By Robert Metzger, Staff Writer
In recent times, there has been a large cultural shift towards promoting cultural diversity. An inclusive culture means celebrating cultural differences amongst people. Reality TV in particular has been a huge influence in the promotion of inclusivity. The show “Big Brother” on CBS is a show that happens once a year during the summer where 16 houseguests are cut off from the outside world and compete in competitions to prevent their elimination. The show has actively been working to create a more inclusive cast with each season.
Students on campus view the increase in diversity on screen as a positive change.
“Movies have become increasingly diverse and it’s great to see that major television networks are moving in the same direction,” says junior fashion merchandising major Grace Catanese.
Casting contestants of different backgrounds allows fans of the show to develop a new appreciation for cultures that are different from their own. “Big Brother” contestants have previously made it a point to develop alliances with each other to make history and ensure a person of color wins the game.
Last year, during season 23, an all Black alliance known as the Cookout was able to run the house all the way until the end. Which not only meant that a Black winner would finally be crowned, but also for the first time six people of color were the final six contestants. At the end of this season, a Black man named Xavier Prather won.
On Sept. 25, , the show concluded its 24th season. For the first time in the show’s history, a black woman, Taylor Hale, won.
Most fans have seen her win as deserved as she also went on to win America’s Favorite Player, an $75,000 prize awarded to the player who America voted as their favorite on CBS’s official website. The voting begins approximately three weeks prior to the finale airing. However, others believe that her win was the result of foul play from production.
Catanese, a fan of the show, considers the accusations of foul play ludicrous.
“I think that it’s absurd that people could accuse Big Brother of rigging their show because they have live feeds, and if there was foul play it would have been caught and exposed,” Catanese said.
On the show, live feeds are available for fans to watch what is going on in the house at any given part of the day. The only time that the feeds go down are during competitions to which they are shown when the show goes on air, but also when the show is live, such as on eviction nights.
Hale’s win was the result of a game that revolved mainly on her social skills. She was up for eviction a total of six times yet stayed due to her bonds and connections with other houseguests.
To actually win the show, when there are eleven houseguests remaining, nine of the eleven, based on who gets evicted next, will become jurors that will eventually vote for the winner.
Fans of the show analyzed Hale’s game strategy and believe that was ultimately the key to her success.
“[Hale’s] strategy and her gameplay was undeniably the best and that is why the jurors voted for her to win,” junior business administration major Lauren Ritirato said.
The allegations that the show was rigged by production is not based on any factual information . Fans are able to keep up with the houseguests in real time and can theoretically watch the entire summer unfold.
Hale not only captured the hearts of her fellow houseguests, but also the hearts of America. This is evidenced by not only her win of America’s Favorite Player, but also the unwavering amount of love she has received from fans on her historic win.
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