What Big Brother Needs To Take From Big Brother Reindeer Games (It Has Better Competitions)

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Big Brother has been criticized in recent years for several reasons, including competitions. Here’s what BB can learn from Big Brother Reindeer Games.

Big Brother Reindeer Games is quickly becoming one of the most popular reality TV series of the holiday season and viewers are hoping Big Brother learns a lot from its mini-series spin-off. Inviting back nine Big Brother legends to compete in a holiday-themed series, Big Brother Reindeer Games season 1 has been a fascinating look at a sped-up, competition-based version of its predecessor. While Big Brother Reindeer Games has the benefit of being a shorter series, it’s already made some huge leaps forward for the series. Incorporating equitable competitions and dynamic casting, the original Big Brother would be smart to pick up the components that have ensured Reindeer Games success.

Big Brother Reindeer Games invited nine of Big Brother’s most dynamic houseguests back into the house for a holiday-themed challenge that changed the game entirely. The competitors compete in two challenges each day to determine who will end up going into the elimination round, Santa’s Showdown. While the competitions are important for the game as a whole, social strategy is key in the game as each day includes the opportunity to win a power that will impact the game from a strategic standpoint. With Big Brother Reindeer Games changing the blueprint for BB contestants, it has been praised by viewers.

Big Brother Reindeer Games Competitions Are Equitable

BB 25’s Competitions Favored The Men

Although Big Brother’s competitions have always been part of the series, they’ve changed in recent years in a way that has been off-putting to viewers and houseguests alike. While competitions have always mattered in the game, they used to be far lower scale competitions that anyone in the house could potentially win. There were always a few more physically inclined competitions within the game that would favor larger men or more physically adept houseguests, but until the late 2010s, Big Brother’s competitions were far more equitable. Houseguests had the opportunity to win both Head Of Household and Power Of Veto more often during the earlier era of BB.

In recent years, houseguests in who aren’t physical powerhouses have had a much harder time getting into power without being completely socially adept. Even throughout Big Brother 25, the houseguests found it difficult to strategize in the game with winner Jag Bains knowing he would be able to win nearly any competition he participated in. Throughout Big Brother Reindeer Games, it’s been evident that the competitions have been revamped to allow anyone to be able to play and win. The competitors are on a far more even playing field than they have been in the past, which has left Big Brother viewers hopeful that the show will take notes from it’s spin-off.

Big Brother Reindeer Games Social Strategy Plays Into All Facets Of The Game

Big Brother’s Competitions Tend To Be Less Strategic

 

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Although Big Brother does have a massive strategic element to the game, things change frequently and make it difficult for the competitors to fully map out their strategy through the game. Social strategy has always been a huge part of the competition, as houseguests tend to target those they don’t like when they gain power. While making social connections can help houseguests through the game, they can also hurt players chances at changing the power structure if they need to. In recent seasons, Big Brother’s social element has felt as though it scaled back a bit, especially with physical competitors being able to win their way through the game.

Big Brother Reindeer Games has proven that there can be strategy in several different elements of the game, including competitions. While physical competitions don’t always come with the opportunity to sabotage other players, some classic Big Brother competitions have done a great job incorporating social strategy into a more physical space. With competitions that challenge the players both physically and mentally, Big Brother Reindeer Games has proven competitors can be somewhat less physically skills and still do well in the game. Big Brother would be smart to re-incorporate some of the competitions of the past that include more social strategy.

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Big Brother Reindeer Games Has Dynamic Casting

BB’s Casting Can Favor Archetypes

Big Brother’s casting has changed in recent years, as the show began to implement a diversity quota surrounding their players race and age that they’d never had in earlier years. While the more diverse casting has been great for the series, there is a formulaic element to Big Brother casting that does a disservice to the series. Casting in archetypes, the series always has a handful of very stereotypical roles they fill and have their houseguests stick to in the edited episodes of the series. This can mean there’s a disconnect between the BB 24-hour live feeds and the episodes, which can make things tough when players leave the house.

Big Brother Reindeer Games has made it clear that while there can be archetypes applied to cast members, it doesn’t need dominate the narrative of the game. Archetypes exist to make things easier on the story, which can be difficult for audiences to follow without some stereotypical characters. Still, Big Brother Reindeer Games has proven that competitors can exist as characters in the narrative without sticking to one archetype. Taylor Hale, for example, has been painted as villainous on Reindeer Games without being typecast as a villain. Big Brother’s casting could be far more dynamic throughout each season if they let go of the archetypes, allowing for more organic storytelling.

Big Brother Reindeer Games Brings Back Classic BB

Modern Big Brother Has A Different Feel

Big Brother is one of the longest running reality TV series, having been on the air since 2000. BB has gone through several changes throughout its run, but the competition has changed in the last five to ten years, incorporating some twists that have become played out through the years. Seasons without major twists, like Big Brother 10, have always been the most interesting of the series as they allow the strategic gameplay in the house to shine. Big Brother Reindeer Games brings back the feel of classic Big Brother in a way that incorporates compelling gameplay and casting but doesn’t use convoluted twists to make things seem interesting.

Big Brother Reindeer Games Understands Its Audience

BB Doesn’t Always Factor In The Viewers

While Big Brother is always looking for the approval of the viewers who watch their episodes, they don’t usually grasp or care that live feed viewers are the more invested sector of their audience. Some Big Brother live feed viewers don’t watch edited episodes, as they don’t always tell an accurate narrative of the story as it occurs in the house. While not all Big Brother fans are up to date on the weekly episodes, those who watch the live feeds are typically deeply invested in the series. This divide in viewership makes it clear that the edited episodes don’t always cater to the real things happening in the house.

Big Brother Reindeer Games, on the other hand, knows its audience well and caters to them well. BB Reindeer Games is not only meant for casual BB viewers, but for Big Brother superfans who have been dedicated to the show for years. In bringing back cast members from some of the earliest seasons of the series and creating dynamics between the cast who have spent seasons of the series together, Big Brother Reindeer Games has proven that having a grasp on who cares about the series and will be watching is key, and something Big Brother could benefit from.

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