Big Brother Season 23 has been a landmark season for the franchise, with a few key changes that, so far, have resulted in big change for the overall game. Some of the changes have been well-received by the audience at large, but there's still work to be done by the CBS reality series.
Not so much that Big Brother is right back to where it started with a whole new set of issues, but there are ways it can continue to improve as it moves into Big Brother: Celebrity Edition and the speculative Big Brother Season 24. Note that Zingbot's zings are not on the list because I've decided to let him off the hook this season since the cast is just so darn lovable.
Better: Big Brother Season 23 Has The Best Cast In Years
Big Brother Season 23 promised ahead of the season the cast would be different and committed to a much more diverse cast than in the season's past. Big Brother delivered on the promise and gave fans a diverse cast where most if not every person that's been on the show is likable. From Azah Awasum to Xavier Prather, it's fair to say the cast alone has made this season one of the most watchable in years.
Another element is that most, if not all of Big Brother Season 23's Houseguests are fans of the game. In a season where most players are content to follow one Houseguest's playbook only to be unceremoniously voted off, we haven't really seen that this season. Everyone is looking to make moves they think will advance their game, and that's cool to see. The gameplay is much better this season than in the past, and I prefer that much more than recruited players who didn't watch the show and didn't bother to before playing the game.
Needs Work: The Timing Of Double/Triple Evictions
When Big Brother All-Stars 2 did its Triple Eviction late in the season, it almost felt like an act of mercy. Season 23 the late-game eviction is back with a twist, but it's back-to-back double eviction weeks. In a bad season it's good to just speed things up, but in Season 23, it's been torture to know these evictions were coming.
The Cookout busted its ass to get to the Final Six, and now as opposed to seeing the real unexpected drama of Big Brother Season 23 unfold, we'll immediately drop down from Six to the Final Four. Personally, I think doing the back-to-back double-evictions would've been more entertaining earlier in the season, even if they happened pre-jury. I'd much rather quickly lose the Houseguests I barely knew in the course of an hour than those who have been in the house the better part of two months. Maybe other seasons would be different, but I think it's something for Big Brother to consider.
Better: All The House Drama Has Been Tied To Gameplay
Big Brother is a tense game, but despite that, few have stressed out to the point they've disparaged others in the house on a personal level. No one has called anyone a "Polyester-haired bitch," nor has anyone cussed each other out on Taco Tuesday all in an effort to create some drama in the game. All tension has been tied to gameplay, and even if some people don't agree, that's a good thing.
It's been a sad reality that Big Brother Houseguests have had to answer for racial slurs uttered in past seasons, and said things so upsetting to the public they lost their job after exiting the game. I really can't stress enough how great it is that we haven't seen that this season, and how happy I've been that even at their most stressed, all Big Brother Houseguests have been decent human beings. I'm all for drama in the house, but not some of the demeaning and racist ugliness we've seen in years past. That's definitely an era of Big Brother that should be left in the past.
Needs Work: Creating Less Physical Competitions
Big Brother Season 23 had a good deal of physical competitions this year, which is a shame because I'd hoped this would be something that would also be tweaked in the game. While it wasn't always the case in the game, modern seasons of Big Brother heavily favor the most in-shape people of the house. If the house isn't wise enough to take those shots away from major competitors early in the game, there's a high probability we ultimately see those people in the end of the game.
I personally feel like we could've seen more mental competitions in Big Brother Season 23 or more old-school endurance competitions like the Pressure Cooker. I would much rather watch people toy with each other for 16 hours and try to outlast one another rather than seeing who can lean on a wall the longest. If I wanted to see beautiful people who work out three times a day I'd be watching Love Island, let's mix things up and not make so many of the competitions favor the physically dominant players.
Better: The Grand Prize Is Bigger
I know a lot of fans joked and made memes when it was announced Big Brother Season 23 would give the winner $750,000, but just because it's not $1 million doesn't mean it's not a step in the right direction. I mean, sure, there's probably a chunk of alumni from Season 22 who wondered why this wasn't done during the All-Stars season, but at least the series is a step closer to rewarding a winner for nearly 3 months of work.
Big Brother still isn't awarding its winners Survivor-level prize money, and I could make a ton of arguments as to why Big Brother winners deserve the money way more in comparison, but that's an entirely different conversation. For now, let's just leave it at Big Brother winners have been criminally underpaid for years, and it's nice to see them much closer to what they should be paid.
Better But Still Needs Work: Big Brother Has Given Us Additional Content
Big Brother is a show that literally broadcasts a vast majority of its gameplay on streaming services, so it's a little embarrassing as a fan to say it's not enough. Fans have asked for years for more content from the Jury House, and just more access in general to interviews and other activities with the Houseguests. CBS has truthfully made great strides in that with extended interviews with evicted Houseguests on Instagram, and they've even had the Jury make some Tik Toks while they wait for the game to end.
I won't go so far as to say that I want cameras in the Jury House, because I think those players need a break from constant surveillance. With that said, would. it be so hard to upload the full unedited versions of competitions to Paramount+? I think the argument made would be that it's too boring, but we're a fandom who watches people hang out in a house for hours waiting for someone to say something interesting, I don't think many would be bored by something like that. I just think there's an opportunity for Big Brother to do more with its content than what we're currently getting.
Big Brother Season 23 airs on CBS Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more on the beloved franchise, and check out our interviews with this season's cast about their various thoughts on the game.
