Big Brother offers live feed access to its viewers each summer.
The live feeds give fans a way to view the houseguests outside the episodes on CBS.
It’s not a perfect system, but the feeds provide unique coverage unavailable to other reality competition shows.
And since the cameras catch almost everything, the live feeds see fights and arguing before the moments make it on the show.
This sometimes leads to Big Brother fans reacting on social media, causing controversy for the houseguests involved.
An example of that controversy was when many fans felt Ian Terry was getting bullied during Big Brother 22.
Producer jokes about shutting down Big Brother live feeds
Executive producer Allison Grodner touched on several topics in her new interview with Variety.
One of those topics was the Big Brother live feeds.
Allison was asked if the producers have discussed eliminating the feeds due to the controversies that have come up.
“All the time,” Allison stated while laughing.
“Listen, it’s tough. But it’s also what makes the show so unique,” Allison added.
She did have positive things to say about the feeds.
“There’s so much that happens in the house, and it’s hard even with three hours of primetime to really tell all the stories. What the live feeds give us is another way,” Allison elaborated.
Allison is right. The episodes provide a glimpse into a season of the show, but the feeds allow fans to get to know the players.
Big Brother alums defend live feed access
Taylor Hale (Big Brother 24 winner) and All-Star Janelle Pierzina also answered questions about the live feeds.
Taylor and Janelle have been involved in big moments on the feeds, giving them perspective on how it can impact fan opinions.
“It’s no secret I was recruited for a handful of reality shows and Big Brother was among that list. Big Brother was the most enticing to me because of the live feeds,” Taylor told Dalton Ross.
The feeds showed many negative interactions that some BB24 cast members had with Taylor before it was mentioned during episodes. It led to the live feed subscribers getting a different look at Taylor.
“The live feeds proved over and over that I wasn’t doing anything to earn the hatred that I was getting,” Taylor said.
“So I’m a big, big proponent of live feeds. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Sunlight is the best disinfectant. And to me, the live feeds are the sun,” Taylor added.
Janelle answered the question a bit differently. Janelle noted that she saw the corporate side of the decision for Big Brother Canada when it turned off the live feeds for that show.
“As far as me, I’m very much like Taylor. I wouldn’t want to be edited into something that I’m not either. And I want to have the fans see the real me and see what’s really being said about me, and what I’m saying. I think all of that’s incredibly important. So I see both sides of it,” Janelle went on to say.
More Big Brother 25 news
It was confirmed that Big Brother 25 is the longest season in history. Many episodes await fans this summer and fall.
And ahead of the new season, Big Brother alums gave the BB25 cast some advice.
CBS has also released the early BB25 episode schedule so fans can set those DVRs.
Big Brother 25 debuts on August 2 on CBS.