THE EXPERIMENT CONTINUES
Big Brother returns for a 20th season of twists, turns and summer fun
Say goodbye to the outdoors!
TV’s big addiction is back.
One of the original televised social experiments, Big Brother, is celebrating 18 years and 20 seasons of expecting the unexpected this summer.
Premièring Wednesday and Thursday, Big Brother plans on recognizing its milestone with an all-new cast.
While the show has featured returning past players over the few seasons, executive producer Allison Grodner confirmed to the press that no fan favourites will be playing the game.
But they will be a part of the show as Big Brother recalls its most memorable moments and players throughout the next three months.
Balancing out the nostalgia is a new modern twist: Themes of technology and social media will play a big role in this year’s competition.
Postmedia spoke with host Julie Chen, who is also a co-star on The Talk, to see what producers have instoreforus:
Q It’s officially summertime. It’s not summer without our Julie Chen! A That’s right. (Laughs.) Thank you!
Q Now 20 seasons ... Does it feel like 20? What are you feeling, thinking ?
A I’m feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride. There are a lot of Big Brother haters in season 1. And there were a lot of Julie Chen haters in season 1. (Laughs.) And here we are. You work hard and you make changes — and here we are. When you get criticized, you have to ask: Do they have a point?
Q Has the show found its foundational groove or do you think it will continue to evolve in the next 20 seasons?
A I think the show has found its groove AND it will continue to evolve. We definitely have to change with the times when it comes to technology. When you think about it, we really were one of the first streaming shows. You could watch the house 24/7 with our live feeds. That was in the year 2000. That’s pretty impressive. This season is no different. We are incorporating elements of social media into the show. We have a BB App store that will be interactive with viewers participating in votes. Whichever contestant gets the most clicks (and trends) will get a power and whoever gets the least clicks, gets a punishment (and so on). So that is something that is new but speaks to the way we live today. But the basic concept — pure game — is what really works and that won’t ever change. Q Will the anniversary be referenced in the show’s narrative?
A Of course. In some of the challenges, you’re going to relive some of our most memorable moments. Plus, you’re going to see past players make an appearance. Q Some fans were surprised that the show went with an all-new season instead of an all-star cast. Why did you go the newcomer route?
A We learned our lesson last year by bringing back Paul (Abrahamian). He ran that house. Even during the first time he played, he was so good at the game but bringing him back as an all-star, people were star struck and memorized by him. He manipulated people to do his dirty work but the rest of the house didn’t get a chance to not only win but shine at BB. We said, “We can’t have that happen again.”
Q Celebrity Big Brother raised the level of decor in the house. Can we expect the design to be more sophisticated?
A With CBB, there were two big factors: It was winter time and we had to glam it up for the celebs. BB is synonymous with summer fun so we had to go back to the way people saw the house.
Q Fans loved your reimagining of Da’Vonne Rogers’ meme. Can we expect more?
A Yes. I have many more memes up my sleeve that are famous in Big Brother Land. I’ve always secretly wanted to be a cast member of Saturday Night Live, so this is my audition tape showing off my comedic side.
Q I guess it’s safe to say you’re in it for the long haul, right? In 20 more seasons, you’ll be crawling to that BB stage.
A I’d better be. I want to be the Bob Barker of Price Is Right. I’m here for a long time. I’m not saying
I might never give it up but Asian don’t Raisin.
The Chenbot will preserve herself. You have to put serum on under your moisturizer at night.
Q Congrats on The Talk winning best daytime entertainment talk show this year. I know The Talk was on a break during the height of the Roseanne debacle, but what was it like watching Sara Gilbert go through that turmoil?
A It was heartbreaking. We were there with Sara from the beginning: It was on our show that she came up with the idea of rebooting Roseanne when John Goodman appeared as a guest and they re-created a Roseanne scene.
The success of the reboot was not an easy thing to accomplish and for it to be torn down in a day, I felt really bad for her.
We communicated via text. I didn’t want to pry but wanted to let her know I was there for her.