In #BigBrother, 45 Black players have played the game over the course of 24 seasons. Several Black players do not get the chance to play the same game White players do and it's due to one problem: Diversity. Let's talk about 40 of them. #BB22

A THREAD.

Background reading: @thejuliacarter’s thread covers assimilation and in/out-group bias in Reality TV games like Survivor, BB, etc. She has first-hand experience, being Black & a Survivor alum. I recommend reading her thread below. https://twitter.com/thejuliacarter/status/1274793125140201473?s=21

DISCLAIMER: I am obviously a fan. All of this is my analysis. I’m going to stick to facts and stats.
-Unless otherwise stated, BBOTT and BB1 will not be included bc of the effect America had on the way the game ran and there not being a jury. All data is about BBUS2-21 & CBBUS1&2

In Big Brother’s 24 seasons, they’ve had 272 HGs with 45 being Black HGs—including CBB1&2 and OTT. To understand why they do not do well, you must first look at the makeup of the households they play in.

According to http://USAfacts.org , the US Black population made up almost 13% of the total population in 2018. In a house of 16 people, this would equal 1 person. This is likely the reasoning for limited POC casting slots as Casting Director @Kassting does the same on BBCAN.

In preseason for BB19, CBS told readers to “introduce yourself to the diverse cast” with pictures of Dominique, Ramses, Elena and Kevin. Let the record show, this season is one of the more ethnically diverse casts, with 5 POC. On the flip, that season had 12 White HGs.

As Julia mentioned in her thread, when building a culture on an island or in a house, the players will undergo cultural assimilation. Adding to that, when the main race is White, you will often see non-White cultures become subsequent to or small factors of the main culture.

To equate, Beverly Tatum, author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, told the Atlantic, “If you’re in a school where you feel your language is perceived as a liability—not an asset—that has a direct impact on how you feel about being in school.”

So for the POC that want to express themselves freely—which oftentimes is against the culture already in place—it’s going to be seen as a rebellion, an uprising, a shift in the tides. Which often leads to them being ridiculed, outcast, or evicted. Their true self is a liability.

This can be seen in simple, small things like @kisseskemi putting her bottle in the fridge during BB21.

Or how @kaliabalia called out Jeff’s homophobic comments during BB13.

And if they’re successful, they get the chance to stay around long enough to feel comfortable. But the sad reality is, 40% of the Black HGs—16 HGs—don’t enter the jury phase of the game. That means we could play a normal BB season with just the Black HGs that aren't on a jury.

Also in the 18 seasons with a Pre-jury phase, 11 of those seasons have at least 50% of Blacks populaton evicted during Pre-jury. And if they are the “Only Black” or the Token Black that season, they are at an even higher risk to go home pre-jury.

Now the Jury phase is just as bad for Blacks. Focus on the 16 people below bc they entered the jury phase. This does not include CBB or BB2&3. So if you’re counting, that's 16 Blacks made jury over 18 seasons. Which means yes, some seasons didn’t have a Black person in Jury.

This isn’t to be confused with the players that have served on a jury. There you’ll find 22 HGs. However, 8 of those had received it automatically given the setup of the season.

However, although they make the jury phase, almost half get evicted as the jury boot. Even further, Black men barely make it passed this week and is typically the week Black women get evicted.

To help keep track, 6 players were evicted at the Jury Boot, which leaves only 10 Black players that have made it passed Week 6 (or Week 5 depending on season). Out of those 10, only 4 have made it to the Final 5 in a non-autojury season. But none have won the summer game.

Now if we open it up to auto-jury games, the players that have placed in Top 5 increase to 12. This is largely in part to CBB where in CBB2 it’s the only time in BBUS history, we see an All-Black F3 and a majority Black F5.

This can be explained by bringing in the point earlier: Assimilation. During CBB2 there were 11 HGs of which 5 were POC. (One White went out Week 1) This gave way to a blend of cultures and no real dominant culture. And as a result, all POC placed in the top 7.

This ultimately led to the first Black winner in BBUS history: Tamar Braxton ( @TamarBraxtonHer)

And so I end this with this 22nd tweet: @Kassting, make #BB22 truly diverse. Give the fans the ability to see themselves on the screen and instead of another Texas A&M alum. Allow the houseguests the chance to make a culture that is inclusive.

As you can see so many have been robbed of the chance to play because of cultural barriers. I know @kassting will see this tweet, bc you see all the suggestions. But unlike last time, make sure diversity is at the top of the list instead of ignoring it. https://twitter.com/Kassting/status/1217944952115589120?s=20

That’s all for me. I’m done. I did this so @DayDaVonne_ and @SwaggyCTV have something to read before they go into sequester and for Kass to fix #BB22 bc I’m sick of seeing white men and being told Black people who didn’t get the chance can’t play again.

Oh and I feel as tho I shouldn’t have to say this, but there’s definitely that one casual that’s gonna find me and say something contrary: THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE. THEY DIDNT SHIFT THE RULE.

Finally thanks for reading this Far. Remember: Breonna Taylor’s murderers still are working and not in jail. #BlackLivesMatter

Here’s my reasoning for not including BBOTT and BB1 in the thread. Shout out to those players, they are as much of a member of the BB family as any other and just as valid as Black people. https://twitter.com/koolnigaid/status/1276274471146606593?s=21 https://twitter.com/koolnigaid/status/1276274471146606593