Big Brother began making headlines for some of the racist and derogatory comments certain houseguests were making, pretty much since the live feeds came on. While these houseguests certainly aren't the first to give the live feed watchers an earful of their sheltered view on the world, comments from a couple of houseguests made a bigger splash than usual, possibly due - at least in part - to news circulating that some of them have lost their jobs outside the house due to the things they said on the live feeds. As these comments were made for the "live feed" audience - paying subscribers who watch the unedited footage of the Big Brother house online - some were calling for CBS to air the comments in the actual episodes, so that those who don't watch the live feeds can have a more accurate view of what these houseguests are like. Last night, CBS actually did it. Kind of. During Sunday night's pre-taped episode, Big Brother showed a segment featuring some of the racism lowlights from the live feeds, mainly focusing on Aaryn Gries, who's probably the worst offender of the bunch, though she isn't the only one.
Among the snippets of racism featured in the above video are clips of Aaryn making fun of Helen, saying she cried as though someone "killed her f---ing chihuahua," and suggesting she go make some rice. Of course, she didn't say any of this to Helen's face, but she was less shy about doing an impersonation of an Asian manicurist, for the entertainment of some of her fellow houseguests. In another comment, she refers to Andy, a gay houseguest, as "that queer." Considering she knows she's on camera, we have to assume that she either doesn't realize that the things she's saying are offensive, or she doesn't care. Either way, it doesn't show her in the most positive light, and it's already hurt her in the outside world, though she won't know the extent of that until she gets outside.
CBS' decision to show some of the footage is a surprise, considering some of it is from earlier in the season, and they've typically shied away from airing that kind of thing in the past. During Season 8, for example, a houseguest said some very negative things about Jewish people during the live feeds and CBS opted not to air it. It's possible that Big Brother changed their approach this time around because America is playing a more active role in the season. Viewers vote for a weekly "MVP" who gets a special power in the game each week. Granted, Aaryn might not have been in huge contention for that role to begin with, considering she hasn't had the most flattering edit since the series began, but this probably won't help her. But that may be a minor issue compared to the issues her comments have caused her life outside the house. She's already been dropped from a modeling contract and fellow houseguest GinaMarie Zimmerman has also lost her job over her comments. GinaMarie was also featured in the above video, talking about African American houseguest Candice, but she got off easier than Aaryn, considering some of the comments she's made in the house.
Hopefully, these comments are the worst of what we hear from the houseguests this season. If nothing more, this may be a lesson to be learned for those considering participating in Big Brother. Unlike other reality series, where the only footage people see is what the producers edit for TV, this series puts cameras and microphones on its houseguests round the clock. It's not a format for those with racist views and no filter.
