Big Brother USA 2020

Mr E

Out of nowhere, looks like this started last night.
It's an all-star season.

https://deadline.com/2020/08/big-brother-all-stars-cast-members-1203005575/

The Big Brother: All-Star cast features past winners Nicole Franzel and Ian Terry, fan favorites Da’Vonne Rogers and Kaysar Ridha, and others playing for another shot at the top title including Janelle Pierzina and Dani Briones. Additional houseguests for the new season include Bayleigh Dayton, Enzo Palumbo, Cody Calafiore, Kevin Campbell and Christmas Abbot. Also joining are David Alexander, Keesha Smith, Memphis Garrett, Nicole Anthony and Tyler Crispen.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Solid cast and should be a good season. Premiere was pretty woeful though... Julie has become even more Julie-bot than before and it just felt awkward listening to her go through stilted monologues. They probably could've accounted for the lack of audience a bit more and come up with a different way to send in the houseguests and for Julie to host in general, as it was all just a bit amateur hour. I've thought for awhile now that they badly need a new host with some sort of charm and charisma, and the premiere just highlighted why. The fact that the whole thing was live certainly didn't help, because you miss the editing flair when there's no pre-recorded (bar the houseguests at home VTs) material.

Mr E

Yeah great cast this year. Don't think there will be any showmances either (thank God). Should be all strategies and alliances.
I think the girls are strong this year too.

Agree about Julie - more wooden than usual.

How did someone not twist an ankle on the HoH competition?

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Mr E wrote: »

How did someone not twist an ankle on the HoH competition?

I was so anxious for them that one of them would hurt themselves (especially Christmas, after the reminder about breaking her leg on her own season)...

S.M.B.

That was such a boring season opener for an all stars season and covid is only 5% to blame.

Knowing the cast in advance meant there was very little to enjoy from that double episode. Why go with this new 4 x mini HOH entry competition format when we could get so much more from seeing them interact. And when they did finally all meet Julie was telling them to sit down for blocking reasons.

Happy enough with the cast, it's no all winners season but a lot of the cast do have something to prove and that's why they've returned.

Mr E

The second episode was much better, thank God.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Mr E wrote: »

The second episode was much better, thank God.

Yes, actually if anything it just highlighted how much I hate the live episodes in general (granted the fact someone gets evicted during live episodes helps), because everything is so much more polished without Julie's input and live comps are either blink and you miss it as they can't know what camera angle to show us or else just dull and lifeless.

At the moment I'm rooting for Da'Vonne (she's been on a couple of seasons of The Challenge* in the past few years and she's an absolute badass on that), David (because he didn't really get out of the gate last season and I'd like to see him get a proper shot, and also because I hadn't realised that a Black person had never won, although shouldn't be surprised given the racism problems on a number of seasons) and Kaysar (old school player who is playing hard out of the gate and so far making the right calls, what's not to like about him).

*Bayleigh was also on The Challenge recently, but I just wasn't a fan - Swaggy was in that season too and I just would've preferred them each do a season on their own rather than going in as a couple. They have been getting a lot of BB cast on The Challenge in recent seasons actually, some other highlights being Josh Martinez, Natalie Negrotti, Kaycee Clark, and Fessy Shafaat all of whom I think are much more likeable on The Challenge than they were on Big Brother. They also unfortunately keep bringing back one of the Big Brother players I hated the most, Paulie Calafiore, who I somehow hate even more on The Challenge (actually it's soured me against Cody a bit for this season, just because they're brothers)

S.M.B.

I could never get into The Challenge, not sure why. Possibly because it's hard to jump in at any point because there's so many pre existing relationships on seasons I've dabbled with.

The Safety Suite seems like an interesting spin on the game, as twists go I think I like it.

Not sure who I'm Rooting for. Danielle maybe. I feel like there are a lot of house guests who have the opportunity to win my allegiance I guess.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

S.M.B. wrote: »

I could never get into The Challenge, not sure why. Possibly because it's hard to jump in at any point because there's so many pre existing relationships on seasons I've dabbled with.

Season 33: War of the Worlds is a really good jumping on point as it introduces a lot of new players (lots of Big Brother US and quite a few UK reality shows) and it was the first season aired in the UK in a long time (possibly ever), so they do a pretty good job at recapping any pre-existing relationships, as I think the intention was that this season would be easier for new viewers to jump in for the first time.

Season 34: War of the Worlds II and Season 35: Total Madness are the only two that have aired since then.

It's definitely my favourite Reality Competition Show these days and I think it evolves and adapts much better than the likes of Big Brother or Survivor which means it never feels like its just going through the motions, so I'd certainly recommend giving it another try if you already enjoy Reality TV.

S.M.B.

I think War of the Worlds was the first one I gave a try and I struggled with it. It may have introduced a few familiar faces but I just felt like it was difficult to wrap my head around the pre existing relationships that I thought were central to big game decisions in the first few episodes from what I remember.

And on paper it sounds like my cup of tea (I actually think it's a lot more like MTV reality TV than CBS but that's not necessarily a deal breaker) it just didn't suck me in and I gave up after a handful of episodes.

If there's a lack of new reality TV shows over the coming months I'll go back and check out out again.

pooch90

Definitely do try The Challenge again. It's my favourite too. has the mix of trash, strategy and hardcore comps. I only started at season 30 but love it.
Paulie is a douche, I'm rooting for Cody not to show any of those characteristics because I liked him in his original season.
Bayleigh is a whingebag who talks a big game and claps her hands a lot in your face but is just annoying. I'd actually like to see Swaggy solo as I feel he pulls back into himself when she's around (and I didnt like him in BB at all-purely because he calls himself Swaggy C and had it printed on his clothes!!)

Storm 10

Guys what channel shows this

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Storm 10 wrote: »

Guys what channel shows this

CBS in the States.

Mr E

Pretty ho-hum week in BB. Didn't think Nicole would be out so early.

I think Ian would have been a better HoH this week. He was close...

S.M.B.

It's never fun watching an alliance dominate the first few weeks. We know what's going on but it can be frustrating to watch when plenty of houseguests are oblivious to who is with who.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Really hope one of the "underdogs" is in power this week, because the dominating alliance just picking people off every week is just dull.

Watching Julie do live segments every Thursday is so painful and her evictee interviews are just woeful altogether. Would be great to see a new host and a complete shakeup of the format in the next year or two. If this wasn't an All-Stars season don't think I would've tuned in again this year.

Mr E

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

Really hope one of the "underdogs" is in power this week, because the dominating alliance just picking people off every week is just dull.

Yeah I looked it up. I won't spoil it, but it could go either way.

S.M.B.

Janelle really dislikes Nicole, doesn't she? Wouldn't have thought that the fallout from that recent The Amazing Race series would have been that significant. It's all the Reilly Sisters fault really.

Mr E

A few little wrinkles in the last couple of weeks.

I thought showing the announcement of the family death was very crass. Assholes.
I'm sorry Bayleigh went home. I think her "challenge" game doesn't mesh well with her BB game!

The new powers definitely made things interesting this week. I think

Ian

going is inevitable though.
Their reaction at the end of the veto episode was a bit OTT.

Cherry_Cola

Is it worth the watch this season? Stuck for something new.

S.M.B.

It's pretty bad, not sure I could recommend it. I don't think production are to blame though, you just often get seasons like this where a group of strong players get together early on and dominate. It's just not fun to watch.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

Is it worth the watch this season? Stuck for something new.

I gave up a week or so ago, was hoping it would be good because it's an All Stars season, but just feels very stale and predictable.

Mr E

Finished the eviction episode. Ho-hum.

They didn't get to start the HoH contest due to the twist, but I know who won and I'd bet a zillion dollars on Kevin and David going up as noms.

Rumour about next eviction - it could be a triple. Might shake things up a bit. Not holding my breath, though.

S.M.B.

Well now I know Kevin or David don't win the HoH. Unless they want to go full Pax brothers and are considering putting themselves up. Didn't think we ever posted anything about "future" comps in these threads.

And the "rumour" of a triple eviction was mentioned by Julie at the end of the show.

Mr E

Sorry S.M.B., that was stupid of me.

Veto - I'd have taken the money too in that situation.

Mr E

The triple eviction didn't help the season. A very dull episode and 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Mr E

Decent finale and the right person won. It was only going to go one way with those two sitting side by side.

Enzo is really insecure, isn't he? His meltdown in the final HOH was a bit sad (I wonder how long he was stuck on the "2")
He was really rattled by the laughing in his final speech too. I grew to like him over the season though - glad he got something out of it.

Felt sad for Nicole during her interview. She wasn't expecting to be third.

Davonne favourite houseguest? Hmmm..... Not sure about that.

Pretty bad season. I'm looking forward to a bunch of complete strangers next year.

Mr E

Past winners, where are they now?
Good trip down memory lane. Don't remember a few of them, to be honest.

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/big-brother-winners-where-are-they-now-photos/

S.M.B.

Mr E wrote: »

Sorry S.M.B., that was stupid of me.

Veto - I'd have taken the money too in that situation.

That's fine, I think the fact that it was such a boring season meant people were less engaged with it. My boss (who I recently got into BB US) would do similar every week and I think I was as much frustrated in hearing that the power hadn't shifted again as I was in hearing the vaguest of spoilers.

Mr E wrote:

The triple eviction didn't help the season. A very dull episode and 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

The triple really burned Danni which was a shame and she alluded it to in during the finale. If she had a full week on the block I think she would have been capable of removing the target from her back.

Mr E wrote:

Decent finale and the right person won. It was only going to go one way with those two sitting side by side.

...

Pretty bad season. I'm looking forward to a bunch of complete strangers next year.

Cody really steamrolled the season and reality TV shows then not to entertain when you have such a dominant player like that. Fair play to him for expanding his game from his first time out.

Lots of been turned off Nicole this season but I still have a soft spot for her. I also thinking winning the final HoH would have led to the most interesting final 2 and jury decision.

I think ultimately given how strong the BB alumni is these days, an all stars season just leads to too much pre-gaming and is not particularly good to watch. As you say, role on a new set of players.

Mr E

Spotted this article on Facebook this morning.

https://myiclicktv.com/bb22-kevin-campbell-posts-picture-of-his-all-star-paycheck/

Basically it looks like everyone got a lump sum of at least $50k for appearing on the show, plus a stipend of $1k for every week they were still in the house.

Kind of makes a mockery of the stakes (and makes the post show social media whining look extremely petty).
Everyone came out with a huge chunk of cash.