon the show.
 
Personally, I only watched season 2 of Aus Survivor. And I don't think it is that strong of a brand in Australia, especially with 2 seasons in 2020. I also think, while, I would really really like the show to be live. I don't think it will affect ratings at all, I think the vast majority of everyone watching will be so used to pre recorded reality TV, they won't think anything of it, besides old BB superfans. Also, I think if the talk is consistency strategic. The show will rate poorly. Just do HOH challenges, not over the top, just for a nomination superpower and a night in the rewards room. Get intresting people in the house, we wanna listen to.
 

The Big Brother house will probably be on Cockatoo Island - Behind Big Brother

www.behindbigbrother.com www.behindbigbrother.com

So, not only will this be like "Survivor in a warehouse" - with the contestants voting each other out - it's also on an island, just like Survivor.

Lol this is Big Brother in name only. Why would I want to watch Survivor in some warehouse in the middle of city? If I wanted Survivor I think I'd just watch the one on Ten.

Hey, who's looking forward to Australian Idol returning? Didn't you hear, it's coming back as Big Brother in 2 years time! No singing this time - people have had enough of that. If you sing you're out. 🤣
 
lolnah said:

The Big Brother house will probably be on Cockatoo Island - Behind Big Brother

www.behindbigbrother.com www.behindbigbrother.com

So, not only will this be like "Survivor in a warehouse" - with the contestants voting each other out - it's also on an island, just like Survivor.

Lol this is Big Brother in name only. Why would I want to watch Survivor in some warehouse in the middle of city? If I wanted Survivor I think I'd just watch the one on Ten.

Hey, who's looking forward to Australian Idol returning? Didn't you hear, it's coming back as Big Brother in 2 years time! No singing this time - people have had enough of that. If you sing you're out. 🤣
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I'm actually surprised 10 hasn't had a crack at Australian Idol again, it would be good to compete with the voice. As long as it's not huesey and Lyndsay Lohan judging
 
Can't we all at least wait until we learn some more definitive details before completely dismissing the new season?
 
the Theorist said:
Can't we all at least wait until we learn some more definitive details before completely dismissing the new season?
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I'm still subscribing to the delusion that everything we've heard is complete bs and it will be a complete revival of 10 era BB haha. But yeah, I agree. Got to give it a chance. If it does turn out to be shit, then we can bitch about it.
 
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