krumlandml@lopers.unk.edu
A seemingly impossible goal was achieved this season of “Big Brother”. ‘The Cookout’ alliance of “Big Brother” achieved their goal of bringing all six black contestants to the end of the game. This ensured that the 23rd season of “Big Brother” would have a black winner. In the history of “Big Brother”, there has never been a black winner or a six-person alliance that made it to the end.
And how they did it was brilliant.
For a little background, Big Brother is a reality TV show in which 16 strangers share a house filled with 94 cameras and 194 microphones. No television, social media or privacy. The goal is to win $500,000. Each week, one person is named “Head of Household”, after winning a competition. The two people nominated for eviction get the chance to compete before the house votes on who will be evicted for the week.
On the first day of this current season, six individuals made a decision that would live on in “Big Brother” history — to get all of the black contestants to the very end of the game. This was no easy task, but this group was determined to accomplish it. In past season, alliances this size would have members turn against each other.
How did they do this? One member of the six, Tiffany Mitchell, came up with a master plan to make sure they had the numbers to stay every week, and to keep them all safe. She proposed they start by pretending to go against each other. The group of six never met as a whole group until near the end. Making other alliances throughout the house ensured that no one would suspect that they would be working together, but they appeared as friends.
Next, each person aligned themselves closely with a member outside of the six. Once the other players were gone, the members of ‘The Cookout’ picked off each of their duos, leaving the six alone in the house. They always had the numbers to make sure if someone from ‘The Cookout’ was nominated for eviction, they didn’t have to worry about going home.
The biggest thing that pushed this alliance to end was their mutual trust for each other. Some things are bigger than petty arguments and people not getting along well.
Mitchell’s idea was something we’ve never seen happen in Big Brother. It will live on, at least to me, as the best alliance of all time. I’ve never seen a group of people work so well together without anyone in the house figuring it out. I can’t wait to see who is crowned as the first black winner of Big Brother. The season finale airs live on CBS on Sept. 29 from 9-11 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
