Big Brother Bounces Back

My entire family was really into Big Brother a few summers ago. It's not our proudest moment. To our credit, the show used to be kind of interesting. There were twins playing as one person, a brother/sister combo that didn't know they were brother and sister, etc. It was low-brow, high-fun TV.

Then it just got bad.

I left Big Brother behind and never really thought twice about it.

Last night, I thought twice. I watched the season premiere of Big Brother 10. For the first time in a few years there are no pre-existing relationships on the show, no crazy secrets, etc. Just a bunch of people living in a house with hundreds of cameras and wacky challenges.

BB is also a little different this year because the folks over at CBS are finally discovering that this show succeeds or fails because of the cast members. They're diversifying from their usual suspects of 20-something muscle heads and blonde bartenders. There are a few more middle-aged people in the house and even a super old guy named Jerry (pictured in his old-timey workshop). How old? "He fought in the Korean war and he has great-grandchildren," old.

So between Jerry, some annoying middle aged woman with a jackal's laugh named Renny and some great alliances already in place I may just give Big Brother 10 a fighting chance. Will I watch 3 times a week? Probably not but getting me to come back once or twice is a pretty big step.


Photo: CBS.com