- This is the 21st season for CBS’s reality show.
- ‘Big Brother’ is a spin-off of a Dutch TV series of the same name.
- ‘Big Brother’ Season 21 Episode 11 airs July 18 at 8:00 PM Eastern.
Despite everyone in the world insisting that the Jim Ross doppleganger Cliff Hogg III was a goner he lives to fight another day. Instead, Kimi Fakunle got eliminated and she was our -150 favorite to get the ax. Actually, she wound up in Big Brother’s version of ‘Extinction Island’ aka ‘Camp Comeback’ which as I noted last week sounds like a Summer program for at-risk teens. For those of you who are interested, the current residents of ‘Camp Comeback’ are David Alexander, Ovi Kabir and Kimi Fakunele. Now see if this makes any sense–Alexander hasn’t been ‘officially’ eliminated. His status is ‘banished’ yet he’s been relegated to ‘Camp Comeback’ with the two contestants who have been eliminated. Of course, since the two contestants who have been ‘eliminated’ will presumably have the opportunity to get back in the game at some point they’re not really eliminated–it’s more like they’re..uh…’banished’.
It’s still not quite clear why Big Brother co-opted one of the most universally reviled reality show plot devices in history for their 21st season. People hated ‘Extinction Island’ when it was used on Survivor and they still hate it now. Pretty obvious why–part of the attraction of the reality show genre is the grim finality of elimination. Much of the drama within the context of the show deals with contestants plotting, scheming and otherwise arranging the elimination of other contestants. If the contestants aren’t really eliminated–even if they’re labeled as such in the nomenclature of the show–there’s no real point in watching. It doesn’t matter how many hi-jinx and wacky stunts they subject the eliminated-in-name-only contestants to to earn their way back into the competition.
THE NEED FOR ORDER IN AN IMAGINARY UNIVERSE
It’s what pro wrestling geeks call ‘hot shot booking’–it may seem like a good idea to increase interest in a product in the short term. What happens in the long term, however, is that the sense of contextual ‘order’ is destroyed. In pro wrestling, for example, there are still certain ‘unwritten rules’ and constructs that all successful promotions embrace. For example, it’s always been a fundamental assumption of pro wrestling that the various titles have a degree of value and prestige that makes them a priority of anyone involved. In the ‘real world’, the NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Title might not be considered prestigious (even though it was once held by a number of legit legends including Eddie Graham, Johnny Valentine and Jack Brisco). Within the context of the pro wrestling milieu, however, it is something to be sought after.
Another ‘unwritten rule’ of episodic pro wrestling programming: no matter how heinous an act committed by a ‘heel’ might be there are no ‘real world’ legal ramifications. The Original Sheik aka Ed Farhat would burn his opponents with fire, Abdullah the Butcher would carve his foes up with a fork, and countless other heels commit countless other ‘heel like’ offenses. No matter how bloody Abdullah’s fork work would leave Dusty Rhodes or Carlos Colon, they never filed assault charges. Instead, justice was meted out within the context of the storyline. That’s why most ‘angles’ involving (real or worked) law enforcement ‘feel’ so ‘wrong’. Promotions have done them from time to time, but they’re seldom effective.
The ‘Extinction Island’ aka ‘Camp Comeback’ device might be having a similar impact on reality television. It makes ‘suspension of disbelief’ difficult. Even more problematic, it undercuts the significance of anything else that happens on the show. Sure, reality TV producers have always had the power to manipulate or contrive outcomes. Much can be done with editing in terms of developing contestants into likable or unlikable individuals. UN observers never get called into to monitor voting on American Idol. Even so, through out most of reality TV history there’s been a sort of ‘kayfabe’ that helped maintain a show’s veneer of legitimacy. From a practical standpoint, there’s no difference in an eliminated contestant returning to the game via a plot device like ‘Extinction Island’ than there is in a producer manipulating outcomes through a variety of means. From a philosophical standpoint, it’s a huge distinction and one that could significantly undermine the popularity of reality television if it continues to be used.
Here are the official SPORTS INSIDER betting odds for Season 21 Episode 11 of Big Brother.
‘BIG BROTHER’ SEASON 21 BETTING ODDS
TO WIN ‘BIG BROTHER’ SEASON 21
Tommy Bracco +450
Jack Matthews +450
Nick Maccarone +750
Isabella Wang +750
Nicole Anthony +750
Holly Allen +750
Sam Smith +750
Christie Murphy +1500
Analyse Talavera +1500
Jackson Michie +1500
David Alexander +2500
Jessica Milagros +2500
Cliff Hogg III +5000
Kathryn Dunn +5000
‘BIG BROTHER’ SEASON 21 EPISODE 11 BETTING ODDS
TO BE EVICTED IN EPISODE 11
Jessica Milagros +200
Kathryn Dunn +500
Cliff Hogg III +700
Nicole Anthony +700
Sam Smith +1500
David Alexander +1500
Tommy Bracco +1500
Isabella Wang +1500
Jack Matthews +2500
Holly Allen +2500
Christie Murphy +2500
Analyse Talavera +2500
Jackson Michie +2500
Nick Maccarone +2500
No One Evicted in Episode 11 +5000
WILL THE EVICTION VOTE IN EPISODE 11 BE UNANIMOUS?
Yes +300
No -350
‘BIG BROTHER’ SEASON 21 EPISODE 11 VIEWERSHIP
Over 4.15 Million -150
Under 4.15 Million +130
‘BIG BROTHER’ SEASON 21 EPISODE 11 RATING
Over 1.00 -170
Under 1.00 +150
‘BIG BROTHER’ SEASON 21 EPISODE 11 SHARE
6 or Over -250
Under 6 +210
The previous three TV ratings propositions will be graded using data reported at TV By The Numbers.
