If you're currently streaming Big Brother's live feeds with a Paramount+ subscription, I have to ask: why? Season 26 was a non-stop thrill ride for as long as it possibly could be, but as is the case with nearly every season of the CBS reality series, the game slows to a crawl in the final weeks. Houseguests have nothing left to talk about, and all plans are in place, and outside of the Final Four veto meeting, there's no reason to watch. Something has to change, but I think I have a solution.
One of the reasons I absolutely loved Big Brother 26 was the A.I. Arena twist, and it needs to be a permanent part of the game. I also suggest that producers shake up the endgame rather than stick with this boring march to the end. By doing that, maybe the next season of the show will end with more fireworks rather than fizzling out.
I Think Big Brother Should Start The Finale With Four Houseguests
What if, instead of two weeks where Houseguests are doing next to nothing, we got the finale rolling when four people are in the house? Using this season as a hypothetical, I don't think they should do this right after Kimo Apaka was evicted, but if a few days later there was a series of competitions, hypothetically, for the Final Four Houseguests to determine the Final Four HOH, that'd be great. Everyone gets to compete, and like the case is with Makensy "MJ" Manbeck right now, they're guaranteed a spot in the finale.
After that, the veto competition goes down, but instead of the usual process, it's like the Final 3 HOH competition. The remaining three competitors battle it out for that veto over three competitions where the winners of the first and second competitions compete in a third competition, and the winner casts the sole vote to evict. This will then bring us down to the three Houseguests the jury votes for in the finale.
A Final Three chair for the winner's vote would shake up the vote, especially if two allies are relying on other alliance members in the jury. That alone would spice up the game and shorten it by a few weeks, though admittedly, make for a loaded finale. Fortunately, this brings me to the next change I'd make to make the Big Brother endgame less boring, which is...
Do A Long Finale Episode To Close Out The Game, And Save A Cast Reunion For Paramount+
I've long felt that Big Brother tries to do too much on finale night, so why not just keep it simple? Have all three finalists in their chairs on finale night and proceed with the grilling from the jury on why they deserve to win the prize money.
Of course, I know some fans will be upset about not seeing the entire cast reunite, but I have an alternative. What if, instead of meeting on finale night, the entire cast did a tell-all special a couple of weeks after the game on Paramount+? Maybe even film the special ahead of the next season so Houseguests have a chance to watch the episodes?
To me, that would be much better than watching Julie Chen Moonves try to squeeze in a few questions to the cast in between everything else that happens during the Big Brother finale. I would much rather see a special, even if it is exclusive to streaming, that asks all those burning questions and airs out all the drama at a later date.
It's highly unlikely Big Brother could alter its finale plans for Season 26 at this stage, but there's always next season! I only bring this up now because, as great as this season has been, the ending hasn't gotten any more enjoyable. I'm still watching, of course, but maybe next season, if it gets tweaked just a bit, I'll have a little more fun watching the final moments.
Catch the upcoming eviction episode of Big Brother on CBS on Thursday, October 10th at 8:00 p.m. ET. After that, it may be a good time to start looking at the 2024 TV schedule and noting what shows are worth checking out after the season is finished.