Big Brother 10: out with the failed and in with the old!

As you all probably know by now, the most shameful of my many shameful TV loves is a certain trashy reality show called Big Brother. I argue that it's Orwellian, that it's psychological, that it's a behavioural study... but really, it's a trashy reality show. I love it though, and will, no doubt, devote hundreds of words to the study of it this summer.

After its first ever winter season turned into a complete train wreck featuring idiotic twists, unfair advantages and the least likable cast yet, Big Brother is trying again this summer and they've made some crucial changes:

1) They're back to basics. There are no hidden relationships, no mortal enemies and no long lost siblings in this season. No one has been paired up with a soul mate or is part of a twist unbeknownst to the rest of the house. Everyone (for the first time since season 3) is a complete stranger. Good thing? I think so.

2) The casting is less casting-like. Like in the first couple seasons, there is an age range in the contestants this year as there hasn't been for the past couple seasons. There's only the one obligatory gay guy but there is a bit more racial diversity than usual and the ages of the contestants are, in general, much more promising. This season, Big Brother seems a little more like they picked contestants from a pile of applications rather than call the agents of aspiring actors.

3) The house looks great. Every season they remodel the Big Brother House but last season it reached new proportions of epic failure with their tacky take on a rustic love cabin. This season the house is more eclectic and really cool looking again.

The season is already off to a better start than the last with these changes in place, and whereas last season kicked off with Matt assessing the do-ability of each of the female house guests, this season premiere featured a cool HOH crowning, a really neat food/prize competition, the birth of a couple of somewhat promising alliances with someone seems to be a Will-Kirby-in-training type of guy linking them together and calling the shots (Brian), the nomination of the only 2 house guests to already succeed in thoroughly annoying me (Jessie and Rennie), and only about 2 minutes of boob talk.

I already really like a couple contestants and I already really like this new season. Here's hoping for a house of guests I can really cheer for instead of rally my pity behind.