We are now in the fourth week of Big Brother 21 and a lot has happened (and not happened). So it seems like a perfect time to take a look at the game so far.
It first needs to be said that A LOT of people are unhappy with this season. If you are a casual watcher and only visit this website for updates, you might not know that there are basically three Big Brother social media communities: Twitter, Facebook and Reddit. I hang out mostly in the Twittersphere. But I check in on the others, and the consensus all around is that Big Brother 21 is just not cutting it at the moment. There are a number of things not happening for us this season.
First of all, the majority alliance is filled with unlikable people. Let’s start with Jack. He’s kind of the leader of the group and he’s just a miserable person. The way he treated Kemi really set the tone for the season and some of the things he’s said would have gotten him expelled in most international versions of this game. Just a couple days ago he said the proof is in the “rice pudding” when referring to Bella, who is Asian.
And then there’s Jackson. You might remember him being the southern gentleman who says “yes ma’am” to his mom. Well, in the four/five weeks since he’s been in the house, he’s had sex with two different women and has broken it off with both of them in really despicable ways. The latest incident was between he and Holly, who was worried about hooking up on the Live Feeds. He got really upset with her, treated her like garbage and now refuses to talk to her.
On top of how he has been treating the women in the house, he’s also a Have-Not right now and has been sneaking forbidden food in the shower. And production has yet to penalize him for it.
And then there’s Tommy and Christie, who round out that alliance. The pair was cast, unbeknownst to each other, and not as a twist. They just happened to know each other very well outside the house. So not only does the big alliance have a bunch or terrible people, there are pre-established relationships, which is a terribly unfair advantage in this game when it’s not a twist.
OK, I’m tired of talking about that alliance. Let’s move on to Cliff.
When Cliff won his way back into the game last week I was annoyed. I wanted Kemi or David back in the game. And then when Cliff won HOH I was annoyed again. I wanted Nicole or Bella to win HOH so they could make a big move. But then Cliff nominated Jack and Jackson and everyone rejoiced! Cliff was the hero of Big Brother 21! He had arrived to save the season! But then Jackson won the Power of Veto. And Christie’s stupid power came into the conversation.
Cliff still had a shot to play a classic Big Brother game where he lied to Christie about what he was going to do with his nomination. He could have just gone ahead and put Christie on the block, or Tommy, who would stay over Jack. But Cliff decided to barter for a few rounds of safety, which isn’t even guaranteed, especially since everyone JUST VOTED HIM OUT. It was just so frustrating to watch a really good week crumble before our eyes. At the very least, Cliff could have forced Christie to use her power, but instead she has it for two more weeks.
And I don’t even want to totally fault Cliff, because if not for those stupid powers that ALWAYS ruin good natural gameplay, this week would have gone just as we wanted.
It’s still early. A lot more can happen in Big Brother 21. Things can change. And I really hope it does. I love this show. You love this show (or you wouldn’t be reading). We need a power shift. We need this season to take a turn so we don’t have to complain all summer long! Who is with me?
