Rethinking my position on "No Outside Contact"
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Rethinking my position on "No Outside Contact"
Zappre | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 12:49 am  For the longest time, i was irritated that BB was breaking their own rule about No Outside Contact. I thought it was compromising the integrity of the game. However, lately, i've started to realize that some of the best moments have come from seeing the HG's reaction to the outside world, whether it was Curtis' Emmy stories or Cassandra's outside world overview. I'm starting to realize that the choice is either sticking to the rules and never seeing the HG's reaction to what's REALLY going on, or bend the rules and let us view those unique moments when they realize how the world will treat them, or what the ratings are, etc. I conclude that I was, in the beginning, wrong about this and i'm glad i've been able to see some moments to which we wouldn't have otherwise been privy. Any thoughts? |
Katie | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 12:56 am  I think there need to be more outside contact but in a very controlled manner. I would have liked for them to have brought in newspaper or magazine articles every week and had them sit down and discuss them. It would have provoked some interesting conversation. |
Lancecrossfire | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 12:56 am  Zappre--good thread first of all. I went through the same frustration you did, and I also agree that some interesting moments have taken place as a result of outside contact. I would still like to see a BB (since it can't be this one, the next if they have it) where the rule is followed. Because of the big impact outside contact can have, I think it "pollutes" the game, as it were. Unless BB can come up with a way to somehow give fairly equal shares of the outside world. Just one way to look at it though, and by no means is it the right way. I have a thing for consistency of rules. One thing to add--now that we have seen what outside contact does for/to te game, having none would provide an interesting comparison. |
Wendy | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 02:13 am  I have mixed feeling about this. I sometimes wonder how the show would have been different, maybe more intense, with absolutely no outside contact... The tennis balls, Megaphone Lady, the banners, Britt talking to Josh etc etc, I think, deflated the drama and made a mockery of the purpose of the show. I say, lock them up and watch them go stir crazy. Watch them slowly let go of their old reality and adapt to their new one. How could they do that when they were being constantly reminded of the world beyond the walls? All the outside contact just reminded them that this is a game. They didn't get lost in the experience. Do you know what I mean? But then, I have to agree. George getting letters, Curtis going to the Emmys, the phone calls home, Cass coming back...all made for memoriable, and dare I say, touching moments. I'd say, next time they could have some outside contact, but not as much this house did. |
Tishala | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 02:29 am  Zappre, One of the reasons I post as infrequently as I do is because I think you typically have precisely the correct take on things, but I have to disagree with you this time. I think there really SHOULD be no outside contact. We know that the producers did it as a way of placating George initially, and Karen later, but I think that the one thing the game takes is commitment. If someone enters the house without the ability to deal with stress (as Karen and George eloquently demonstrated after nominations, IMHO--although George's antics were more comic than Karen's), that is enough reason to see them go. Certainly, Josh's outside contact could have been used by Cassandra or George, since both were there at the time, and it made little difference...it was merely a way of gleaning publicity, but in a pedestrian way: the producers, in all their European grandeur, didn't realize how nonplussed the public would be by an artificial "celebrity," when the public thirsts for "real" celebrities like...Rudy? I think the other examples, which include fan "interference" are more organic to the process and are therefore in keeping with the game. Nobody would have changed his or her vote against Mega when knowing that he was a Black Panther, although it could have made Karen or Brittany genuinely hysterical. The same holds true, I think, for Jamie, who would have received exactly the nominations she received whether or not the anti-Jamie banners had flown. Big Brother is nothing if not a participatory sport--perhaps too much so!--and the "outside contact" gleaned from the banners, megaphones, etc. only add to the experience, I think. OK--that's all! Tisha |
Zappre | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 10:51 am  Tisha: I'm glad we agree so often. I'm also happy that we've hit a not of discord to spice up our relationship. I'm pretty selective about which outside contact I find appropriate. I have found the banners as a whole to be useless since they are often so cryptic and are usually just mean. The HG generally ignored them, except for the person targetted. I'm ambivilent about Crazy Megaphone Lady. The letters also seemed useless, especially that early in the process. The only reason the letters showed up was because both George and Karen were cracking up and BB panicked. Also, as much as I love Brit (she's still my fav), her little "info" session with Josh was a net negative, both in terms of the info imparted, and in terms of how it reflected on her. I am more inclined to enjoy small tidbits of trustworty info getting in like Cass's re-entry or the Emmys, or the Headline Challenge, which I really enjoyed. Just reliable snipets, gently peppered throughout the process would be copasetic. |
Zelda | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 11:48 am  I think they need a dome like in The Truman Show and have some controlled contact. (this coming from someone who tried to toss Tp) But more than anything though I think BB needs to come up with different and unique things to do and discuss. So much more than they had on this show. |
Deni_San | Wednesday, September 27, 2000 - 01:59 pm  I think it was a bad idea for BB to put the compound near public property and advertise where the location was. It should be a secret location and threaten anyone connected to the show with a 4 million lawsuit for breaching the location. One of the successes of Survivor was "the secret". I think people took to the skies and megaphones because the show didn't provide enough interactivity between the show and its viewers. The next BB needs to have a website that allows and encourages viewers to pose questions, ideas for challenges, offer observations and input. They should have contests which include prizes like visiting the RR for the day and being in the studio audience during the live show. Have a panel of analysts who are fans of the show. They should have a full time person(s) who will take in viewer suggestions, complaints, and queries. All of this will not only provide lots of free content for the website, but it will give them priceless advice from actual viewers to improve the show and encourage more people to get involved with the show. People will provide content for free to see their names credited and feel a part of the show. If I was CBS, I would subcontract the discussion boards out to Neil and Bomis. He has proven to be a fabulous moderator, and now he has experience under his belt. Basically, if I was CBS I would co-opt the best of breed on the web regarding the show. I would find folks who can do flash movies, write articles, do poetry and parody music. I would have a section on ratings and voting statistics. The more inclusive you are of many voices will only show that there is interest in the show. Wouldn't it be great to have David Letterman host a contest where people are allowed one shot to shoot something over the wall to the houseguests? He can cover it on his program via satellite. Dave: Hey there! Where are you from? Contestant: Oklahoma City, OK. Dave: You're not some Olympic Sharpshooter are you? Contestant: Nope. Dave: Good. Proof ladies and gentleman this contest ain't rigged! Okay one shot. If you fail, you deny them toilet paper... They can have a contest for the best banner message. There are countless opportunities to provide more audience interaction with the show, yet keep big brother in control. |
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