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How can Seven realisticly improve Big Brother?

In all seriousness agree with everything in the opening post, but ultimately as long as it's pre-recorded the producers will never be trusted and it will never really be Big Brother.

Compare this with BBUSA - their producers have now after 21 years switched to a live premiere so viewers can see the feeds from the night they enter the house (it used to be about a week between them moving in and the show premiering), and have taken the quite unusual step of actually outlining exactly how their twists will play out on opening night and over the first 4 weeks of the show ahead of the season premiere in a weeks time. This puts them pretty much at the opposite end of the transparency scale to the team running BBAU.

 
In all seriousness agree with everything in the opening post, but ultimately as long as it's pre-recorded the producers will never be trusted and it will never really be Big Brother.

Compare this with BBUSA - their producers have now after 21 years switched to a live premiere so viewers can see the feeds from the night they enter the house (it used to be about a week between them moving in and the show premiering), and have taken the quite unusual step of actually outlining exactly how their twists will play out on opening night and over the first 4 weeks of the show ahead of the season premiere in a weeks time. This puts them pretty much at the opposite end of the transparency scale to the team running BBAU.

It should also be said that it seems like the relationship CBS has with BBUS’s production team is a lot more collaborative. IIRC it was actually the production team that suggested moving the show to a three episode per week structure. I’ve also never heard production use the excuse that they’ve been overruled by CBS. The recent commitment to 50% BIPOC casting is about the only time I know of where CBS has openly given production a clear mandate for the show.

With both the Nine and Seven eras of BB the network seems to be exercising quite a bit of control. Alex spoke on a few occasions about Nine’s wishes not matching his vision for the shown and in the Seven era most of the controversial changes to the format seem to match their overall strategy for reality programming.
 
Was seen in the UK too that when the channels axed it and basically stopped interfering for the final series as they didn't really care a much better series was created.
 
I didnt tune into this years inside survivor BB.
Question for brekkie and Kingston. Having zero knowledge.
Do UK and US versions now do this abbreviated survivor indoors approach?
If not, do they do livestreams and such? I might tune in.
I miss BB. In its original incantation where you saw stories, strategy and devlopoment evolve in real tiime. The essence to me.
Ive faintly read on here about HOH in OS versions. Is HOH head of house and what does it actuually entail?
Sorry for late night probes but i might investigate OS versions if I understand how they are produced somewhat.
 
The US has had the gameplay element since it's second season in 2001, and Canada since it's incarnation. Both continue to go out live and have a weekly eviction format with three episodes a week (usually Sunday, Wednesday and Thursdays, which are the live eviction). The Canadian version lasts for 10 weeks, the US version a little longer at 12-14 weeks. The live feeds have remained an important component throughout with up to four live feeds - although key gameplay elements are blocked from the feeds to save for the broadcast show, but within minutes of the feeds returning you can find out what has happened.

The Head of House is the winner of the weekly competition, usually live, who chooses the two nominees for the week and in addition gets their own suite for the week. The HoH though is not eligible to become HoH the following week, with the exception of at the final 3.


The week basically airs as follows:

Sunday:
- Competition. It used to be food related but now is usually related to a gameplay element, or the conclusion of the HoH competition
- Nominations - the HoH nominates two for eviction. In some seasons there is a third nominee, either chosen by viewers or through a competition element or twist. Various secret powers have generally been part of the twists in recent years for BBUSA.

Wednesday:
- Veto Competition and Ceremony - the HoH, nominees and three HGs chosen at random play in the competition. The winner can, if they choose to, save a nominee, with the HoH naming a replacement. They can also choose not too but often they'll be a "backdoor" strategy in play where the intended evictee is not nominated initially but as the replacement.

Thursday;
- LIVE Eviction - each HG votes live one by one in the diary room. HoH only votes in event of a tie. The nominees don't vote.
- LIVE HoH Competition - usually completed live but if an endurance comp will begin in the show then be resolved on the live feeds and in Sundays episode.
- Twists - usually any upcoming twists will be revealed to viewers, whilst if a public vote is required (such as for a third nominee or to give someone a power) it will usually open on eviction night.


At the final three stage a three part HoH comp takes place with the winners of part 1 & 2 progressing to part 3, where the winner decides who is evicted. The final two then face the jury - the last 7-9 evictees from the season - to determine the overall winner.


Brazil has a highly successful variation on the format which also includes a public vote - basically the HoH nominates one person, the other HMs nominate one person each to determine the second nominee and the viewers then vote to evict.
 
@Fuzz while the North American format was clearly inspired by Survivor the creators of the format clearly when out of their way to make the show stand on its own.

The two typically don’t borrow creative aspects from each other either. BB tends to favour a more lighthearted approach to almost everything, from house design, competitions, twists, and marketing. The gameplay dynamics are also very different. BB is essentially a marathon to Survivors sprint race. Most modern series last around 85 days to Survivors traditional 39 days.

The downside to the North American BB format is that due to the slower pacing is it can be rather predictable. Modern BB also tends to favour mass alliances and group think over individual gameplay and small alliances. It’s much easier to become a target so as a result players tend to want to stay in the good graces of the house rather than making bold moves. While the format is designed to allow power to shift from week to week the way modern mass alliances work allows one side of the house to pretty much dominate all the power positions every week.

If you’re going to watch either version of BB (US/CAN) the best way to approach the series is to throw out everything you know about the international format and think of it as a completely different show. If you’re interested send me a PM I have a great source.
 
Every housemate needs a story. Story arcs are told by the edit. We saw this when housemates were going to win a challenge we got to know more about them and when they were going to get evicted more was revealed. One of the problems I found was they couldn’t predict who would win the challenges and even though only a few housemates had the physical ability to win their story was not always an interesting one as they stayed on the same trajectory their integrity. You need the housemates to change grow and become more than the person who entered the house. Danny changed so did some others and they became more interesting to me. Character development is the name of the game and pre recording allows them to do that so I guess that is why they choose to do it. Where it failed is that the story tellers, didn’t know how to tell a good story and it seemed that they had written the story before filming it. It seemed Tilly and Danny and SJ were picked as lead characters and some that went early might have been too.
 
It seemed Tilly and Danny and SJ were picked as lead characters
Danny clearly was as he was presented as their star literally from the launch. Would be nice for these things to happen organically without producers deliberately (and very obviously) setting them up.
 
What I'd like to see is going back to live though I know it is more expensive. Have the challenge on a Tuesday where in the first week the winner puts up three nominees. Then the lines are open for voting until Sunday night where there is a live eviction. But then the twist...the housemates who survived nomination become heads of house for the next week. Come Tuesday, the winner of the challenge nominates two, the HoHs nominate the other one plus HOHs have the other privileges we have already seen in the recent series. This format continues every week until towards the end of the game when it becomes impracticable due to lack of numbers. This twist means that no one can be nominated two weeks in a row and nominating people to try to get rid of them could very well backfire if they end up HoH.
 
What I'd like to see is going back to live though I know it is more expensive. Have the challenge on a Tuesday where in the first week the winner puts up three nominees. Then the lines are open for voting until Sunday night where there is a live eviction. But then the twist...the housemates who survived nomination become heads of house for the next week. Come Tuesday, the winner of the challenge nominates two, the HoHs nominate the other one plus HOHs have the other privileges we have already seen in the recent series. This format continues every week until towards the end of the game when it becomes impracticable due to lack of numbers. This twist means that no one can be nominated two weeks in a row and nominating people to try to get rid of them could very well backfire if they end up HoH.
For what it’s worth they might as well revert to the original format rather than implement this format. The key to implementing public voting is the balance between the game going on inside the house and the power you give the viewer. Ideally viewer participation should be fairly limited and only to the extent that they could potentially tip the scales from one side to the other. Give them too much power and it will stifle any chance of strategic gameplay inside the house.
 
For what it’s worth they might as well revert to the original format
Agreed.

7 has soured any attempt at a strategy first BB, they need to do a full reset if they want any chance of bringing an audience back.

Live Evictions, Nominations and online Streaming
Daily Show, Friday Night Games (maybe on a different night due to AFL)

Example
Sunday: Daily Show then Live Eviction
Monday: Daily Show then Live House Nominations (I like the Glass Booth)
Tuesday: Daily Show then Live Tuesday Night Games. Winner can take a prize or swap a nominee up for eviction
Wednesday: Daily Show (Public vote to save nominees opens)
Thursday/Friday/Saturday: Daily Show (on 7+ only due to the AFL)
 
Commit to a 10 or 12 week run, cast 12-14 housemates, have a weekly format of a Sunday eviction, Monday nominations challenge, Tuesday for additional tasks, Wednesday for a loose night where we just watch the housemates argue and fight with each other.

Also poach the casting team from MAFS, they know how to cast people for content in 2021.
 
Commit to a 10 or 12 week run, cast 12-14 housemates, have a weekly format of a Sunday eviction, Monday nominations challenge, Tuesday for additional tasks, Wednesday for a loose night where we just watch the housemates argue and fight with each other.

Also poach the casting team from MAFS, they know how to cast people for content in 2021.
Ironically, its the same production and casting company that does MAFS. LOL
 
Ironically, its the same production and casting company that does MAFS. LOL
They’re different production teams within Endemol Shine. Big Brother pre-production and casting happens pretty much at the same time MAFS pre production starts up.

Also to clarify my post from before, I mean BB should essentially clone the MAFS casting process and then they would have GOLD on their hands.
 
Also actually utilise 7plus and put some “after dark” content on there. I wanna see housemate cock n balls again 7 grrr 😡
 
They’re different production teams within Endemol Shine. Big Brother pre-production and casting happens pretty much at the same time MAFS pre production starts up.

Also to clarify my post from before, I mean BB should essentially clone the MAFS casting process and then they would have GOLD on their hands.
It's the same head honchos deciding at the end of the day, regardless of the "teams".
 
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