Lauren likes TV: Rah Rah Shish Kum Big Brother!

Big Brother (CBS) ^[1] heads back to high school for season 11 and I love it. Like every other reality TV show, it usually takes a while for the people to grow on me… but not this time. I am on board with this season already. Due to the disappointing seasons of So You Think You Can Dance and The Bachelorette, I’m pretty sure Big Bro is just what I need in my life. One of my favorite parts of Big Brother is watching the very first episode when the house guests find out that they’ve been chosen for the show. Enter Ronnie ^[2]… a 30 year-old dork who celebrated as if he just won $250M in the lottery. He’s going to annoy the crap out of me at some point, but right now I love him. I also love when they all wait outside the door to get into the house and Julie Chen ^[3] (my second favorite TV host, beat out only by Kitty Cat Deely, and the woman of my husband’s dream) announces that once they enter the house, they will either walk out evicted or as the winner of $500K. It gives me chills every time. I ALSO love when they send the house guests in four at a time to pick their beds and the last group always gets the shaft… especially this year when the remaining 4 get stuck in the “splish splash” room which resembles an indoor pool and is one of the most creative rooms in the history of BB.

Then it comes time for all of the house guests to introduces themselves to one another. The stand-out of this portion was clearly Kevin ^[4], the “blackanese” diva who will be the troublemaker this season. And props to him for calling out Natalie ^[5] on her age (18? really? you should’ve at least went 21… not a good move) and Laura ^[6] on her gigantic knockers (I bet they’re real).

Finally, the “twist” is revealed… in true Breakfast Club ^[7] fashion, the group will be divided into high school cliques: The Athletes, The Populars, The Brains and The OffBeats. We also learn that each will be playing individually, however if someone from their clique wins HOH, the entire clique is safe for the week. Awesome.

Off to the HOH wedgie competition. A typical competition, who can hang in the longest… but the catch was that whoever won actually didn’t win HOH… a special guest would. I hoped immediately that it was Anthony Michael Hall ^[8], the geek from The Breakfast Club. No such luck… but it was four past contestants, each associated with a clique, and hoping for another opportunity to be part of the game. Cowboy and Brian were eliminated first, thank goodness. I couldn’t bare another season of Cowboy and Brian wasn’t my first choice. Left were Jessica “Boo-Ya” and Jessie the meathead. I would definitely have preferred Boo-Ya, but because the Athletes won the competition, Jessie is not only in the game, but HOH for the week. The rest of the house guests seemed just as thrilled as me when they learned the news.

All I can say is that besides the 2-hour series finale of Harper’s Island ^{[9] [9]}this Saturday, Sunday’s episode of Big Brother will be the highlight of my weekend. And I am fine with that. Entourage ^[10] also begins this Sunday at 10:30PM on HBO. Like Showtime, I haven’t committed to HBO yet. I have a feeling I will.

Do yourself a favor and watch the pure joy and entertainment of Big Brother: Sundays at 8PM, Tuesdays at 9PM, & Thursdays at 8PM on CBS. 3 hours a week is a commitment, but well worth your wasted time. And if you really have no life (Jess and Karen), you can subscribe and watch the house guests 24/7 on the live feed ^[11]!