Big Brother history suggests that it’s a young man’s game and the most recent eviction on BB26 would back up that claim.
The departure of former undercover cop Kenney will not end the myth amongst Big Brother fans that older players don’t have a fair shot. Is age merely leading to their demise, or is there more to the story than meets the eye?
Exploring some of the early evictions on Big Brother
While some Big Brother contestants over 35 have fared well, they’re often seen as easy vote-offs early on.
That said, over the previous three seasons of Big Brother US, only one player above 40 was the first boot. That honour went to returnee Keesha Smith (42) on the second All-Stars edition of the show in 2020. Keesha had previously made the final four in season 10 when the man many consider the greatest ever to play Big Brother, Dan Gheesling, won by a landslide. It was also the same season where Jerry MacDonald finished third at the ripe old age of 75.
Since the conclusion of season 10, though, only two contestants over 40 have been the first boots on their respective seasons in a traditional eviction involving the entire house: Keesha and Steve (40) from season 20. Other houseguests like Jodi (season 14) and Glenn (season 18) went first, but that had more to do with Big Brother twists, which is why I’m not including them.
The reason older people are targets
The last thing you want to do in Big Brother is stand out like a sore thumb early on.
Unfortunately, that’s not something many of the older contestants have any control over, but it’s something they should all know going into the house.
Cliff from season 21 and Hisam from BB25 are just two of the many older players on the radar of the others early on. Cliff survived the early impression to make it to the final four, while Hisam left in 14th place. There was also the groundskeeper Donny Thompson, America’s Favourite Houseguest in season 16, who was on the block numerous times but escaped repeatedly by winning competitions. This season, Angela has already been nominated and appeared to be going home, while Kenney, the oldest houseguest, is now out
Perception is reality in Big Brother, and often, the ones who stand out on the outside are the older contestants like Cliff, Donny, Kenney, and Angela, to name a few. However, it’s more than just that that gets older contestants like Kenney to be early boots. The older contestants understandably have difficulty relating to younger generations, but many tend to use that as an excuse to explain why they leave so early.
Rarely do we see older contestants take the time to be involved in the fun and games the house plays. The older ones are often left to sulk that they don’t understand why they’re left out or not included. The truth is that being an older contestant in a game that traditionally has houseguests in their 20s isn’t easy, but honestly, those who participate in their mid-30s or above rarely take the time to try and blend in.
How older contestants can flourish?
Big Brother is a social game at its core, and all potential contestants, even recruits, should know that by now. Thus, there’s no excuse for them not being involved in social stuff the house does together. You don’t have to be the life of the party, cracking jokes and talking it up all the time, but you must, at the very least, be present and show a desire to be involved. Fake it till you make it if need be.
The ones that can at least be involved and try to socialize, like Cirie, Evel Dick, and Kevin (season 19), often did well. Even Chicken George, who for the record was a terrible strategic player as we saw on BB7 All-Stars had plenty of goofball childish moment on the first Big Brother and in his second stint. Donny, meanwhile was an outcast originally because he stood out, but he also didn’t do much to socialize throughout, which is why he was always targeted.
Unlike Survivor, where the game travels at breakneck speed, Big Brother is a marathon, and you have time to integrate into the game. Therefore, there’s no excuse for older contestants not to do their part in integrating into the game.