Sunday, October 6, 2019

DC ExtraTime: Big Brother's Sin City Summit

BY DC CUEVA                        
■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Of all the days of the year in the world of reality TV, nothing in more anticipated (at least as those in America are concerned) then when the network that brought the genre to the masses here, CBS, gets to air its two biggest reality franchises on the same night the last Wednesday in September during premiere week. There, it premieres the autumn season of the show that brought reality TV to network TV, Survivor, to be followed by the last night of the summer tradition that is Big Brother... it's widely considered to be the genre's biggest night. And this year, MTV's The Challenge also airs on Wednesdays, as both its parent company Viacom and CBS prep for their coming reunion and stamping their place as THE home of reality TV in America.
   Two weeks ago on September 25 saw this one very night take place, starting with the premiere of Season 39 of Survivor, Island of the Idols, where in addition to everything fans of the series expect, two past champions of the series -- Sandra Diaz-Twine and "Boston Rob" Mariano -- return to the show as non-competing mentors as the semi-annual quest for $1 million after 39 days of being marooned on an island for twenty castaways began. Among the notable castaways on this season include Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, poker player Ronnie Bardah, and former NHL defenseman Tom Laidlaw - the U.S. series' first contestant with sole Canadian citizenship.

After that Survivor premiere came the end of what is, in the minds of many of its socially-active fans, the most controversial season ever of Big Brother, as a summer camp-themed 21st season came to a close a day short of 100 days in the heat of the summer. It was already making headlines even before the houseguests moved in when host Julie Chen stayed on as host after the Me Too controversy surrounding husband & former CBS head Les Moonves, and it was only in May that the season was given a green light to go. But the one overarching controversy of this year's Big Brother summer was something that has appeared all too often in both society and in our social feeds.
   When he first became that season's Camp Director and gained elimination immunity, Nashville native and L.A. bartender Jackson Michie chose to send black houseguests David Alexander and Kemi Fakunle, Latina plus-size model Jessica Milagros and 54-year-old Cliff Hogg to have them battle it out to not be the first to be evicted, which raised fans' ire on Jackson discriminating against race and age, and amped by the title of the first head of household challenge, "Color War." CBS brass was then put in the firing line over diversity and racism when players of color were given the cut early on and editors censoring racist comments, months after a former CBS exec blasted her former employers for its lack of diversity in a Variety magazine op-ed.
   There was more in store when the live feeds were turned on for streamers to binge on CBS All Access when Chicago fitness trainer Jack Matthews was caught making violent & vicious comments towards Kemi before a power of veto competition, and later more deregatory remarks towards Jessica and Knoxville's Ovi Kabir, as well as even the host herself towards Jack when he was evicted. There was also how the "Gr8ful" alliance of Jack, Jackson, Analyse Talavera, Christie Murphy, Holly Allen, Isabella Wang, Nick Maccarone and Tommy Bracco treated Nicole Anthony. And there was the usage of live animals in the week 5 POV challenge that saw viewers and PETA take their shot at them for animal cruelty.
   In the end, one person would be at the heart of all this controversy, and for several reasons. When he was given a Have-Not in week 4 when Jackson was caught stealing food out of camera view when he and others chosen had to go to back to basics living for a week in the house. For the final POV, outrage reigned when he admitted on the live feeds that production helped him in that challenge, and stans everywhere alleged that those behind the fourth wall were biased towards him there. It was no surprise that the social verse erupted in a big uproar when the final jury vote named Jackson the last man standing in a 6 votes to 3 verdict over Holly.

Instagram @TommyBracco
Just barely 50 hours after they were at Camp BB one last time on the CBS Television City lot in Hollywood, most of the Big Brother 21 cast found themselves up in Las Vegas as the guests of honor of the second annual Reality All-Star Reunion, a second gathering of some of the genre's biggest stars in a month after the Hearts of Reality event in Orlando. With their season having just wrapped, RASR also marked the first time that the BB21 cast got an opportunity to meet two segments of the viewing audience: those lucky fans fortunate enough to fork over a fortune to meet them, and some fellow Big Brother alumni who just saw them go through the exact experience as they did... along with other stars from throughout the reality community.
   Among those waiting to welcome them to the alumni were Morgan Willett from BB Over The Top and two-time MTV'er, Elena Davies of the current Ex On The Beach season (and Mark's ex), and Josh Martinez of the current Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 campaign. Also there were BB20 lovebirds Bayleigh Dayton & Chris "Swaggy P" Williams (#Swayleigh, who we featured here last year), the winner of that season Kaycee Clark, and some of their other alumni. Below, some of the best of this Big Brother Sin City Summit... and if things on the grapevine are a sign, we may be hearing from some of these people in the new year. As we always say here, stay tuned...
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