DailyNews Yahoo gives the lowdown on ratings for the TV show portion of Big Brother, and it's not surprising. Thankfully they acknowledge the existence of fans and the reason for the fandom:

About the only place Big Brother seems to be gaining popularity is on the Web. Although exact figures aren't available yet, the AOL-CBS live Webcast of house goings-on is a hot topic in TV newsgoups and has several devoted followers. The uncensored video is frequently more compelling than the TV version (witness last night's pow-wow on when contestants lost their virginity--FYI: Will was a lad of 13, stripper Jordan 21) and fan sites such as The Red Room and The Unofficial Big Brother Fan Page have sprouted up with commentary on every housemate moment.

"The live feeds of Big Brother are sooo much better than the TV show," writes one addicted Web viewer in the alt.tv.mtv newsgroup. "The TV show cuts out X-rated conversations and a lot of good stuff, and I have caught a lot of weird shit going on when watching the live feeds. I have yet to see the toilet camera being used, though."

Salon's scathing review describes Big Brother as "unhip" and makes a key observation:

People do not watch these shows for the voyeuristic thrill of observing others going about their most intimate business. No, the reality of reality TV is that we watch it because we're only looking for a good, mean laugh at some bozo's expense.

... which gets directly to why I like Big Brother: there are few mean laughs to be had, (so far) little Real-World whining or petty bitching, just real people living real lives. And with nothing to do but talk, these people are pouring their souls out, intentionally or otherwise, in casual conversation and demeanor. They're connecting in a way that the casts of other reality shows are never allowed, putting aside the petty crap in order to live together in closed quarters.

Salon's TV coverage is good at being realistic about what television can aspire to, so the author suggests that what's missing is the titilating but cheap-to-produce pettiness that's made reality TV so popular with both audiences and networks. But that is the fundamental mistake in the editing philosophy of the producers of the TV synopses: they don't trust the viewer to be interested in other aspects of the guests' lives, but not enough petty bitching is happening yet, so none of the interesting stuff gets aired.

What I think is the good stuff also takes longer to watch and absorb, so it's not making it into the TV show, and that's a shame. Still, it pains me to hear people complain about the whole project when it's only the mis-managed and mis-marketed TV portion that isn't working. (What's worse is that I can't evangalize, because not enough people have fast enough connections [or, admittedly, the time] to watch what I'm calling the real show.)

I'll gladly entertain the idea that it's the petty bitching that gets to the heart of the human condition, not the casual conversation, and I agree for the most part. There's nothing more humanizing than an apology, and even as the Big Brother contestants are starting to fight a little bit, they don't get to leave the house and hide, so they face the music and apologize, making for good TV all around. But the point is the baseness of the viewing experience, not (necessarily) the content: people want to see bitching because it's titilating. If that's all there is (especially if they have no reason to apologize and get over it), it gets really old really fast.

Aside: Survivor has hit upon an interesting formula along these lines. They have to live and work with each other, but they're also kept in a continual sense of competition. With more space to spread out, the degree to which they have to bond is about that of an office workplace, so grudges are easier to keep.

As I type this, Tuesday's Big Brother has just aired, and it's got all the yelling that's been missing so far. ... It's, uh, pretty entertaining, too. On Thursday's show they'll be announcing the first banishment live. Enjoy!