Big Brother this is the second part of my series on how to improve Big Brother.  Each year, you tell us to “expect the unexpected” but each year, it’s more of the same old, same old (especially in competitions).  From casting to set design, I must wonder if your production crew live in the real world or some imaginary world of the network or production company’s creation.

This week, I’ll try to limit it to five (again).  Let’s start with one I touched on last time and expand it.

Number One: The house guests.  I will straight up and say this.  The Big Brother 23 cast was the best you have had in a long, long time.  They came in and seemed to be aware of the “real world” outside of the bubble.  Their sincerity was evident from the first show.  They also had a smart cast.  There is no way I would have suspected that a group of six could come together and get as far as they did.  I don’t know if it was the splitting of teams or the “common goal” but it worked.

Let’s deal with this year’s cast.  On paper, for production and to present to the network, it might have appeared to be stellar (cough).  It wasn’t!  To me, it looked like you took a casting list and went down the line checking off characters.  I’m going to apologize to Turner here.  I compared him to a surfer dude from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  Just like the character of Spicoli, Turner proved us wrong.  Turner, like his character at the end of the movie, showed that he knew what went on around him.  The other characters also didn’t play out as you planned, did they?  May I ask, what made you think that a “mean girl” would accept a “beauty queen?”  Didn’t you suspect that a “mean girls club” could exclude her.  And on the guys’ side, the “Pooch” should have raised alarms as he was so sure he would oversee the men’s team.  Then you made him the “back-stage boss.”  And by the way, did any of them do any of the “training” they were supposed to complete before entering the house?  This time, asking for the Twitter community.

Second, this leads me to the next issue.  The set décor.  You said you wanted a “fest” or “festival”.  If so , why did it look like a cheap carnival for the backstage area.  Your games to pick teams were stupid.  The selection of games looked so rigged.  And the dress that Jasmine wore?  I hope you paid for it to be cleaned or provided it to her as a costume.  This looked like one of those fly-by-night carnivals minus the rides.  And then you said that Pooch had won the “Backstage Boss.”  Well, he looked more like the evil lord on his throne from movies like Something Wicked This Way Comes.” (He didn’t look smart enough sitting there to be a character from Game of Thrones.)  Handing out the backstage passes also was problematic.  The backstage people at a carnival operate the rides or do grunt work.  The back stage of a music concert has them moving things quickly on and off stage and acting as security.  These stooges got away with no work and had a good week (until Paloma started to spin out of control).

Third: While we are on set décor, who came up with the cheap hotel theme and “Drye Fest.”  The décor of the hotel has been used before during various seasons.  Didn’t you have a budget to get anything new?  It looked like it was out the 60s and a rundown beach hotel.  This entire design set up was an alarm bell going off in my head.  Too much cheap color used in locations that needed some calm.

Now let’s deal with sticking half the group outside for a week.  I have friends in California who are complaining about the heat.  Who, in their right minds, would choose to send five people to live outside in heat of 105 degrees with no tents or cooling tents?  What would you have done if a storm had come up?  Oh, that’s right.  When the wall yeller happened, you supposedly moved the Broh-ella upstairs and the others supposedly came in.  I don’t know since we were blocked from 24/7 feeds.  Now, there has been wind (which supposedly messed up a competition) for the Drye side.  I’m sorry!  Why not announce there would be have nots and arrange something safe!  I’d hate to read that a contestant on Big Brother was taken to the hospital by extreme weather conditions while playing the game.

Fourth: The “twists” of teams.  I understand that week one threw you.  You had to come up with something unique.  Plus, you had someone that the whole house wanted out staying but really – “festie besties.”  If you were thinking this through, you would realize that Nicole’s plan could   have happened with any of them.  They could have chosen their target (Taylor) in the hope that their popularity would keep them.  Nicole though was so obvious in her scheme and Monte and others started to wise up about what the girls were doing to Taylor. Getting Taylor out that way didn’t work to Nicole’s cost.  And let’s not even deal with the Drye Fest which I listed in number three.  School yard picks seem fair but it always comes down to the last picks feeling like they didn’t count.  Back to bullying again!

Fifth and the worse: The gross treatment of Taylor.  Look, this has been said in many of my posts before.  There comes a time when the show needs to step in and take control.  You can’t let the bullying and insults fly like Daniel and Nicole did.  You can’t let a group of people isolate one!  If it was a misunderstanding (like between Nicole and Taylor), talk it out – not mistreat the individual or yell it out.  If it is game strategy, stop it from being used.  If it is just control (like I feel it was with Daniel), take the cameras down, call Daniel out in front of the house guests, and check on Taylor’s well-being.  A lesser person than Taylor could have been scarred for life by the attacks and isolation she faced.  Do you want to read that it led to attempted suicide?  You’re supposed to have counselors on hand.  Do you?  If so, did they talk to Taylor?  Did they try earlier than when Paloma asked to leave to talk the matter through with her?  Or did some producers see it as good television and let it run.

I have a few more issues, Big Brother, but I think this has given you enough to think about for today.  Next week, a new list and many more questions.  Actually, I may include a big issue that’s been simmering over there since Celebrity Big Brothers and spoilers.