Oh, (Big) Brother!

[Spot's Meow]

I'm a little disappointed that Nicole won, only because I don't like that her type of game play (laying in bed all day with a showmance, barely speaking to most of the HGs and then winning a few comps at the end) was rewarded.

But whatever, this weird season that went entirely too long is finally over. I really think they need to cut back the days in the house next year. Even the HGs were getting sick of it. I would say around the final 6 or 7 that they started giving up and would outright say things like "I'm checked out, I'm over this, I don't even care what happens anymore." It isn't exactly exciting to watch. It didn't help that I wasn't super excited about any particular HGs this year, so it just got sort of tedious at the end.

On to BBOTT! I feel bad that Canadians (or anyone else outside of the country) won't be able to watch legally. I had the same problem when trying to watch BB Canada a couple of years ago (maybe they've changed that since then?). It's definitely annoying.

If anyone's interested, CBS announced some further details about the schedule and format: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/big-brother-top-schedule-revealed-931667

I'm most interested in these live diary room sessions. It also sounds like the HOH will get to choose some HGs that are safe (the "safety ceremony" in the schedule), then possibly viewers vote on who of the remaining HGs to nominate.

I have voted for Jason because, well, the choice is obvious. One is incredibly obnoxious and conceited and knows nothing at all about Big Brother (Jozea), and the other is a super fan who is a decent human being while still being entertaining (Jason). I think CBS knows this will be a landslide and expects Jason to win, they just shoved Jozea in there to give the illusion of choice.

 

[Timewalker]

I never liked Jason. And yeah, there are ways to try to get around the geoblocking, but it's harder now than it used to be. And some other sites (like Netflix Canada) have cracked down on people using VPNs even if they disable them while accessing Netflix Canada and if they have other reasons to use one.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

If there's no game this season, then I have no motivation to watch at all.

It pisses me off enough seeing who people vote for in The Voice, imagine translating that to a show where the people don't even have any particularly entertaining skills.

Not that it doesn't sound SO interesting to vote every week on who is best at looking in the mirror, flexing, and creating drama.

 

[fonzob1]

I'm a little disappointed that Nicole won, only because I don't like that her type of game play (laying in bed all day with a showmance, barely speaking to most of the HGs and then winning a few comps at the end) was rewarded.

But whatever, this weird season that went entirely too long is finally over. I really think they need to cut back the days in the house next year. Even the HGs were getting sick of it. I would say around the final 6 or 7 that they started giving up and would outright say things like "I'm checked out, I'm over this, I don't even care what happens anymore." It isn't exactly exciting to watch. It didn't help that I wasn't super excited about any particular HGs this year, so it just got sort of tedious at the end.

On to BBOTT! I feel bad that Canadians (or anyone else outside of the country) won't be able to watch legally. I had the same problem when trying to watch BB Canada a couple of years ago (maybe they've changed that since then?). It's definitely annoying.

If anyone's interested, CBS announced some further details about the schedule and format: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/big-brother-top-schedule-revealed-931667

I'm most interested in these live diary room sessions. It also sounds like the HOH will get to choose some HGs that are safe (the "safety ceremony" in the schedule), then possibly viewers vote on who of the remaining HGs to nominate.

I have voted for Jason because, well, the choice is obvious. One is incredibly obnoxious and conceited and knows nothing at all about Big Brother (Jozea), and the other is a super fan who is a decent human being while still being entertaining (Jason). I think CBS knows this will be a landslide and expects Jason to win, they just shoved Jozea in there to give the illusion of choice.

Paul got robbed. He absolutely deserved to get the half a million.

Jozea is an idiot, and that is why he should win. It is entertaining to watch him crash and burn in this game.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

Paul got robbed. He absolutely deserved to get the half a million.

Paul lost because of his own choice to take Nicole to the final two instead of James. His justifications of Nicole's honesty (in the final eviction) or preserving the integrity of the Big Brother game (in his Diary Room session) by not allowing a dishonest floater into the final two really don't hold any water. Taking James would've meant a guaranteed half-million dollar prize for Paul; but instead, he left his trust in the hands of a jury that valued personal animosity over game-play.

His final appeal/argument to the jury also did him no favors. He was loyal to Victor but happily lied to others. He bounced checks but brought up others backstabbing him. He made no apologies for personal insults -- even to the jury member he called a c__t -- just moments before they were to vote. But, hey, rule number one: Friendship!

Nicole's screechy, meandering final argument was nonsense but at least she made the attempt at self-deprecation. Some humility would have gone a long way in improving Paul's final speech.

I think Paul played the most well-rounded game all season long -- both competively and socially -- but he flushed it all down the toilet with his decisions and words in the final 90 minutes.

 

[fonzob1]

Paul lost because of his own choice to take Nicole to the final two instead of James. His justifications of Nicole's honesty (in the final eviction) or preserving the integrity of the Big Brother game (in his Diary Room session) by not allowing a dishonest floater into the final two really don't hold any water. Taking James would've meant a guaranteed half-million dollar prize for Paul; but instead, he left his trust in the hands of a jury that valued personal animosity over game-play.

It was definitely a political decision by the jury. They went with the person who pissed them off the least. Even if Paul had taken James, the jury still may have screwed him because everyone liked James.

His final appeal/argument to the jury also did him no favors. He was loyal to Victor but happily lied to others. He bounced checks but brought up others backstabbing him. He made no apologies for personal insults -- even to the jury member he called a c__t -- just moments before they were to vote. But, hey, rule number one: Friendship!

I agree. Name-calling was bad strategy on his part. It worked for "Evil" Dick though.

Paul actually wasn't always loyal to Victor. He did turn on Victor right before the first time Vic was evicted because he had no choice.

Nicole's screechy, meandering final argument was nonsense but at least she made the attempt at self-deprecation. Some humility would have gone a long way in improving Paul's final speech.

Sure. Agree that could have helped.

I think Paul played the most well-rounded game all season long -- both competively and socially -- but he flushed it all down the toilet with his decisions and words in the final 90 minutes.

At the end of the day, if I had to choose either Paul or Nicole for an All-Stars season, I would easily choose Paul.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

What's also interesting is that Derrick picked Nicole to win at the final 6.

Just read on Wikipedia Victor was voted the popular prize. WTF?! You see, this is why there's zero chance of me watching a show where the winner is picked by a popular vote. Reality show audience majorities suck.

 

[Danny99]

^^ I know we've been on opposite sides of this, but I much preferred Vic winning it over a Corey or a James or a Natalie. Aside from winning both winbacks and having the highest number of comp wins, he was the most genuine guy in there.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

He was the best at competitions, true, but I have a hard time seeing him as genuine. He strikes me as a macho fronter.

 

[Timewalker]

^^ I know we've been on opposite sides of this, but I much preferred Vic winning it over a Corey or a James or a Natalie. Aside from winning both winbacks and having the highest number of comp wins, he was the most genuine guy in there.

He's definitely a candidate for most genuinely misogynistic, but whether or not he'd win would depend on who said the most disgusting things. I think, based on what I did see (I never saw any of the feeds), Paulie would win that.

Really, the only guy I did like this time around was James.

Most of them were really unlikable or annoying for various reasons. Some of them cried too much, some had arrogant attitudes and screechy voices... sheesh, what was CBS thinking, with some of these people?

 

[Spot's Meow]

Something I found funny on feeds was how sure Nicole was that Corey was a fan favorite. She would gush about how caring, kind, genuine, and loving he was. She was SO certain that everyone would love him and that he'd definitely be in the running for America's Favorite. Rose colored glasses much?? Many fans dislike what he said about trying to light a goat on fire with his friends while they were drunk (of course laughing the whole time he told the story), but even taking that out of the equation he was just plain boring. No personality at all. I really don't know where Nicole is picking up on these supposed great qualities in him, because most of the time they were sleeping, cuddling, making out, or play-fighting. "Correeeey, you're mad at me, I know it!" "I'm not mad at you!" "I know it, I can tell, tell me whyyyyyy." Gag.

 

[Timewalker]

Yeah, she does stretch her vowels out, doesn't she? Doubly annoying, with that awful voice. She must really inspire patients to get well at the hospital where she works, because who wants to listen to all that, day after day?

 

[Spot's Meow]

I've been watching BB: Over the Top since it started last week and I LOVE it. It is a superfan's dream. We get to watch all of the competitions and ceremonies live on the feeds, and there's even live diary room sessions twice a week. Each week CBS All Access subscribers get to vote on a third nomination, one eviction vote, a care package, and Have Nots. And we'll get to vote for the winner. Viewer voting can be a double-edged sword, but so far it has worked out pretty well. I feel that it has added another layer of strategy to the game for the houseguests, and it's interesting to see how they interpret the outcomes. I think limiting the voting to subscribers rather than the general viewing public has made a difference.

The best part of this show is definitely the casting. It is SO much better than it has been in recent years. There are some really interesting characters, and not anyone super unlikeable.

I'm really pleased with BB:OTT. It has all of the elements that I've been wanting to see from BB all along. In fact, I feel I'm a bit spoiled now and I'm not sure I even want to go back to the summer version! This new version has made clear how completely over-produced the regular BB is. There is so much that feels fake or showy because they have to dress it up for television. This version feels more "real," like the actual social experiment BB was intended to be. It's also clear now that there's no good reason for production to block feeds at certain times (like competitions and ceremonies) like they do doing the summer edition, they just do it to force feeders to watch the TV episodes.

In summary, if you haven't checked out BB:OTT I highly recommend it. I find it to be worth the subscription fee.

 

[Timewalker]

That's nice. Canadians aren't allowed.

Are the competitions the same kind as they do on TV? What does the house look like?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I've been watching BB: Over the Top since it started last week and I LOVE it. It is a superfan's dream. We get to watch all of the competitions and ceremonies live on the feeds, and there's even live diary room sessions twice a week. Each week CBS All Access subscribers get to vote on a third nomination, one eviction vote, a care package, and Have Nots. And we'll get to vote for the winner. Viewer voting can be a double-edged sword, but so far it has worked out pretty well. I feel that it has added another layer of strategy to the game for the houseguests, and it's interesting to see how they interpret the outcomes. I think limiting the voting to subscribers rather than the general viewing public has made a difference.

The best part of this show is definitely the casting. It is SO much better than it has been in recent years. There are some really interesting characters, and not anyone super unlikeable.

I'm really pleased with BB:OTT. It has all of the elements that I've been wanting to see from BB all along. In fact, I feel I'm a bit spoiled now and I'm not sure I even want to go back to the summer version! This new version has made clear how completely over-produced the regular BB is. There is so much that feels fake or showy because they have to dress it up for television. This version feels more "real," like the actual social experiment BB was intended to be. It's also clear now that there's no good reason for production to block feeds at certain times (like competitions and ceremonies) like they do doing the summer edition, they just do it to force feeders to watch the TV episodes.

In summary, if you haven't checked out BB:OTT I highly recommend it. I find it to be worth the subscription fee.

Is there any 'game' in it or is it just a popularity contest?

 

[Spot's Meow]

That's nice. Canadians aren't allowed.

Are the competitions the same kind as they do on TV? What does the house look like?

That really sucks that Canadians can't watch, I'm sorry!

It's the same house, with a lot of the same decor (they only had a week to change it), but there are some differences. The Tokyo room now has more of a Chinese theme, the living room has more purple and no departures board, that airplane engine table in the kitchen is gone, and the Nairobi themed room is now white brick yoga/workout room. HOH, bathroom, backyard, and London room are the same. Oh, and the Have Not room is haunted house themed, they have to sleep on little trampolines with spider webbing on them.

The competitions so far have been different. The first HOH was modeled after something I think they did on BB UK, called the BB Bug. There was a blue potion in the house one day with a sign that said "only one may drink," and the person who drank it became "infected." When an alarm sounded they had to infect a new person, and so on over the course of 24 hours until only one person was not infected, and that was HOH. In the veto comp, BB planted clues in the house that would lead to a 4 digit combination for a safe containing the veto. Most recent HOH was an endurance comp where they had to hold a long pole (looked like a lance) that held up a crown on a picture of their head. When the crown dropped they were out. So, very low budget comps, but I appreciate the creativity of them so far.

Is there any 'game' in it or is it just a popularity contest?

Yes! I would say there's more game this season than the last BB. I think the first HOH competition kicked people into game mode quickly, having to strategize who to infect and seeing who had already started to bond in just a couple of days. And "America's" votes have been more strategic so far than popularity contests. I put America in quotes because it's really the people watching live feeds, who tend to appreciate gaming more than the casual audience. Viewers nominating and casting a vote has also caused the houseguests to add another layer of strategy to their games. It's like we're a 14th houseguest but they can't consult with us. It's entertaining to watch and participate in.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I wish they'd take that kind of approach to a season that was a vote-off game. That sounds like it'd be more fun to follow than the regular show.

Do the Houseguests have any input into who gets evicted or is it just a straight audience vote like first season?

 

[Spot's Meow]

I wish they'd take that kind of approach to a season that was a vote-off game. That sounds like it'd be more fun to follow than the regular show.

Do the Houseguests have any input into who gets evicted or is it just a straight audience vote like first season?

Yes, the houseguests all still vote as normal, it's just that the audience gets to cast one vote as well. So, our vote could end up being meaningless if the whole house votes against someone else.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Oooohhhh, based on description I thought it worked like Big Brother 1. Now might give it a chance if I have some time.

Wait, Jozea's not in the house is he?

 

[Danny99]

That's nice. Canadians aren't allowed.

I don't think I'd want to pay for CBS' online content anyways, however, I am glad to hear this version is knocking people's socks off. Hopefully, the powers that be will see people loving it and make some changes to the TV version.