Really good reality TV hosts are the exception, not the rule. It’s no easy job, and it’s simply not enough to shepherd a series along without messing up on live TV. A good reality host brings something to the table. Take my man Jeff Probst from Survivor – he is an invaluable resource. He exposes the subtext within the game via pointed interrogations at every tribal council. He’s amiable without being a push-over, and he makes real bonds with the contestants. He doesn’t allow for nonsense to go unquestioned. But, then you have someone like Julie Chen on Big Brother. She is married to the CBS head honcho Les Moonves. It’s not a coincidence that she is the host of Big Brother, which happens to air on CBS. This wouldn’t be an issue if Chen were good at her job. But, alas, she is not.
Suggestion #1 – No More Slop
Suggestion #2 – More Jury House Coverage
Suggestion #3 – No More Julie Chen
What You Said:
bria100 said:
…new host. I cannot stand Julie Chen as the host. She’s so wooden. I would love to see someone like Jeff Probst do it. He gets right to it and doesn’t hold back. Some of these people need to be called out more often.
Why Big Brother Should Replace Julie Chen
It’s very simple. Julie Chen is not particularly adept at her job. She struggles during live broadcasts, often making mistakes and seeming uncomfortable. Even when she doesn’t flub her lines, she is wooden and robotic. She brings nothing to the table otherwise, and is usually a boring interviewer. She doesn’t improvise very well at all, and fails to ask prescient follow-up questions. A great host would bring some needed professionalism to the series, and would add the extra dimension of perhaps forcing Big Brother contestants to expose their hands while in the house.
Why Big Brother Shouldn’t Replace Julie Chen
Because Les Moonves would be pissed. He wouldn’t allow it. Also, there are a significant number of Big Brother loyalists who subscribe to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” school of thought. Any major personnel changes would rile up those afraid of change. I feel these people are foolish, but you are out there.
Solution:
Unfortunately, a change of host for Big Brother simply isn’t going to happen, unless Les Moonves steps down, or Julie Chen willingly retires on her own. It’s a plum job, a relatively easy one (given the lax responsibilities Chen is handed), and Big Brother has survived despite Chen. There is no solution. Barring a miracle Julie Chen will host Big Brother until it leaves CBS for good.
Probability of Change: 3%
A change would have occurred many seasons ago if it weren’t for the Moonves connection. I am sure of this. Big networks don’t often let consistent mediocrity slip by, especially if the ratings aren’t stellar. But, in this special case, Julie Chen remains the host for reasons other than how well she does her job.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of Exposay.com)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
