CBS has been bringing the reality show “Big Brother” to television screens every summer since the 2000s. Host Julie Chen Moonves has led this risqué and game-changing competition show since the beginning. 

Each season, a new cast of twelve to eighteen contestants from the ages of 21 and up enter and are locked into a house together where they are forced to compete and vote each other out for a cash prize. 

What makes “Big Brother” so different from other reality competition shows is their live feeds. The name of this competition show is derived from the George Orwell novel “1984” which coined the phrase “Big Brother is watching you.” This title is used purposefully, as the entire house is under constant surveillance by 94 HD cameras and 113 microphones. These are available to watch by anyone now, as they are being aired on Pluto TV for free. These live feeds are a major topic of conversation, as in recent seasons they have begun to cause a lot of controversy for the Paramount company.

“Big Brother” is not shy of controversy. In the past, the show didn’t have a strict policy on bigotry and discrimination, causing many houseguests to use slurs and derogatory terms without punishment. This problem continued to cause many minority groups to feel outcast and misrepresented by CBS and their reality shows. 

Recently, CBS introduced a policy surrounding their casting for these reality competitions where at least 50% of the cast must be a person of color. This was implemented alongside a zero-tolerance policy surrounding hate speech, which has mostly been affecting “Big Brother,” as everything the houseguests say is documented and broadcast live. In season twenty-five, which is currently airing, viewers have watched this rule go into effect. 

Luke Valentine, a white contestant cast on the 25th season, was caught using a racial slur on the live feeds during the first week of the season before anyone had been eliminated. Because of this, he was removed from the house. This action was met with some love and some hate from the audience. Some said that this should’ve been done in earlier seasons. 

For example, season 24 featured Taylor Hale, the eventual winner of the season who in the early episodes was being bullied and discriminated against by her fellow castmates through several micro-aggressions because of her skin color. Many felt that production should’ve removed houseguests who were constantly spewing these hateful words towards her, but no action was taken. Many felt that removing Valentine was the right thing to do and applauded the new steps production was taking to be more inclusive. But, two weeks later, Jared Fields, another contestant on the show who had just won the powerful position of Head of Household, used a derogatory slur while speaking about another contestant’s mental capacity. So far, as of Tuesday, Sept. 5, there has been no statement or movement made by production to remove Fields from the show. But critics online have made a movement asking for his removal.

Overall, “Big Brother” has historically had a bad run-in with controversy, and it seems to stem from the fact that the houseguests are under 24/7 surveillance. This aspect is one of the big draws of the show, and with many rumors floating around that it could be removed for the next season, could “Big Brother” survive any more controversy?