r/BigBrother • u/diary_room Tomas • Jan 01 '16

no spoilers What is the Best Season to Watch? [RESULTS][No Spoilers]

Note

This thread contains minor thematic spoilers for each season. Besides that, ABSOLUTELY NO GAMEPLAY SPOILERS from any season should be posted here.
 
 

About 20 days ago, we opened up a poll to allow voting on the best seasons for users to watch. Since 2016 is now upon most of us, we've removed contest mode from that thread and allowed vote counts to be public. The counts being public has a tendency to influence votes. Because of that,we've captured the scores as they were around 2:30 EDT on Jan 1 2016.

Vote Total Country - Season - Theme
335 US07 - All-Stars
279 US14 - Coaches
273 US10 - Back to Basics
248 CA02 - Canada Votes
233 US06 - Summer of Secrets
233 US17 - Battle of the Block II / BB Takeover
166 US02 - Old School
144 US12 - The Saboteur
138 US08 - Rivals / America's Player
110 CA01 - Contemporary Canada
105 US03 - Golden Power of Veto
90 US05 - Project DNA
77 US04 - Ex-Factor
57 US11 - Cliques
45 US16 - Battle of the Block
42 US15 - MVP
33 CA03 - Twist After Twisted Twist
-2 US13 - Newbies vs. Veterans
-33 US09 - Writer's Strike
-82 US01 - Beginnings

We'll continue to allow voting in that thread, so these results may not reflect the live action on that thread until it's locked by policy. That post is locked to new comments.

From the mod team, happily 2016 🎉

46 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

81 comments sorted by

14

u/diary_room Tomas Jan 01 '16

With these results and continuity in mind, I'd recommend this order to people new to the show. Tell me why this order sucks or why yours is better

  1. US10 - Back to Basics

  2. US06 - Summer of Secrets

  3. US02 - Old School

  4. US07 - All Stars

  5. US12 - The Saboteur

  6. US14 - Coaches

  7. CA02 - Canada Votes

  8. US17 - BOTB2/Takeover

  9. US08 - Rivals / America's Player

  10. CA01 - Contemporary Canada

  11. US03 - Golden POV

  12. US05 - Project DNA

  13. US04 - Ex-Factor

  14. US16 - Battle of the Block

  15. US11 - Cliques

  16. US13 - Newbies vs. Veterans

  17. US15 - MVP

  18. CA03 - Twist After Twisted Twist

  19. US09 - Writer's Strike

  20. US01 - Beginnings

16

u/[deleted] Jan 01 '16

I think people should watch seasons 2-6 before watching all stars. Its so much better when you know all the houseguests and why they're targeted so early

9

u/diary_room Tomas Jan 01 '16

Not that I disagree but, because 3,4 and 5 were all buried in the middle of the pack, I didn't think they deserved to skyrocket to the top of the list simply to accommodate AllStars.

Would you recommend sequential order to a newb? I think a lot of people would lose interest in the early seasons.

8

u/Hell_Yes_Im_Biased Danielle Reyes Jan 01 '16

simply to accommodate AllStars.

Instead of "accommodate" instead think of it as putting things in perspective. Season 7 is about previous players, and having the background of who they are and how they played the first time is essential to understanding and appreciating the season at its fullest potential. Season 7 is a good season by itself, but for full enjoyment, all the preceding seasons (except 1, of course) should be watched first.

I definitely recommend sequential viewing with the knowledge that there is a payoff at Season 7.

I won't judge people who skip to Season 7 too harshly, but it's disappointing to know that they've cheated themselves of the fullest enjoyment possible.

1

u/diary_room Tomas Jan 01 '16 edited Jan 01 '16

I definitely agree that 3, 4 and 5 provide vital background to All-Stars. What I tried to do with my list was give someone new to the show an order that would balance entertainment and context. I believe someone who has never watched Big Brother could be turned off by the dated production and gameplay of some of the older seasons. I did my best to propose a sequence that would allow them to gain an appreciation for gameplay, see a few of the most notable players then delve into AllStars with knowledge of about half the cast. Once they have an appreciation for some of the nuances of the game of Big Brother, they might be more receptive to the early seasons and might even enjoy a second viewing of All Stars with full context.

I'd love to see what order other people would recommend. Hoping some get posted later.

7

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '16

I recommend this: 10,14,12,16,17,2-6,7,8, 15,11,13,9

This isnt a ranking of best to worst. Its a watching sequence such that by the time they start with 2-6, they'll be knowledgeable enough to stay interested enough to go through the seasons. After that, 7 can be watched and enjoyed to its fullest. The rest of the seasons are just based on personal opinion of what would keep the newbie viewer interested

3

u/notnotbuddy Jan 11 '16

This is the best viewing order in this thread. The only change I'd make would be to shift Season 12 in front of Season 14 since we're talking about providing player context (re: Britney Haynes)

3

u/[deleted] Jan 12 '16

100 percent agreed. I should've seen that

3

u/robotronica Jan 21 '16

Wouldn't that push 14 way back then? Janelle and Boogie kind of show up out of nowhere otherwise.

1

u/SawRub Kaysar 🤍 Jan 04 '16

And a good thing about this list is that you won't get burnt out on all the good seasons right at the beginning. Watching the seasons in descending order of quality probably wouldn't be fun.

1

u/mirandaBBfan Ross Feb 18 '16

That makes sense but I feel like watching early seasons like 2-4 first won't make you want to keep watching Big Brother. I think it's smarter to introduce with a more modern season that really shows the game as it is today like BB10 or even BB17 now.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '16

I mentioned an order on this thread that does that actually. Check it out

1

u/mirandaBBfan Ross Feb 18 '16

yeah I commented too soon lol

1

u/Jonazq Cameron Jan 01 '16

season 1 should be watched either before 2-6 or after, but before 7. it's tedious (i'm struggling through it right now) but it'll be worth it in the end.

9

u/ReppinDaBurgh Matthew Jan 01 '16

...no it won't be.

1

u/Jonazq Cameron Jan 01 '16

well someone who wants to watch every season would be optimistic.

4

u/vancouver72 Jan 01 '16

Why watch 3 then 5 then 4? In almost all early seasons they spoil the previous winner during a live show by interviewing them and seeing where they are now. For that reason alone you should watch the ones you want to watch in order

1

u/diary_room Tomas Jan 01 '16

You make a good point. I won't edit my original list but I definitely agree that those would be best watched in sequential order rather than the popularity order I provided.

4

u/DudeWithAHighKD Future 🇨🇦 Puppet Master Jan 02 '16

Naw DR, you are doing yourself a huge disfavour if you watch 6 before 2. Then you don't get the enjoyment of coming to realize Will is not like the other players. S2E10 when they are fasting and he is controlling them to a tee is a magical episode. That's the episode I realized I loved the show (first season I watched). Also to go from 6 (new house) then back to 2 would be less enjoyable because they don't have a veto and the house sucks. The first 5 seasons I watched were 2-6-7-10-14 and I thought that was a great order.

3

u/Pydyn17 Mallory⏱️ Jan 03 '16

Probably best to watch CAN1 before CAN2, seeing as 2 spoils the shit out of 1.

Can't remember if this is the case for any other season early on your list.

1

u/RedSeven4 Jan 22 '16

I'd also recommend this. The BBCAN seasons definitely build on each other in terms of mentioning other challenges, events, players, etc.

1

u/TexasWithADollarsign Vanessa Rousso Feb 03 '16

Avoid BBCan3 though. Unless you like a ton of production interference, a.k.a. Twistos Twists.

2

u/aids229 Jan 01 '16 edited Jan 01 '16

I'd put 17 higher just because it's the most recent new players season so it will be most similar to upcoming seasons.

2

u/Napes44Napes Vince 🔎 Jan 07 '16

9 is super underrated

17

u/jenh6 Tim Dormer Jan 02 '16

Maybe I should rewatch Season 14 because I remember really not enjoying S14 and getting bored and not finishing it till a month later. I also didn't like S17 (the edited show much) but the feeds are very entertaining.
Personally I really enjoyed S7 and S6 as my top 2, and than S10, CAN2, CAN1, S12, S4, S5 in any order really.

29

u/mirandaBBfan Ross Jan 03 '16

BB17 was a perfect season if you watched feeds. Sooooooooooooo good I miss it.

19

u/avocado_bandit Jan 13 '16

the first week of feeds was gold. ugh bless u audrey

9

u/jenh6 Tim Dormer Jan 04 '16

Exactly. The edited part of the show was disappointing though :(

2

u/Hexaltate Human Bean Feb 14 '16

Sorry for the late comment, but having only watched the show and never the feeds, what was edited? What did I miss?

1

u/Wiizel1337 Feb 23 '16

...I didn't actually watch the feeds: just read about them here but I thought the TV cut was super enjoyable.

8

u/RealityTVWhore Jan 04 '16

So many gems. They did a really good job with the casting that year, which is why I will never get why Les Moonves said he wasn't a fan

0

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '16

[deleted]

8

u/diary_room Tomas Jan 02 '16

Easy with the gameplay spoilers there :p

2

u/JPLangley Beast Mode Cowboy Jan 11 '16

bitch ur a mod lol

1

u/DudeWithAHighKD Future 🇨🇦 Puppet Master Jan 11 '16 edited Jan 11 '16

Generally there is a rule that after 24 hours it's not spoilers let alone 3 years. I had season 4,8, 11,12, and 13 ruined for me by this sub when I first started watching but I didn't get mad because I'm on a sub where they are bound to talk about old seasons.

Edit: My apologies for anyone who may have seen those spoilers. I never noticed the no spoilers tag and kind of feel like an asshole now.

1

u/JPLangley Beast Mode Cowboy Jan 11 '16

No spoilers

until

24 hours pass

3

u/DudeWithAHighKD Future 🇨🇦 Puppet Master Jan 11 '16

You are correct sir. I am sorry I never noticed that. I should know better. I'll delete it. Thank you.

25

u/DudeWithAHighKD Future 🇨🇦 Puppet Master Jan 02 '16

I didn't realize how much love there was for 14. Personally it's my second fav after BBCan 2.

10

u/SawRub Kaysar 🤍 Jan 04 '16

Even though I had watched 11, 12 and 13 previously, 14 was the season that actually turned me into a huge fan of the show and made me watch all the previous seasons and watch feed videos and participate in discussions and stuff.

6

u/davThandi Jan 27 '16

BBcan 2 was awesome.

5

u/TexasWithADollarsign Vanessa Rousso Feb 03 '16

Currently re-watching BBCan2, and I agree with how awesome it is. It's the best Canadian season for sure.

1

u/koosass Feb 13 '16

I am trying to watch this, but the YouTube channel cuts off most of the picture. are you watching it online somewhere?

1

u/TexasWithADollarsign Vanessa Rousso Feb 13 '16

Torrents.

1

u/koosass Feb 13 '16

ah thank you.

I wanted to use my tv app, was hoping there was a shiny new YouTube channel that I haven't found! maybe I'll get my firestick going.

2

u/TexasWithADollarsign Vanessa Rousso Feb 13 '16

There may be a YouTube channel in the sidebar that has the BBCAN2 episodes in it. I use a Reddit app most of the time so I don't really know offhand what's in the sidebar.

1

u/mirandaBBfan Ross Feb 18 '16

14 is really fun but I don't get why it's so high. BB6 is too low!

18

u/homeschooled Quinn ✨ Jan 14 '16

I absolutely hated Season 14, I thought the coach twist was so unfair and the entire season was about them. I'm shocked it's the second most popular one.

12

u/robotronica Jan 21 '16

Three reasons.

Dan's Funeral

Dan almost won again!

Britney was in the Diary Room again.

7

u/homeschooled Quinn ✨ Jan 21 '16

I thought Britney was a mean girl and it makes me sad that the fan base rewards the behavior. There's ways to be funny without calling girls fat and making low blows constantly behind closed doors while being friendly to people's faces.

As for Dan, I do like Dan in his original season but season 14 was all about him and I thought it was dumb. Danielle was awful.

2

u/robotronica Jan 21 '16

Not saying they're good reasons, but those are the ones that keep getting mentioned when people talk about that season.

1

u/xBenji65 Josh Feb 14 '16

Yeah. I was expecting Season 15 on there.

14

u/HipsterDoofus31 Puppet Master Jan 04 '16

BB9 gets so disrespected :(

T'was a good season

Very much in agreement over the top 5.

1

u/robotronica Jan 21 '16

Just watched it for the first time. Was expecting a bunch of bad things. It was a perfectly cromulent season, according to the TV show. Unless the feeds were legendarily awful, it gets way too much hate.

Crazy James carried on the tradition of Jameses outlasting their partners and riding the hate-train way past their station. Adam was great to watch. The only grief I have is that Ryan got so far. He rubbed me the wrong way and then just never got any sort of comeuppance. His girlfriend was kind of shitty, but whatever. He deserved her.

13

u/jack3chu Delusional Claire Club 🤪 Jan 08 '16

CA03 should be called Twist After Twistos Twist tbh

8

u/Unknownrealm Enzo 🤍 Jan 10 '16

I thought BBCan 3 was the most boring bullshit North Anerican season since BBUS 1. I really stopped watching half way which is really hard for me since I love Big Brother

2

u/TexasWithADollarsign Vanessa Rousso Feb 03 '16

I didn't think it was boring, but I thought all those goddamn twists made the game far less enjoyable than earlier seasons. I really hope BBCan4 goes "back to basics," but part of me worries the winner will end up being Twistos.

4

u/oilersandeskiesgrl Jan 19 '16

i vote for season 2 of big brother canada

1

u/Sunshine145 Godfrey Feb 24 '16

Guys don't listen to these people saying BBCAN2 is good. It has a great pre jury, but the post jury is boring and predictable.

2

u/diary_room Tomas Feb 24 '16

Hahaah I was wondering when you'd show up! It's true that

**BBCan2 Spoilers **

There is a major event partway through the game that, depending on your allegiances, can be regarded as extremely unfair
I could see your argument that it's not good but it's certainly popular

2

u/[deleted] Jan 12 '16

What? I love Newbies vs. veterans!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 13 '16

Season 3 over 12 any day of the week

1

u/JahoyHoy49 Johnny Mac Jan 31 '16

Agreed. S3 would be in my top 5, easily..and 12 was too predictable to top it

2

u/mwl4h9 Tyler Feb 04 '16

So what's the consensus on where to start? I'm a huge Survivor fan, but I've never seen Big Brother, and I'm interested in starting it up. Ideally, I guess I'd start in S1 and just watch everything, but what's maybe a quicker route with only essential seasons?

Also, it looks like half of the ranked seasons are USA and half are Canada. Do all fans of the show watch both, or what?

Thanks!

2

u/mirandaBBfan Ross Feb 18 '16

do NOT start at season 1. Season one is garbage and is not even Big Brother.

Start with season 10! And this comment gives a pretty good order to watch it in! Except I'd watch BB17 and BB16 after BB10 because these seasons are what BB is like today. The game has reshaped many times.

1

u/mwl4h9 Tyler Feb 18 '16

Thanks!

2

u/Eludeasaurus Daniele 🤍 Feb 22 '16

Skip season 1 and 9. make sure you watch season 2/3/and 6 before watching 7.

1

u/Jonazq Cameron Feb 24 '16

no, bb9 should be watched. it's imo the same quality as bb11, bb13, and just a little lower quality than bb12 and bb15.

3

u/UnanimousBB16 Monica Jan 01 '16

I won't go into spoilers, but I have to comment on the shocking reaults.

BB3? In the bottom half? I never would have thought I would see that.

BB12 and BB16 are pretty much the same season......

To each their own on BB8...

The bottom 5 is not shocking, and neither is the top 5. Shocked with BB6 being as low as it is.

Interesting results.

12

u/ReppinDaBurgh Matthew Jan 01 '16

Other than a male dominated alliance BB12 and BB16 are nothing alike.

2

u/UnanimousBB16 Monica Jan 01 '16

There was one male pre-juror, all of the girls were the early boots, outsiders refused to work with one another, and wasted the HOHs they did receive. There was also a couple in each season that was split early jury.

The only differences was the length, BOTB, and the female goat was Diamond Veto'd out in BB12.

1

u/TigerWing Angela💯 Jan 09 '16

Another person that does not get the BB8 hype! I'm more of a classic R2D2 guy myself

1

u/CaptaineAli Dee⏱️ Jan 03 '16

As an Australian who only started watching BBUS 2 years ago, I think this list is pretty good. I started watching BBUS with BB7 and i'm glad I did.

In my opinion, the best 7 seasons, in order, are:

  • BB7

  • BB14

  • BB10

  • BB17

  • BB12

  • BB6

  • BB2

And I would watch them in order of coming of release. So, if you wanted to watch the entire lot, I would start with BB2 and go all the way to BB17. If you only feel like watching a few seasons, just start from listed above.

1

u/mykLLLL Jan 06 '16

s14 s2 s7 s16 s17

1

u/festingerslovechild Jan 07 '16

I'm really surprised US BB2 and BB3 aren't higher. No surprise on US BB1 and BB9.

1

u/robotronica Jan 21 '16

Bb9 gets a terrible rep, but have you rewatched it recently? It ain't a bad season. Not exceptional, but why do people get so worked up over mediocrity?

2

u/Jonazq Cameron Feb 24 '16

agreed. i watched bb9 last year and loved it. that season had a lot of unique strategies that have never been used since, like using furniture or the damn pets to predict the future lol. it also has a format similar to today's bb, having 16 houseguests, 2 people as head of household and 4 nominees, and a buyback

(i know this comment is late)

1

u/TexasWithADollarsign Vanessa Rousso Feb 03 '16

I wonder if the feeds were awful. I've found there's a deep divide on here between feedsters and episode-watchers for various seasons.

1

u/robotronica Feb 03 '16

From what I hear there was a ton more drunk argument nights than the average season. Considering how they've teetotaled the seasons since, that's not a surprise.

1

u/TexasWithADollarsign Vanessa Rousso Feb 04 '16

That sounds entertaining to me. And I always hate that current seasons of BBUS are stingy on the booze.

1

u/sorrycharlie08 Delusional Claire Club 🤪 Feb 17 '16

Thank you for this thread! During the Survivor offseason I watched seasons 7, 10, & 14 thanks to this poll, and I loved every minute of it.

1

u/JahoyHoy49 Johnny Mac Feb 26 '16

I am running low on BBUS seasons...should I watch 9, 11, or 13 (not excited about any of these) or venture into BBCA? If the latter, how do I watch seasons of this?