CBS' Big Brother turns 20

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https://variety.com/2020/tv/features...at-1234691132/

The American version of Big Brother launched on July 5, 2000, five weeks after the premiere of Survivor. It was based on a Dutch format that premiered a year before, and was shown five nights a week. Season 1 of Big Brother had its best ever total viewership that year, averaging 9 million. But it was being compared to the monster ratings of Survivor, which ended its first season with an unprecedented 52 million viewers in August. “In the first season, everything was exactly what they had done in Holland — from the technology in the house to the tone, everything. And I think maybe that was the first time that they realized that what works in Europe doesn’t always necessarily translate to an American audience,” says executive producer Allison Grodner. “I think one of the biggest issues was that the most interesting people — those who were creating the most story and drama — were getting voted out by America because they were seen as troublemakers. Maybe there was a morality issue. In the end you were left with people who weren’t making the most dynamic story.” So in Season 2, Grodner says Big Brother "borrowed from Survivor in terms of turning the game inside." Big Brother also cut down on the number of weekly episodes and increased the number of houseguests.

Julie Chen looks back at 20 years of Big Brother, calls it reality TV's "bastard child"

"To be honest, I wasn't good. I didn't feel comfortable, like, it showed," Chen says of the first season of Big Brother, which premiered on July 5, 2000. "I didn't own it. I didn't know how to be." Chen says Big Brother back then "felt so overproduced, like stop trying to be such a serious show. It should be more fun-loving, like let's not try and break down what Dr. Drew Pinsky, like, you know, the psychology of this person, you know? That stuff kind of feels like, I can't believe we put that out." Chen admits now that she'd rather the show be enduring than met with acclaim. "We were always looked at as like, you know, the bastard child," she says of Big Brother never earning an Emmy nomination. "So it was like, all right. But I'd rather not get nominated ever and still have it renewed every year. You know? Because some of these other shows got a lot of accolades and awards... but they haven't marked a 20-year anniversary." ALSO: Big Brother has mostly been garbage for 20 years, unable to escape its racism, violence, and ugliness.