Big Brother is one of those shows that has spawned tons of memes relating to specific players (think season 24’s Taylor and her love of Lay’s potato chips), competitions, and Diary Room confessionals. Some of these memes, however, are also beautifully indicative of what life is like in the Big Brother house.
From the constant boredom to paranoia, late-night strategizing, hilarious antics to entertain oneself, drama, verbal disagreements, celebrations, awkward moments, and silly competitions, there are a lot of things that make up the show’s core components.
Dan’s Antics
As one of the most popular and best winners of Big Brother, any meme that references Dan is one that can sum up the show and what life is like in the Big Brother house. This meme features another iconic player and winner, Mike “Boogie” Malin, doing his signature thumb and pinky finger posing like a phone, pretending to call someone and poke fun at the players he just lied to.
The caption references Dan’s antics, which were a big part of the show any season Dan was on. But antics of all kinds are actually an integral part of Big Brother as a whole. Players are always pulling different moves and strategies, or doing silly things, to get under one another’s skin.
Different Ponies
Horsing around is part and parcel of living in the Big Brother house. It might be through practical jokes, as was the case with players like James Huling. Or it could be putting on silly shows, dancing up a storm, playing fun games, or whatever else the house guests can do to entertain themselves.
But this meme also represents another key component of the show: house guests on Big Brother are often typecast under categories like the eccentric oddball, the jock, the country guy, the LGBTQ+ member, and so on. This meme highlights just three of those often-repeated personalities and types. It’s one of the reasons fans think Big Brother needs casting changes.
Surprise!
Something long-time fans of Big Brother know is that nowadays, the recurring twists that are supposed to be shocking and game-changing tend to be expected and predicted. Among these are the double eviction nights, which have become mainstays over the last several seasons.
With that said, Big Brother’s mantra is to “expect the unexpected,” and sometimes, that means throwing an actual twist into the game that players did not see coming, like a triple eviction. Sometimes, these twists initially seem like they could be bad for a player’s game only for them to mull over it and realize it’s actually a good thing, or, vice versa.
Live Feeds
Over the last few seasons, Big Brother has added a subscription-based live feed option to the equation that allows those who sign up to tap into a live feed of the house, 24/7. While sometimes it can be like watching paint dry as the house guests get up to not much at all, it’s also a good way to hear conversations that aren’t part of the aired episodes, see a house guest’s true colors in everyday conversation, and get a head’s up on winners, nominees, and the way decisions are swaying.
Live feeds are a huge part of Big Brother nowadays, with subscribers Tweeting, discussing, and posting video clips of events for all to see. It’s easy to see how a superfan might look through the summer when getting caught up watching.
Brains, Beauty, Beard
Just as Big Brother players are typecast by their personalities, from quirky to athletic, nerdy to religious, players are also often typecast by their dominant feature. Oftentimes, people who fall into similar categories end up gravitating towards one another.
Three typical ones seen every season are the brainy players, the beautiful players, and, according to this meme, the bearded or rough-around-the-edges player. No matter the season, fans can expect to see at least one of each.
Perception Is Everything
In the Big Brother house, perception is everything. While fans know how they feel in the house and what conversations they have been having, they don’t have a clue how fans watching from home perceive them. Indeed, players like Aaryn Gries – one of the most hated Big Brother cast of all time - were surprised when they were met with “boos” from the live audience upon eviction.
In this case, Jack was so arrogant and pompous that he truly believed he was beloved by viewers who were lusting after his chiseled body, flowing hair, and self-proclaimed resemblance to Jason Momoa. In reality, however, when he was evicted, host Julie Chen brought Jack down a few pegs by informing him about how terribly some of the things he did and said in the house were perceived by the outside world. In the house, house guests are completely in the dark about how the editing of the broadcast episodes portray them as well as what things they say that might come across as politically incorrect, intended or otherwise.
Dark Tyler
The best Big Brother players wear their own type of mask, or, in the case of this meme, hood, to cover their true intentions, at least to some degree. With Derrick Levasseur, for example, he hid his true occupation as a police detective. With Ian Terry, he referred to himself as the “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” playing the clueless, introverted underdog when he was strategizing and waiting to pounce the whole time.
Tyler is another player who had a great social game, but also made promises to too many people. As the meme implies, house guests are often second guessing their decisions, usually because they have nothing else to do. Their minds begin to spin as they wonder if they are putting their trust in the right person, if that secret conversation in the corner might have anything to do with them, and so on. Then, there are temptations to factor in, such as prizes and, of courses, showmances.
I’m Taking My Ball
Many times on Big Brother, players go back and forth between alliances. It might be a falling out that leads them to the other side of the house, or simply believing they are on the bottom of the alliance and have a better chance with another group. This most recently happened with Kyle on season 24, for example, when he completely abandoned his alliance after the game was split in two and ed others.
This meme uses a hilarious way to describe this action, which is similar to a young child pouting and using that common phrase, “I don’t want to play with you anymore.” In the Big Brother house, the decision isn’t explained with such honesty. But the same sentiment is there.
He’s Always Watching
Big Brother was, of course, a character in the famous George Orwell novel 1984, which he penned in 1949 about a totalitarian society where citizens were under 24/7 surveillance. Hence the reason the reality show, based on the Dutch original, chose this name.
This meme is simple, featuring the image that appears on one edition of the Orwell book. But it also perfectly sums up what the show is about and what life is like in the Big Brother house. There are few places cameras aren’t allowed, like in the bathroom, and mic packs are worn 24/7. For the entire duration of the show, every move, every word, every sound is captured and played for millions of viewers, either on the broadcast and live episodes or through the live feeds.