Big Brother’s Producers Respond To Criticisms About The BB Blockbuster Making The Game Too Competition Heavy, And I Couldn’t Agree More

by

Now that Ashley Hollis has won the $750,000 prize on *Big Brother* 27, fans are still discussing the season. A major point of debate is the new ‘BB Blockbuster’ feature. Did it improve the game, or did it make the competition on the CBS show *too* intense and focused on strategy?

Viewers of *Big Brother* – whether they watched on CBS, online, or through the live feeds with a Paramount+ subscription – witnessed how the BB Blockbuster impacted the game. It helped two players, Keanu Soto and Kelley Jorgensen, who struggled with the social side of the competition, reach the jury stage. Keanu even made it to the Top 5. Entertainment Weekly spoke with executive producer Rich Meehan about fan criticism that the BB Blockuster benefits strong physical players who can win competitions without needing social skills, and Meehan offered a compelling response.

I understand the criticism that the show focuses too much on competitions, but when you look at recent winners, they’ve been players who excelled socially. It’s definitely tough to win Big Brother. While a big move can help someone stay in the game longer, consistently winning challenges is incredibly difficult. Looking back at past seasons, very few players have actually managed to win every competition.

Rich Meehan thinks Keanu losing *Big Brother* proves the season wasn’t overly focused on competition, and I’m inclined to agree. While Keanu and Kelley definitely benefited from the season’s format and went further than they might have in the past, other houseguests had chances to eliminate them but chose not to.

I noticed Keanu reminded me of Frank Eudy from Big Brother seasons 14 and 18. Frank was incredibly strong in the physical competitions, but he struggled with the social aspects of the game. While that strategy can get you far, especially on Big Brother 27, executive producer Allison Grodner explained it ultimately wasn’t enough to secure a win.

Look at Keanu. He just couldn’t do it.

It’s clear this season wasn’t overly focused on competitions. The winner of *Big Brother* didn’t win anything—not even a single challenge—until the very end, when she finally won the second part of the Final Head of Household competition. That really shows that strategic gameplay, not just winning challenges, was key to success in *BB 27*.

More On Big Brother

Big Brother May Be Returning This Winter, And Might Include A Twist I’ve Wanted For A Long Time

When it comes to Keanu, it’s also worth remembering that many strong social players on *Big Brother* didn’t win because they lost a crucial competition. Hannah Chaddha from Season 23 is a good example – everyone liked her game, but she couldn’t pull out a win when it mattered most.

The biggest lesson for future Big Brother players is that a balanced strategy is key to winning. While being strong in competitions or socially skilled used to be enough, the recent changes to the game mean you need to excel at both. This season proved it – Ashley likely wouldn’t have won if she hadn’t taken Vince to the final two instead of the other way around, or if she’d brought Morgan. This topic will probably be debated until the next season starts, and that’s understandable.

Paramount+ offers streaming plans starting at $7.99 per month or $59.99 per year. You can choose between the Essential plan for $7.99/month and the ad-free Premium plan for $12.99/month. For the best value, consider an annual subscription to enjoy your favorite shows, including past seasons of *Big Brother*, while saving money. View the deal now!

The latest season of *Big Brother* has finished, but producers are already looking for contestants for Season 28, which will air next summer. There’s also talk of a new *Big Brotherrelated show coming this winter, but we’ll have to wait for CBS to officially confirm if that’s happening.

Read More

2025-10-08 20:42