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Gay marriage, refugees, ANZAC Day -Big Brother gets serious.

Was that really an episode of Big Brother I just watched? Serious topics lift the show and help restore the format.

bblt“Vote 1 for Gay Marriage!”

“Has anyone ever met a refugee?”

Was that really an episode of Big Brother I just watched?

Nine’s decision to screen a Late Night Feast edition of Big Brother was its most intriguing episode so far, and brought home the value of the show’s format.

Screening an “adult-friendly” edition, instead of the relentless family-friendly editions allowed us to get to know the housemates more deeply than some of the stunts and antics that have screened so far.

Housemates were treated to a banquet (and a fair bit of plonk) and prompted to answer questions that had been prepared by Big Brother.

Matt explained how a fellow soldier came out to him in Afghanistan, and he respected him more.

Mikkalaya said we were a society based on immigrants. Jade spoke about how the lack of controls in Italy had led to problems within that country. Ed is friends with an ex-refugee from Sudan and supported multiculturalism.

Matt spoke about the value of ANZAC Day and what it meant to him. Heidi said how much impact visiting Gallipoli had made on her.

Caleb talked about firefighters who had died of cancer.

“You learn more about people when you touch on topics like that,” said Ben.

But the show couldn’t resist a round of Truth or Dare which led to pashing (including same-sex pashing), a strip from Drew, pole-dancing from Ed and later, dancing, spas and a few nudie-runs. The most nudity that was shown was a bare behind, a long way short of previous incarnations.

It also kind of left me feeling pretty ripped-off about the 7pm version.

I understand there are some topics that can’t run in a PG timeslot. Refugees, gay marriage, soldiers in Afghanistan are not amongst them. Nine needs to give the producers more flexibility more often if it wants to address some sliding numbers.

16 Responses

  1. Rubbish. Let’s get housemates drunk, ask some hot political questions, play some lame-o truth or dare (truths and dares provided by BB producers) edit the hell out of it and call it adult content. I’ve given up. This show has become so manipulated. The amount of footage that goes in the trash can must be extraordinary.

  2. I didn’t watch it but BB has always been involved in contentious issues. Remember the “Free Tha Refugees” protest by one of the housemates? Then there was the first series in 2001 where the program was criticised for not telling any of the housemates that September 11 had happened.

  3. I watched this last night and was reasonably impressed. If anything, it did demonstrate what the show could really offer. We are talking about adults in a house together, so why can’t we have a show which revolves around adult content? Personally i’ve always felt BB has missed it’s mark. It’s always targeted the youth market, which is ultimately what got it in trouble, when perhaps it would have been better going after an older audience and showing it at a later time.

  4. I could have watched an hour of the dinner party conversation as it tells me more their characters than what they’ve been showing so far. My respect for the “gym junkies” have gone up in my estimation.

    It was a good mix of fun and conversation though the censorship though was annoying. At least they’re trying!

  5. At last! at least I now know more about the housemates, and what they think!

    I don’t need any nudity, I just want more info on them, what they are really like, I want more ‘reality’ on BB.

  6. So sad that they didn’t really give us proper adults only version – they could have had me back as a viewer – it was so weak and boring and the fact that they even blurred out the nudie runs etc.. it made me feel like I was watching Survivor where they blur our the bum crack.. Very disappointing

  7. Did this air in Melbourne last night? When the Essendon news came out I thought they had dropped it in favour of Footy Classified. Hope they repeat it if so.

  8. Actually running such things in a PG slot is problematical if you don’t have a News or Current Affairs exemption — which BB doesn’t.

    Adult themes can be part of a PG drama if they are essential to the story of what is an overall PG show.

    For BB there are no exemptions. You can’t guarantee what the inmates will say and a lot of people, including the ACMA, don’t like BB so Nine has to tread carefully.

    Which is why it is all innuendo and silly antics at 7pm, and why Ten dropped it.

    1. TEN dropped it because it didn’t rate anymore. Nine went with silly antics and a family friendly show last year to give it long term viability and they succeeded enough for a second year. Again, there is nothing PG about discussing refugees and some of those topics with some careful editing. The show is not live so you work around what the housemates say. It’s not rocket science. The last BB on TEN managed to do it in the same timeslot.

  9. Same sex pashing, one male idiot stripping while another pole dances, along with a few nudie runs that featured a bare bum and conversations on subjects these dumbos know very little about.

    This is regarded as adult entertainment? For God’s sake, get a life.

    The only meaningful contribution this hopeless show has made was courtesy of Delilah the dog recently.

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