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Marksman
Member
05-04-2007
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 12:16 am
It seems to me that most of the time all the houseguests talk about are the show, production, things to do with the show and the rest. Part of the problem in casting this show is people with something going on do not likely have the time or ability to actually participate in the show. So you end up with a lot of people who have very little going on, and in a lot of cases have accomplished or done very little in their life. This current group seem to have accomplished nothing more in their life than actually getting on big brother. I know Dos Equis most interesting man in the world is not going to show up on the show, but what can they do to it so they can attract more diverse people who may have something to offer one another in knowledge and life experiences. I realize that Michelle is a PHD and I do not want to knock that accomplishment, but everyone has to do something, and I am talking about people who have lived life a bit and done different things. The show seems more and more devoid of that every season. You would think experience junkies might really want to be on BB at least for the once in a lifetime experience, so how come they can never find them? I suspect because their casting is so narrowly focused and non-creative that we just end up with the same boring people. No offense to fans of the show, I am a fan of the show, but a lot of people who watch the show probably have led pretty pedestrian and mundane lives, and thus should not be sharing themselves on tv on a nightly basis. I don't want phoney either.. genuine people with some interesting backgrounds. Wanna-be models and actors all under 30 is a pretty non-interesting group of people from my experience... I know this is a similar chord that is struck every year, but I was just watching BBAD tonight and you see one group that can do nothing except talk about the show and another image of russell sitting by himself. It is ridiculously boring. These people are all boring. Sure they can yell and scream and fight, but that is not terribly interesting in the long run.
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Curlyq
Member
07-10-2002
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 12:29 am
I'm convinced they do most of their casting in bars. There's always someone who either works at a bar or was hanging out at a bar when they were asked to do the show. Perhaps they figure these are the type of people who'll take advantage of the alcohol they give them. I remember in season two it seemed like half the house had a bar connection: a bartender, a bar bouncer, a bar owner, a bar brawler... I think the kind of exciting people you're hoping for wouldn't want to spend a whole summer sitting around a house, even for a TV show.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 1:04 am
considering 10 of these HGs are wannabee actors, models or seeking some other form of exposure...we are lucky to have ANY intelligent conversation. Michelle and russell at least have decent jobs, education and can carry a conversation. i think the problem is the diary room. It builds paranoia and encourages all kinds of flip flops from the person's planned gameplay. no one ever relaxes and if they do, DR messes with their heads. since they are wannabees, they want to please producers and DR people. So we end up with fake situations and fake/ overacted drama occurring.
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Justin42
Member
08-05-2001
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 1:42 am
I definitely think it's a deliberate attempt at stunt casting every year. they seem to have "roles" and try to fill them, which is probably why the show seems so stale. For example, earlier in the season (when Kevin, Lydia, and Brayden [sp?] had the blowup) Kevin mentioned that every gay guy on BB has a huge meltdown, and he swore he wouldn't be "that guy". I think the problem is that BB *looks* for these qualities. I think somehow Alison Grodner is so convinced the show is a massive success (ha!) due to the changes made in BB2 she absolutely refuses to (or is terrified to?) make ANY changes to it. I think the reason that Janelle was such a huge fan favorite is so is SO DIFFERENT than the obvious role they must have planned her to be. She was hyped as the blonde bombshell, but she turned out to be incredibly smart and witty. In a way it was a total backfire on AG's casting but it worked. I think Laura could have been a similar role this season had the show played out slightly differently. Look at the BBUK cast-- they manage to get a fairly diverse group of people who at least can SORT OF carry on a conversation. They're still mainly casting young people, some with pretty questionable accomplishments themselves, but they try to get people of incredibly diverse backgrounds. Granted, they don't have the same live feed setup we do this year but in past years, they don't seem to sit around talking about casting/etc. The rules are entirely different which changes things up (They can't talk about nominations at ALL [and each HG nominates]). I think BB US gives them too easy of an out -- they *can* talk about the game, it's all they really have in common, so that's ALL they talk about. Say the wrong thing about politics or religion and you're an outcast. Plus, in the UK they're allowed to sing, which makes a HUGE difference. I think a lot of creativity in terms of entertaining themselves (And us) gets wiped away when CBS is too cheap to license any music. So basically I think they need to let up on the stunt casting, change the rules around (no talking about votes would be awesome), and just let people come on and be themselves. Or they need to pay to bring over the UK casting agency-- while much maligned in the UK, the HGs the UK get are miles above ours in terms of being interesting/empathetic/etc. (I find myself seeing different qualities in each UK HG that I can relate to, or like-- I don't see that in many of the US HGs) Or who knows, maybe the US public school system really is that bad and this is a random sampling of what its producing. ;)
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Curlyq
Member
07-10-2002
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 2:39 am
When Julie Chen went on Craig Ferguson's show at the beginning of the season, she talked about the changes they made after season one. Sounded like they're quite pleased with themselves over it. What they fail to take into consideration is that in season one it was all still brand new. Viewers would vote out anyone who was over-the-top nasty, and then the complaint became that the house was left with boring people. I disagree, but many still remember it that way. If they had left things alone, the viewers would've figured it out on their own. Look how long it took people to vote out Janice Dickinson from "I'm a Celebrity". Viewers know now to keep some big personalities around. But if the producers were still worried, all they had to do was make just one change. Take away the rule about not discussing nominations. Then you'd still have the plotting and strategy, but the audience would get the final say. It would be like the contestants and audience were playing together, and their ratings would likely be higher. As for Janelle, all I can say for her is that she was good at winning challenges. She was no different than any of the other contestants they've cast. I don't remember her ever being witty, unless calling women "*itches" counts for wit. She never got the concept of the game, in that it's first and foremost a popularity contest, and consequently she lost twice. She grew a fan base simply because people wanted Michael to be avenged, and she and Kaysar were the only two left in the house who gave a rat's patootie about him. Then the fans got so wrapped up in worshipping Kaysar and Janelle and hating the other contestants that they forgot about Michael. I think she could've drowned a sack of kittens and the fans would've cheered and said the kittens provoked her. Funny thing is, she seemed to be trying to play the role of villainess, but the fans only saw what they wanted to see. Janelle and her fan base were the reason I gave up on this show for the past few seasons. It was only the idea of the pre-arranged alliances based on high school labels that intrigued me enough to get me tuning in again. Now I see that they've taken to casting people who shouldn't have been able to get past a psychological exam. Makes me think that article about suicides among reality show contestants may have had a point. They choose unstable people for "good TV."
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Lillian
Member
07-29-2009
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 5:24 am
No one can be interesting 24/7, so fans shouldn't be surprised if quite often the conversation is mundane or the HGs are just sitting around doing not much of anything.
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Caprica
Member
02-10-2007
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 5:37 am
Anyone with an actual job/career could not be away from work for 3 months. The stipend per week should be different for each HG based on their weekly salaries. They would get quite a few older(30-50) more mature professional but I'm not sure that would be very entertaining.
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Tre34
Member
08-17-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 5:40 am
Caprica....actually AG would not cast mature professionals
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 6:11 am
There is no way I'd spend my summer in a house with a bunch of potential lunatics. Even if I didn't have a real job and a real life. I'm not on a mission to get rich quick or become famous.
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Rosem4243
Member
06-27-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 7:04 am
I've been saying it for years, as well as others have said: Cast Older People. That's it. That's all they have to do. They can't tell me that they can't find older people, because thousands of people apply every year - ALL of them are young? I don't think so. AG wants to see hook ups and sex on tv and the internet via her show, and older people aren't sexy enough for that. To me, that's the basic problem. Most of the fans of BB are middle aged people, especially now that the show's been on for 10 years. The show needs to grow with us, and stop shoving boring 20-somethings down our throats!
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Akwarlord47
Member
06-26-2007
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 7:16 am
AMEN Rose.... I totally agree, older professionals mixed with younger professionals not necessarily the "wanna be's" would make for an interesting year. And lets discuss the issues that are "taboo". Maybe a daily segment that the producers give them a current news topic or situtation to debate.
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Mummy35332
Member
09-09-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 7:24 am
BB is not the way to get rich quick or famous. The money is a nest egg, at best, and the best thing to do is to hide afterwards.
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Mummy35332
Member
09-09-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 7:29 am
Akw....I think you are on to something. On election years they can fill the house with Rebulicans and Democrats. Each week they get a current event to discuss. Now this could could be an explosive house.
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What555456
Member
06-14-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 7:39 am
I like this year's cast. They are like most reality elimination show actors -- light in the brains and self-esteem department. But I thnk this year's cast is one of the more interesting and disparate groups they have had on BB. I participate on a number of political and issue-oriented blogs. I want my TV to be what TV is supposed to be -- a mindless escape from reality. And this group of mindless actors provides that very well for me.
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Lillian
Member
07-29-2009
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 8:00 am
The problem with people 35+ is they have a different mindset than the younger generation when it comes to privacy. Younger people put themselves out there - on the internet, on camera, for the world to see - in a way that older people would never, ever do. You can put them in the house, but they will be far more careful of telling personal stories, getting drunk, having showmances, having fights, all that stuff that fans love to watch. Not to mention they don't look as good in skimpy clothes. There are exceptions - Sheila for example who obviously already had an exhibitionist side to her - but do you want more people like her?
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What555456
Member
06-14-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 8:08 am
Older people are not going to go on shows like this. For one, they have responsibilities. And more importantly, they don't have fantasies about being a Hollywood star. Besides who would watch a bunch of us old codgers sitting in rocking chairs in the back year, our legs covered with blankets (which we ourselves knitted) and talking about our physical ailments and how the kids today are all going to hell in a handbasket! Plus, we'd never be able to get up that damned spiral staircase to "excitedly" see the new HoH's room and his/her basket of bran flakes and Metamusil! 
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Spunky
Member
10-08-2001
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 8:20 am
Maybe if the stakes were higher... let's say 2 million, we may be able to get more accomplished people... however, that's not the intent of this kind of game... it's for the young and inexperienced, those who have dreams and will do anything to have a chance at realizing them.. you'll get the drama the show needs.
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Wilsonatmd
Member
01-23-2001
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 8:21 am
They've been tending to cast with the twists in mind-Natalie/Adria and Cowboy/Nak in Season 4 or 5,the "soulmates" in season 9, and the cliques this season for example. Season 10 they didn't do that, and it was one of the better seasons I thought. Production can cast all they want, but they never know how people will react when they actually put them all together in the house...sometimes they work great, sometimes they don't (but they can fail in spectacular fashion)... And the whole concept of the show was always geared towards the "Internet Generation", so that's why you see mainly 20-somethings.
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Darclyte
Member
07-11-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 8:24 am
I think many HGs are "interesting" in their own way, but there's only just so many things to say and do in there. I miss Roddy and his games. They need more HGs who can create fun like Roddy and some of the others have done. Gladiator Games, coaster toss and duckball are sorely missed. I wish that every couple of days that they were given different things to do, like in BB1 with the dance marathon or riding an exercise bike. Every day something new and different and every day some new reward, big and small (like getting puzzles, or word search, or a even just a clock.) That may help make up for the lack of inventive guests, like Roddy.
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Akwarlord47
Member
06-26-2007
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 8:26 am
I don't believe that folks over 40 are all sitting around in rocking chairs and have no interest in being a "star" or not willing to put areselves "out there". I liked when they had a more mixed age group it brought some deminsions that all the hard bodies some times lack. But I will watch anyway and privately hope for more. I enjoy the mindless entertainment on the TV but want more depth off the feeds... Just me.
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Wilsonatmd
Member
01-23-2001
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 8:37 am
Darc- I agree. I've always thought they should do what they did in BB Australia a few times; the prize money starts at zero, and they have to win games or make decisions to put money into the bank. They could do things like: -The HOH has to decide between adding money to the bank or giving the house hot showers and regular food for the week.. -Each correct answer in an HOH Q&A comp could be worth money- no throwing the comp then! -They could do multi-day tasks for money- like they have to use their bodies to plug holes in a cube filled with water (this has been done in several other countries) -The POV winner could be offered money in the bank (or to themselves) in exchange for not using the veto... There are all sorts of things they can do- so long as the potential winner's total can be well over $500K...
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Callasin
Member
06-21-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 8:49 am
Giving them something to do would help a lot. I've worked at a mind numbing job where we had a lot of down time and nothing to do but talk. We just ran out of things to talk about due to the boredom. When something new or different happened suddenly we had something new to discuss and we all remembered past experiences to add as well. It also doesn't help that they are on tv and won't want to share some things or don't have permission to mention certain people in their lives.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 11:29 am
After watching this season, I am thrilled that I was not cast. This group would drive me crazy if I were confined with them. The casting call was in a bar and had many people in their 30's, 40's and older applying. I've mentioned before that at least 2 of the other 3 in my audition group would have been far more interesting to watch than the group they cast. I would love to go back to a lot of BB1 stuff and my interest in what other countries do is piqued as well as their shows sound far more entertaining.
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Lillian
Member
07-29-2009
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 11:41 am
I watched BB1, and it was a total snooze. The most controversial/interesting people were voted out early by America, and we were left with a bunch of nice/non-controversial/boring people. I do agree however that giving them some stuff to do, ie instigating some activity, would be a good thing. Crafts, mini challenges for prizes, some party games, theme parties etc would be fun to watch, AND bring out more strategizing/drama/good tv.
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What555456
Member
06-14-2005
| Wednesday, August 05, 2009 - 12:05 pm
Ah c'mon, Lillian. You have to admit the hamster revolt against BB in BB1 was fun to watch! And that came after the nice people ended up staying.
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