Big Brother fans received some thrilling news ahead of Season 23's first of two double-evictions: they'll be getting a bonus season. Big Brother: Celebrity Edition is officially set to return for Season 3, and with the slightly polarizing nature of Season 23 amongst fans, it may be the perfect time for the spinoff to make its return.
Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, also known as Celebrity Big Brother, returns to CBS for the first time since Season 2 aired in January of 2019. Unfortunately, details are scant on who is involved and what will be different this season compared to past seasons. For the unfamiliar, Celebrity Big Brother is typically a shorter game than standard Big Brother, with no sequestered jury and five players still in the house on finale night. It's a big change from the norm, but one that I think will be perfect for many fans following Season 23 for a few reasons.
Big Brother: Celebrity Edition Could Deliver The Spiciness Season 23 Has Lacked
Big Brother Season 23 has done a lot of things right, but a sizable chunk of fans have complained this season has been a bit "boring." Personally, I don't feel the same way, though I will concede that if you're someone who enjoys chaos, controversial moments, and big fights between people living in the house, Season 23 hasn't really had that outside of Week 1.
Part of that is due to the fact that almost everyone who entered Big Brother this season is a big fan of the show and knows the general rules for how to succeed in the game. This probably isn't true across the board, but I'd say people who don't watch Big Brother, such as recruits and potential celebrity contestants, are more susceptible to these mistakes and will certainly stir the pot via their general lack of understanding of the game.
Plus, with a spinoff like Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, there's a way for the casting to find celebrities who may already have "starting drama" as part of their brand. I've already seen a good deal of people suggesting long-time reality star Tiffany Pollard for Season 3, and she would definitely bring some fire to the house whether it's wanted or not. I think the key would be creating drama that isn't expressly done by the contestant being problematic, which seems to be something Big Brother made concerted efforts in avoiding this year.
Big Brother: Celebrity Edition Will Be A Nice Change Of Pace
Even if you're someone who has liked Big Brother Season 23, it will be a nice change of pace to see Celebrity Big Brother return. For one, it's an extra Big Brother season few expected and will make the wait for Season 24 much shorter. Beyond that, it's different enough from the original series that watching may just help fans get out of the rut of the usual seasonal slog.
I love Big Brother, but there comes a point each season where a couple of weeks pass and there's hardly a reason to watch the live feeds because everything has gone as planned. At least with the rampant pace of Celebrity Big Brother, there will be multiple decisions made in a week that will, fingers crossed, keep fans invested from start to finish.
Big Brother: Celebrity Edition Will Give Producers A Chance To Tweak This New Era
I want to reiterate that for me, Season 23 of Big Brother has been phenomenal for a lot of reasons, and it's been great not to have to root against a Houseguest because of controversial house viewpoints or scandals. At the same time, I think there's been a concerted effort by the CBS series to try and avoid showing any fights in the house, as evidenced by the heavily edited confrontation between Derek Frazier and Tiffany Mitchell. Based on live feed conversations, there was a lot more shouting and words exchanged than what was shown on television, and it doesn't seem we'll ever know entirely what went down.
While I agree fully that some things should be left off television, I also feel there's been a concerted effort to keep Big Brother Season 23 a little too clean. House fights happen and provided they aren't too personal or damaging to players, can be shown without excessive controversy. Big Brother: Celebrity Edition would be a great chance to play with that balance, and try to balance fan expectations. Obviously, that's easier said than done, but I'm excited for the spinoff to act as a Season 23.5 to help maybe work out some kinks of this new era before Season 24 proper.
Big Brother: Celebrity Edition Season 3 is set to premiere on CBS in winter 2022. Of course, we still have the rest of Season 23 to get through first, so catch up on all the action and read our great interviews so far with the evicted houseguests.
