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We’ve come to accept the Big Brother tagline of “expect the unexpected.” But sadly, all too often, we’ve also come to expect some truly ugly behavior from the houseguests, behavior that always seems to take away from and overshadow the silly, fun, ridiculousness that the show tries to supply us with each and every Summer.
Week 1 of Big Brother 24 was among the most uncomfortable and painful stretches the show has ever seen. Much of it played out on the live feeds, and only those who religiously glue themselves to those live feeds (available on Paramount+) will know or understand the full context of what went down. I am – admittedly – not one of those people. I typically don’t watch the live feeds all that much, and did not watch them at all yet this season. As I even wrote in my Recap of the Big Brother 24 Premiere Episode last week, I had planned to have this column focus on the actual broadcast of the show, and not a Recap of what has occurred on the live feeds each week.
Well, that had been the plan. But over the past week, the conduct in the Big Brother House had made national headlines, well beyond the normal pop culture sites/outlets that cover the show. It’s become the talk of the season, and it’s impossible to avoid it.
So what am I referring to? Well, for those that don’t know, here is a brief summary. It all has to do with houseguest Taylor Hale, and what has been perceived as the terrible, ongoing treatment of her, led by fellow houseguest Paloma Aguilar. The word that has come up a lot is “microaggressions,” defined as: “instances of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.” It seems from the get-go, that Paloma just did not like Taylor, a black woman. Taylor admitting to the group that she was a former pageant girl set Paloma off, and the feeds captured Paloma turning the other houseguests against Taylor. Taylor has since been described as “aggressive” more than once, and Pooch‘s comments that if Taylor were to be nominated, that she would “show more of her true colors,” and that: “Whoever puts her up, it’s gonna be a loud week. A loud f***ing week.” The Week 1 HOH, Daniel commented, “The minute I saw her [Taylor] I knew it was going to be bad news.” Daniel was also shown being very worried of how he would be perceived, after putting up two black people – Taylor along with Terrance – during his HOH. “…if people think I’m f***ing racist when I leave this house, I’m f***ed.”
Keep in mind that there has been zero evidence whatsoever that Taylor has shown any sort of aggressiveness in the house. The house having turned against her during the week has led to Taylor breaking down in to tears on more than one occasion, expressing feelings of isolation, and once commenting, “I didn’t do anything.”
All of this is amplified due to the fact that Big Brother 24 follows last Summer’s historic Big Brother 23, where “The Cookout” alliance made national headlines as well, albeit for very positive reasons instead. Six African-American players formed an alliance and navigated their way to the end of the game – together – to ensure that Big Brother would crown their first-ever Black winner no matter what. Xavier Prather, a Cookout member and eventual winner of the season, put out a lengthy response to what was going in the house this season, and his disappointment (you can read his statement here). Other Cookout members have expressed similar sentiments and have been vocal on Twitter.
Speaking of Twitter, the Big Brother community has been in an uproar. Many outlets that have covered the show decided not to this season, because of the ugliness that they saw in the house towards Taylor. People have been calling on CBS to do something, and to address Paloma‘s – and the rest of the house’s – behavior. Nothing was addressed on the Sunday episode of the show in regards to this controversy, and many became even more furious when Wednesday’s show didn’t address the concerns either. In fact, the aired Episodes tell a bit of a different story.
According to what we’ve seen on air, Taylor tried to give Monte a heads-up that Paloma and the girls were growing paranoid thinking that there might be an all-male alliance forming. It seemed innocent enough, but having your words twisted on Big Brother is not a new phenomenon. Monte though, was aligned a bit closer with Paloma, so he went to her with this news. While Paloma may have not liked Taylor – or was jealous, or a variety of other things – this put her on the warpath to get rid of Taylor. A game of “telephone” ensued – where by the time the last person heard the news, it was a twisted version of what was actually first said. Taylor’s seemingly-innocent comment to Monte became perceived as Taylor throwing Paloma under the bus. This all led to Daniel carrying out a backdoor plan this week during his HOH, where Taylor was put up as the replacement nominee after Michael won POV and took himself off of the block. In his speech after placing Taylor on the block next to Terrance, Daniel didn’t mince words, and told Taylor flatly that she “rubbed a lot of people in the house the wrong way” and that she needed to even apologize for her actions. Woah.
When Taylor was shown crying on the episode, the episode implied that it wasn’t because of microaggressions or subtle racism she was experiencing, but just her sadness of being put up and the harshness of Daniel‘s words.
Still, people were enraged. Some shouted at CBS, accusing them of editing the live feeds out of context and covering up much of Taylor‘s mistreatment. People optimistically awaited the Wednesday round of weekly press interviews that Julie Chen-Moonves gives to some of the larger outlets, but when questioned about all of this controversy, Julie gave a shockingly abrasive answer. In an interview by Mike Bloom at Parade.com, Julie turned the tables on those not in the house. Asked about the controversy, Julie replied:
“What I think has been a little bit surprising is how Twitter and the internet has exploded in really jumping on someone. Which I never like. I don’t think any of us are in any position to judge any other human being. What you have to remember is that yes, microaggressions are real and they happen every day. When you’re playing the Big Brother house, it’s a pressure cooker in there. And you might say or do things that you think is going to advance your position in the house. But you won’t always do it in a way that makes yourself look your best.
What I think Taylor has experienced in the house and what we’ve seen on the live feeds are separate from each other. A lot of it has been classic Big Brother trash talk behind someone’s back because you feel threatened by them. In many ways, Big Brother is like high school on steroids. And if you were to ask Taylor, you know, prior to becoming a replacement nominee, she simply was not aware of how much jealousy there was.
So I would say, let’s all take a pause. Let’s try not to judge. Please leave the judging to the judge: Father God. And let’s exercise some compassion for one another. We don’t know what it’s like to go through that Big Brother house. Have some mercy and some grace and some forgiveness. And if someone can come out of the house, sees what their actions were in the house, and learn something from it, and is humbled by the whole experience, then hallelujah! That’s a beautiful thing. So I think people need to just open up their hearts a little bit more, and show some kindness and some forgiveness. Give someone a chance to change, to see their actions, and learn and grow from it.” – from Parade.com
When Mike Bloom followed up and mentioned the mob mentality forming in the house, Julie once again turned it back to the audience:
“It’s so interesting that you use the term “mob mentality.” Because isn’t that what Twitter has done? Aren’t you all being hypocrites? There has been this mob mentality created against people in the house, who viewers feel have not been kind to Taylor. I think anytime you’re nominated, it’ll bring you to tears. Because at the end of the day, you want to be liked. And when you get named as a nominee, you get the sense, “Oh, they want me out. The majority wants me out.” But I feel for Taylor, who’s been told that she has rubbed some people the wrong way. We all walk through life thinking that we’re good, decent people. You don’t set out to be unlikable. It hurts. It hurts and I have sympathy for her. I have sympathy for everyone in that house. It’s not easy.” – from Parade.com
I must admit, as a person who did not watch the live feeds, it was incredibly confusing to try to find proper context of all that went down this past week in the Big Brother house. This led us into Thursday’s “Live Show” where the phrase, “expect the unexpected” took on an even crazier meaning. With everything that happened, Julie announced that Paloma had exited the game due to a “personal matter.” Wow. In addition to the controversy involving Taylor, Paloma was shown really struggling inside the house. She was not sleeping. She wasn’t eating. Others were worrying about her. She was openly questioning her own reality to the Big Brother cameras. And then just like that, Paloma exited the game.
Paloma was also not available for the usual exit press today, so it may be quite a while until we know what actually is going on. Did producers step in and take action as they were asked to do? Was Paloma told about her treatment of Taylor, and maybe that’s why she started having trouble sleeping/eating? Perhaps both of these, or neither? And where does that leave us?
When all is said and done, Big Brother 24 basically is hitting the reset button on the season, a season that has not been fun at all for anyone involved, or those at home. Paloma‘s shocking exit led to the show scrapping their planned “Backstage Battle” twist that they had been building towards, meaning that ultimately, the “Backstage Passes” given to Brittany and Alyssa mattered not. Also meaningless was Daniel‘s HOH, where he named a total of three nominees – Michael, Terrance and Taylor – and none of them went home. Michael’s POV win? Meaningless. Pretty much everything that happened from a game-perspective in Week 1 was rendered useless.
I don’t have anything to add. Those that watched the live feeds have the best perspective on the matter. Everything else is just hearsay, our own version of “telephone” where the original context is completely lost. I do wish all involved the best, including Paloma, as mental health (or mental sickness) is a serious matter and I hope that she receives help and is OK. I wish Taylor comfort within the house. And I hope that those still in the game can play the game to the best of their abilities and that the person who ends up winning the season, does so in a way that makes the audience proud.
We now trek forward, hopeful that Taylor‘s situation in the house will improve, but unsure of whether or not many of us even have the energy to care anymore. As the show’s credits closed out, the houseguests battled in the beginning of a two-stage HOH competition, with Jasmine appearing to twist or break her ankle on live TV (some called this karma, as Jasmine was also involved in the controversy). The results of the HOH comp will be revealed on Sunday’s show, when CBS and Big Brother try their damnedest to move on and pretend none of this ever happened. But will the fans forget? That’s unlikely. And no matter what happens the rest of the Summer, this season will always have this unfortunate, dark cloud hanging over it.
That’s the worst takeaway: A show meant as a Summer escape can’t even escape the realities of America that exist outside of the BB walls. With all of us in need of a release, and looking to be entertained, let’s hope that Big Brother can truly pull off the “unexpected,” and salvage this season.
BB SCOREBOARD:
Current HOH: TBA (on Sunday’s show)
UPCOMING EPISODES:
Sunday, 7/17 – HOH Results and Nominations
Wednesday, 7/20 – POV Comp and Ceremony
Thursday, 7/21 – Next Live Eviction
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON EVERYTHING THAT WENT ON THIS WEEK? WILL YOU BE WATCHING THIS SEASON? CAN BIG BROTHER RECOVER FROM THIS EARLY CONTROVERSY?
[Photo Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved]
The post Big Brother 24 Week 1 Recap: A Controversial Start Overshadows The Season appeared first on Reality Tea.
There's one less guest staying at the BB Motel. The July 14 episode of Big Brother saw Paloma Aguilar self-evict herself, just hours before there was supposed to be a live eviction....This week, Jen Shah shocked the Bravosphere by pleading guilty to fraud. Now viewers, fans and her Bravo boss are starting to react. Just days before her scheduled hearing, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City called a surprise hearing. In a New York City courtroom, Jen admitted her role in a long-running telemarketing scam.
As reported by Page Six, Andy Cohen took to his radio show, Andy Cohen Live, to express his feelings on what has transpired. He began,“I’m upset, and I’m especially upset for her victims. I’m upset that she lied for so long and claimed to me that she was an example of someone being wrongly accused.”
Andy made note of Jen’s “dogmatic” instance that she was innocent on the RHOSLC reunion. And believed that “this woman [should] have her day” in court. He continued, “I’m extremely upset what she did, I’m also upset because, frankly, you get to know someone and you get to like them.” Andy admitted that he wanted to “cheer” Jen on.
When the news initially broke, the Watch What Happens Live host was recording his radio show and said he didn’t “know how to feel.” He explained, “When we were on the air on Monday, the news about Jen Shah pleading guilty broke. I did not have time to read anything about it, process it, we were on the air. I really didn’t have time to react, process it.”
Andy, who is an executive producer on RHOSLC, didn’t reveal if Bravo cameras filmed the courtroom drama. But a source just revealed that Jen will continue filming for the third season. And that her storyline will revolve around her guilty plea. Said Andy,“I have a lot of questions for her, and I’m sure the audience, especially those who supported her and stood by her, does too. I really hope to get the opportunity to speak with her and to ask those questions.”
Jen was arrested in March of 2021 in the midst of filming season 2 of RHOSLC. She initially plead not guilty to allegations that she was running a telemarketing scam that targeted the elderly. Her assistant, Stuart Smith, was also arrested and charged in connection with the crimes. He pled guilty to his charges in November of last year.
But Jen did an about face and plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. While staring down a possible sentence of up to 30 years in jail, Jen asked to have her time reduced to 11 to 14 years in exchange for her plea. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for November of this year.
Herlawyer, Priya Chaudhry, issued a statement following her court appearance. Priya told Page Six, “Jen pled guilty because she wants to pay her debt to society and put this ordeal behind her and her family. Ms. Shah is a good woman who crossed a line. She accepts full responsibility for her actions and deeply apologizes to all who have been harmed.”
Jen has not yet made a statement about her guilty plea.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED ANDY BELIEVED JEN? DID YOU THINK SHE WAS GUILTY? HOW DO YOU THINK HER CASTMATES FEEL? SHOULD SHE CONTINUE BEING FILMED FOR SEASON 3 OF RHOSLC?
[Photo Credit: Heidi Gutman/Bravo]
The post Andy Cohen Is Upset For Jen Shah’s Victims And That She “Lied For So Long” appeared first on Reality Tea.
Pratt Daddy founder Spencer Pratt and wife Heidi Montag are thrilled to announce the gender of their second child. The Hills New Beginnings alums shared their romance on screen since meeting in 2006. The couple eloped in Mexico two years later, and the event was featured on Season 5 of The Hills. Nearly a decade later, Heid and Spencer welcomed son, Gunner Stone in October 2017.
Eager to add to their brood, the couple started trying for another child in 2020, but found it challenging to conceive. Their fertility struggles were documented on Season 3 of The Hills New Beginnings. Finally, after undergoing a polypectomy procedure in August of 2021, Heidi announced her pregnancy in June of this year.
Now, Heidi told Us Weekly. “I’m having a boy!” she exclaimed. “Oh, my gosh. … I did the earliest test to find out and I just felt like my doctor had the answer so I called. And I was like, ‘Hey, just wanted to check in to see if you guys got the result?’ And they were like, ‘Actually, we just got them 10 minutes ago.’ So I couldn’t wait for Spencer and I was like, ‘OK, I’m ready!’ They were like, ‘It’s a boy!’ And honestly, I was so shocked.”
Heidi “was convinced” she was having a girl, but warmed up to the idea of a little brother for Gunner. She said, “I was going back and forth because everything felt the same as [when I was pregnant with] Gunner. I was like, ‘These are the exact same symptoms, the exact same thing.’ But I think for the past year I kind of thought I’d have a girl. … But then when I found out it’s a boy — when the shock wore off — I couldn’t be happier because ultimately my biggest prayer was whatever would be the best for Gunner.”
Heidi recalled her emotions at finding out she was pregnant after years of struggle. She told Us Weekly, “I felt like a person was missing in our family that I had this intense love for. And I kept praying about it. I’m like, if I’m not meant to have another kid — because I had accepted that at this point — I just wanted to not have that desire so strongly and I just wasn’t sure if it was going to happen or not. I just get so emotional about it.”
It took the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! alum some time after Gunner’s birth to decide for another child. In a statement from 2018, Heidi shared feelings of uncertainty. She said at the time, “One minute I’m like, ‘OK. We’re having the baby and we’re doing it next month. And then the next, I’m like, ‘Oh, let’s wait a year.’ It’s hard because I want them to be close in age and at the same time, maybe I need a little more time in between.”
However, the couple did not expect difficulties once they decided to have another baby. Spencer admitted having to manage Gunner’s expectations for a sibling, after realizing Heidi was having trouble conceiving. In October 2021, Spencer told Us Weekly, “Heidi was trying to prepare Gunner when we thought it would be easier. So now Gunner’s like, ‘You promised me.'”
Now, Spencer is just excited to raise another child. “I love being a dad and I love all the different ages,” he said. “So I’m excited to really appreciate how little a baby is. Because now, I look back at photos and now our sun is huge and you can’t just hold him.”
Spencer teased Heidi for finding out the sex without him, and was “shocked” that they were expecting another son. During the interview Heidi gushed, “‘It’s a boy!’ He said, ‘Oh, my gosh, you found out without me?! I’m like, ‘Are you not listening? It’s a boy!'”
“I’m so glad we found out early,” Heidi added. “Gunner really wanted a brother and he wanted a brother to copy him and to share so many things with him so knowing that we’re having a boy, we are all so excited. It makes so much sense for our family. … This is my little boy.”
So who was surprised between the two? Heidi “was convinced” she was having a girl while Spencer claimed, “‘I told you [we’d have a boy].'”
Heidi continued, “Growing up I thought I’d just have boys. And I’d be a boy mom and that’s what I wanted. Then this past year, I was like, ‘I don’t know. Maybe I don’t want to miss out on this — the dance [classes], the Disney princesses, the relationship with your daughter.’ … [But now] I’m so relieved.”
She cited childhood “insecurities” as the reason she, “was a little nervous” to potentially raise a daughter. “I thought it would be such a challenging chapter to go through,” Heidi explained. “Who knows, maybe I’ll go through that with my sons and it might be similar, but I am just so excited now to say my boys and my sons. I just couldn’t be happier.”
For his part, Spencer is “excited” for another boy. “He’s such a good boy dad,” Heidi gushed. “That’s not to say we wouldn’t have our daughter do the same activities [as our son], because we certainly would. He’s excited and he keeps saying he’d be happy either way. But I think he’s excited [for a boy].”
But no one is more excited than big brother Gunner! Heidi opined, “I think a brother relationship and dynamic is so great and I’m just hoping that they’ll be really close throughout their life.”
So now that they had a gender reveal, it’s time to pick a name, “one of the most challenging parts” according to Heidi. Citing the fact that they found out the sex early, Heidi said, “[This] gives us plenty of time to brainstorm. We are on a good trajectory. That’s for sure. I have one name I’m not going to say because it’s my favorite name and I think that’s the one we’ll go with.”
Nesting projects are in the works. Heidi is rearranging the house in preparation for her newborn, and she’s set a timeline for August. “I’m moving Gunner into a different room and the closet is full of storage,” Heidi explained. “So I’m emptying it out, but the other room has storage [too]. … I don’t want there to be any resentment or having him feel like he’s being kicked out or replaced by the baby. Right now it’s just about him and moving into his own room and how exciting it is.”
Certainly, this mama deserves to enjoy her pregnancy. Love the couple or hate them, one has to admit their devotion to their family. Fellow reality TV costars offered words of congratulations including Audrina Patridge and Kristin Cavallari, who Heidi said, “was so excited for me.”
The Hills New Beginnings alums will be present for Heidi’s baby shower, which she plans to host in the fall. “I think it would be more fun to have that time with my friends and just take the moment to enjoy the last pregnant stages,” she told the publication.
TELL US- WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE NEWS? WHAT WORDS OF CONGRATULATIONS OR ENCOURAGEMENT WOULD YOU SHARE?
[Photo Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images]
The post Heidi Montag And Spencer Pratt Reveal Sex Of Their Second Child appeared first on Reality Tea.
Big Brother 24 has been a wild ride so far. This week’s Big Brother 24 eviction episode really proved that we can, will, and should expect the unexpected. We went into the episode expecting an eviction but instead got an unexpected exit. Paloma Aguilar left the Big Brother game for personal reasons. Her exit allowed Taylor Hale, Terrance Higgins, Brittany Hoopes, and Alyssa Snider to remain in the game.
Brittany won America’s votes so she would have been safe either way. However, if Big Brother went ahead with the eviction as planned, despite Paloma’s exit, then Alyssa would have had to face Terrance or Taylor to stay in the game. Host Julie Chen announced that this week’s eviction would have been a battle instead of someone being eliminated by a vote (via the Backstage twist).
Because there was no live eviction, Big Brother had more time to play this week’s Head of Household Competition. It was seven head-to-head battles through a quick obstacle course. The winner of each set would then advance to the final round.
Round 1: Michael Bruner VS Joe “Pooch” Pucciarelli; Resulting in Michael advancing.
Round 2: Taylor Vs Alyssa; Resulting in Taylor advancing.
Round 3: Indy Santos Vs Joseph Abdin; Resulting in Joseph advancing.
Round 4: Brittany vs Ameerah Jones; Resulting in Ameerah advancing.
Round 5: Jasmine Davis vs Terrance; Resulting in Jasmine advancing.
Round 6: Kyle Capener vs Matt Turner; Resulting in Kyle advancing.
Round 7: Nicole Layog vs Monte Taylor; Resulting in Monte advancing.
Michael, Taylor, Joseph, Ameerah, Jasmine, Kyle, or Monte would become this week’s Big Brother 24 Head of Household. So who won it? Read below to find out!
MAJOR BIG BROTHER 24 SPOILER AHEAD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION
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Jasmine won Head of Household!
Jasmine winning should make this week a little bit interesting, but she’ll likely once again put Taylor on the block. Brittany may also see the block this week. We’ll know her nominees for sure sometime tomorrow.
Make sure to keep it here all summer for news, recaps, exclusives, spoilers, and much more. Make sure to subscribe to Paramount+ to get your Big Brother 24 Live Feeds to enjoy more exclusive content. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on all the Big Brother news
The post Big Brother 24 Week 2 Head of Household (HOH) (07/15/22) first appeared on Big Brother Access.
