CBS has officially ordered Big Brother 10, which will air this summer.
The renewal actually wasn't a given, [URL="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i177ff2f002836ece16c1353f4f75d41b"]according to The Hollywood Reporter[/URL], because "the prospect of the series' first back-to-back run has been tempered by the current edition's modest ratings." Specifically, among viewers ages 18 to 49, the show has only "has averaged a less impressive 2.1" rating, compared to 2.9 in 2005 and 2.8 in 2006 and 2007. Thus, "it was unclear whether CBS might opt to give the show a breather before bringing it back," the paper says.
The paper says "CBS has not announced a premiere date for the summer edition," but like every other season, it'll probably debut in early July. Considering that producers usually have nine full months to find a group of intelligent, witty, respectable people possible, never mind devise and develop the high-quality, engaging challenges that the series is known for, can they actually prep in just two or three months?
Just think: Last season, with three-quarters of a year to prepare, they came up with an [URL="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/big_brother_8/2007_Jul_30_first_11_episodes"]Alice in Wonderland theme and set design[/URL] last summer that was completely ignored and had nothing at all to do with the game play. But this year, with just five months to prepare, they hung relevant quotations about love on the walls--and even actually used those in a competition! Perhaps shortened schedules actually help the show, although it didn't exactly help with this current cast of uninteresting losers.
Speaking of, the 10th season is [URL="http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_brother_9/about/casting.php"]currently casting[/URL], and will soon visit 15 cities for open calls. Let your hot, dumb friends know.
[URL="http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/realityblurred/%7E3/252930951/2008_Mar_17_renewed"][ via RealityBlurred ][/URL]
