Saturday, January 20, 2007

Big Brother UK Controversy

As many of you know I have been a long time fan of the TV show Big Brother. As far as reality shows go, BB has the most interesting concept: Lock people in a house and watch them 24/7 - pretty much slowly going nuts for 100 days. Big Brother 1 in the USA was great and the contestants nearly revolted against the producers because of the harsh treatment. Unfortunately since that time, Big Brother in the USA has been becoming less of a social experiment and more of a beauty pageant for attractive back stabbers. Each year of BB USA has been less interesting and less entertaining than the last.

You may also know that Big Brother did not start here and is on all over the world. It is a Dutch production that is wildly popular everywhere. In fact, I think BB USA is the least popular of the shows. Anyway, there has been a huge controversy in this years Big Brother in the UK. Controversy is no stranger to this show and every country seems to have their share but this time, the ripples are being felt in broad areas of international relations.

You can read this link to get all the details but a quick summary is that a Bollywood Star (Bollywood is the Hollywood equivalent in India and the surrounding area. It is massive and Bollywood stars are almost as well know as our own top matinee Idols) is in the house and has been the subject of racist taunts. Read up on how much of an international furor this has caused.

Last night she and her Nemesis Jade were up for eviction. With a record 38,000 complaints - security was such an issue that there was no live audience allowed near the booted contestant (Jade) and the police are needed extra security and a safe house to evacuate the evicted house guest.

Now, I don't support racists taunts but I do like good TV. If a show is going to call itself a REALITY programs then, dammit, it should actually reflect reality! Here, BB USA is full of beautiful people scheming to win the money. It has been sanitized beyond any recognition of reality. It seems that overseas, there is still an edge to the show with the producer not fearing controversy but dealing with it head on. That's reality my friends!

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