Streaming services are all about the content.
And yes, the libraries for streamers likeNetflix,HBO Max,Amazon,Disney+and others are impressive.
But let’s talk about Paramount + for a second.
The cast of ‘Big Brother’ season 1.LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP/Getty Images
But the true treasure trove of content on Paramount + comes in the form of reality TV.
Paramount + also goes deep in the reality competition field.
Same goes for over 40 seasons ofSurvivorand recent installments ofThe Amazing Race, Tough as Nails,andThe Challenge.
The streamer also occasionally offers international editions of some of the most successful CBS reality competition shows.
So many elimination ceremonies to choose from!
But when you are looking for your next reality binge, allow me to offer up an unconventional suggestion.
Season 1 of the U.S. edition ofBig Brother.
Now, that may not seem very unconventional.
But absolutely nothing aboutBig Brotherseason 1 makes sense.
It didn’t happen.
There are many reasons whyBig Brotherfailed spectacularly when it first came on the air that summer.
Maybe it was because, as then CBS president Les Moonves himself stated, the “casting sucked.”
)came off more like all filler, no killer.
Get out now."
But you know what they say when it comes to this program: expect the unexpected.
(It also almost singlehandedly ruined my marriage with all the time I have wasted watching it.)
Of course,Big Brothertoday barely resembles the show that first started.
Perhaps you don’t remember some of the absolutely bizarre exploits that went down.
Maybe you never watched that first season and have no idea just how different it truly was.
So without further ado, let’s revisit the psychedelic acid trip that wasBig Brotherseason 1.
But it’s not the one that first introduced the show back in season 1.
She’s hosted the show from the very beginning, and we love her for it.
But originally, she wasn’t alone.
Let’s give it up for season 1 “Big Brotherreporter” Ian O’Malley!
You may have never heard of the guy.
Or, if you watched season 1, you may have forgotten him.
One day, he was there.
The next, he wasn’t.
“I was relieved when I left,“he told Reality Blurredin an interview.
“There’s no doubt about that.”
That meant there was no need to lobby and strategize once the nominations were in place.
So what did they do instead?
Instead, it was the “Red Room.”
THE ROOM TALKED BACK!
But back in season 1, the 10 test subjects were part of a police-led motorcade!
Again, a police-led motorcade.For Chicken George!
So, we’ve introduced you to reporter Ian O’Malley.
But there were a lot of other random personalities that popped up on a regular basis.
Obsessed, I say!
But the weirdest visitor of all may have been Art Manteris.
(By the way, Art nailed both the first one out and the winner of the show.
The house always wins!)
Why did nobody watch this?!?
It’s about to get evenmoreincredible.
Because we are about to meet Karen’s husband Tom.
(Tough, but fair.)
Oh my God, that was spectacular.
How did CBS not immediately give Tom his own spin-off show?
Only I don’t have to give a thing, because we already have it!
I’m so glad you asked!
Another piece of riveting TV.
(Note: I have legit watched thishundredsof times over the past two decades.)
Here’s her spellbinding interview with Chicken George…
That wasn’t Jamie’s only big break.
Meet Beth Thieme, theBig Brothercontestant who never was.
Watch in this next clip how hard Julie Chen tries to convince someone to self-evict.
Alas, they remained unswayed and Beth never made it out of the studio.
Look, I just report this stuff.)
I am proud to say I watched every single second of BB1 when it first aired.
Well… maybe “proud” is the wrong word.
If you’re still reading at this point, that tells me two things.
There is somethingseriouslywrong with you.
Welcome to the club.
Look, I understand season 1 ofBig Brotheris not the best season of the show.
It’s not even the 22nd best season of the show.
But it is, 22 years later, super entertaining in its own bizarre did-this-really-happen-or-did-I-take-too-much-Nyquil kind of way.
There is a certain charm in its hapless innocence.
And trust me, these little tastes I provided here barely scratch the surface.
