Heavy recently interviewed popular “Big Brother” player Dr. Will Kirby and naturally, we had to ask about who his favorite seasons and players are (besides himself and his seasons, of course). One of his answers was quite surprising — in a good way. Read on to find out what he said and also the one thing he doesn’t like that CBS keeps doing with “Big Brother.”
Kirby Named Monica Bailey As His Favorite Houseguest
Getty“Big Brother 2” contestant Monica Bailey attends Sears WNBA Breast Health Awareness Celebrity Game
When people are asked about the strongest “Big Brother” players over the years, several names are frequently mentioned — Derrick Levasseur, Dan Gheesling, Rachel Reilly, Danielle Reyes. In fact, several of them made host Julie Chen Moonves’ “‘Big Brother’ Mountain Rushmore.”
And Kirby said several of them too. But his No. 1 pick for his favorite former houseguest is Monica Bailey, who finished in third place on the season Kirby won, season two.
“There are a couple of players that really stand out [from over the years]. Danielle Reyes and Dan Gheesling are both extremely intelligent houseguests. Ian Terry and Derrick Levasseur are clearly sharp guys. And let’s definitely add Vanessa Rousso to the list. But my favorite former player is Monica Bailey. … I’m not thrilled with the concept of returning houseguests, but who wouldn’t want to see Monica play again, right?”
That is a great answer and Bailey does not get enough credit when people talk about all-time players. She did well on season two and had an incredibly emotional final few weeks in the house when her cousin was among those missing during the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, which was the only time production has interrupted the game the tell the houseguests about something happening in the outside world.
Bailey was eligible to be voted back in for season seven, the first all-stars season, but she was not selected.
Really, it’s just an incredibly old-school pick by Kirby, which we love.
As far as favorite seasons go, Kirby also surprised us there but it is an excellent choice.
“Season five was enthralling. If you haven’t seen it then I’d highly recommend that you go to Paramount + and immediately check it out. I don’t want to spoil the twists, but the viewers were on the edge of their couches all season as the houseguests navigated two unbelievable story arcs,” said Kirby.
“In terms of worst seasons, well, it’s really not fair to include season one because the format was completely different so I’d have to say that season nine is probably considered the overall worst season. It was a spring season tossed together at the last minute because of a writer’s strike so production was rushed resulting in an inferior product. If I’m being transparent, I just found the cast both unpleasant and dull which is clearly a losing combination when making a TV show,” said the former “Big Brother” player.
Kirby Said That He Is Not A Fan Of Returning Houseguests
“Big Brother” often brings past houseguests back to compete again, whether it be in an all-stars format or pitting veterans against newbies. Either way, Kirby is not a fan.
“I’m personally not a fan of bringing back previous houseguests. Sure, there is an argument that peppering in previous players might be warranted on occasion, but I’d like to see the trend of bringing back former houseguests end,” said Kirby.
He also said that he’s glad social media didn’t exist in its current form when he played the game because it has such an adverse effect on the houseguests.
“‘Big Brother’ has evolved over the years – no secret there. But it’s really the outside world that’s changed. Social media didn’t exist when I won the show 20 years ago and it now unfortunately adversely affects the houseguest’s mindsets – they are more concerned about public perception than they are about winning the show,” said Kirby, which is not incorrect.
Season 15 felt like a real turning point for “Big Brother” because the houseguests faced real-world consequences for the way they behaved inside the house. Contestants have gotten a lot more careful since then.
“I’m personally more a fan of the strategic players … I do think we saw more strategy in the earlier seasons,” said Kirby, though he did add that he was “optimistic” about the strategic players we would see in season 23 (the interview was conducted in June 2021) — and he was right! We saw some masterful strategy in season 23, so perhaps “Big Brother” is going back to its roots a bit.
“Big Brother” returns this winter with a third celebrity edition, then season 24 should return in the summer of 2022.
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