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First Review: Big Brother 7

Last year Big Brother made news for all the wrong reasons, none of which need going over here.

As interest groups, christians, talkback radio and parliamentarians debated the merits (or lack thereof) of the show, TEN was sent back to the drawing board to balance societal concerns and justify the show’s role on our screens.

Tonight we had our first look at what they came up with.

At first glance, they didn’t seem to do much tweaking. No, this Big Brother looks to be starting out just like every other.

Whoever is in charge of casting has sent in a bunch of busty, muscly, blonde, twenty-somethings who pretty much all seem split from the same cell. Where is the diversity? In age, ethnicity, class, religion and sexuality there is little to discern one from the other.

It’s as if Channel Ten pulled them out of a focus-group for Neighbours.

I only saw one who isn’t apparently whitebread, and one who is proudly Mormon.

Here was an opportunity to change the perception of partying singles and middle-class bogans. TEN will no doubt defend that the group is peopled by lawyers, rural folk, a young Liberal, tertiary graduates and that we have yet to see their complex characteristics. But what if the lawyers behave as bad (or worse) than an uneducated party-boy? Do we get the society we deserve?

I can’t help but think that TEN’s only response to the fracas of 2006 was to pull Big Brother Adults Only and throw in a young Liberal in the hope that he behaves worst of all.

There is, albeit, further diversity amongst the six potential housemates that viewers will vote in: one Muslim, and one guy from PNG (if you’re going to waste 55c have a think about adding these two). I hear whispers one of those guys may be gay. The fact that BB didn’t put them in the house only underlines a missed opportunity. In the UK we have seen wildly diverse casting that reinvents the format.

In other changes to the show, the environmental-friendly house is a nice touch, as was allowing the girls to watch the guys enter. In the eviction arena life seemed as identical to BB06 right down to the untouched theme tune and credits. At least we have the astute, personable and experience of Gretel Killeen at the helm.

BB has made noisy claims that there is no cash prize. But at every turn he is selective about his wording: “as we launch Big Brother there is no cash prize” or “today, there is no cash prize.” Just as the word “live” was deceptively used for its pre-recorded and edited show, so too is BB not to be trusted on this one. Expect ongoing opportunities for the housemates to “earn” their kitty vis an array of activities.

BB is still big business, and one of TEN’s most durable formats. But early indications suggest that TEN has opted for the mantra that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Last year, however, many were sending TEN signals that it already had. Time will tell.

We’ll be watching….

3 Responses

  1. Certainly not the kind of inmates we were expecting … they are a very good looking bunch overall and infact look like they are all actors and models!!!
    Pleanty of hot boys to keep me watching at least …
    This was the best “first night” show I think we have seen so far.
    I also hope the “Young Liberal” makes a complete ass of himself and highly embarasses John Howard … even better, what if he turns out to be gay!!!
    Jack!

  2. i have to agree with the lack of diversity in the housemates – all 20something “beautiful” (or so they believe) extrovert types and (mostly) bottled blondes. The karaoke geek obviously thrown in to bring the “beautiful” scale down a bit. It’s all very “safe” and uncontroversial especially with no AO version, probably no coincidence given that Ten is up for sale and they don’t want any bad press to put off potential buyers.

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