Life Lessons From Watching Big Brother

If you have not heard of the TV show called Big Brother, then please let me give you a crash course on what this reality TV show is all about. Out of thousands of applications for each Big Brother TV series worldwide; about 25 people are selected to move into his house, and play his game after enduring a gruelling round of games and medicals; all at the chance of scoring a substantial cash prize. In Australia, that prize is currently $250,000.

Like it or loathe it, there are many life lessons to learn from watching the housemates live together and sleep in the same room, where they need to compete in various challenges (mainly physical, yet they do verge on the emotional and psychological) for up to three months at a time; and the winner of each challenge generally goes to the diary room and nominates three other house mates for eviction. The house mate of the three who receives the most votes is evicted from the Big Brother house. The winner of Big Brother is decided by the general public, when they get invited to cast their final vote, from the three final housemates that remain in the Big Brother house.

The names of the housemates mentioned in this article all come from Big Brother 2021, the Australian version, based on where I (the writer of this article) currently live.

Apart from being entertaining, Big Brother is home to drama (just like any reality TV show), as well as housemates being blindsided, with strategy talks and some passive aggressive plots on the cards. Being a housemate on Big Brother is not for the faint hearted. Normally the housemates are in their twenties, yet there is one housemate called Sarah Jane (SJ) who was on Big Brother at age 65, and she ended up being placed in the top three. You need to be strong and vulnerable. Then again Big Brother is a game of strategy, grit, and endurance; and how well you play the game is simply a reflection of your life. Just like any game really.

The Big Brother veterans among us all know that Big Brother has an ample supply of security cameras in his house, of which the first image in this article is all about. Big Brother is a spy, and never in your right mind would you not apply to be a housemate on Big Brother, if you were not willing to give up your privacy 24/7. Yep, even while sleeping, and while in the shower. Thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the loss of our privacy in every day life is now more obvious, for even something as simple as buying a take away coffee - you now need to scan the cafe's QR code and sign in at that very same moment you step foot in such cafes doors, for contact tracing purposes, as well as remembering to sign out accurately.

Big Brother really teaches us all to expect the unexpected in life. It goes without saying that we now live in an uncertain world. Big Brother also invites a handful of new housemates to come in as intruders, to keep the existing housemates on their toes, and guessing at the final outcome. This creates more work in the housemates in creating deals, as well as in building alliances and teams. The challenges asked are unexpected. You just don't know what surprises Big Brother has in store. For example, both Tilly and Ari were evicted, and as they were leaving the Big Brother house; Big Brother invited them both into his special mirrored room, and the other housemates had no idea at the time.

In life, it is pivotal to celebrate your wins when they occur. Each and every housemate was happy with glee when they won a challenge. In the Big Brother house, winning a challenge not only keeps you safe from eviction, but also gives the winner the keys to evicting three housemates of that winners choice. Marley (who was also the actual winner of Big Brother Australia in 2021) also won $10,000 in a team challenge, where no housemates were up for nominations at that time. He bursted into tears of joy, and also thanked Big Brother for the opportunity, as this money was needed to help his father re-build his life after the passing of his mother.

Hearing porkies from the mouths of some of the housemates is another negative aspect of life in the Big Brother house. Each and every housemate needs to keep their A-game on at all times, as rumours that are untrue about one housemate can spread like wildfire, particularly if one housemate is a lier. For example, Ari's strategy was to lie his way to the top, and it failed. Marley was the last housemate to evict him for the final time, to avoid him from ending up on the podium (in the top three with him) in the end. The lies caught up with him. Ari also started a rumour stating that fellow housemate Brenton stole the jar of peanut butter, when another housemate asked where the peanut butter was in the kitchen. This caught up with him, when Tilly (the winner of that particular day's challenge) put him up for eviction. Big Brother reminds us all to tell the truth, and to live with integrity in our personal and business dealings. In other words, to honour our word.

Another cool example, Daniel would set a deal with another housemate not to put him up for an eviction, and if they both agreed, they would shake hands on it (or elbow it now, all due to COVID-19). He did this with Sid, Marley and Ari, and he honoured his word on that. When Ari shook his hand the last time, he put Daniel up for eviction, where critics say that the games greatest player ever was evicted in the top five. Lying catches up to you. Lie, and you will be lied to. If you are mean to another housemate, it will come back to bite you; especially if the housemate you were mean to happens to win a challenge, or one of the housemates of who they are really close to that other housemate does. No one owes you anything, and it is up to you to look out for number one.

There are certain circumstances where we might lose our focus and concentration, and things do not go our way. That is life. Big Brother reminds us to be humble for when the circumstances call it. If you make a mistake that affects another person (in the case of the Big Brother house) you apologise. When certain housemates were fighting to win in key challenges in order to keep their alliance alive; at any signs of fatigue, they would apologise for ending their spot in the given challenge at the time. Therefore it is important to also listen to your body, and to stop fighting to win if you need to. Massive lessons in humility.

The Big Brother house ebbs and flows, and a week called hell week makes that fact of life obvious. We live in an uncertain world. As the judges say in cooking shows: "you are only as good as your last dish." In the Big Brother house, this means that "you are only as good as your last strategy." Being adaptable to change is all about building resilience for when times get tough; and there were times in the house when the housemates had to sleep in sleeping bags outside in the freezing cold weather, and Adriana and Daniel were once tied up together. There were times when all the housemates could only eat for dinner were cans of tuna, when the grocery money ran out, and the housemates failed to win a task that would top up their grocery funds. Life is not rainbows and sunshine every day either. We cannot eat exotic foods every day.

From the cans of tuna, and living on rations; the time came when the housemates got to chat to their families, and to enjoy some treats for making it to a certain point in Big Brother's game. It is only fitting for the top three: Marley, Christina and SJ to celebrate with fireworks and a glass of champagne for making it to the podium. This too shall pass. Christina's time in isolation in The Walking Dead (a dark room) came to pass, where that time was wisely spent to regroup, and to come out on top.

When there were no challenges to compete in, and no strategy talks were needed to be saved from a looming eviction; the housemates knew when to live life large, from eating some chocolate, to having a swim in the pool. Many of them enjoyed their time in the house while it lasted, when they were cut off from the outside world. Relish that moment, and just be present to it. Enjoy it. If you lose your presence in a challenge, you are set to lose it.

The Big Brother game also serves as an important reminder to be kind to yourself. Many of the housemates reminded themselves, upon a certain setback or two to let that experience go, and to learn from it, knowing that the next day brings another fresh opportunity to win. You are also engaging in a digital detox upon choosing to be a Big Brother housemate. There are no mobile phones or Internet to distract you from your game. Being kind to yourself in the Big Brother house is quickly knowing which housemate/s you can and need to trust, and which ones you can't. When the housemates are pushed to their limits, their true colours are seen. Be careful not to crack under the pressure.

You must stay calm, and especially so if the ship is not sailing in your direction. You might surprise yourself in how resilient and tough you can be. Each and every housemate deserves to be seen and heard, just like you if you decided to go on this show.

As the housemates are not distracted by external world events and technology; they have the time to make meaningful connections with their fellow housemates, where they (the housemates) say that they are each others family; and in turn many of them end up being friends in real life after the winner of that particular series is announced.

You will have time to do some yoga, pilates, swim, jog on the spot, and lift some weights to name in order to stay fit and healthy. As the bulk of the challenges are physical in nature; you need to be physically fit to cope with the demands that Big Brother throws at you. Both the viewers and the housemates see those curve balls flying.

Again, you know that you will not have any privacy, of which goes beyond the security cameras. You will be sharing a house with over 25 other people, with that number gradually dwindling, and therefore any moments of peace and quiet that you have, you will simply enjoy them. SJ woke up early just to have that peace and quiet, and she also enjoyed it with Daniel when she was chosen as Head of House, and made Daniel her second in command during their stay in luxury. The house will be noisy, and the showers are open.

Another valuable lesson from watching Big Brother: you really need to make hay while the sun shines. If you happen to be a housemate on Big Brother, and therefore find yourself on a winning streak; the key is to do all that you can to maintain that, and do not waste any time, and lose your focus. The housemates at times (especially towards the end) said that they are playing their own game, which is fine, yet you need to not lose anyone's trust by being of decent character; and in Marley's words "to play a social and integral" game, because "that is what the public will vote us on at the end." He was obviously right, as he came out of the Big Brother 2021 house victorious, and precisely $260,000 richer at the end.

There is nothing wrong in seeking help when you need it. If you need another housemate to help you with something, all you have to do is ask for it. No one is a mind reader. Switching on Big Brother (listening to my intuition) to watch it for the first time ever, not only led to this article, but also enabled yours truly to enjoy an escape from the harsh external realities of the delta COVID-19 infections increasing in Sydney (now in lockdown, as at the time of writing this) due to the the entertaining nature of such; and the sheer anticipation of what happened next paved the way for an affordable armchair escape from reality for 60-90 minutes at a time for a few weeks.

Speaking of seeking help, host Sonia Kruger asked housemate Daniel on the night the winner would be announced as to what tips he would give to anyone applying to be a housemate in the Big Brother house. His answer took yours truly by surprise: "Have a psychiatrist available for when you get evicted in order to help build your life back together." Then again, rumours have it that this particular housemate was approached by the producers, after seeing a story of him on another TV show, advising that he would make a great housemate on Big Brother, while others had to apply and go through the auditioning process. Not sure if that is true or not.

Reality TV is just not reality TV without some tears. When the tide did not go any of the housemates way, and/or they had to make some tough and snap decisions; some tears were flowing, and they weren't always happy tears. Therefore folks, you are allowed to cry sometimes.

Finally, do not fall in love with any other housemate. Other housemates will call you a "power couple" - and therefore will work with others to split you two up, and face eviction after eviction. Look at Christina and Brenton in the 2021 Australian series. If you want to land on TV in order to find love, go on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette instead. Need I say more?

There you have it. Many jam packed life lessons. Not bad from a few evenings of some needed doses of escapism in uncertain times.

Thanks Big Brother, or as Marley said at the end "Big Browsky." (I can now hear that mysterious male voice say, you're welcome Justine. Glad I could help you.)