Big Brother: Trashy Summer Goodness

I've been a fan of Survivor since it first premiered way back in 2000, never missing an episode in all 36 seasons.  I love the drama, the manipulations, and the shock on players' faces when they're completely blindsided by their closest alliance members.  The cinematography and intense challenges aren't bad either.  My former boss told me many times that I'd probably also like Big Brother, another CBS reality show in which contestants are "evicted" from the house that they share rather than "voted off the island".  Not finding much else to watch in the tv doldrums of summer, I finally took the plunge a few years ago and began watching.  Airing 3 times per week from late June until late September, it's a commitment for sure, but it certainly doesn't take much brainpower or concentration to follow.  I liked the show well enough and it filled the reality competition show void in my soul, but I didn't think that it was quite as engrossing as Survivor.  But the current season, now at about its midpoint, changed all of that.

Why do I like this season so much?  Well most importantly, it's not as predictable as the past few seasons, when one or two contestants dominated and I couldn't believe how the other players let them run away with the game.  Although Tyler, the beach bum lifeguard, is undoubtedly controlling most of the other players and is the odds-on favorite to win at this point, that could all change at any moment.  There are 2 distinct alliances on opposite sides of the house, Level 6 (now down to 4) and what was once called Foutte (Five of Us til the End, but now down to 3), that have been rotating power in the game almost week-to-week, and nearly every thrilling "eviction" has come down to only one or two votes. 

There have also been a plentiful number of drama-filled moments so juicy that they couldn't be written.  Life coach Kaitlyn, manipulated by Tyler, flipped on her Foutte alliance and joined Level 6 to vote out the cocky and annoying Swaggy C.  Caught in a love triangle, she was betrayed by Faysal in favor of his new love Haleigh and evicted just a couple weeks later, ruining her chance to return to the game by failing to complete the world's easiest puzzle.  Then last week, using her new power as the "Big Brother Hacker", Haleigh took an anonymous shot at Tyler but then felt guilty when this move got blamed on Bayleigh and caused her ouster from the game.  This all sounds pretty ridiculous, right?  Well yes it absolutely is, but a good reality show is supposed to be entertaining and trashy, and Big Brother checks both of those boxes. 

Speaking of ridiculous, the "punishments" this season have been more goofy and hilarious than ever before.  After becoming the "least trending houseguest" one week (whatever that means), Rachel was forced to endure a large, sweaty man coming into the house and yelling at her (jokingly) for 24 hours straight.  He "criticized" her for everything from her sleeping to her coffee-making ability.  In week 1 sweet country bumpkin Sam was forced to communicate with her fellow contestants as a robot off and on for a full week.  While this was funny, it actually almost made her quit the game because she felt so isolated from everyone else.  Then there was Haleigh having to read Hamlet out loud in a Shakespearian costume, Brett having to take care of his fake "granny" (possibly the same guy that yelled at Rachel) for 24 hours, and Kaycee wearing a peanut costume for a week (for some reason).  It's all so silly, but the show knows that and full-on embraces its kookiness.  

I'm counting on many more fun moments of the show this summer, including the annual visit of Zingbot, the robot that insults the houseguests, and the always crazy and fast-paced Double Eviction night, although Kaitlyn's failure to save herself may have thrown off the numbers and nixed that tradition this summer.  Still, as long as the two alliances remain pretty evenly matched and the evictions keep being tense and unpredictable, then I'll be eagerly planted in front of my tv every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday night through the rest of the summer,