Like any reality competition series, Big Brother seeks out contestants that fit certain archetypes, whether that’s conscious or not. Every season needs to have different types of players that will appeal to different viewers. The same goes with other reality shows like The Bachelor, Survivor, etc.
Sometimes it’s unavoidable. No matter who you choose to play the game, each person is going to fit some kind of mold, whether it’s the jock, the book worm, the older person, the mom, the model, and so on.
But sometimes people are cast or edited to look as though they fit a very specific stereotype. And this can be annoying after a while. We understand that there will be a diverse selection of people on the show, but they don’t need to fall into tired stereotypes. Here are some that should be avoided for the next season.
The Dumb Jock
There will be a big, buff guy on the show every season. That’s a given. Chances are he’ll probably be young and good-looking as well. But it would be great if they avoided casting someone who’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. Or at least don’t try and edit the person to look like they’re unintelligent.
The whole “dumb jock” persona is pretty played out. We don’t need to see the stereotypical portrayal of a muscular man.
The Overly Religious Black Person
Every season, there seems to be an African American person who is deeply involved in their religion beliefs. They read the Bible every day and pray to God, even as they sometimes ironically lie, cheat, and backstab to win a half million dollars.
We have no issues with deeply religious people on the show, nor with those who wish to express those beliefs. But it often seems to be someone of African American descent who fits this mold, and it’s a stereotype that has been played out too many times on the show.
The Effeminate LGBTQ Person
We love that Big Brother has had many LGBTQ contestants on the series, including a transgender woman. But the focus has sometimes been too much on casting stereotypical gay men.
It doesn’t seem as though the show casts a queer person unless they scream stereotypical LGBTQ with their look, mannerisms, actions, and style. To be fair, there have been many different representations of people within the LGBTQ community on the show, but it would be nice to try and avoid stereotypes for the next season.
The Hot Girl Who Loves Drama
Every season, there’s a super-hot girl who is thin, gorgeous, always wears a bikini, and likes to start fights. She causes drama, talks behind peoples’ backs, flirts with guys, and is generally annoying.
While there have been many very attractive women on the show who were also down-to-earth, sweet, nice, and friendly, we need more of that. There doesn’t always have to be a resident female villain on the series every time — at least not one that fits the typical “hot chick” stereotype.
The Egotistical Tall, Dark, and Handsome Guy
Every season, there seems to be a tall, dark, and handsome guy ,and he often fits the stereotype of massive jerk with a big ego. This isn’t always the case, as we’ve seen some tall and handsome guys who weren’t jerks — although then they often fell into the “dumb jock” stereotype instead.
It would be nice to have a tall, dark, handsome, and relatively normal player this time around who didn’t think he was the bee’s knees and that everyone should bow to him.
The Loner Nerdy Guy
The nerdy guy always ends up in the “misfits” alliance, made up of the people who are left over after the popular alliance is formed. Why can’t the nerdy guy ever be the good-looking guy, too, who manages to be part of the cool kids alliance?
Even more so, we’d love to see a classically nerdy guy come onto the show with confidence, not being intimidated by the “popular crowd” and fitting in with them. (Steve Moses, shown here, was one of the few exceptions who did just this.) Or at least have the nerdy guy or girl not actually be into typical nerdy things in order to fit the stereotype.
The Adorkable Quirky Girl
More common in the latest seasons, she’s the quirky girl who doesn’t quite fit in. She has hair that is dyed a funky color, a weird fashion sense, odd habits, or some other trait that makes her stand out for being unique, but is also a run-of-the-mill misfit.
We love the idea of having someone on the show who doesn’t fit the conventional attractive persona, but it seems as though the people who have been chosen of late have been picked just for that reason, which makes them a stereotype we wish we didn’t see.
The Pompous Jerk
Whether he’s old, young, good-looking, average-looking, rough around the edges or clean-cut, every season, there’s a pompous jerk who thinks he’s God’s gift to everyone in the house, and is immediately labeled the villain. This is so played out on the series that you can almost pinpoint him as soon as he appears on screen.
It really isn’t necessary. Reality shows like Netflix’s The Circle proved that you don’t have to have a jerk on a show to make it interesting, nor do you have to portray the muscle guy in the tank top as the jerk. On that show, the buff, attractive, tank top-wearing guy Joey put viewers in their place when we found out that he was actually a super nice guy.
The Spicy Latin American Person
It’s usually, though not always, a woman. Every season, there’s a Hispanic person who fulfills the stereotype of the spicy Latina. She is outspoken, confident, and likes to stir up trouble or at least always speak her mind.
It’s so stereotypical, and while the person might legitimately be that way in real life, the fact that casting selected the person with this attitude who also happens to be Latina seems like it’s completely intentional.
The Racist White Person
Whether the person actually is racist or not, every season, there has been a white person who has been called racist. It’s either due to things they have said on the show, usually during the live feeds, the way they have treated someone or a group of people, or subconscious things they have done.
Is there always a racist person on the show or has it just become a stereotype? Sure, sometimes it’s pretty cut-and-dry, and the person says things that can’t possibly be misinterpreted. Nonetheless, it would be great to see a season without any racially charged biases going on.
