Why Big Brother Does Not Completely Suck
The ClubHouse: Big Brother 2000: General - Archives:
Weeks gone by:
Why Big Brother Does Not Completely Suck
Jratcliff | Tuesday, September 26, 2000 - 08:53 pm  First of all, let me apologize if the tone of this post sounds too negative, it is a reflection of my own personal opinion and an attempt to verbalize why I'm watching a show that I have constantly professed to hate since I fast forwarded through the first 'episode.' It's natural to compare and contrast the reality show 'Survivor', which combined addictive television and captivating storytelling, with the horrifically edited 'Big Brother' product on the same network. The producers of 'Survivor' knew enough to take the best of 3 days of video footage and edit it down into a coherent storyline. The result was effective drama, whether the 'actors' were in fact part of a 'reality drama' or not. As recently as... what was that.. last night, 'Big Brother' offers us the 'Great Potato Clock Mystery', replete with Mission Impossible music to add to the inherent tension of this classic melodrama. When the first episode of 'Big Brother' waited until the final few minutes of a one hour episode to actually inject the pseudo-reality actors into the mix, I knew this was not exactly ingredients for compelling television. Or, at least, that's what my finger on the fast forward button told me. For some weeks thereafter I let my new technology toy, Tivo, record episodes of Big Brother, which I watched in snatches and pieces. Like many, I watched it with the same sick fascination one reserves for staring at a freak car accident on the side of the road. How bad could this TV show get? How boring can this boring show be? How lame of a challenge can they think of next? How poorly edited can this poorly edited television program get? So bad it's good? You can only milk so much mileage making fun of a bunch of poor saps who, through no real fault of their own, got suckered into this horrific excuse for prime-time entertainment. Then, after many weeks, something happened. It began with a simple plane, carrying a simple banner. It began with the basic premise of the show itself becoming violated. "No contact with the outside." had been cracked. Instead of the inmates having broken out. the outside world began to leak in. The outside world, bored beyond tears, decided to liven this sad excuse for network programming up. First 'Media Jammers', decided that the show sucked so absolutely badly that the entire Big Brother household should just leave. And then, low and behold, mildly mentally challenged house guest George, the chickenbrained, actually decided to convince his fellow housemates to walk out of the show!! What was happening? Had this Skinner box experiment finally reached it's gestation period?!? The houseguests had finally become both paranoid and delusional after having been shut off from the outside world long enough. The implied promise of a show entitled 'Big Brother' finally started to pay off. This secluded group of individuals, who had previously been nothing other than any other group of boring folks sitting on their butts for weeks at a time with nothing to do, began to slowly lose their minds!! Now this....this..is entertainment. Miraculously, now that the outside world had figured out a way to inject their viral agents into this previously pristine host, the show became both *interactive*, and entertaining!! The public was actually able to interact with the television show itself. Don't like how the plot is turning out? No problem, spend $300, fly a banner, and change the storyline. I think a successful show could evolve from here...pick houseguests who realize it's their job to entertain, hire producers who know how to create compelling drama by crafting challenges and storylines which interest, and hire editors who know how to take 3 days of boring crap and turn it into 30 minutes of compelling television. And, lastly, allow the public to interact with the show itself, whether it's airplane banners or something we haven't even thought of yet. But, for gosh sakes, do something..because I'm not ready to give up on 'reality television' yet...I would rather watch Will Mega pick his nose for half an hour than watch another episode of any of the mindless sitcoms which the broadcast networks have foisted on the American public for the last three years. John W. Ratcliff Sociological Sabatwaw. |
Ocean_Islands | Tuesday, September 26, 2000 - 09:15 pm  Are you just getting out, or just going into, the looney bin? |
Adven39 | Tuesday, September 26, 2000 - 09:44 pm  Ah, well, this is pretty fascinating stuff, John, but you might want to see if you can edit it a bit. How about "Big Brother really sucks, but not as badly since the banners started flying because they add an interactive element. In any event, no matter how lame reality television is, it has potential and is preferable to most of the other forms of programming currently available." This gets to the point a little more directly and has the added bonus of not frightening your fellow posters. |
Jratcliff | Tuesday, September 26, 2000 - 10:05 pm  I take it stream of consciousness rants crafted through the prism of an empty magnum of Napa Valley's finest is not your preferred narrative style? John |
Lilith | Tuesday, September 26, 2000 - 10:14 pm  Speaking from Oregon's finest... I don't have a long enough attention span to read it ;) |
Psp | Tuesday, September 26, 2000 - 11:37 pm  For some reason, I read through this entire post where I usually skip longer postings. Comparitively easy to read, and he actually knows how to use paragraphs effectively. A bit out of place in a bulletin board, but at least it was well written. |
Lancecrossfire | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 12:11 am  Jratcliff--it worked for me. Which of Nappa's finest did you go with? That area does have some excellent wines (although I don't remember any of those coing in a magnum?? haha) I think there have been a number of us who have said BB doesn';t suck. It seems we just won't say that away from this board! hehe Lilith-Oregon's finest? Had a good Pinot from your area recently?? I grew up in Oregin, and now reside just north of you. |
Kearie | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 12:51 am  Jratclif--- I for one enjoyed reading your post and your analysis of the evolving show. Thanks. Also from just north of Oregon |
Tishala | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 02:36 am  I understand that Northern Californians believe that Oregon is an Edenic paradise of some sort--all the problems of life in SF, Napa, and Oakland cease to exist when one crosses the border...Thankfully, SoCal residents do not believe this. |
Adven39 | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 04:45 am  John, no, stream of consciousness rants are not usually my preferred narrative style. I still haven't recovered from my initial introduction to James Joyce. I was going to say the problem with them is that they don't get read, but, a few posters above, myself included, took the time to read yours, so what do I know. |
Jratcliff | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 06:34 am  Thanks to those who read my late night post, and apologies to those who found it too long and boring. These were some thoughts I have been wanting to verbalize for some time, and it felt good to finally do it. I also apologize for taking such literary liberties with my tart response. I'm embarassed to say that my rant was not, in fact, inspired by a magnum of Napa Valley's finest, instead it was a six pack of 'Fosters', a drink preference based on yet another boring reality show. <vbg> John |
Adven39 | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 07:40 am  No need to apologize, John. I love reading a good rant. I did find yours a little long and esoteric, but I do empathize with much of what you said. And don't tell me you were drinking Foster's - I prefer to keep my vision of Napa Valley intact since I hope to visit and tour your wineries sometime before I am banished from this world. |
Lilith | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 09:25 am  You must have missed my wink when I said Oregon's Finest... It was actually just rancid grape juice we made ourselves |
|