Taylor Hale and Janelle Pierzina passionately defend Big Brother live feeds
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Big Brother Canada made headlines earlier this year when the show announced it was doing away with its live feeds, where fans could watch players flirt, argue, or just, you know, do the dishes in real time. While some worried that that U.S. version of Big Brother would follow suit — especially after some of the controversial comments and behavior that have spread on social media like wildfire after being captured on the feeds — the CBS show is keeping its feeds for the upcoming season 25 (premiering Aug. 2).
But how do some of the franchise's biggest names feel about whether the live feeds should stay or go? We found out when we spoke to four-time Big Brother legend Janelle Pierzina and season 24 champ Taylor Hale, the latter of whom got very emotional when discussing the important role of live feeds on the show.
The dynamic duo also pitched some changes and twists for the series, explained what it would take to get them back in the house, and weighed in on the ultimate Big Brother debate: Otev or Zingbot?
CBS (2) Janelle Pierzina and Taylor Hale on 'Big Brother'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Janelle, you've played in three different eras on the show, going all the way back to season 6. How has the show changed the most over the years?
JANELLE PIERZINA: I think the biggest change is the social media. We've seen the past few seasons especially where people are really cautious of what they say, and also maybe don't own up to what they're doing because they don't want to be labeled as a villain. I mean, that's the biggest thing, right? Because before when I used to play, there were no repercussions, there was nothing. The only thing that we had was Myspace for social media, which you couldn't do anything on that social platform.
So I think social media has changed the show a lot because you've seen with other contestants, they could be canceled easily. They go after people's jobs, they make sure you get fired from your job, they attack your family. I mean, there was some of that in the earlier seasons, but it wasn't as bad as it is today.
If you could make one change to the show — that could be in terms of gameplay or the house itself — what would it be?
TAYLOR HALE: Every episode, I want like a psychologist to break down the social dynamics of the house. I want a 30-second-to-a-minute package of psychologists psychoanalyzing their personalities and their moves and their personality types and having that more serious tone into the game. I think this is one of the best games in the world. And if we bring back a little more gravitas to what's really happening and take away some of the lighter tone, I think there's going to be a lot more respect shown on what Big Brother does and how it impacts the players.
JANELLE: I think if I could be a producer on the show, I would add even a little bit more element of America deciding who gets power sometimes. We haven't seen that the last few seasons. And those kind of twists are very exciting for the fans, especially for me when I watch. I think that if we could give a little bit more back to the fans and give them just a little bit more power on who gets power, those are fun twists as far as game goes.
CBS Janelle Pierzina on 'Big Brother' season 20
Are there any other themes or twists that you guys would like to see on Big Brother?
JANELLE: I would like from my original season the partner twist to be brought back because it added an element of absolute chaos and hatred. If you get rid of their partner, they're out for blood. And it also is another dynamic because once your partner's gone, you become less of a threat for it. So it's easier for some of the big threats to kind of hide, right? Because there are other partners still in the game. So there are many games going on at once. It's never been brought back. I think it should be given another reboot.
TAYLOR: I'd be into that. Janelle's had more time to think about this because she's seen the game evolve over time. I got my one-season hit, so I'm still trying to figure out some new things to bring in here. This has been said a few times, but Heroes vs. Villains would be really fun. But maybe partner a hero and a villain from different seasons and see how that plays out. So it's like a mix of Festie Bestie, a mix of a legends and icons, but also people that would never work together have to work together. That'd be fun to see.
JANELLE: That would be really cool.
Big Brother Canada recently got rid of their live feeds…
TAYLOR: Boo!
You all have been on both sides of that, having cameras broadcast every second of your lives, and also having the opportunity as fans to watch unfiltered real-time coverage. So what do you make of that decision and whether the U.S. version should keep their live feeds up and running? Taylor, you had a big reaction, so we'll let you go first.
TAYLOR: It's no secret I was recruited for a handful of reality shows and Big Brother was among that list. Big Brother was the most enticing to me because of the live feeds. They felt like the ultimate safety net for me. Everything happens in real time. And so if I do something bad, I do something bad, and I have an opportunity to own it and apologize if necessary.
Or if something's being manipulated, you can't manipulate the live feeds. Other shows can completely change your character and you can have a reputation that you can't solve coming out of the house. And that's what I love about Big Brother. And ultimately, they were my safety net going into the house.
I can't imagine… [starts to tear up]. I get a little emotional thinking about this. I can't imagine what the perception of me would've been had I left the house within the first three weeks. I think it's very easy to say, "There's no way that an entire house bullied Taylor," or "There's no way that Taylor didn't do something that deserved the treatment that she had." But the live feeds proved over and over that I wasn't doing anything to earn the hatred that I was getting.
So I'm a big, big proponent of live feeds. I've said it once and I'll say it again: Sunlight is the best disinfectant. And to me, the live feeds are the sun.
CBS Taylor Hale on 'Big Brother'
Janelle, what about you? What's your take?
JANELLE: So, I can understand from a business aspect why they don't have the feeds, absolutely, in a corporate decision because they're dealing with some things. I mean, it's just crazy how the fans are, and what they deal with on a daily basis is absolutely bananas. I can tell from a business standpoint why they do not have feeds and why other shows also do not have feeds because they don't want to deal with all of that. As far as me, I'm very much like Taylor. I wouldn't want to be edited into something that I'm not either. And I want to have the fans see the real me and see what's really being said about me, and what I'm saying. I think all of that's incredibly important. So I see both sides of it.
What's the best advice you would give to a contestant about to go play Big Brother?
JANELLE: I think if a newbie's going in and it's day one, I always say don't overplay your hand. Step back. Let those loud personalities come out, those huge threats. Let them be them. And don't get involved in the mix the first few weeks because it's a such a long game that you have enough time to make big moves and make an impact on the game. You don't need to do it week one.
TAYLOR: Yeah, don't put on a red bikini, don't hang out with the guys when the girls are hanging out somewhere else — just anything that I did that first day and a half, don't do it. Actually, I'll say this: It's interesting when I look back to my season, the people that very intentionally tried to lay low were the ones who were the first targets. Michael and myself went out of our way blend in, and we were immediately thrown off.
So that's kind of the magic of Big Brother. It changes from season to season. But I think the safest advice is to play it safe so you don't spin out in the end. I'll also say if you find yourself on the block, let the other person lose their mind and you stay back and you be cool and you don't stress anybody else in the house, people will want to keep you around.
JANELLE: Don't act paranoid or shifty where they're like, "You shouldn't keep her around. She seems like a basket case," kind of thing.
TAYLOR: Yeah, you could have someone in your alliance and they're sitting on the block and they could start to spin out and they'll get rid of that person in the alliance over the person who's staying.
JANELLE: We don't want to work with you. Sorry.
Okay, if you all get the call for Big Brother 26, are you going in the house?
JANELLE: As long as it's a shortened season. I'm not trying to sign up for 90 days again. I've got a life, I've got kids, a career, but I would love to be involved in a shortened season, absolutely.
TAYLOR: Give me four weeks. You know what? No. Here's my list of demands now, because I'm a little on my high horse right now: I need a four-week season and I need, like, four days of sunlight. Give me more than two days outside, please. I want to have four of the backyard. We all got to do our laundry, get the sun, lots of water. And four weeks. Four is the magic number for 26. [Laughs]
CBS Taylor Hale on 'Big Brother'
Finally, Zingbot or Otev?
JANELLE: Otev! It's one of my favorite comps. I think it's so fun.
TAYLOR: I didn't get to play Otev! And a lot of people got really jacked up from Otev. The cards will cut your hands. I just want Zingbot to really go for the jugular with everybody. So I'll say Zingbot, but I'm giving Zingbot a little more runway to get even more brutal, please and thank you.
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