This season is one to me that's easy to overlook IF you love good game play, but is one you should check out IF you enjoy good characters. The character storylines are among the best ever when you view the cast as a whole. Jace was possibly the most memorable first evict ever. Da'Vonne was an awesome fire cracker that was the second evict who was so memorable she was invited back on a future season. Jeff and Jackie were from the Amazing Race (despite being a little lackluster as BB contestants). Audrey was a special character by being the first transgender, and her evict week was great tv. Jason is the self-proclaimed "BB Historian" and he was memorable enough to come back for another season. Shelli and Clay were a VERY tolerable showmance, and a rare case I supported the showmance. Becky was the biggest smokeshow to ever survive being hit by a train. Meg and John were bubbly characters that could make any episode "fun", but were floaters nonetheless. James was one of my favorite characters ever on the show (in his first go around). Austin had his alias Judas and was a hopeless romantic, giant man and entertaining at all times. Liz and Julia were the "twist" for the season. And....then there's Vanessa. A "fan-favorite" that was attempting to play the game strategically the whole time. As my preferred player type to root for, I thought she was painful to watch. She was paranoid. Took everything far too literally. Far too emotional. Played way too hard. Arguably the biggest pitfall is that the winner was none of these characters. The winner, Steve, was basically non-existant for the first 80 days (in other words, about 32 episodes of nothing from the winner). Other than winning a couple challenges here and there (including the first double eviction HOH) he was just kind of there in the shadows for the whole season. No blood on his hands. No strategic planning with anyone. He was never a target because he wasn't a part of a group other than his alliance with a floater. He turned it on during the final four HOH comps where he won three of them, but even the one he didn't win, he wasn't voted out despite being on the block, because the other person was a bigger target. He won because he was a "non threat" the whole time, and then won comps. Is it a respectable winner? Absolutely. But it's incredibly unsatisfying as a viewer and he had no memorable trait that got him to the end. Sadly, you could say it was the perfect "coasting" strategy. Usually I don't support floaters winning, but even Johnny Mac winning would have been more satisfying. He was enjoyable. His strategy was to go with the flow, toss comps, ride the power. Steve was just there for the first 80 days. Regardless, as I have said, it is an enjoyable season from an entertainment value standpoint, but I watch the game to appreciate game play and strategy. This season doesn't quite accomplish that for me. So check it out to have a good time, but for me this one will ultimately be lost in the shuffle.
Review by Cory CopelandVIP 5BlockedParent2020-03-04T14:30:50Z
This season is one to me that's easy to overlook IF you love good game play, but is one you should check out IF you enjoy good characters. The character storylines are among the best ever when you view the cast as a whole. Jace was possibly the most memorable first evict ever. Da'Vonne was an awesome fire cracker that was the second evict who was so memorable she was invited back on a future season. Jeff and Jackie were from the Amazing Race (despite being a little lackluster as BB contestants). Audrey was a special character by being the first transgender, and her evict week was great tv. Jason is the self-proclaimed "BB Historian" and he was memorable enough to come back for another season. Shelli and Clay were a VERY tolerable showmance, and a rare case I supported the showmance. Becky was the biggest smokeshow to ever survive being hit by a train. Meg and John were bubbly characters that could make any episode "fun", but were floaters nonetheless. James was one of my favorite characters ever on the show (in his first go around). Austin had his alias Judas and was a hopeless romantic, giant man and entertaining at all times. Liz and Julia were the "twist" for the season. And....then there's Vanessa. A "fan-favorite" that was attempting to play the game strategically the whole time. As my preferred player type to root for, I thought she was painful to watch. She was paranoid. Took everything far too literally. Far too emotional. Played way too hard. Arguably the biggest pitfall is that the winner was none of these characters. The winner, Steve, was basically non-existant for the first 80 days (in other words, about 32 episodes of nothing from the winner). Other than winning a couple challenges here and there (including the first double eviction HOH) he was just kind of there in the shadows for the whole season. No blood on his hands. No strategic planning with anyone. He was never a target because he wasn't a part of a group other than his alliance with a floater. He turned it on during the final four HOH comps where he won three of them, but even the one he didn't win, he wasn't voted out despite being on the block, because the other person was a bigger target. He won because he was a "non threat" the whole time, and then won comps. Is it a respectable winner? Absolutely. But it's incredibly unsatisfying as a viewer and he had no memorable trait that got him to the end. Sadly, you could say it was the perfect "coasting" strategy. Usually I don't support floaters winning, but even Johnny Mac winning would have been more satisfying. He was enjoyable. His strategy was to go with the flow, toss comps, ride the power. Steve was just there for the first 80 days. Regardless, as I have said, it is an enjoyable season from an entertainment value standpoint, but I watch the game to appreciate game play and strategy. This season doesn't quite accomplish that for me. So check it out to have a good time, but for me this one will ultimately be lost in the shuffle.
Rating: 7.5/10