The Clicker's Guide To Becoming A Big Brother Addict

Thursday will officially kick-off the 7th season of the American version of ‘Big Brother’. If you’re a BB addict like me, you’ve probably already checked in at your favorite ‘Big Brother’ websites, voted repeatedly for the houseguests you want to be in this season’s show on CBS’s website and set the DVR to record every episode. Veteran ‘Big Brother’ fans have a pretty good idea what to expect this season and its even more likely that they’re prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of time on the show this summer (though we wont admit it to our non-BB-fan-friends). So if you’re already a ‘Big Brother’ fan, most of what I say here you’ll already know. For those of you that are new to the show, I present The Clicker’s Guide To Becoming a ‘Big Brother Addict.

I’ve broken down the BB Fandom into two levels – “Standard” and “Premium”. In order to qualify for the “Standard” level, all you need to do is watch the episodes each week (there’s three per week) and chat about it with friends and co-workers occasionally. Standard level fans don’t fall under the category of “Big Brother Addiction”. Basically their interest in the game only goes as far as whatever the producers of the show consider episode-worthy.

The “Premium” level to the BB fandom is where the Big Brother Addicts reside. You have to really commit to the show to fall under this category. I’ve ranked myself a “premium” fan since season 2 (this is not something I brag about, trust me).

Here’s the list of things you’ll need to become a full-on ‘Big Brother’ Addict:

A TV that gets CBS– This is an obvious given for both Standard and Premium Level fans. Not only do the episodes show footage from the live feeds but they also include diary room footage (the houseguests go into the private diary room to talk about what’s going on in the house) and the competitions, which aren’t shown on the feeds. There’s also the live episode which shows who has been evicted from the house. As houseguests aren’t permitted to talk about who they voted for eviction, it isn’t always easy to determine who is going home so the live episodes are always pretty intense.

A Computer with Internet Access –

• Regular access to CBS’s Big Brother Website – vote in the various popularity polls and participate in the America’s Choice voting. Rumor: There will be more America’s Choice contests in Season 7 than in any other season!. CBS’s ‘Big Brother’ Website also hosts the daily talkshow, ‘House Calls’. Normally the show is hosted by Gretchen and Marcellas but as Marcellas is up to be in the Big Brother House this season, I’m not sure how the show will work if he’s not available to host it.
  
• Regular access to the various non-CBS-affiliated Big Brother websites and message boards - I like Jokersupdates.com for regular live feed updates and Survivor Sucks’ BB forum at ezboard.com for general BB discussion.
• Frequent access to the Live Feeds (requires Real Player)

Real Player – The actual program is free to download but the live feeds cost $40 for the three months or $15/month. Best to get the $15 if you’re not sure how much time you’ll be investing in the feeds. That way if you decide you’re not getting your money’s worth you can always call up and cancel. Sure, the feeds cost but they’re 100% worth it if you’re planning to totally engross yourself in the game. The recaps that people post are usually extremely comprehensive but it’s not the same as watching it for yourself.

Lots and lots of free time – Seriously, if you get the feeds, get your money’s worth and watch them. The BB house is on the west coast so the action usually starts in the late-morning (east coast time) and doesn’t stop until well into the night. When things get dull, Big Brother will sometimes give them alcohol or some kind of project to keep them busy. Later on in the season they have endurance competitions. Last year the houseguests competed for Head of Household by seeing how long they could last holding their finger on a button. It went on all night.

If you have the above listed materials, you should be all set for a ‘Big Brother’ summer. Since Season 7 of ‘Big Brother’ is an All-Star season, the show will be a bit different than previous seasons. Most of the houseguests will have already met each other and in some cases, already played the BB game with/against each other. This will certainly change the dynamic of the game. Usually the houseguests are mostly strangers. Though there have been twists in previous seasons that involve houseguests knowing one another (ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, twins and last years secret partner twist).

Other rumors are that the show’s theme will be “Heaven and Hell” (this explains the flame-theme in the living room) and that there will be some kind of twist with the Peanut Butter and Jelly diet (Houseguests who lose the food competition on certain weeks are doomed to eat PB&J all week and nothing else).



Why is it worth spending so much time on? Well, if you allow yourself to get into the game and the show, it’s very entertaining to say the least. The houseguests selected each season are usually fairly off the wall. Alpha-types who want fame and in most cases, are willing to do almost anything to make it to the finale. With this season’s All-stars in the house, it’s sure to be an entertaining and over-the-top season. If the right chemistry is there among the group, there’ll be lots of goofiness and hopefully even more drama than ever before!

If you’ve got extra time on your hands, I highly recommend giving your summer over to the Big Brother fandom. Watching the live feeds and/or reading the daily recaps of the on-going events in the house really makes the show worth watching. The game is a true example of human nature at its best and worst. It’s hard to watch the live feeds and not pass judgment on the houseguests for their actions and deceits but its also fascinating to see how somewhat “normal” people act when stuck in a house with the same people for months.

Big Brother Season 7 premieres Thursday Night on CBS.

Discuss Big Brother at Cinema Blend’s Forum Here or feel free to leave a comment below!


What to Watch (7/2 to 7/8)



10 Things I Hate About You (Comedy Central) 8:00 pm
See Heath Ledger in all his pre-Brokeback glory in this modern spin on The Taming Of The Shrew. Set in a high school where none of the teenagers talk or act like real teenagers, this romantic comedy is still worth a watch. It stars the girl who played the title character in ‘Alex Mac’ (Larisa Oleynik), as well as Julia Stiles and of course, the sexy Aussie, Heath Ledger. I just cant quit him.

’Entourage’ (HBO) 10:00 pm
Guys and Doll- (New!) – Last week on ‘Entourage’, the gangs old pal Dom showed up, fresh from prison and ready to party. Fans immediately disliked the new character which is understandable, he’s a useless, freeloading, prostitute-soliciting, foul-mouthed, sloppy looking, overly obnoxious mooch who is a threat to Vince’s way of life. All that being said, Dom proves himself useful in this episode by helping Vince land a role. But will that be enough to earn him a permanent spot in Vince’s entourage? Doubtful.




’King of Queens’(CBS) 8 pm
Gambling ‘N Diction – (rerun) – Doug gets his mom to gamble in a big poker game and Carrie attempts to lose her New York accent in the hopes of getting a promotion. I like ‘King of Queens’ for the same reason I liked ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’. Its goofy and a nice 30 minute break from reality. Not the kind of show I DVR every week or anything but if I happen to catch it on I almost always watch it.

’How I Met Your Mother’ (CBS) 9pm
‘Matchmaker’ – (rerun) – From the first episode, Ted’s been trying hard to find his dream girl. In this episode he goes to one of those dating services to hire a matchmaker to find his perfect mate. The computer pulls up one match but the girl is already seeing someone so in the spirit of sitcom hijinx, Ted steals her file and seeks her out.



’Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular’ (NBC) 9:00 pm
If the weather prevents you from being outdoors this 4th of July or if you just have nothing better to do, put on NBC at 9 and watch their holiday special. Campbell Brown and Lester Holt will host and there will be performances by Liza Minnelli, Lionel Richie, Nick Lachey and Bo Bice.



’Rockstar: Supernova’ (CBS) 8:00 pm
Season Premiere - New! - Like last year’s ‘Rockstar: INXS’, this show is likely to cater to many ‘American Idol’ addicts looking for their fix of amateur singers. This season will scout out a lead singer for the new rock band “Supernova”. The group is currently made up of Tommy Lee, Jason Newsted and Gilby Clarke. The premiere will introduce the contestants. Brooke Burke and Dave Navarro will host the show.

’America’s Got Talent (NBC) 9:00 pm
Last Round of Tryouts- New! – A Reality/Variety competition which showcases the various talents of Americans across the country. I caught an episode of this last week and absolutely loved it. Unlike ‘American Idol’ or “So You Think You Can Dance’, ‘America’s Got Talent’ involves more than just one type of talent. In fact, there are people on this show who’ve got talents you wouldn’t even consider to be a talent until you saw them in action. Last week there was a guy who could snap to a rhythm. Like tap dancing only with his fingers. It sounds ridiculous but he was pretty impressive. So much that he had the audience (made up mostly of hopeful contestants) on their feet and trying to snap along with him. I definitely recommend this show.




’Big Brother: All Stars’ (CBS) 8:00pm
Season Premiere- New! – Find out which houseguests the viewers and producers picked to enter the Big Brother House. The premiere is the official kickoff of the game. After it airs the live feeds will become available to subscribers and the non-stop insanity wont stop ‘til mid-September!

’Rockstar: Supernova’ (CBS) 9:00 pm
Season Premiere - New! – The 2nd episode of the new reality competition series. Contestants will perform and hope that their vocals are good enough to impress the members of the new band “Supernova”.





’Dateline’ (NBC) 8:00 pm
TV Bosses From Hell - New! – Is it Michael from ‘The Office’ or perhaps Mr. Burns from ‘The Simpsons’? Dateline will explore the world of TV Show Workplaces in an exposé about terrible bosses on TV.

’Behind the Cameras: The Unauthorized Story of ‘Three’s Company’’ (TV Land) 10:00 pm
Remember that show from the late-70’s/early-80’s starring John Ritter and Suzanne Somers? You know, the one where that guy lived with two women and funny things were always happening? While hilarious antics always ensued in front of the camera on the hit show ‘Three’s Company’, the same could not be said for what went on behind the scenes. This special was made 3 years ago but you might’ve missed it so TV Land is giving you another change to sort through the dirty laundry of the popular sitcom.



The 40-Year-Old Virgin (HBO) 8:00 pm
Oh Lord, how I love this movie! Yes, its about a 40-year-old guy named Andy, who still happens to be a virgin but really, its about so much more than that! What makes this movie both hilarious and worth watching over and over is the group of guys that Andy works with at a Circuit-City-type place. The humor is great, the acting is on par and the story is actually surprisingly decent. Had I known the movie was going to be as good as it was, I would’ve seen it in the theaters.


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