The Big Picture
- Flexibility comps: Introduce competitions that focus on flexibility and yoga poses to showcase a different kind of skill and make the game more equal for all competitors.
- Learning comps: Utilize instructional videos and give competitors a limited amount of time to learn a new skill, highlighting the importance of learning and showcasing the contestants' ability to adapt.
- True endurance comps: Bring back competitions solely based on endurance, as studies show that women excel in this area, making the game more equal and exciting for viewers.
Big Brother is a social game where people live in a house and evict each other every week. The way to get the power to choose who is in danger is by winning competitions. Some of the competitions rely on luck, others rely on memory, but most of them rely on speed and athleticism. Most of the competitions are also in favor of taller people. This leads to more men winning, which could lead to the women being vulnerable. Here are some changes that could make everyone an equal competitor on the CBS show.
7 Flexibility Comps
Studies have found women tend to be more flexible than men. So why not take away one of the competitions that focus on strength or speed for a stationary flexibility comp? Every houseguest can compete alone and do a timed competition where they have to hit certain yoga poses. It would be funny for those who are naturally terrible at it, and it would show a different kind of skill. Another option is an obstacle course that is more about flexibility than being fast.
6 Have Learning Comps
The houseguests usually don't learn anything new while in the competition. But learning is a skill and a study found girls are better at it. Houseguests can watch instructional videos on a skill no one in the house knows, then give them a limited amount of time to do it. Whoever is successful wins! The Amazing Race does this well through roadblocks. Racers had to learn choreography, play a song with bells, or do a craft on the fly. The whole cast is overwhelmed at the thought of doing something completely new and having to do it quickly. But they almost always complete it because they have no other choice. Succeeding at something new is compelling to watch.
5 True Endurance Comps
Every season has a wall competition, which normally is about endurance. Fans usually predict smaller people would win. In Big Brother 25, producers switched things up by making the wall more slippery, so it ended earlier, and a more athletic man won with Jared Fields. We need more competitions that are solely about endurance because studies have shown women are great at enduring. The Pressure Cooker showed America Lopez and Cameron Hardin being the last ones holding the button. America made a deal with him, so she gave him the win.
Early seasons of Big Brother had more endurance competitions where everyone would pile into a car and the last one in it wins the vehicle. There was nothing thrown at them to make them uncomfortable. It was simply about who wanted it more, and who was willing to sacrifice spending more time away from houseguests outside the competition. So Big Brother doesn't need to reinvent the wheel to do this. They could return to form, and long-term fans would love it.
4 Memory Test on the Big Brother house
The show has tested houseguests about their knowledge of the house before. Everyone spends an equal amount of time in the Big Brother house, so why not put that to good use and test them on the little details in the house? Which room has this mural? Which room has this little figurine? It would also be another game that fans can play at home.
3 A Big Brother Superfan Test
There is usually at least one houseguest every season who claims to be a superfan of the show. That sometimes comes in handy with predicting which twist or competition is next. But it typically doesn't help beyond that. However, superfans could get the upper hand if there was a test on Big Brother history. It would also encourage recruits to watch more than just the seasons suggested by production. Fans who have watched the show for a long time would enjoy seeing old clips play during this competition.
2 A Recent Events Comp
It's easy to forget that while houseguests are scheming and competing on the show, they're unaware of what's happening outside the house. There are rare moments when Julie Chen Moonves gives them an update on recent events, but that's all they get. So why not give houseguests the news in a fun way? Everyone can be asked about recent events with multiple-choice answers. It would be a guessing game for everyone, and that puts them on equal footing.
Producers try to avoid giving the houseguests any information, so they can totally focus on the game. That makes the game feel more important to them and like the house is their entire world. Sure the houseguests might be reminded of the outside world a few hours after the competition. But they would return to the game with a new Head of Household or veto in play.
1 Comps Based on Senses
Big Brother 25 had a controversial hearing competition in the same season with a deaf houseguest. In any other season, this type of competition would be interesting. So why stop at a hearing one? There could be competitions where houseguests can taste or smell different things blindfolded and have to identify them. However, the most visually interesting competition would be houseguests touching things in a box and trying to identify them.
Anyone should be able to win Big Brother. These changes shouldn't just even the playing field between the sexes, but some of them could be beneficial to houseguests of different ages. A game where anyone could win is more intriguing to watch, and would only make the game better.