CBS has been silent about details regarding Big Brother Season 22, which has forced those seeking answers to turn to former players and alleged leaked infof or any and all details. Unfortunately, such early claims have brought a lot of conflicting information to the table, especially in regards to where and when the season may be happening. With lockdown situations still changing around the country, things haven't yet become more clear, but Big Brother vet Cody Nickson has shared why he doesn't believe Season 22 will happen anytime soon.
Cody Nickson, who was a contestant on Season 19 of Big Brother, recently took part in a Q&A with his Instagram followers when the topic of Big Brother came up. When someone asked why prospective contestants seemingly haven't been undergoing quarantine procedures similar to The Bachelor, Nickson alleged it isn't the cast that's the problem, but rather the other people involved with the show's production. In his words:
Cast quarantine isn't the issue. The production crew is supposed to quarantine for two weeks and receive full union pay including overtime for those two weeks. That's a lot of money that companies aren't willing to spend. And then I believe the crew still can't be free to go out with their families during production either. The restrictions are just too great now.
Big Brother contestants do indeed sacrifice a lot to go into self-imposed isolation from the rest of the world, but in doing so, they also get a chance at fame and prize money. The same can't be said for the Big Brother production crew, from camera operators to editors and beyond. Under the current guidelines, most of the Season 22 crew members would essentially be taking on the same quarantine schedule as the cast. It's quite an ask for the behind-the-scenes employees, and I would understand if some would have second thoughts about having to stay away from their families for the entirety of the season so that it could be put together in the safest manner.
Cody Nickson's claims about the money side is interesting, too, because it isn't the only recent Big Brother Season 22 allegation where that has been a factor. A previous rumor suggested CBS was looking into moving the game to Fiji to film in the Love Island villa, which was dismissed by some due to the high cost involved with obtaining work visas for everyone in the cast and crew, not to mention shipping the signature set pieces to Fiji.
Granted, no one but CBS' execs knows what the network would and wouldn't need to do in order to make Season 22 in happen or any other location. But if the trade-off is quarantining its crew alongside players (in the U.S.) and paying them full wages plus overtime, the cost gap between going overseas and staying in America could be smaller than some would think.
Let's also remember that Los Angeles county has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases going into Independence Day festivities, which could lead to another more production delays in the midst of Season 22 if it did film in Los Angeles. The show could be forced to end prematurely in those circumstances, as it did for Big Brother Canada, which is not ideal for either CBS or viewers. Cody Nickson didn't comment on the Fiji filming rumors, but did say he felt the current situation didn't look good for the reality show's chances in L.A.
I'm going to say that California is about to get stricter instead of loosening restrictions. I'm leaning towards that it won't be happening.
It's hard to say whether Cody Nickson is actually having conversations with sources who are in the know concerning what's happening with Big Brother, or if he's speaking solely as someone with experience in reality TV series. Beyond being a veteran of Big Brother, Nickson was also one of the first show alumni to win CBS' The Amazing Race. It's not clear if Nickson or his wife Jessica Graf were contacted for the assumedly all-star season, given neither were winners, so it's hard to tell if he's got good intel or just good guesses. It doesn't look like either one of them would want to leave their families for an extended amount of time, either.
Big Brother Season 22 is allegedly planned to start this summer on CBS, but we shall see. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news happening in television and movies.
