It’s actually happening – Big Brother will be coming back to our screens in 2020, which will be six years after the last season. If you’re anything like the rest of us and absolutely love watching people make a fool of themselves on national TV, then you’re probably frothing at the mouth right now.
The thing is though, I’ve got some concerns on what this reboot actually means. The last few years of reality TV have accelerated the drama drastically, and though once we may have pretended that there was some semblance of authenticity or genuine reality in these shows, we’re long past that point.
The latest Bachie season is a good example of that – the editing was atrocious, and it was really obvious that the editors had created a story that probably wasn’t there. Don’t get me wrong – it was super entertaining and I watched every episode, but Big Brother is supposed to be different.
Big Brother Australia: Reality show confirmed for 2020 – UGH – DO NOT CAST ANY #influencers #wevehadenoughofthem https://t.co/QH0l89pTd0
— Jamie (@Scanphilosophy) October 2, 2019
What Big Brother Is Supposed To Be About
The difference between Big Brother and other reality shows is that it’s more about the every day drama and less about winning (though yes, I know there’s prize money). Right now, we really don’t have anything like that at the moment. Most shows have teams of some sort, or the Bachie chooses which girls will leave – everything is about competition because watching people stab each other in the back and snake their way to success creates incredible drama. Big Brother is interesting because while people vote out on evictions, there aren’t really teams or stakes.
Gretel Killeen (the OG host of the show) spoke to Kyle and Jackie-o about the reboot.
“I think the essence of Big Brother is brilliant because when we first started that show it was about just watching humans interact without interference, just seeing what humans do.”
“It wasn’t ‘Who’s going to win?’ It was: Let’s just see what relationships form and how people pass their time and converse.”
Honestly, I just don’t think that kind of authenticity is possible anymore. Majority of the people that go on reality shows aren’t there because they’re actually looking for a genuine soul-improving life experience – it’s about the Instafame and the competition, and we all know it. It’s probably by the ratings for BB dropped so hard and it was axed in the first place.
What Reality TV Has Turned Into
When watching the Bachelor this year, of course we saw the lack of genuineness from majority of the stars. I mean, there were accusations flying all around that girls were just there for the Instagram fame or to go on Bachelor in Paradise. There was controversy when one of the girls who consistently had issues deciding if she wanted a relationship launched a business the day she was eliminated – these days, it’s all about PR and furthering your own business and name. And while I would also probs do the same thing if I was on a reality TV show (profit off the fame, right?), it still inconsistent with the crux of these shows.
Helena: *goes on the bachelor*
Also Helena: *doesn’t want to be on the bachelor* 🤷♂️ #thebachelorau— Mathew Murdock (@MathewMurdock5) September 11, 2019
Big Brother is special because it isn’t often about that- most people who come on this show are nobodies. You’re just hanging out (or let’s be real, boning) with other people for a few weeks, and we’re just interested to watch it happen. It’s actually kind of beautiful in its simplicity, but I don’t think it’s possible to maintain that in our influencer obsessed world, where everyone is looking for a stepping stone into fame.
Crew for Big Brother Australia 2020 is reportedly being sought out as we speak casting will be announced in the coming days.
He is back! #BBAU
— Big Brother’s Big Eye (@bbbigeye) October 2, 2019
Honestly, as Gretel Killeen says, it’ll really be up to casting to hopefully find genuine people. My faith is pretty low, since the recipe for a successful reality TV show is to cast the most dramatic and disingenuous people you can. But here’s hoping we don’t ruin Big Brother 2020.
Image Sources: Twitter, Network Ten