BB21: Live Feeders vs. Aired Show Fans vs. Hamsters

Yes, I know that I still owe you the rest of the Ika ET Canada videos and my commentary on them. Yes, I know I need to post an informative post on how this blog works with the show, the feeds and stuff like the show scheduling. But first … this stuff here keeps going through my mind as I watch the cast interviews and such. 

I've been actually blogging about BB since BB5 -- unfortunately those entries were on the now long ago sunsetted AOL Journals blogging platform and this BlogSpot blog kicks in with BB7. Due to the AOL blogging, I got a paid freelance gig following the show for Weblogs, Inc./TV Squad/AOL Television for a number of years. That brought about the changes to this blog with the live show parties, etc. 

Before blogging became a "thing" I was a part of the AOL team monitoring chats and message boards for the show since Season ONE -- a season in which  Julie Chen was not well known at all, not to even mention Julie Chen-Moonves! AOL was the platform for the live feeds and practically ran the show environment. I recall things like 70k comments during an aired show at the time. Incredible! As time went on and the BB online community grew, I followed other sites like Joker's and Hamsterwatch. I lost my paying gig writing about the show and feeds when AOL TV was taken over by HuffPost. Sigh. 

With all that said, I guess I would qualify as some sort of super-super-fan, even more so than some of the largely followed sites since I've been actively involved since even before the first show of the first season even aired! Yes, setting up the message boards and stuff like that. But, no. I would never be in that house and, if I was, I'd truly suck at it. I don't do surrounded by people and chaos well.

So … why all this history? Well, in looking at this cast, I see recruits, some that have watched the show for a few years, some "big" fans who may have watched for ten years or so and only one who mentioned the live feeds. Say WHAT?!?! The online fan community for BB is tremendous and may be the forefather of various online fan communities for other shows -- both reality and scripted --since its inception. Yep, that's what I think.

There are distinct differences between regular show fans, live feeders and the hamsters themselves and here are my thoughts:

Aired Show Fans

This category of fans seem to be who the producers think they want to impress with showmances, twists, house themes and more. But they're the least knowledgeable about the show of all the fans. They see edited versions of "reality." They don't see the downtimes (or doldrums as I often refer to them). They only see edited versions of brouhahas or kerfuffles, often not with a full story of what led to such chaos. They see so little of the day to day happenings and interactions of the house that it disturbs me that so many new hamsters never see anything but the aired shows. They're being robbed!

The Hamsters Themselves

Once in the house, obviously their experience is different from other fans, aired show or feeders. No matter super fan or newbie, we cannot know what it's like to actually be in there. I think I might safely assume it's a mix of Highway to Hell or an Amazing Life Experience. But I don't know. I do know that even the hamsters themselves don't see the big picture of what's happening within the house. They only see part of it through their own confidants and allies. That ends up giving them each a skewed version of things. Thankfully after Danielle Reyes lost in her season due to the others seeing her Diary Room interviews, hamsters don't see them until after the season ends. So, while they have an insight into the show that no just fan will ever have, they aren't as knowledgeable about what's going on as are my last category --

Live Feeders and Online Community Fans

Yep, we practically know it all! We are privy to conversations that neither the show fans hear, nor all of the hamsters themselves. We get to see them pop their pimples and have wardrobe malfunctions. The only things we don't see are the first week in the house because they delay the live feeds until after the premiere. By that time the hamsters have already a week under their belts. We also don't get to see the Diary Room sessions although on some rare occasions there have been an audio leak or two. I doubt we'll ever get to see them because the producers won't allow us to see prompting, leading questions or retakes. Also, as live feeders and involved with the online community, we tend to get all the dirt from internet sleuths who track down the backgrounds and lives of the hamsters. All in all, we know it all … except what it's like to actually be a house hamster. 

What are your thoughts? 

BB21: House Tour and Theme

I just don't know about this. I know someone earns big bucks coming up with this stuff. Others who earn big bucks have to approve these things. I obviously chose the wrong career path. 

The theme for this summer is Summer Camp. And, the house supposedly reflects that. I do believe we just might have the worst, tackiest and most unappealing BB house in the history of the show.

That said, it is looking more and more like there's a "secret" theme this season. It looks like it may be a pairs thing going on. Christie had a long time relationship with Tommy's aunt. Holly and Kathryn are Facebook friends. Many others (two by two) went to the same colleges and stuff. Hmm.

Oh, well. Here's the Julie Chen-Moonves house tour --



I think I'm speechless. What do you think of the house?

I'll be continuing my ET Canada Ika cast interviews with commentary tomorrow. Please don't forget to jump in the blog pool at this post!

BB21: The Ika ET Canada Interviews - Part 2

Greetings, fellow hamster watchers! This is part two of my commentary on the ET Canada interviews with Ika, a previous BB Canada hamster herself. You can find part one right here.

Also -- don't forget to sign up for the blog pool on THIS HERE LINKED POST! You need to sign up on that post only. If you put your name in on any other post, Facebook or Twitter, it might be missed.



Okay, Kemi, I do see the hair being a problem. Can you imagine that in a wall comp with goop flying all about? Kemi seems like either a recruit or someone who decided last year she was going to make the show. Watched ten seasons in a year? Yeah, it's doable on CBS All Access. But you don't see the live feeds, you don't see the whole online aspect by just watching. She thinks she's a big fan although it's recent. She also thinks of herself as a New Yorker even through she moved to Brooklyn six months ago. She thinks she will win the money. I don't think so.




Christie seems to be about as big of a fan as we get this season. At least she has watched the show since Season 8. Again, no mention of live feeds or internet community for the show. She comes across better in this interview than in her bio or the Jeff interview. One interesting thing to note (from the internet, mind you) -- supposedly one of her relationships was with fellow hamster Tommy's aunt. Do they know each other? I mean, it's a small world, but …! I think she might do okay in the long run. But my own empath vibes aren't screaming out WINNER!



Another HUGE fan -- he's been watching since Season 17! I'm SO impressed/ I guess I shouldn't be snarky about the Jersey Boy, huh? But he's feeling the need to lie about his job. We all know how well that works out for most. And, the lie isn't even a great one. It's still similar to what he does. He's in his late 20s and has never been apart from his mother for more than a week. What's up with that? Plus, he says "you know what I'm saying" much too much. All that aside, he named Vanessa as a good player and does have insight into the game. On the whole, I think he might be a bit boring in the house. An interesting thing in the Jeff interview is that he said he'd call out anyone bullying, etc. Hmm. I just don't know. But I know at the age of 27 I wasn't calling myself a "kid."



Yep, a definite recruit and, at least he admits it. He's binge watched the show for the last 100 days. He apparently thinks the strategy of laying low at the start and making friendships is some sort of new one for the books. Me? I'm tired of people saying they're going to lay low. The only real success at that in several years was Kaycee. As a feeds watcher, I agree with Ika about BORING. However, I think his game might go off his strategy a bit. I don't know why I'm thinking that, but I am. I could be wrong. I do think his instant crying is very cool. Instant laugh, not so much. David comes across as a likable guy in the interviews. But is it all to fall apart in the house? We'll see!

The Amazing Race 31: Episode 10 Blog Party

We're getting down to the wire for the season now. It's all previous TAR teams and one rather surprising BB team left in the race. Who would have thought that Victor and Nicole would get this far?

Before we really get going here tonight, I'd like to remind you that the sign-ups for the BB21 pool are in full swing! You can sign up on this here linked post -- and only on that post, please. If you sign up on this TAR post, it might be missed. Sign up now while you're thinking of it!

I'll be live blogging the major events as tonight's show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest update! As always, the party is in the comments area -- I hope to see you there!

Next week is the two-hour season finale starting at 9pm ET/PT after the second night of the BB21 season premiere.

Here are the latest blog pool standings from Lifeguard SueGee:

From Big Brother
Nicole & Victor -- Jackie, Jennifer, Jenna G

From Survivor
No One Has Survived!

From TAR
Colin & Christie -- Donna NY, Petals
Becca & Floyd -- Merrilee, Judi Sweeney, Glenn Allen
Leo & Jamal -- Kelsey NY, Indiana Jane, Cheryl in NC
Tyler & Korey -- Sharon N, Ed in Ohio

Philiminated
Art & JJ
Rupert & Laura
Corinne & Eliza
Janelle & Britney
Rachel & Elissa
Chris & Bret

Are we ready? Five teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

Teams are flying to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Tyler and Korey have won first place four times in a row. But, as we know, the only leg win which really counts is that final leg. This is one of those bunching up bits in which the teams all start out at the same time at their destination.

They have to ride a bike, then hike to get their next clue. They get tandem bikes which have a bit of a learning curve. It's Nicole's birthday, so she thinks they need to do well. 

Detour -- High or Dry. Raise a cow up a bell tower or go to a farm, vault across ditch, pick up cheese and eggs, go back across the ditch with all intact. The Dutch way to cross the water-filled ditch is a pole vault. Victor is great at it, Nicole not so much. And, the cows in the other part are fake cows.

Double U-Turn ahead! Yikes!

The first two teams there -- Colin/Christie and Tyler/Korey -- don't use the U-Turn figuring the Afghanimals were sure to use it. Leo/Jamal plan to get even and U-Turn Nicole/Victor if they can.

Aww, they did U-Turn Nicole and Victor who in turn U-Turned Team Fun. 

Team Fun is currently in last place. 

The teams must race by boat to the next Pit Stop. But Nicole and Victor are a bit lost looking for their cow. It looks like Team Fun is going to pass Nic/Vic as both teams vie for second to last place. Er, no … not so quick. Team Fun has to return to the Detour for another egg because one of their eggs were cracked. The suspense builds. Nic/Vic aren't doing well raising their cow.

They have to pull a boat from their boat in the race to the Pit Stop. So, it's not going to be easy to go through the canals. Leo/Jamal are having boat troubles while Nicole/Victor get to the last clue box before Becca/Floyd.

Pit Stop
1. Colin and Christie - won $7,500 each
2. Tyler/Korey
3. LeoJamal
4. Nicole/Victor
5. Becca/Floyd -- Philiminated

I really like them. 

BB21: The Ika ET Canada Interviews - Part 1

For those who might not know -- Canada not only has its own Big Brother show, they can also watch the USA version. Ika was on their version and, although she didn't win her season, she might have parlayed it into a more overall lucrative career with ET Canada. She interviews the new USA cast each season and, although her interviews are a bit formulaic, they're legally available on YouTube unlike the Jeff interviews for All Access which end up getting pulled. 

I will be posting these in four parts, four hamsters at random, along with a bit of commentary from me. Please feel free to voice your thoughts in comments!

But first … don't forget to sign up for the BB blog pool by going to this linked post. Only entries on that post will get into the pool. It's going to be a hot summer -- get in the pool now!

Hmm … I like that Analyse mentioned Daniele, Angela and Kaycee as admired and not Rachel. Heh. There aren't a lot of long-time show fans on this season. And, since she's only 22 and the show's been airing almost her whole life, ten or so seasons practically make her a superfan this season. That said, it doesn't seem like she has ever watched the live feeds or participated in anything online with the show. In my book, that makes her a bit of a pseudo-fan and she doesn't really know what she's getting into here. My jury is out on her.



Yes, Jack … you may face a situation where they might want to shave your head! Be very scared. Obviously a recruit, possibly for the Aquaman resemblance, mentioned in the Jeff interview, but not this Ika one. I would guess he's only been watching the show since he got the word he might be on it. At least CBS Access has all the seasons of the aired TV shows. But they don't have the live feeds from previous seasons stored. He deems like a nice enough guy. His eyebrows can look Vulcan-ish at times. He ain't gonna win.




A gay Broadway performer? Well, that's new and different. Heh. To be honest, I think I like Tommy as opposed to my first impression of the previous hamster with a similar background. Tommy is upbeat and pleasant. Of course, he does have the infamous Staten Island accent, often mistaken for New Jersey. For this season, he's a long-time fan of the show. Yeah, season 14 and on counts as long-time for this cast. No mention of the live feeds. I think he just might last a long time. I bet his social game will be very good!




The press calls her Isabella, but she calls herself Bella. So, she's Bella to me! Another recruit who tried to learn about the show after the "opportunity arose." It seems like she's probably only seen some of BB20. She's definitely going in oblivious. That said, I kind of like her. I think she's going to be fun to watch on the live feeds/ She seems to have an interesting and fun personality. Will she win it all? I doubt it. But, I'm here for the entertainment value anyway.