UK or US - Big Brother

[Cromwell1900]

A lot of people seem to like the BB US format of the show, dare i say even prefer it to our own version? I'd expect it's a bit more explosive, but does it have genuine moments where it's not about strategy and alliances, but just Real people.

What was the Best thing you saw?

What was the Worst thing you saw?

[alex_front2]

A bit of both. Game play should be rewarded in UK if done well.

[Maia]

Really don't like the US version of BB. It really is just a gameshow all about strategy and tactics, rather than a personality/popularity competition which the UK version is (although for some reason people get the idea our version is strictly a gameshow as well)

[Cromwell1900]

Really don't like the US version of BB. It really is just a gameshow all about strategy and tactics, rather than a personality/popularity competition which the UK version is (although for some reason people get the idea our version is strictly a gameshow as well)

Hm! never thought of BB-UK as a popularity contest but yep, i think that's what it was intended to be and still is largely. I think all this talk about it's a game-show came about as a reason for liking someone thoroughly unlikable, we all love the bad guy after all.

Gonna miss BBUK if it morphes into BBUS.

[Livia]

I prefer the Orwell verson. Chuck them all in Room 101. I'd tune in for that, definitely.

[armand.kay]

I would like a mix of buk,usa and france :)

[Jords]

BBUS I think :shocked:

[Pyramid*]

Never watched it. It never ever took my fancy for some reason.

[showtime77]

I'm kinda conflicted! Right now as in this season I think BBUK is better but it depends on the cast. Of course the shows are very different but I think both shows could and should learn from the other. I wish there was a vocal Big Brother in the US show. I think the audience would love it. BBUS seasons 2,3,5,6,7,10 all great to me. Especially seasons 2,3, 7 & 10 BBUK seasons 2, 3,5, 6, 7 and this season are all worth a watch. If I had to choose one version I would have to choose the UK version as I think the whole experience is tougher and with a house mate like Aaron I think the show is going in the right direction. :hugesmile:

[TheManWhoLaughs]

US has less "genuine moments" because there's only 3 shows a week and a bunch of gameplay competitions happen on a strict schedule - I'd love to see the US format used in the UK but with 7 shows a week.

The best moments are from BBUK but BBUS is more consistently entertaining.

[pegson123]

the us version feels over produced like a film. bbuk and bb au are raw

[Damitol]

I'm in the US and have watched it from the beginning, and this was my first full series BBUK experience. If I had to pick one I'd pick UK as the US has gotten very predictable. It's all talking strategy and alliances, and the tasks are short, few and repetitive. I still watch religiously and track the online feed summary web sites, but it needs some revamping.

I like the variety of tasks and audience participation of BBUK and all of the talk in the diary room. I like the feeling that they are all in it together rather then everyone in it for themselves. I like that they show tender and fun moments between couples instead of mainly talk about getting someone else evicted.

I'm sure it's a "grass is greener" situation and a long time BBUK fan would find BBUS an interesting change, but I've really enjoyed this year's series and will be watching next summer - maybe at the expense of following the US show.

[showtime77]

I'm kinda conflicted! Right now as in this season I think BBUK is better but it depends on the cast. Of course the shows are very different but I think both shows could and should learn from the other. I wish there was a vocal Big Brother in the US show. I think the audience would love it. BBUS seasons 2,3,5,6,7,10 all great to me. Especially seasons 2,3, 7 & 10 BBUK seasons 2, 3,5, 6, 7 and this season are all worth a watch. If I had to choose one version I would have to choose the UK version as I think the whole experience is tougher and with a house mate like Aaron I think the show is going in the right direction. :hugesmile:

[jyunga]

Yea the US version feels REALLLLY fake nowadays. Especially now that the previous HMs are doing a lot of reality **** and talking with fans constantly about their time in the house and how production hinted and manipulated their opinions at times. I don't think a format change would bring in much more viewers in the UK.

[BBfanUSA]

BBUS... at least we have a live feed. But the current producer has run out of ideas. We need to bring back BB2-7's producer and also make them keep the feeds on 24/7 or cut the audio (If you haven't signed awaiver to have ur name mentioned bb shuts the feeds off same as singing also comps are usually not shown on feeds to get people to watch the shows but we find out who wins anyway thanks to the looks on hgs faces and memory wall) (to signify that a hg is safe thier key is under thier picture, if your key isn't under your pic, ur nommed, to signify a hg that is no longer in the game the pic turns to black and white)

[BBfan6418]

I like both the US and UK shows. I wish the US would go back to the raw uncut diary room sessions instead of them sounding like they have been rehersing. They both should not put in die hard fans of the show. They take away a lot of the suprises.

[Flamingjoe]

I watch both but overall I much prefer BBUK. I don't think I would be able to live without a public vote! lol

[MeMyselfAndI]

Love them both, US i find more entertaining, although its only on 3 times a week. So i Like BB UK as its on more. So I like them the same, I have watched from series 5 on both UK & US :D

[Gemmachi]

I'm from the US and watch both, and honestly I don't think I can answer this question fully. I like them both for different reasons. BBUK has produced some epic characters such as Nikki, Makosi, Charley, etc, and I love the whole process of an eviction because of the crowd and the housemates worrying about whether they'll get cheered or booed.

That being said, it's very easy to get addicted to BBUS if you watch the live feeds / showtime after dark. Watching BBUS can be a roller coaster ride, tbh, because in our version each week one person wins "HoH" and single handedly makes the nominations. That means that if you get really into the show and start rooting for a particular alliance hardcore, you have up weeks and down weeks. For me this year, the alliance I was rooting for was down at the final 9, 3 people against 6. I went from being thrilled one week when one of my faves won HoH and was able to keep them all safe, to downright depressed the next week when someone from the other alliance won HoH, meaning one of my faves was definitely going to be evicted. BBUS is an all out war when the house splits in two like it often does, and I think BBUK can't quite replicate that. Yeah, this series we had Aaron vs Anton, but we all knew that Aaron's side was going to win every week, because the public had full control. BBUS can flip on a dime from a single competition. Anyone who watched this season can vouch that Porsche & Rachel are probably the LAST two people they would've predicted to make it to the final two early on, and yet they both made it by following different paths.

[=^..^=]

I prefer Big Brother UK. I am looking forward to the return of Australia's Big Brother in the new year. Big Brother US is awful... Remember Big Brother 9, the winter edition? The housemates were horrible. I remember a CBS exec commenting "put some lipstick on that pig."

[Cromwell1900]

I love the personality that is Big Bro, loses it's charm without it. So no DR chat's in the US version then, some of the best moments have come from the DR like Nicki Graham's "Who is she" and Siavash falling over dressed as a barrell :joker:

http://bigbroweb.co.uk/big-brother-10/task-not-a-barrel-of-laughs-for-siavash.aspx




I'm in the US and have watched it from the beginning, and this was my first full series BBUK experience. If I had to pick one I'd pick UK as the US has gotten very predictable. It's all talking strategy and alliances, and the tasks are short, few and repetitive. I still watch religiously and track the online feed summary web sites, but it needs some revamping.

I like the variety of tasks and audience participation of BBUK and all of the talk in the diary room. I like the feeling that they are all in it together rather then everyone in it for themselves. I like that they show tender and fun moments between couples instead of mainly talk about getting someone else evicted.

I'm sure it's a "grass is greener" situation and a long time BBUK fan would find BBUS an interesting change, but I've really enjoyed this year's series and will be watching next summer - maybe at the expense of following the US show.

Yep! from the start the Hm's are in it together, and it's all about which friends you make along the way, rather than which people will help you reach the final, it does play a part in the UK version, but only toward the end when Friendships are sealed anyway.

The Uk task's are too few and far between, daily tasks would be good.

[SoBig]

BB US and its not even close.

BB US is BBUK plus more.

[icecakes]

loved Siavash he was my fav :hugesmile:

but Nikki grahame :nono::yuk::yuk:

[psychtracker]

Coming from BB AU to UK i was surprised how obvious the camera's are in the UK version, and really noticed HMs looking into them. The Aussie house camera's seemed very much concealed, and i think the show has a much more natural feel simply for that reason. How does the US version compare re: the camera's.

[Yayita]

I'm in the US and have watched it from the beginning, and this was my first full series BBUK experience. If I had to pick one I'd pick UK as the US has gotten very predictable. It's all talking strategy and alliances, and the tasks are short, few and repetitive. I still watch religiously and track the online feed summary web sites, but it needs some revamping.

I like the variety of tasks and audience participation of BBUK and all of the talk in the diary room. I like the feeling that they are all in it together rather then everyone in it for themselves. I like that they show tender and fun moments between couples instead of mainly talk about getting someone else evicted.

I'm sure it's a "grass is greener" situation and a long time BBUK fan would find BBUS an interesting change, but I've really enjoyed this year's series and will be watching next summer - maybe at the expense of following the US show.

I am also American and always watched BBUS, this is also my first time watching BBUK and I love it! It manage to captivate me more than any US season after Dr Will.

I think the US version should borrow some aspects from the UK. For example not allow nomination talks once in a while. The US version is all about aliances and good people end up evicted because of this.

On the other hand, I like the US competitions better, although they are predictable; the UK version should have something similar to veto and food competition. Also when people screw up with the food budget, those that mess it up for the rest should be punished... similar to the have nots concept in BBUS.

The most refreshing thing about BBUK are the people, this show develops peoples characters more than the US version. The diary room visits show us alot, so we become more invested in these people. The US does not do this very well, so there isnt such a cult following. I must say though, that the UK peeps seem to polite, to sweet... no one really wants to be bold or cause real fights/drama as in the US version.

All in all, I think we can borrow ideas from eachother... I also agree that we gravitate towards whats different, and could be why UK peeps like the US version and the US peeps, like the UK version.

PS: Im not sure like the audience voting though because it skews results to wards one demographic - Usualy the youngsters. This causes a popularity contest aspect i dont like.... maybe there is a way to mix both.

[Marc]

Strategy/Tactics > personality and boring people.

US trumps UK

[reece(:]

im from the uk and love the usa version much more, its not only drama but strategy and tactics as well, there are also lots of crazy housemates too

bbus>bbuk

[starry]

Really don't like the US version of BB. It really is just a gameshow all about strategy and tactics, rather than a personality/popularity competition which the UK version is (although for some reason people get the idea our version is strictly a gameshow as well)

The British version has just become a laugh and feel superior to the HMs show, reaching its nadir this year. It's not about true personalities because most people only seem interested in caricatures. The American version definitely felt superior and even more real than the British version this year, and that just shows how much things have changed.

[dyfed]

I am also American and always watched BBUS, this is also my first time watching BBUK and I love it! It manage to captivate me more than any US season after Dr Will.

I think the US version should borrow some aspects from the UK. For example not allow nomination talks once in a while. The US version is all about aliances and good people end up evicted because of this.

On the other hand, I like the US competitions better, although they are predictable; the UK version should have something similar to veto and food competition. Also when people screw up with the food budget, those that mess it up for the rest should be punished... similar to the have nots concept in BBUS.

The most refreshing thing about BBUK are the people, this show develops peoples characters more than the US version. The diary room visits show us alot, so we become more invested in these people. The US does not do this very well, so there isnt such a cult following. I must say though, that the UK peeps seem to polite, to sweet... no one really wants to be bold or cause real fights/drama as in the US version.

All in all, I think we can borrow ideas from eachother... I also agree that we gravitate towards whats different, and could be why UK peeps like the US version and the US peeps, like the UK version.

PS: Im not sure like the audience voting though because it skews results to wards one demographic - Usualy the youngsters. This causes a popularity contest aspect i dont like.... maybe there is a way to mix both.
I so agree.. I would also like to see BBUK stop the bad language,every other word is a curse word,it's like a disease....I don't think there is a need for it.:nono:

[Roy Mars III]

UK without a doubt. I haven't really liked a US season since 7.

[WARING]

The US Version is 100% Rubbish that panders to brain dead people. The UK version is far superior.

[Diatom]

Hello! We too are watching BBUK for the first time and I must say we love it. Also, watching from the US.
I prefer the UK version hands down. Like other comments a blend of the two would be perfect. Broadcast every night? Brilliant! The US version is highly edited and only on 3 nights a week...lame. (That pisses me off about Survivor too, once a week? It could be so much better).
I love the crazy tasks they give the UK housemates VS the US competitions but again a little of both would be great.
Amazing, the amount of money spent. Don't think I'd go so far as to spend money on votes though.
Oh, and the Celebrity BB...damn! Love that Paddy!

[Liberty4eva]

I think emotions run higher in BBUSA because they are battling each other and lying to each other.

[newyorkjgjg]

Uk 100 times better < i live in the usa and this is my first season of bbuk it towers over yhe usa version

[Liberty4eva]

For the people who call BBUSA rubbish I'd ask them to find one episode of BBUK that is as entertaining and dramatic as BBUSA Season 6, episode 18. Anyone who hasn't looked into BB USA should watch this episode and, even without the backstory, if they're not impressed then BB USA is not for you. I think this episode blows anything BBUK out of the water.

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[SoBig]

BB US Season 6 was the best season ever.

Janelle was amazing that season.

That season alone>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> BBUK combined

[axxerd]

As a Canadian who has the US BB broadcasted to my TV each year...I hate it. I don't watch it, and can't stand to be in the room to hear it when my wife watches it. It seems so fake, edited, scripted, and full of actors.

I have been downloading BBUK from bit torrents since the year Anthony won

[Mokka]

Canadian too, and while I can agree that BBUS Season 6 was good, it has really been all down hill from there.
I far Far FAR prefer UK over US. US has become too predictable with alliances from day one setting the stage for the outcome every time.
What I like best about UK is the people's vote ( that I wish I could be apart of b/c if I had Harry would not have left), the not discussing nominations (which didn't apply this year), and the after shows. The only thing US beats UK in is challenges are more intense.
One last note, with UK I am addicted from the beginning, but once it gets down too the final 5, it becomes boring. With US, I can usually skip the first half of the season and still get everything I need from it for entertainment out of the last 1/3 b/c that's when it ramps up.

[Liberty4eva]

Canadian too, and while I can agree that BBUS Season 6 was good, it has really been all down hill from there.
I far Far FAR prefer UK over US. US has become too predictable with alliances from day one setting the stage for the outcome every time.
What I like best about UK is the people's vote ( that I wish I could be apart of b/c if I had Harry would not have left), the not discussing nominations (which didn't apply this year), and the after shows. The only thing US beats UK in is challenges are more intense.
One last note, with UK I am addicted from the beginning, but once it gets down too the final 5, it becomes boring. With US, I can usually skip the first half of the season and still get everything I need from it for entertainment out of the last 1/3 b/c that's when it ramps up.

The only season that I would call too predictable was season 12 with the brigade. Last year there were no close votes. This season there were many close votes and there was more fighting. Who could have predicted Shelly would backstab her favorite houseguest ever, Jeff? Who could have predicted she would vote for Rachel to win Big Brother and be the swing vote to do so? Rachel making it to the final 2 is almost a miracle.

[Marc]

im from the uk and love the usa version much more, its not only drama but strategy and tactics as well, there are also lots of crazy housemates too

bbus>bbuk

Thiiiiiiiiiiiiissss

http://operagasm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/opera-singer.jpg

[Marc]

BB US Season 6 was the best season ever.

Janelle was amazing that season.

That season alone>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> BBUK combined

was ruined by the fact Maggie won :bored:

[US Nacho]

This is a tough one for me to answer. I see positives and negatives in each format.

I think generally speaking, the UK version does a better job of picking more interesting housemates. The 8 non-all star housemates in this last US season had the personality of boiled cabbage. I think you could randomly pick people off the street and end up with a better show 99 times out of 100.

I LOVE how the UK version gets put on 7 nights a week and then has BoTS and other shows that spend a lot of time talking about BB. It really feels like (at least from an outsider's perspective) that BB is more widely known and discussed in the UK.

Personally, I enjoy the strategic aspect of the US version way more. In the UK it is seen as a negative if you are thought to be "playing the game" or if you have a gameplan. Since when is it a negative quality to want to do well at things?

I also like how it's possible to remove yourself from the eviction vote by winning a competition, however it has been pretty obvious recently how easy it is for the production staff to stack the odds in favor of selected housemates. Without question, that is a HUGE negative of BB US if you are operating under the assumption that it is a "reality" show. Then again, BB UK has had it's share of blatant manipulation through editing as well. Actually, now that I think about it, BB AU was pretty bad about this too. I suppose it's too much to ask to have a true reality show that hasn't been edited to show someone's idea of what reality should be.

I do like how the UK version allows you more potential to see the real personalities of the housemates. In the US version they are almost always playing the game, and while, as I said above, I don't think that's a bad thing, there is definitely something to be said for just observing the social aspect of the situation.

Obviously the down side of the US version is that it's entirely possible for the "wrong" person to win. At least with the UK version, the majority of the viewers will be happy with the outcome. In the US, it's possible that almost nobody will be happy with the winner. Someone mentioned S6 and one of the last great seasons, and I do agree, but even in that great season, the winner was one of the most disliked housemates in BB history.

I don't know what the perfect BB solution would be like. I do like it when BB UK allows their housemates to talk about discussions. It does have a more US/strategy feel to it, but I can see where, if the public still has 100% control over who goes, all the strategy in the world isn't going to matter. Personally, my favorite series of any BB I've watched was BBUS 8 with Evel Dick and America's housemate. The public had just enough say in that season, by controlling one player's votes/actions that the "right" housemate won while still having tons of gameplay and strategy. Maybe something like that might work for the next series of BB UK.

[starry]

The US Version is 100% Rubbish that panders to brain dead people. The UK version is far superior.

Wow, you think the British version caters to an intelligent audience?

[PooBay]

Never watched a single second of footage from the US show nor do I intend to. It just doesn't interest me.

[threedoggies]

I prefer the Orwell verson. Chuck them all in Room 101. I'd tune in for that, definitely.

Unfortunately it will never work the same way as it did at the beginning. All of the contestants now are too aware of the media attention they hope to get after the show and most of them are in for the after show benefits.

[threedoggies]

I have enjoyed this series because it has been a lot of strategy and tactics but not as obvious as the US version.

As long as a section of the viewers still believe that any of the HMs are being real and vote for them for that reason it will probably not change much from what it is at this point. Which is a good thing. Those of us who enjoy the strategy and tactics and see the HMs for what they are doing get what they want and those who don't see it get what they want out of the show.

[starry]

I think generally speaking, the UK version does a better job of picking more interesting housemates.


Not this year, it was a crap selection. And on top of that they are just presented as caricatures in a comedy anyway.


It really feels like (at least from an outsider's perspective) that BB is more widely known and discussed in the UK.


Less so than it used to be.


Personally, I enjoy the strategic aspect of the US version way more. In the UK it is seen as a negative if you are thought to be "playing the game" or if you have a gameplan.


Not necessarily, Victor was appreciated for instance. But too many of the gameplayers have no originality, and the show is just presented as a comedy where all the HMs are just a joke anyway.


I also like how it's possible to remove yourself from the eviction vote by winning a competition, however it has been pretty obvious recently how easy it is for the production staff to stack the odds in favor of selected housemates. Without question, that is a HUGE negative of BB US if you are operating under the assumption that it is a "reality" show. Then again, BB UK has had it's share of blatant manipulation through editing as well. Actually, now that I think about it, BB AU was pretty bad about this too. I suppose it's too much to ask to have a true reality show that hasn't been edited to show someone's idea of what reality should be.


It's never been a show completely about 'reality'. However reduce it to caricature like the British version has become and it just looks trash.


I do like how the UK version allows you more potential to see the real personalities of the housemates. In the US version they are almost always playing the game, and while, as I said above, I don't think that's a bad thing, there is definitely something to be said for just observing the social aspect of the situation.


I think there is some social aspect to the American version. And the British version is not interested in real personalities, it didn't pick people that are that complex this year, and as in every year it just presents them as caricatures.


Obviously the down side of the US version is that it's entirely possible for the "wrong" person to win. At least with the UK version, the majority of the viewers will be happy with the outcome. In the US, it's possible that almost nobody will be happy with the winner.


You'll never please everyone with the winner in whatever version. There have been winners in the British version who most of the audience might not have liked that much and certainly wanted their other favourites to win more. Also remember not all those who watch vote, most people probably don't vote. And the show is surely about the series as a whole and not simply who is the last one.


I don't know what the perfect BB solution would be like. I do like it when BB UK allows their housemates to talk about discussions. It does have a more US/strategy feel to it, but I can see where, if the public still has 100% control over who goes, all the strategy in the world isn't going to matter.

There is strategy in both versions. And though they can't discuss nominations in the British one they can still heavily influence indirectly by saying to someone they like or dislike this HM or that group etc.

[luminoussun]

I like the usa version better.
The head of house is great and the food is done better.Plus i like veto too and the drama it brings.
But i like our way of nominating more.I think a mix would be perfect.Say if the hoh was imune and put 1 housmate up for eviction and everyone else voted like normal and vote 2 more.so 3 are up and the audience save 1 and then the house evicts 1 out of the 2 left.
I am fed up of uk housemates bum licking eachother for the whole show in fear of looking bad on the outside.This way they will be forced to play the game a bit more.

[starry]

I also like how it's possible to remove yourself from the eviction vote by winning a competition

I forgot to say that they actually did this in the 10th (previous) series of the British version, unfortunately they scrapped it in this latest and I think weaker series.

[Liberty4eva]

was ruined by the fact Maggie won :bored:

I don't think people disliked Maggie it's just that people liked the Soverign alliance better. Ivette was, hands down, the face of everything that people hated about the Friendship alliance. Ivette should have taken Janelle to the final 2 and evicted Maggie if she wanted a better shot at winning. Like James said, she chose friendship with someone she knew for 2 months over 450 thousand dollars.

[Liberty4eva]

I think the US format is better and the concept is better because it's closer to being an actual social experiment in that it's far more self-contained than BBUK. That's because the houseguests know that ultimately they will decide who wins. BBUK ultimately is a popularity contest so the houseguests know they have to cater to the outside world as much as to each other.

That said, even though the format is superior I think the editing is bad. Hardly a minute can go by in the regular show without them using some type of dramatic music. And I hate it that the houseguests are not presented as 3 dimensional people. Instead, the people who do the editing practically decide how you feel about certain people. The "heroes" and the "villains" when in reality everyone is a mixture of both.

[Mokka]

The only season that I would call too predictable was season 12 with the brigade. Last year there were no close votes. This season there were many close votes and there was more fighting. Who could have predicted Shelly would backstab her favorite houseguest ever, Jeff? Who could have predicted she would vote for Rachel to win Big Brother and be the swing vote to do so? Rachel making it to the final 2 is almost a miracle.

Shelly backstabbing = predictable. Did you not see her in the diary room and how sneakily she played the "double agent" to make it look like she was helping someone other than her self

Rachel winning = predictable, since BB practically manipulated the whole game to make it happen. (Brendon coming back, pandora's box). No miracle here, just great production.

All of the events were apart of the BBUS cookie cutter show

[Liberty4eva]

Shelly backstabbing = predictable. Did you not see her in the diary room and how sneakily she played the "double agent" to make it look like she was helping someone other than her self

Rachel winning = predictable, since BB practically manipulated the whole game to make it happen. (Brendon coming back, pandora's box). No miracle here, just great production.

All of the events were apart of the BBUS cookie cutter show

NO ONE could have predicted Shelly would put her key in for Rachel, especially after the nasty goodbye message Rachel left her. Unless you're going to speculate that BB forced her to do that or bribed her, you'll have to back off your claim that Rachel winning was predictable. NO ONE could have predicted Jeff would have thrown his clown shoe out of the box resulting in his own eviction. If Jeff had won that POV (which it seemed set up for) then Rachel would have been the one to go. The only key juncture in the game where I may agree with you was Pandora's Box. Yet Rachel still would have won POV, and her ally Jordan would have needed just one vote (Kalia's or Shelly's) to stay in the game. Kalia had a deal with Jordan the entire game that they wouldn't vote each other out and Shelly may have decided to keep Jordan, her favorite HG ever, and evict Adam, whose loyalties were suspect. Jordan still probably would have left but it wasn't a done deal at all.

They weren't planning on bringing Brendon back because they kept the other houseguests in sequester so they were planning on bringing back an evicted HG the whole time. Jeff and Jordan fans voted Brendon back in because he was an ally of Jeff and they knew he was a bigger target than Jeff.

[reece(:]

and atleast the usa has live feed with 4 different cameras which shows all the unedited stuff

[Cromwell1900]

Coming from BB AU to UK i was surprised how obvious the camera's are in the UK version, and really noticed HMs looking into them. The Aussie house camera's seemed very much concealed, and i think the show has a much more natural feel simply for that reason. How does the US version compare re: the camera's.


Omnipresence of the camera's yep, they could disguise them a bit, make them miss-able, instead they hang them from thick silver polls from the ceiling. "Big Brother is watching you" - one of the elements in the UK show which still legitimizes it's link to Orwell's "Big Brother" They want the house-mate to feel they are being watched, yet this conflicts with it's other elemental link "The voice of Big Brother" He seems to get less Big Brother and more Friendly Uncle. Regardless to which i prefer BBUK has been ripped out of it's foundations over the years in an attempt to dial into a populist sweet spot.

I remember when they did a similar thing with Red Dwarf, which had a huge cult following, and voided any responsibilities to become the happy medium due to it's cheapness to make. They changed it, and spent more money on it and it became not gentle enough to be popular, nor subtle enough to be cult.

Seems BB-UK are not finding this sweet spot if the decline in viewing figures are concerned, and have pretty much annoyed loyal fans this year with there extreme definition of "Artistic License" i really don't think the makers of it know what they are doing at all.

Is the Grass always greener? i think so. So is there a happy medium? i hope so because Tv that cost's as much as BB-UK don't survive on around 1.5 million viewers. And i don't like the idea that they would bridge that gap from the voters wallet.

[Cromwell1900]

I think the US format is better and the concept is better because it's closer to being an actual social experiment in that it's far more self-contained than BBUK. That's because the houseguests know that ultimately they will decide who wins. BBUK ultimately is a popularity contest so the houseguests know they have to cater to the outside world as much as to each other.

That said, even though the format is superior I think the editing is bad. Hardly a minute can go by in the regular show without them using some type of dramatic music. And I hate it that the houseguests are not presented as 3 dimensional people. Instead, the people who do the editing practically decide how you feel about certain people. The "heroes" and the "villains" when in reality everyone is a mixture of both.

This sounds all to familiar to me of this years BB-UK not so much toward the end but certainly till half way through. Do you think in the US show this is done because the production chose favorites for some reason or to make their definition of "good TV" ? i.e do they pick up on natural traits in people and edit to add emphasis to those traits?

[Liberty4eva]

This sounds all to familiar to me of this years BB-UK not so much toward the end but certainly till half way through. Would be interested to know, if you thought, this in the US show was because the production chose favorites for some reason or to make their definition of "good TV" ? i.e do they pick up on natural traits in people and edit to add emphasis to those traits?

I think production knows which houseguests bring them ratings. So they can gently encourage the game to go a certain direction by planting seeds in housguests ears in the diary room and choosing certain contests that will favor certain people. However, for the most part, it's the houseguests themselves that will decide who wins the game.

And I do think the people editing the show emphasize certain characteristics about the houseguests. America's favorite, Jeff, often came across as a moody self-entitled prick on the live feeds but he got a decent edit. I thought that Jessie (BB10 BB11) whom America hated was a much nicer fellow than Jeff.

[WARING]

Wow, you think the British version caters to an intelligent audience?

Lol.. Good point, but what I meant is in the American Version, the Chen-Bot (Julie Chen) has to explain EVERYTHING to the audience. It's quite insulting and takes a lot of the surprise out of the show. The UK version is more sneaky with it's twists and turns and makes for a more entertaining show, but I must say this years UK series has adapted elements from the US which I find bothersome. Like the Highly recapped Saturday shows. I've watched all week, I know what happened, it's annoying to see it all again. The Recap on Friday live shows is boring as well.

[oopsimawesome]

I also live in the states and discovered BBUK online last year right after the US season ended. I started with UK11 and was like WTF is going on here?! I then tore through the entire UK series in 9 months. BBUS pales in comparison to the UK version. Really, all they do in the US is backstab, lie, and manipulate their way to the final. (Aaron would have been a great fit for the US version) Davina has more charisma in her pinky finger than the US host Julie Chenbot does. Julie just reads the teleprompter and her delivery is as flat as a pancake, Davina on the other hand was invested and interested in what was going on. In the UK the tasks are better, the housemates are more enjoyable, there are moments and relationships that form, build, and grow whereas in US they would sell their best friend in the house or their own mom down the river to get the half million. I can name at least 5 housemates from each UK season, yet I can't name 2 people from each season of the US version. Hell, I can't even remember who was on it last summer, it's so forgettable. I'm beyond thankful to have found BBUK, I absolutely adore it and hope it stays on longer than next year. Either way I'm making plans to come to the UK in the summer and partake in a live eviction.

[Liberty4eva]

Like I said before, can anyone direct me to an episode or segment of BBUK that is as interesting as the one I posted?

And I think that Julie Chin's personality (or lack of one) goes in with the theme of the show that we are all spectators in an experiment whose conclusion is uncertain. It's trying to be more like a documentary and if Julie was all bubbly and shouty like Divina it wouldn't fit.

Probably my fav housemate from BBUK is Nikki but she wasn't quite as interesting as the evil Dr. Will, Janelle, or Evel Dick.

[Liberty4eva]

MwKm3tomciM

Found a fun video of Season 13. Post any tribute vids for BBUK this year.

[Kerry]

UK for me. Though TBF I'm a creature of habit and prefer what I know

[Macie Lightfoot]

I don't think people disliked Maggie it's just that people liked the Soverign alliance better. Ivette was, hands down, the face of everything that people hated about the Friendship alliance. Ivette should have taken Janelle to the final 2 and evicted Maggie if she wanted a better shot at winning. Like James said, she chose friendship with someone she knew for 2 months over 450 thousand dollars.

Not at all. If Ivette evicted Janelle, she would've betrayed Maggie and essentially gone back on everything the Friendship was founded upon, and essentially lose all her Jury votes. If Ivette evicted Maggie, Janelle would win. But if Janelle evicted Maggie, Ivette would've won. Ivette's best move would've been to throw the final HoH, especially because Janelle promised her F2. She knew she didn't have enough votes to win against either of them and just wanted second place.

[Macie Lightfoot]

They weren't planning on bringing Brendon back because they kept the other houseguests in sequester so they were planning on bringing back an evicted HG the whole time. Jeff and Jordan fans voted Brendon back in because he was an ally of Jeff and they knew he was a bigger target than Jeff.

When the America's Choice is usually Week 3 and it gets pushed back to Week 4 this year, obviously it was to bring a veteran back into the game.

[iRyan]

Like I said before, can anyone direct me to an episode or segment of BBUK that is as interesting as the one I posted?

And I think that Julie Chin's personality (or lack of one) goes in with the theme of the show that we are all spectators in an experiment whose conclusion is uncertain. It's trying to be more like a documentary and if Julie was all bubbly and shouty like Divina it wouldn't fit.

Probably my fav housemate from BBUK is Nikki but she wasn't quite as interesting as the evil Dr. Will, Janelle, or Evel Dick.

Makosi is the best Big Brother housemate ever. She is 10x more complex and interesting than anyone from BBUS. People in the house actually believed she was a mole. You have to watch her season to understand, but here:

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And Janelle is the queen, but Nikki > Janelle tbh.

[Liberty4eva]

Not at all. If Ivette evicted Janelle, she would've betrayed Maggie and essentially gone back on everything the Friendship was founded upon, and essentially lose all her Jury votes. If Ivette evicted Maggie, Janelle would win. But if Janelle evicted Maggie, Ivette would've won. Ivette's best move would've been to throw the final HoH, especially because Janelle promised her F2. She knew she didn't have enough votes to win against either of them and just wanted second place.

That's not necessarily true. In BB5, when Drew won the final HOH and evicted his shocked girlfriend, Diane, she suggested she wouldn't vote for him but ended up voting for him (he won 4-3). In BB12 Hayden won the final HOH and evicted his close ally Enzo and he voted for Hayden to win. The only example I can think of where someone evicted an ally and that ally didn't vote for them is this year when Rachel evicted Adam. The only nerd herd vote Ivette got was Beau which she would have gotten anyways. The only sovereign votes Ivette didn't get were Rachel and Howie which she wouldn't have gotten anyways. Taking Janelle would have been no easy path to victory but it at least would be a pathway where victory was possible. Take a leap of faith and hope Maggie and the other nerd herders understand that she had to do what she had to do to help her family?

A lot of people did not like Ivette. The next season during all-stars James said that Rachel had threatened Howie and said if he voted for Ivette she would never speak to him again. LOL.

[SoBig]

That's not necessarily true. In BB5, when Drew won the final HOH and evicted his shocked girlfriend, Diane, she suggested she wouldn't vote for him but ended up voting for him (he won 4-3). In BB12 Hayden won the final HOH and evicted his close ally Enzo and he voted for Hayden to win. The only example I can think of where someone evicted an ally and that ally didn't vote for them is this year when Rachel evicted Adam. The only nerd herd vote Ivette got was Beau which she would have gotten anyways. The only sovereign votes Ivette didn't get were Rachel and Howie which she wouldn't have gotten anyways. Taking Janelle would have been no easy path to victory but it at least would be a pathway where victory was possible. Take a leap of faith and hope Maggie and the other nerd herders understand that she had to do what she had to do to help her family?

A lot of people did not like Ivette. The next season during all-stars James said that Rachel had threatened Howie and said if he voted for Ivette she would never speak to him again. LOL.
If Cowboy had won, he would of been hands downs the worst BB winner ever.

[Liberty4eva]

Makosi is the best Big Brother housemate ever. She is 10x more complex and interesting than anyone from BBUS. People in the house actually believed she was a mole. You have to watch her season to understand, but here:

4lXR6WkZ2-s

And Janelle is the queen, but Nikki > Janelle tbh.

Seriously? I doubt there's any way Makosi is more interesting or complex than the evil Dr. Will.

In season 2 Dr. Will basically told every houseguest, to their face, that he was a bad guy and would stab them in the back, in the front, stab them wherever he could, he told people not to trust him and he found a way to make it to the end and win the whole game.

51XdxB7vcU8

[Roy Mars III]

Seriously? I doubt there's any way Makosi is more interesting or complex than the evil Dr. Will.

In season 2 Dr. Will basically told every houseguest, to their face, that he was a bad guy and would stab them in the back, in the front, stab them wherever he could, he told people not to trust him and he found a way to make it to the end and win the whole game.

51XdxB7vcU8

:worship:

[SoBig]

Seriously? I doubt there's any way Makosi is more interesting or complex than the evil Dr. Will.

In season 2 Dr. Will basically told every houseguest, to their face, that he was a bad guy and would stab them in the back, in the front, stab them wherever he could, he told people not to trust him and he found a way to make it to the end and win the whole game.

51XdxB7vcU8
Dr. Will was awesome. He used to come up with some of the most unbelievable lies and they would believe every word he said. :laugh3:

[Roy Mars III]

Dr. Will convincing everybody that Marcellus took the money and the prizes in the task in season 7 is one of the best moments in Big Brother history.

[BB_Fan_09]

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[Macie Lightfoot]

That's not necessarily true. In BB5, when Drew won the final HOH and evicted his shocked girlfriend, Diane, she suggested she wouldn't vote for him but ended up voting for him (he won 4-3). In BB12 Hayden won the final HOH and evicted his close ally Enzo and he voted for Hayden to win. The only example I can think of where someone evicted an ally and that ally didn't vote for them is this year when Rachel evicted Adam. The only nerd herd vote Ivette got was Beau which she would have gotten anyways. The only sovereign votes Ivette didn't get were Rachel and Howie which she wouldn't have gotten anyways. Taking Janelle would have been no easy path to victory but it at least would be a pathway where victory was possible. Take a leap of faith and hope Maggie and the other nerd herders understand that she had to do what she had to do to help her family?

A lot of people did not like Ivette. The next season during all-stars James said that Rachel had threatened Howie and said if he voted for Ivette she would never speak to him again. LOL.

It is necessarily true, you can't compare other seasons to how season 6 was. The Friendship was an alliance founded based on friendship, just look at its name. Maggie led it as a cult and if Ivette backstabbed Maggie, went back on the cult and the friendship, she would've immediately lost the respect of everyone and their votes. The group as founded as a group of friends and carried a mentality that their friendship was more important than the game. April and Beau confirmed that the Friendship Jurors wouldn't have voted for Ivette in that scenario. Ivette needed to throw the final HoH to win, she couldn't have won it.

[Gemmachi]

Seriously? I doubt there's any way Makosi is more interesting or complex than the evil Dr. Will.

In season 2 Dr. Will basically told every houseguest, to their face, that he was a bad guy and would stab them in the back, in the front, stab them wherever he could, he told people not to trust him and he found a way to make it to the end and win the whole game.

51XdxB7vcU8

Did you watch BB6? As someone who's watched that series and both of the BBUS seasons Will was on, I don't think there's much of a contest. Dr. Will was interesting too but Makosi is miles ahead of him in terms of being an entertaining character. That's not at all a dig at him, it's just a testament to how interesting and complex Makosi was.

[rk3388]

Us> UK
UK is NOT personality contest anynmore, its a contest who can act nice the longest.

[iRyan]

Did you watch BB6? As someone who's watched that series and both of the BBUS seasons Will was on, I don't think there's much of a contest. Dr. Will was interesting too but Makosi is miles ahead of him in terms of being an entertaining character. That's not at all a dig at him, it's just a testament to how interesting and complex Makosi was.

This.

You can't say unless you've seen BB6. There has never been any other housemate like Makosi. She has more layers than an onion. She is a legitimate pathological liar, claimed she was pregnant after being fingered in the pool, she would nominate her friends for eviction, and everyone thought she was a mole and she would feed into it and not deny it.

[starry]

Lol.. Good point, but what I meant is in the American Version, the Chen-Bot (Julie Chen) has to explain EVERYTHING to the audience. It's quite insulting and takes a lot of the surprise out of the show. The UK version is more sneaky with it's twists and turns and makes for a more entertaining show, but I must say this years UK series has adapted elements from the US which I find bothersome. Like the Highly recapped Saturday shows. I've watched all week, I know what happened, it's annoying to see it all again. The Recap on Friday live shows is boring as well.

They have adopted elements from the US (or the old Australian one?) and not in a good way. I totally agree about Julie Chen having to explain everything to the audience, eg before each HG votes on eviction. It's treating all the audience like they are just casual viewers. Also the narrating from the DR (something brought into the British version) just tends to repeat stuff we already know, rather than being something more personal and revealing.

I think the US format is better and the concept is better because it's closer to being an actual social experiment in that it's far more self-contained than BBUK. That's because the houseguests know that ultimately they will decide who wins. BBUK ultimately is a popularity contest so the houseguests know they have to cater to the outside world as much as to each other.

That said, even though the format is superior I think the editing is bad. Hardly a minute can go by in the regular show without them using some type of dramatic music. And I hate it that the houseguests are not presented as 3 dimensional people. Instead, the people who do the editing practically decide how you feel about certain people. The "heroes" and the "villains" when in reality everyone is a mixture of both.

I don't like the use of music. But I have to say they are doing it even worse now in the British series this year. They are putting music to the most boring and badly edited montages, and are using bad music as well. The Americans actually do that part better, as well as being a bit less preoccupied with 'romances' imo.

[oopsimawesome]

This.

You can't say unless you've seen BB6. There has never been any other housemate like Makosi. She has more layers than an onion. She is a legitimate pathological liar, claimed she was pregnant after being fingered in the pool, she would nominate her friends for eviction, and everyone thought she was a mole and she would feed into it and not deny it.

Agreed. As much as I couldn't stand Makosi she was a brilliant housemate. I found Dr. Will and his henchman to be boring to be honest. For her to look into the camera and say she may be pregnant is epic unto itself, knowing full well she had only been fingerbanged.

Furthermore, for those trying to compare US episodes as being utterly dramatic and far superior to the UK version, I'd suggest watching one of the two Fight Night's from the UK. Lying and backstabbing is one thing, throwing platters at peoples faces, flipping over fully laden tables and having security intervene is quite another.

Then there's the issue of the presenter. Davina could drown out Julie Chenbot's personality in a single smirk. Julie literally reads the teleprompter like a newscaster whereas Davina pumped up her lines with life and vigor and best of all, humor. Julie is stone cold when the HM's are evicted whereas you could tell Davina was just itching to dig her claws in and get the story from their time in the house.

[Liberty4eva]

Only two fight nights? Season 6 of BBUSA was practically a fight season if you can call it that where two sides of the house were battling and hating each other and on one occation they had to separate the houseguests into different rooms.

Has BBUK ever had a moment as dramatic and shocking and tragic as when Marcellus refused to use the veto on himself because he thought they had the votes to stay safe? Then minutes later he is evicted.

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