Excellent thread idea
I feel the success of Big Brother is owed to go social science aspect and format of the programme. It gives us an insight into our own lives and our own minds, but also satisfies the nosey aspect
As Marianne Moore once said “Psychology which explains everything explains nothing, and we are still in doubt” and because thats what Big Brother in it's basic form is, Psychology, we're constantly watching addictively to try and answer questions and analyse situations that we wouldn't usually face.
Also, I think a lot of people love to love, and love to hate. With Big Brother you can not only form favourites but you can love to hate someone (e.g. Charley) - and watch their journey in the house.
That was a big jumbled post, sorry.