Big Brother has continued to hold a strong audience base for 25 seasons since 2000. But following the reality TV show, many have wondered whether it is entirely scripted and fake. Here’s all you need to know.
Is Big Brother scripted and fake?
Big Brother has some real moments, but many aspects of it are fake and planned.
The answer to whether the show is entirely scripted is rather complicated. This reality TV series has entertained fans for 25 seasons and will continue to do so in upcoming seasons. Considering that the goal is to entertain and make money ahead of anything else, aspects of media manipulation have to be present, and there are several examples of that in Big Brother.
The show does have moments that are real with natural twists and turns. But overall, a lot of the show is also planned. For instance, the contestants’ reactions to getting their Big Brother entry “keys” are definitely fake. They are recorded and edited by the show’s crew. Similarly, the live phone calls that contestants get to join the show are also fake, as the producers possibly have a narrowed-down list of the contestant pool they want to hit.
But as per TV Over Mind, even the candidates that win are chosen from the beginning. While a former Big Brother employee from the 15th season stated that “the winners are pretty much chosen from the start”, it’s likely that a few contestants are favored. So, the show could be rigged in a way that allows those contestants to be in the house for a longer period.
Another unreal aspect of the show is the house that the contestants live in. Having a fake grass and backyard, it’s a set that likely involves a soundstage. To add to this, Christine Varner from season 16 tweeted that she was given scripted dialogue for all of her Diary Room sessions, which were written by the show’s fifth week.
So even though some elements and reactions could be real or improvised in the show, there’s plenty of evidence suggesting that scripts and pre-planning are involved in multiple aspects. It may not be entirely scripted, but it ensures entertainment through dramatization and editing.
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