August 19, 2005 -- 'BIG Brother 6" still has another month to go — but it's already earned its stripes among "BB" fans.
"For me, [the strength of this sea son] has been the unknowable aspect, the twists, and the ability of America to influence events in the house," says Margie Antonetti, who runs the reality Web site realitytvtalk.com.
"The show has al ways had a bit of that [involvement] element, but in this version, America got to vote somebody back into the house — and that was satisfactory on so many levels."
That "somebody" was Kaysar, the Iraqi-American who's one of the most popular "BB" contestants in show history (his second stint in the "BB" house lasted only a week — he was evicted, again, last night).
"It was fun to see what Kaysar would come up with next, who he was going to sweet-talk next and then come up with some pretty ingenious plan," says Brian Scheffler, who runs welove bigbrother.com.
In this season's "twist," each houseguest entered the house with a secret partner, thinking they were the only partners in the house.
"This season the twist is simple, yet fun," Scheffler says. "I think that's a big part [of the appeal]. It's easy to understand.
"But I think another factor [in the show's popularity] is that it airs three times a week — it's not like 'Survivor,' which was taped months ago," Scheffler says.
"It's happening as we speak . . . it's like an addiction factor."
Part of that viewer addiction lies in watching the behavior of the houseguests — and this year's bunch is a doozy.
Let's just say no one here is very, well, truthful. Alliances made quickly the first week were easily broken; houseguests realign on a daily basis.
"Jen and April have been particularly masterful in the art of lying and turning their situations around through their web of lies," says Antonetti.
"Even though it's part of the game, it's frustrating to watch if you're not rooting for them.
"And Janelle doesn't take guff from anyone. She has so much going for her and she's funny as heck," Antonetti says. "I'd really love to see her make it all the way through."
