Dedicated Big Brother fans know that the show has a few dos and don’ts to winning the show. They include always using the Veto to save yourself, never nominating an ally, and taking out big threats during the double eviction. Big Brother players and fans have learned these rules through many years of players making the same mistakes repeatedly. However, there is a major failure that many Big Brother and Big Brother Canada players continue to make. Some players may have gone further if they prevented this.
Big Brother Canada 12 is in the early weeks but players are once again making this critical mistake. They may eventually correct it, but for now, history seems primed to repeat itself.
Big Brother Returning Players Need To Go Asap
As a Big Brother fan, I can understand how exciting it might be to potentially play the game with a favorite player. You could also want the glory of beating a legendary player in the finals. However, it’s a bad idea to keep a returning player in the house long.
Big Brother 13, Big Brother 14, Big Brother 18, Big Brother: Over the Top, and Big Brother 19 have all had returning players mixed with newbie players. Each of these seasons ended with at least one of the returning players making it to the end of the game. A few of them ended with the returning player winning.
Big Brother Canada has a similar history. Big Brother Canada 5 included half returning players and half newbie players. The season ended with a returning player winning. The returning players controlled the game for most of that season. Big Brother Canada 12 has two returning players. The season has several weeks before the finale, but most likely at least one of them will go pretty far in the game, if not to the end.
History shows that returning Big Brother players are always a danger to first-time players. They are immediate threats that need to go pre-jury. Often, Big Brother gives returning players an advantage that provides them with at least a week of safety, but once they’re eligible for eviction, get them out.
Experience Is A Major Factor
Returning players enter with more experience and knowledge than the new players. Additionally, some of them have enough time out of the house to study the game and analyze and ponder the pros and cons of their past gameplay and other’s gameplay. They could come into the house with a game plan. Many new Big Brother players don’t even think to strategize before entering the house.
Additionally, many Big Brother players become friends with other Big Brother players. They can seek advice from them. If you know someone who won the game, why not ask them for tips? Someone who can communicate and discuss Big Brother with other former players will always have an advantage over those who cannot do the same. Plus, former Big Brother players are usually told in advance that they will return to the game, which gives them time to potentially have a conversation or two with other former players.
They Often Come In The Game With Fans
In Big Brother: Over the Top, the fans had a lot of control over the game. Jason Roy was a fan favorite, so he benefited some from his preexisting fan base. This meant some of his fans from Big Brother 17 were going to support him by making sure the votes were in his favor during certain game advantages. However, Roy’s BBOTT journey was an interesting one because some of his former fans also turned against him. This led to him losing BBOTT to Morgan Willett. The display of power and problems with Big Brother fans is one reason Big Brother: Over the Top remains a show every Big Brother fan needs to watch.
In general, fans often are a benefit to returning players. These fans will likely vote intensely for them for things such as safety, special prizes, or other game powers if the opportunity arrises. Taking out a returning player immediately levels things when it comes to fan-led votes.
Of course, there might be reluctance to target a fan favorite from a past season if it means upsetting their fanbase. Would you want to be the person who has to face upset fans because you took out Dr. Will Kirby, Janelle Pierzina, or Felicia Cannon? And we know how brutal any fandom can become, so it'd be a valid concern. Still, a returning houseguest is till a major threat if you're trying to win the game.
They Have A Presence That Leads To The Other Houseguests Making Bad Decisions
Almost every returning Big Brother player ends up creating a sort of cult around them. Players will play less for themselves and more for the returning player. We saw this most dominantly with Big Brother 19 and Paul Abrahamian. We’re seeing it again in Big Brother Canada 12 with Anthony Douglas and Victoria Woghiren.
Victoria and Anthony haven’t reached Paul's level of control and influence yet. In fact, several people are already talking about taking out Anthony. The tides against Paul were very small. The ability to influence and manipulate houseguests seems to be a perk of being a returning player.
They know how to integrate themselves in a way where everyone thinks they need them as a number. The returning players form many alliances and act as mentors to the new players. Some also downplay how much they want to win the game. This may make players falsely confident in their ability to beat the returning player in the end, the returning player’s loyalty to them, and their ability to evict the returning player later.
Cutting out a returning player early stops them from gaining enough allies to control, and, likely, win the game.
The Season Becomes About The Big Brother Returning Players
I am sure some people go on Big Brother for the pure love of the game. However, even super fans must appear on the show at least a little bit for the thrill of being on TV. Being on reality TV is going to get most people negative or positive attention. Therefore, houseguests probably want to appear on the show and become part of the story of the season.
However, it is rare that returning players don’t become the main storyline of their repeat season. In Big Brother Canada 5, I barely remember anyone who wasn’t a returning player or closely aligned with them. Ika Wong is an example of a returning player who dominated her repeat season and gained more fans in the process. Some returning players become less liked during their second run, but they remain the focal point of the season.
Most of the time, the returning players are a lot more interesting than the new players (at least because they become the center of the house), so as a viewer I enjoy watching them. I was excited to see most returning players return. However, if I was playing the game, I would want to be a presence on the show and that means eliminating players who are going to dominate the story. Returning players usually have the lead roles.
Taking Out The Returning Player Early Could Lead To An Unpredictable Season
It’s infrequent that a returning player doesn’t dominate the season. You can almost pencil in at least one of their names in the final two. The only way to open the door for a completely new player to win is to evict the returning players. Plus, because these players are new, you have no clue how the game will play out, who will gain control, become a comp beast, develop a showmance, etc. Removal of a returning player opens the game wide. It becomes more true to the expect the unexpected motto.
From a pure fan perspective, I love seeing returning players, especially ones who I enjoyed during their initial season. But for players, they need to target them in the first few weeks. Stop letting history repeat itself for the hundredth time.
