Reality TV

Have you ever asked yourself why you watch reality TV in the first place?  For me, it’s the same reason people slow down in their car to check out the accident on the side of the road.  Lots of people just can’t resist a ”train wreck”.  Many are entertained when someone makes a bad strategic move, when they say something incredibly stupid or if they otherwise embarrass themselves.  If you think back to your most memorable reality TV moments, I’ll bet they involve someone doing something controversial or stupid, or just plain losing their mind.  It’s just like the many people who watch NASCAR races for the crashes, or watch the ongoing saga that is Britney Spears.  This week’s action on Big Brother reminded me of why many watch reality TV.   

With that in mind, I would like to thank Adam for nominating Sheila for eviction instead of James.  It wasn’t smart, but it’s moves like this that make reality TV that much better.  This would have been a very boring week for the viewing public if he had ”followed the formula” and put James on the block from the beginning. 

If it wasn’t for Adam’s strategy, we wouldn’t have had any fireworks.  Sheila would not have given him that verbal beat-down.  Ryan would not have had a look in his eyes that would have killed Adam on the spot.  James would not be walking around with a big smile on his face, annoying everyone but Sharon.  Adam wouldn’t have had that “what was I thinking?” look about him the next day, kind of like the guy who had too much to drink at the bachelor party the night before and woke up with an unwanted tattoo.  Nope, none of that would have happened.  We would be subject to Natalie quoting Bible scriptures until the POV. 

The POV would have been the same old tired situation if not for Adam’s gaffe.  We would have seen all 6 of the houseguests in the confession room and saying “as long as James doesn’t win POV he’s out of the house”.  Adam threw the gauntlet down, and it was great.  Tell me you weren’t just a little more pumped than usual about the POV competition this week?  When “Team Christ” were psyching themselves up before the challenge like a heavyweight boxer before a title fight, wasn’t your adrenaline running faster?  Yes, Sheila went out early (again), proving some things are destined to stay the same no matter what Adam does as HOH.  However, the POV was all about the houseguests guessing the day that particular events happened during the game.  If you were wrong and the last one to answer, you were eliminated.  When you consider that Adam is to numbers what Tiger Woods is to golf, ”Team Christ” had to be feeling good.  Sure enough, Adam and Ryan outlasted James.  When Adam conceded (to make amends for his strategic gaffe, no doubt), Ryan had the POV and James was doomed.  Or was he?

If Adam had nominated James for eviction, we would have seen a celebration, some more evangelizing from Natalie and some bitter comments whispered about various houseguests behind their backs.  Now, even though Adam’s gamble paid off, a new wrinkle had some potential.  James was talking to Ryan, who has a history of betrayal and deceit in the house.  Adam’s alliance had forgiven him, but had they forgotten?  Can Adam be trusted from here on in?  What if, James said, he and Ryan teamed up with Sharon and railroaded the other three?  Admit it–for a split second you thought it was possible.  This is Ryan, after all.  It turns out that Ryan stuck with the plan and traded Sheila for James on the nomination block, but that was much more interesting than the same old predictable rhetoric.

So let’s take inventory.  Without Adam’s less than stellar strategy, you had a week full of Bible quotes from Natalie, celebrations by the alliance, “one way or another we have to beat James at the POV competition quotes”, and a “Team Christ” love-in after he was evicted. 

Instead, we had a week of Adam being verbally thrashed by his own alliance, some real “eye of the tiger” mentalities before the POV, some doubt about whether or not Ryan would stick with the plan because he doesn’t trust Adam, and finally James’ eviction from the house.  Yes, Natalie’s Bible verses and Sheila’s failure in competitions are in there either way.  I guess there are some things that will never change.

So James is on his way to the sequester house, joining Joshuah, Chelsia and Matt.  Boy, do I feel bad for Matt.  He seems to be the only normal one there, and he has to share that place with those three?  I actually don’t dislike James, but Chelsia and Joshuah are a different story.  Seeing them in the sequester house watching the show on DVD confirmed what I thought about them when they left the house–they’re classless, foul mouthed, immature little brats who have a whooooooole lot of growing up to do.  I’m more glad than ever that they’re out of this game.  I’ll be sad when Big Brother 9 is over, but will find solace in the fact that I don’t have to watch or listen to those two ever again. 

So again, thanks to Adam for making last week’s shows much more interesting, and for reminding me of why we watch reality TV in the first place.  Who will win HOH on Sunday?  How will the alliance fare now that they have to start ”eating their own”?  Tune in next week for another round of previews and power rankings!  Enjoy!