Due to a seemingly never-ending writers' strike that left television networks with a dearth of original scripted programming, CBS decided to pull the summer staple "Big Brother" out of the closet for a winter season debut. The reality show revolves around sixteen contestants who must live in a house together and have their every move recorded on camera 24/7. Over the course of three months, contestants are voted out until the winner receives a grand prize of $500,000.

Sound boring? Well, surprisingly it wasn’t. Airing three nights a week for the past eight years, "Big Brother" has been a guilty pleasure to many Americans. With "Big Brother 8" having just ended in September of 2007, fans were delighted to hear that CBS would bring back the show in early February of 2008.

So what’s the problem this year? Well, to put it mildly…everything.

"Big Brother" has been great over the past three seasons. Fans have seen great personalities, gripping strategies, massive fights, crumbling alliances, and shocking moments caught on camera. "Big Brother 9," though, is a show that lacks almost all of those qualities.

The first thing that any reality show needs is quality casting. A show can have a great concept, but if the contestants aren’t likable, the show will never be successful. That is the first problem with "Big Brother 9." In the past, CBS has cast people who had a great mix of beauty, brains, strategy, and charisma. Who can forget "Big Brother 2" winner Will Kirby, a young, smug cosmetic doctor that mostly certainly earned the moniker of "Evil Dr. Will." A strategic mastermind, and equally brilliant manipulator, Will lied his way to the top. What made it amazing, though, was that he told his fellow house guests that he would lie to their face from day one, and yet he still remarkably gained their trust consistently throughout the game.


Also memorable was "Big Brother 3" contestant Danielle Reyes, a charismatic and cocky woman who rode her secret alliance with 25 year-old virgin Jason Guy all the way to the final two. And on "Big Brother 6," the buxom blonde Janelle Pierzina was a fan favorite not just because of her looks, but because she was a smart player who dominated the physical challenges inside of the "Big Brother" house.

In "Big Brother 9," there are no likeable characters. In a cast of sixteen contestants who are all under thirty except for the 45 year-old single mother (and former 1984 Penthouse Pet of the Year--of course!), this season of the show feels more like a cheap knock-off of "The Real World." No surprise, then, that there has been a lot of immaturity inside of the house that has hit a "100" on the scale of absurdity. Though the show has only been on the air since February 12th, fans have already been treated to discussions and arguments about uncircumcised penises, disdain for interracial relationships, and ugly grade school-like fights over "he said, she said" rhetoric.

Another problem with this season of "Big Brother 9" is the gimmick. For the past few years, CBS has been introducing twists into the series of "Big Brother" to keep the game fresh. In one season, contestants were stunned to find out that they would be forced to live in a house with the exes. In another season, house guests were shocked to discover that one contestant was secretly playing the game with her twin sister. And last season, estranged father and daughter contestants Dick and Danielle Donato were surprised to learn that CBS had placed them both inside the house together. In "Big Brother 9," the twist is titled "Til Death Do You Part." The premise is that instead of every contestant playing for him or herself, the producers of the show schemed of a gimmick that paired the house guests together based upon romantic compatibility. Each contestant has a soul mate, and they are tied to that person the entire game. You win together, you lose together, and you get evicted from the house together.


The problem is that the producers of the show took out one of the most compelling aspects of the game when they implemented this gimmick. "Big Brother" was always such an interesting reality show to watch because unlike other programs where one has to eat worms to win money, or battle extreme island conditions, this CBS show a sociological study. How does one deal with living in a small house with sixteen strangers for three months? How does one deal with being caught on camera 24/7, and having to be watched live both on television and on the internet? How does one deal with no television, news, radio, or outside contact with the world? How does one deal with the complexity of wanting to win half a million dollars, but attempting to stay true to one's alliances, friendships, and romantic relationships that are made in the house? And when does one make the determination that it’s best lie and scheme rather than be moral and just?

"Big Brother 9" made the gross error of eliminating the concept of self preservation, arguably the most interesting concept of not just "Big Brother," but any competitive game. With the soul mate twist, house guests no longer play the game selfishly, they play the game for themselves and their partner. There’s no longer a concern about who one can trust--a contestant’s partner will always be true and honest because it is in his or her owns best interest in the game to do so. There’s no longer a concern about attempting to find an alliance--with the twist, each contestant has at least one person that they can always lean on no matter what happens inside the house. CBS needs to realize that these gimmicks are not keeping the show fresh, but making the show feel old and tiresome.

In a couple months, "Big Brother 9" will be a distant memory, and the tenth installment of the show will begin in the hot month of July. Fans can only hope that the show is better cast and gets back to its strategic roots that once made this reality series so compelling.

Story by Michael Langston Moore
Starpulse contributing writer