Dear Allison Grodner (Ideas for the future of BB)

As dedicated fans of the brilliant premise and social experiment that is Big Brother (one of reality television's most unappreciated franchises), we come together to put forth some creative ideas for future seasons of one of our favorite shows. Let the ideas flow!

LOL! Nice Mark!! Ok I will start it off. Here is my idea and I love it!!

Implement the Diamond power of veto into every season. It must be earned by figuring out a combination to a safe or a trap door or something. All the HGS are given the same clues to work with and its up to them to figure it out. If they think they have it figured out, they can go to the DR and try to open up whatever the DPOV is in. If they get it, its locked up again so that no one knows that the power has been won. If you open it, and the DPOV is gone, you know that its been won but you cant share that info with anyone either. If you win it, you CANNOT reveal to anyone that you have it or you lose it. Its a bit of a rip off of the hidden immunity idol from survivor but would add quite a bit to the show. HOH not knowing if one of their noms had the DPOV and the paranoia would be awesome.
Just imagine if the fortune teller had been giving clues to unlock the DPOV all summer.

Here are a few more, NO MORE America's vote, NO MORE Pandora's box that effect the game!! The one where Kevin opened it and the backyard started raining money was ok because it DIDNT effect the game. Matt opened it and got the DPOV...thats too much. EARN IT! NO MORE bringing back evicted players PERIOD!

Thats just the tip of the iceburg...LOL!

Initial Thoughts for consideration:

For a single season, Cast ONLY players that are dedicated followers of Big Brother (use a quiz for screening). NO RETURNING HGs

Turn the format upside down from the beginning. Make the first HOH a 3-part competition (physical endurance, skill, & quiz) where the winner is HOH and the person who comes in 2nd CANNOT be nominated (initially), but they can be a replacement nomination. *This will give the HGs some immediate insight into the "power players" in the house (should the HGs actually play full strength).

In the 2nd week, the winner of the HOH competition chooses the HOH (and cannot self-select). Like the others, they are eligible for nomination.

In the 3rd week, award 2 winners to the veto competition. The two winners must AGREE on what they do with a single veto option or they lose the power.

In mid-season, make the HOH an automatic Have-Not. They do not receive the benefit of the HOH room, but they still hold the power of the nominations.

The third evicted HG is kept in sequester and they battle the first evicted eligible juror for the position on the jury (the other goes home).

In week four, only the HOH is a have; the rest of the house are have-nots.

In one of the HOH competitions, give the HGs 2 minutes to form 2 teams. The winner of the comp becomes the HOH, but none of the members of their team can be (initially) nominated. They can be replacement noms, however.

Give the viewers a (collective) single vote in one eviction. The HGs are aware of this immediately following the nomination, enabling the HGs to make their case both to the house and the viewers.

Instead of "America's Favorite," award a cash prize to the least liked HG as voted on by America.

Expand the season finale, and illustrate the strategies used by the HGs (showing the contrast between what they said in their intro video, what they told others and what they actually did).

To build on the existing fan base, create a Big Brother community on CBS.com that is a gateway/portal to all of the large fan forums, shows, former HG blogs, etc...promote the activity with summaries/links (CBS is not responsible for the content, but invites viewers to join the discussions). Fan forums can apply to CBS to be on the list of "certified" forums. CBS.com lists the schedule of upcoming radio shows, superpass programs, fan forums, etc. Single profiles set-up on CBS.com become the master profiles for all of the fan forums so that fans can more easily relate to one another. Include expert analysis by strategists and psycologists.Continue to collect feedback to better utilize viewer suggestions and link modifications to specific suggestions (giving small prizes to winning suggestions). Have a contest where the top ten online Big Brother players (those with the best predictions) are flown to Hollywood and one is selected for the next season of Big Brother.

Holy crap Mark! I'm gonna need Brendon to draw me a picture or one of Keith's diagrams to figure this all out. LOL!

nicolefan75 wrote:

Holy crap Mark! I'm gonna need Brendon to draw me a picture or one of Keith's diagrams to figure this all out. LOL!

LOL! The rules of each HOH would merely be explained just before the competition as they are now. It is not as complicated as it all sounds when it is all dumped together!

How about extensive psychiatric evals before entering the bb house so we dont get people like cutter bitch Lydia anymore.
Actually cast people who have auditioned for the show because they love big brother, not recruits or people who are trying to break into acting or modeling and BB will be their "big break".

oh another one....Have, Have not comps are stupid. Have not room is stupid! I loved in earlier seasons where they had to earn the food for the day. The days they won they could eat, the days they didnt win the whole house, except for the HOH was on PB and J and now slop. I also like when they could only win certain foods for the week, like dairy products, breads, beer and wine etc. Remember when Jessica in season 8 won the house sweetbreads because she thought it was donuts and pastries only to find out it was calf heart, liver, testicles or whatever....LMAO!

I know big brother likes to have casting twist, so I have two casting twist that would be interesting.

Twist: Family Reunion
Similar to the Battle of the Ages, but with a unique perspective. How about casting HG around the ages of 20-25 and bring in their parents into the game. To prevent the relatives from working freely you break them up into teams the kids vs the parents. I understand its similar to the cliques twist, but that twist forced people to keep alliance members that they hate (i.e jeff vs jessie and ronnie vs michele) it brought tension to the house that normally couldn't be resolved via eviction.

Twist: International BB
Have contestants from different cultural backgrounds to the house (hispanic, russian, middle eastern, west indian, greek, italian, pacific islander).

Unique Power or Ability
Voiding a Vote. This was done in the finale of BB 2, which allowed Will to take away a vote that could potentially be against him. In a regular season of BB the contestant can earn it by answering riddles from the fortune teller or banner plane clues. This power can help someone stay in the game longer (i.e. possibly danielle this week can erase the someones vote like jordan to help her stay in the game).

Lorraine wrote:

NO MORE bringing back evicted players PERIOD!

Good one Lorraine, I hate when a player who just got evicted comes right back, it's unfair IMO and a big waste since they almost always get evicted back out right away.

Here's one I'd like to see tried one season:

Everyone is eligible to play in the HOH comp every week including the reigning HOH meaning you could win HOH back to back and more if your that good at comps.

I know this is for future seasons but Allison USE the Fortune teller for something. You guys didnt put it there to just look at so Use it to win a DPOV or something where someone has to look for it like they had to look for the Golden Room in Season 6. I'm okay with America Choice but bring it back to like when they use to be like America has chosen to get a phone call, a letter or talking with fans online. No shit like America we want you to give someone a special power. I also think if your on Slop just be ON Slop we dont need to give them food they lost the food comp eat the Slop.

I have a twist idea like Pjs but instead of parents it any kind of relative and One batch goes in like they did this season Pairs up. Then the go into the backyard or something and they bring group two in and Pairs up So it forces the Relatives to be split from the start. But no Gold Key shit or anything.


But The best twist of them All Is No Twist at all. Let the game play out how it normally would. AND BRING BACK THE PRESSURE COOKER!!!!!!

Here's an idea Alison, get some new ideas ya lazy bitch! .... Oh yeah, fire Robyn Kass. And yourself if at all possible...

1. Casting, casting, casting makes ALL the difference, and that means:

- No more casting twists (almost all seasons have them anyway; it's overdone)
- All HGs are newbie strangers (All-Stars is the only exception)
- No HGs that are recruited, aspiring actors, or are working the "reality circuit"
- Stop the mindset of casting groups that have a certain chemistry, just cast individuals who will be good, then the group will be more likely to be good than if it includes "filler HGs" just because they supposedly fit with the season's cast (sounds like bullshit logic to me)

2. Stop making food comps into split-group comps and get rid of H/HN

- Instead, they compete for food as a house and/or spend an allowance
- Penalties like cold showers/slop should be for coming in last place in a game-related comp to make people think twice about just throwing it
- Luxuries need to be earned by solving puzzles or competing

3. Change the house dramatically instead of just changing superficial decor--including hidden powers, puzzles, etc.

What I mean here isn't that significant--more like the aforementioned secret Map Room from BB6 (and get rid of the H/HN room concept). And like BB6, I like the idea of one big bedroom, except with a bunch of different types of beds. Either that, or make more smaller rooms so there are more places for HGs to get away from each other and scheme.

4. Change the structure of the episodes dramatically

- More DR sessions, especially longer ones that aren't just a few seconds to provide a one-liner as a competition voice-over which is almost all we get now--remember, we don't get these on the live feeds (it would be nice, though, and then I wouldn't care much about this point, but right now it's really important to me)
- Lay off the damn music cues already!!! Or at least get new ones
- Create a new routine for showing noms or veto because sometimes it gets drawn out even when it should be completely predictable for casual viewers. No more of this "one of my duties of head of household..." stuff, at least if we're a few weeks into the season. If it's week 3, you aren't going to be getting many new viewers who can't figure out how the game works without the hand-holding. Instead give us more relevant information. They didn't used to do this as much in early seasons.

5. Give the HGs some damn alcohol that amounts to more than 1.2 beers per person...and that's on a generous night

6. Make BB something other than the non-threatening voice that says "stop that" every once in a while; make BB a character who gives directives to HGs or clues to puzzles

7. Comps need to change (except bring back the Pressure Cooker every year like CC said)

- Sure comps need to be recycled when there are so many, but at least don't make it overly obvious to the point of the HGs predicting the comps before they happen.
- Don't blow your comp budget on elaborate sets for stuff like T/F comps, save it for truly mind-blowing ones that we'll remember instead of forgetting them next week
- Just let everyone play veto; I'm sick of all the wasted time picking players randomly, and if not, then introduce more veto passes into the game that can be found in the house (or something)

8. Veto the veto

It becomes predictable when you compete for the same power each week and know what it is. Shake it up: maybe it's the original veto, maybe it's golden, maybe it's diamond, maybe it's a different veto altogether, and you don't know what it is until you win it.

That way it's harder for HoH and other HGs to plan too far ahead and they have more unpredictability to deal with. Right now it's like noms barely matter, GPoV is a given, and everything is settled by the weekend. Then we wait until Thursday. No wonder the days feel so long.

9. Introduce a new power to change the game

Maybe a nominee can win a power that can allow them to nominate a third person to try to draw the vote away from themselves, but the original nominees are still on the block including the power winner.

Maybe a HG can try to complete a secret challenge by BB that might ordinarily start to wreck their game, but if they are successful they get an exemption from nominations (but not comps) for a week to compensate.

Maybe there's a secret comp to enter a secret room where you can watch selected DR sessions from that week or something like that. I know keeping the DR private could be crucial, but considering how little play it gets, at least make it interesting with the spying power. It even fits in with the BB theme (Room 101? Well I guess not quite.)

Retire the slop completely. Go back to pj&j and as said ealier earn food items for the week or day and Pb&j on the days food is not earned. I really dont recall hg's as lethargic prior to slop.

When the POV was 1st introduced all hg's were able to play for it, instead of just 6. I like that format better it involves more ppl, more scenarios, and opportunities for new alliances to be formed.

Sadly, I would like slop to go also, however we cannot bring back pb&j back. We have to remember that people have peanut allergies. Maybe we can replace slop with jello or hospital food or even rations.

Here's one 13 complete strangers are locked in a house to compete for a half million dollar grand price! Back to the basics Big brother from season 10 was in my option the best BB season post all-stars. No major twist, no one knows each other just classic BB. Make them earn things again like back when you had to earn the hot tub. The casting has gone down hill the past two seasons. the producers need to step back and get back to a diverse cast. I think all Allison Grodner needs to do is go back and watch a season pre all-stars to see what worked but it all about ratings so I'm not holding my breath. I'm sure will see Jessie, Branden and Rachael on an all-stars 2 soon I can't be leave I just typed that lol

Dear Allison Grodner,

I am an avid watcher and I was and still upset about the so called votes. Dom won that crap fair and square. Here are 10 easy ways to keep your job.



1. Don't have returned players unless they really played the game.
2. Please try not to throw lame shit into the mix like golden key, AC or better PB really.
3. Try bringing on a Twilight Saga star next year.
4. Bring Dom & Matt back for season 14!!!!! At least let them host a challenge.
5. No more Dr's.
6. On CBS.com please allow viewers to see how their votes are going.
7. Never Ever bring Jesse back again.

8.Make sure Matt Hoffman's wife Stacey Hoffman is a #1 pick in season 14. RATINGS GOLD

9 Here's a twist no more slop let viewers choose all food.
10. YOU DON"T NEED THIS JOB BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT A GOOD AT PICKING THE FORMAT NEEDED TO KEEP PEOPLE ENTERTAINED!!!!!!

1. Extensive psychiatric evaluations of all house guests prior.
2. Either have an all star season or ALL newbies. Half and half is unfair to the newbies look at Dom and Keith who could have been good players.
3. Get rid of the have/have nots and slop. Go back to PB and J at least the houseguests will eat it.
4. Cast people who are actually interested in playing the game and making moves instead of having a summer vacaction.
5. Back to basics / no twists mid season.
6. Put feeds in the jury house also

Hi Kristine!!! to the forum!!!

Thank you so much! I am a HUGE fan of your show and decided to join the forums.

Quote :

Thank you so much! I am a HUGE fan of your show and decided to join the forums.

So glad you did!! Hope to see you around here often!

I like your guyses ideas!

I want these people as insane as possible. In fact, I'm sick of this comfy couches and getting games to play (badminton, etc) bullshit. I want the REAL Big Brother. The 1984 Big Brother. The Big Brother that actually watched you, and when you did something wrong you were stripped nude and beaten! Well okay, maybe that's a little extreme. But enough babying these brats. Rachel cries about her bookie and gets Zoloft? Yeah fucking right! If she can't handle it, GTFO!

I like the idea of penalty noms. It's human nature to want to sing, or whistle, even when it's unintentional, but eventually these people have to learn their place. This isn't supposed to be vacation. And if someone, like Jeff, says "I'm here just to have a vacation" Then they're immediately put on 3 days of slop. Have fun with your vacation chowing down on oatmeal, dickweed! I'm sick of this crap where they get so much food it spoils. This isn't supposed to be paradise. In fact, the UK version is making it as comfortable as possible. They have saunas? WTF?? I want them to open the storage room and a food comp is for one hamburger. For the whole day!

I want to see those old striped prison clothes. I want to see holes being dug for no reason, then filled back up. I want to see sweat and tears and wanting to go home. I'm sick of this painting their nails crap all damn day. (Shit I don't even watch the feeds, but when I read about that shit, it pisses me off.) Don't like cold showers? Here's a bucket! Don't like slop? Here's a piece of bread for the rest of the day! Don't like your bed? Here's Mr. Floor! Survivor has it right, let them suffer for their money. Isolation from your family in a house full of meanies just isn't enough sometimes.

You want to see real fights? Try having 10 or so hungry, sleep deprived, insane strangers at each other's throats. You want less lazy ass people who just float to the end and don't try? Make it like George Orwell had intended and you'll get some Navy Seal mother fuckers signing up. Just hopefully not for the season I apply to

I think one of the biggest changes that needs to be figured out is how to get back to the "old endurance comps". The comps where hg's actually stayed on and competed for hours. It seems like all the hg's as of late give up way too easy and it becomes so boring and disappointing for the viewers.

Maybe some punishments need to be given to the 1st 6 people that give up, or some really good incentives to the final 4 that last on the endurance. Whenever they do the presents they give them at the beginning instead of at the end. So the 1st person to fall can get $5000, instead of one of the final 4 getting the prizes.

Here's something I've been reconsidering lately: eliminate the jury.

Or at least substantially change how it works.

Supposedly it was introduced after the BB3 debacle where one of the greatest players of BB lost, albeit to another deserving (but not as deserving) winner. But have personal votes really been eliminated from the game this way?

Maybe sequester is still necessary. I can see why it's "fair" for DR sessions to be kept secret from those deciding the game because when you're in the DR, you expect it to be private.

But maybe they should at least give the jurors access to the live feeds in addition to just seeing the competitions and the winners of them. That's just too narrow a perspective. With the feeds, they can see for themselves what goes on without the filter of hearing it through the newest juror.

I just think that the way it's set up actually forces people to stew in their bitterness and emotions of the game. Maybe if they were more involved in what goes on in the house after their eviction and are allowed to discuss game in the Jury House, it might result in votes given to the best player.

Sure, there are always circumstances where the vote is automatically personal--like even Brendon would vote for Rachel if she was F2 with Dr. Will--but it's kind of dull that way as a fan.