Every year, I promise myself that I’m going to watch the new season of Big Brother. I would watch the episodes, observe the alliances, and probably even watch the live feed. However, without fail, I always do something totally different – I end up re-watching the older seasons of Big Brother. At this point, it’s almost automatic. As soon as I think about Season 10, I am already watching Dan Gheesling running the entire show like it is a graduate-level class on manipulation tactics. And as soon as I recall Season 7, I am already watching Chill Town making people nominate their own alliances.
They just feel like different seasons. The Sovereign Six vs. Friendship conflict in season six was the messiest yet most perfect mess possible. Season 14 offered the funeral of Dan, which remains one of the most genius yet utterly ridiculous twists ever pulled in the show’s history. Even the mid 2010s seasons, like 16, 17, and 18, combined strategy and fun in ways that not all more recent seasons managed to achieve. When I go back and watch those episodes, it reminds me why I was drawn to this show in the first place.
The older seasons had real strategy.
They might not have been flawless, but they were definitely strategic. Season 10 was the epitome of this, as there were no returning players or gimmicks; it was just about playing the game. Dan, Memphis, Keesha, Renny- everybody was doing their own thing, and you could never guess how the week was going to play out. Season 7 had Chill Town, which was easily the most entertaining alliance on reality television, while Season 6 had one of the most intense alliance wars ever played on Big Brother.
Newer seasons feel too polished.
Newer seasons are not bad, but they do seem more controlled. The casting is more focused on influencers, alliances immediately start forming, and the cast members care less about making huge plays and more about the repercussions on social media. The twists always come back around, and the blindsides are never really blindsides. However, there are always a few exceptions to that, with the likes of Derrick’s control in Season 16, Vanessa’s crazy brilliance in Season 17, and the entertainment value in Season 18.
Rewatching is part of my summer routine.
This is where the act of watching older seasons becomes one of my summer traditions. I have come to expect the same thing, and it’s all about this predictability that makes watching so enjoyable. I can watch Season 10 or Season 7, and from the very first minute I am involved, because I know everything that is going to happen.
The nostalgia keeps me coming back.
There is a certain nostalgic element about the previous seasons, from the competitions to the house designs, and even to the non-overdone diary rooms. Watching them allows me to reminisce about my previous self, and that makes the experience even more enjoyable. Though the new seasons may not live up to expectations at times, watching them helps me remember why I was originally drawn to the show.
That is the reason why every year I am inevitably brought back to the same point: watching the classic seasons.