We are now almost a month into fall, which is an important time in cable television. Cable conglomerate CBS is very busy with sitcoms, as well as reality competition shows. Their long-tenured show, “Big Brother,” follows 16 contestants in a house cut off from the world for around three months in competition for a $750,000 cash prize. Each week, there are two challenges to earn safety and two houseguests are nominated for eviction, with the rest of the houseguests voting someone out of the house (and game) every Thursday. “Big Brother” at its core is a social experiment. How do people act when they are cut off from the entire world with strangers? What do these actions say about them? How does it affect the other houseguests? How does this affect their psyche? With the 26th season of “Big Brother” ending this past Sunday, Oct. 13, there is no better time to appreciate this underrated gem.
“Big Brother” has constant content, entertainment and societal breakthroughs. Despite this, “Big Brother” is underappreciated among reality competition shows and on its own network. “Survivor” is no doubt the network’s favorite competition show, whether it’s because of award show success or because they air two seasons a year. Despite both premiering in 2000, “Big Brother” just finished its 26th season, while “Survivor” just started its 47th season. “Survivor” also has 69 Emmy nominations with seven wins, while “Big Brother” has never been nominated. You can also look at the prize money as an example of CBS favoring “Survivor,” with the winner of “Survivor” being gifted one million dollars, compared to “Big Brother’s” recently-increased prize of $750,000 (formerly $500,000 for the first 22 seasons).
“Survivor” may have been the #1 reality show on Paramount Plus for the 2023-24 season, but this doesn’t mean it is a better show. When “Big Brother” is at its best, it makes you think, keeps you laughing and more importantly, keeps you engaged. There are many components that make a good player, and good players equal a good season. If a contestant wins competitions, has a strategy to evade nomination and has a good social game, you are very likely to have a good season, or at least an entertaining storyline. These plotlines are more satisfying to witness on “Big Brother” than on other shows, since you are following a player’s journey for so long. Look at season 24 winner Taylor Hale, who was ousted by the house the first couple of weeks, but fought her way to finale night and left not only the winner, but America’s Favorite Houseguest.
CBS airs three episodes of “Big Brother” a week and a 24/7 live feed of the house is even available to watch on Paramount Plus. This is a factor unique to “Big Brother”; no matter the time of day, you can tune in and watch the houseguests. This endless stream of content is the show’s greatest strength, as it is always available to the viewer and there is always something new to show. The length of “Big Brother” can also contribute to your enjoyment as a viewer. Viewers watch houseguests play a game for 80 to 90 days, which helps the audience become invested in players throughout the course of the season. “Survivor” only has a 26-day run, and there is so much more you can learn over 90 days.
“Big Brother” immerses viewers in the show’s environment and wraps them up in all the contestants. Some could “Survivor” creates the same experience, but I don’t think it’s possible. “Survivor” may now sport 90-minute episodes every Wednesday, but it can’t beat the three one-hour long episodes of “Big Brother,” plus the live feeds. Since episodes of “Survivor” are edited and there is no live stream, viewers are reduced to knowing only what the editors show. Also, “Survivor” isn’t a live show, as they typically film a season in the spring and release an edited version in the fall. “Big Brother” shows mainly raw, unedited content. This factor contributes to “Big Brother” creating greater audience bonds than “Survivor.” Despite “Survivor’s” acclaim, “Big Brother” deserves more recognition.