Pushing the Red Button
by Drew, the Big Brother Cynic

Big Brother Enthusiasts:
It is with mixed emotions that I report that this will be the final edition of the “Big Brother Cynic”.
A few weeks ago, I alerted Jamie that I would be taking the rest of the season off if the coaches were allowed
to enter the game as full-fledged players. I felt, and still feel, that the initial “coaches” twist was designed
as a bait and switch to appease both those fans that want to see “all-stars” and fans that wanted a fresh crop of houseguests.

However, upon further reflection, I have found that I am just fed-up with what Big Brother has become as a whole. I
conceived this column as an opportunity to view Big Brother from a fresh angle that I hadn’t seen. I wanted to talk
about glitches in competitions, faulty logic in strategy and those times that things seemed to fall in to place a
little too conveniently for certain houseguests.

Unfortunately, and I absolutely do not mean this in an “I was right all along” way, all of these things have become the norm.
“The Cynic” was a tongue-in-cheek self-appointment that has now become the mindset of your average Big Brother fan. Look no
further than the Facebook comments and retweets and see that we have all grown a little more cynical about our favorite “reality” show.

Personally, while I always had a cynical (there’s that word again) view of Big Brother, I always enjoyed what I was watching.
But all of that changed this season. Maybe it’s just me – maybe I was destined to tap out in my fifth season of viewership
whether it was season five or season 14. But, regardless of the reasoning, I don’t want to be the guy who complains on the
Internet about a completely voluntary act like watching a television show. Nobody is forcing me to watch Big Brother, so why
should I if it doesn’t make me happy?

So while my tenure as a Big Brother blogger is coming to an end, I encourage you all to continue to carry the banner.
Pay attention, question what you see and never let anybody – whether it’s a politician, a media conglomerate or “the guy
who hates everything” on the Big Brother blog – tell you what to think. I hope that you will all keep watching Big Brother.
This column is not meant a denouncement of the show nor of its fans… and even if it was, I would hope that you would all tell
me to shove it and keep watching anyway if it makes you happy.

In close, I would like to thank Jamie for the opportunity to contribute to her blog. Despite this bitter end, I hope you all
realize how much I enjoyed writing this column, and Jamie is the one who made this all possible. It’s so easy to be the guy who
swoops in once a week (if that) while she dedicates her own time and money to running a nearly 24/7 endeavor.

Thank you all for reading.

Best regards,
Drew, the Big Brother Cynic