Big Brother is Watching You, so Expect the Unexpected!

by Lilly Lemanski

Someone really looked at 1984, a novel about overbearing government surveillance and control, and thought, “Yeah, that would make good TV!” And they were, of course, correct.

Enter—the hit reality show, Big Brother.

On the surface, you may be thinking, what exactly does a reality competition-based television show have in common with a 1949 dystopian novel about a mysterious “Big Brother” figure constantly surveying the citizens of Oceania?—other than the name, of course! You would be shocked to learn that the two actually have an alarming amount in common, however.

Every summer for over 25 years, 16 strangers have moved into the Big Brother House, located on a production stage in California. From the moment these strangers were selected to appear on the show, they were whisked away by production members and placed into a sequestered lockdown where they awaited the time, they would officially enter the Big Brother House. They lost all access to outside information. Aside from the millions of dollars' worth of cameras and microphones that document their every move, and the televisions where they receive updates about when nominations, competitions, and evictions will take place, they aren’t allowed any other technology. They are given no access to even a pen and paper, no way to communicate other than through monitored speech.

Over the next three months, the Houseguests are stripped of privacy in every sense of the word. They are placed under 24/7 surveillance that will be livestreamed online every single day for the public to watch whenever they please, and then this footage is edited three times a week. Sometimes, Houseguests will be edited to appear nicer than they are, sometimes they will be edited to appear much more conniving—this is completely at the discretion of production. A robotic, disembodied voice (“Big Brother,” if you will) will oftentimes summon them to the “Diary Room,” where they will record interviews alone, with possibly the most privacy they will receive anywhere in the house. Sometimes, their lines may be fed to them or simply used against them in later edits of the show.

They will compete in multiple competitions every week. These competitions may push their bodies to their limits or force them to dig deep into their memories. One Houseguest a week is awarded the most power. This luxury includes a rare letter and a few photos from home, a personalized snack basket, safety for the week, and the power to nominate two Houseguests for eviction. Later, a Houseguest is awarded the power to veto one of the nominations (but they don’t have to use it, so the nominees better start sweet-talking!). At the end of the week, usually after days of manipulation and deceit, the Houseguests vote on who they want to be evicted from the house, and the evicted Houseguest is sent packing.

The motto in the Big Brother House is “Expect the Unexpected,” and Houseguests are often reminded of it before they are brought into the backyard to compete for luxury items, including hot water, kitchen appliances, and sometimes even food.

Strangely enough, millions of people tune in to watch this dystopian broadcast on television each year. They must have forgotten about 1984 and its ominous warning all those years ago.