Why I Hate Derrick's Big Brother Game, Part Two

Thirty-year-old Central Falls, Rhode Island, police sergeant and former undercover cop Derrick Levasseur is only days away from clinching a $550,000+ payday in Big Brother 16. He is nearly unanimously considered to have played a masterful game full of the kind of lies and manipulations to make former winners including Dan Gheesling and Evel Dick Donato take notice.  He has maneuvered his way through numerous alliances never having his integrity or honesty challenged.  He is the good guy, the husband and father, who loves the game and is playing to better the life of his family.

At least, that's the Derrick he has been in the Big Brother house. That Derrick - a mild mannered Parks and Rec coordinator - does not lie, misrepresent, bear false witness, hedge, slander, malign, break trust, or otherwise play a dirty game.  He is such a nice guy - defending the abused, speaking up for the little guy, so soft spoken and calm.  His only job in the house is to keep the peace, be your friend, and help you win the game. Frankie may be playing for kids in Africa, but Derrick is the real giver. You could not ask for a better partner. 

Just ask the remaining houseguests.  They are all so excited that the alliance they created with Derrick week one is still going strong.  Derrick has Cody Calafiore's back.  They have a final two deal to the end.  He has Frankie Grande's back.  They have a Team America/final two deal.  He has Victoria Rafaeli's back.  They have a final two deal.  Caleb Reyolds and Derrick, they'll be sitting side by side at the end.  Final two! Now, I haven't taken math for some time, but four separate final two deals would appear hard to pull off.  But not for "Dad-bot" - everyone's favorite dad.

Derrick is the perfect person to take to the end.  He hasn't won many challenges, he hasn't made any moves and he's loyal as hell. Just ask him.  He'll tell you what a poor game he's played and how he doesn't stand a chance against you in the final two.  But that's okay with Derrick. He's happy with the $50,000 second place prize money.  That'll put enough food in his daughter's mouth.  What do you mean and the $5,000 that he won in the HOH endurance comp?  Oh that.  Well the other houseguests are so much bigger and stronger and better than him, he'd say, he didn't stand a chance of winning that snowman challenge.  He had no choice but to take the money to put food in his daughter's mouth.  Now, Victoria didn't stand a chance of winning that HOH either, and she could have gone for the money.  But she wouldn't think of depriving Derrick of the prize money so he could put food in his daughter's mouth.  That wouldn't be fair.  I'm sure if she could have, she would have scooped her water into his container to help him win.

No, Derrick has played a flawless game.  He's everywhere orchestrating everything that happens in the house.  Make sure to point out how unpredictable Zach is.  Make sure to keep Cody and Victoria from checking notes.  Make sure Caleb is not alone with Frankie.  Make sure Nicole doesn't talk to anyone.  Isolate Donny, play up Hayden's threat, pull Cody away from Christine.  He is thinking 24/7 of who stands in his way and how to get them out.  It has been amazing to watch. 

So why am I now devoting another post to why Derrick's game makes me want to hurl?  Amid all the accolades and benedictions that will rain down on him after his coronation, there should be a fact checker. Someone (besides this guy's tweets) to point out that this greatest game of all time is actually the dirtiest ever played on Big Brother and to question whether winning as ugly as Derrick is about to is really worth the money.  

Derrick didn't just lie about his alliances and his final 8-7-6-5-4-3-2 deals (aka normal BB lies) he lied to us about his motivations, his strategy, his feelings.  In the Diary Room, with a straight face, he would tell us that he wants to save Donny or he wants to carry out a Team America challenge, when live feeders know both are flat out lies.  Why lie to the viewers, how does that help you win the game?  His lies go beyond the game to lies about his fellow houseguests.  Some of these lies were personal - not game - in nature, some might be considered slanderous outside of a game setting.  He also played with the emotions of some young, vulnerable people who, unlike him, are not trained and skilled in adopting a new identity, lying, infiltrating, and manipulating. He used his expertise in undercover work with surgical precision to break down houseguest after houseguest until they were not just evicted but emotionally eviscerated.  

Case in point: how Derrick helped hurt recent college grad Zach Rance's reputation in the house.  Zach had a very tight alliance with Frankie, one of the few alpha males in the house who posed a serious threat to Derrick's game plan.  A close alliance between two strong and intelligent players - one of whom he was with in Team America - could undermine Derrick's plan.  Zach also was close with houseguests outside of Derrick's main alliance (Donny Thompson, Hayden Voss, and Nicole Franzel) who he viewed as a threat.  He needed Frankie (and the rest of the larger former Bomb Squad now Detanator alliance) to turn on Zach.  Frankie and Zach were in the midst of an epic bro-showmance and could not have been closer.  How could he drive a wedge?

Make up lies about Zach.  When Zach wanted to shake up the game the week Cody was HOH, Derrick decided that Zach's unpredictability was a liability.  He had to undermine him.  So he told Cody - then one of Zach's closest friends in the house - that Zach was the saboteur and that he was getting $50,000 to f*ck with the house. (7/20 11:55)  He said Zach mistreated women in the house, jumping on a lie he heard from former Zach ally Frankie and running with it.  He spread this story around until it became gospel and Zach's "I hate Victoria" became Zach is abusive towards women. He said Zach was the saboteur again after Team America carried out the mission to hide houseguest's personal items.  He preyed on Zach's Liberal heart, telling him that his actions were literally taking food out of Derrick's daughter's mouth (8/10 3:04 am).

Derrick claimed Zach was so abusive toward Victoria that if he said the same things outside of the house he would have knocked his f*cking teeth out.  What had Zach said? That she was demanding and yelling at people to do things for her, that he didn't think Victoria really ran her own photography company and that she wasn't smart.  For the record, Derrick was the first to say that Victoria was not intelligent and he and Frankie both agreed she was demanding (8/5 4:06am).

The entire conversation about Victoria is on Camera 3 from 4:01 - 4:21 am on 8/5 and if you watch it, you'll see how Zach actually knew more about Victoria, had talked to her and paid attention to her life story, compared with her "friend" Derrick.  You'll see that his issue with her was finding her dependent and privileged.  But Derrick managed later to twist this conversation into proof that Zach was a bad guy who he would have to beat up outside the house for what he said.  As soon as Zach left, Derrick told Cody that if Victoria was his daughter, he'd "break his f*cking jaw."  Yet, after Cody said to Derrick that Victoria she wasn't that dumb, DERRICK argued with Cody saying, "she's not that bright."  So, it was okay for Derrick to call her "not that bright" and to say that he only has to put up with her for a few more weeks, but not for Zach to.  How will Victoria feel when she hears that her biggest friend, closest ally said that? 

Derrick also told Nicole that Zach treats women horribly and has disrespected her.  What had Zach done?  Teased her about being a have not, being a jerk about being able to eat regular food when she couldn't.  Juvenile, immature, but disrespectful??  Derrick was the one behind the plan to isolate Nicole after her closest ally Hayden was eliminated from the game and make sure she never spent time alone with anyone with whom she might ally.  After Nicole came back into the game, only to again find herself on the block, she was finally figuring out the truth about Derrick and his alliance with Cody and his alliance with Victoria, among other things.  On the block, on slop, in tears, Derrick came over and spoke with the vulnerable Nicolle.  He told her she was wrong to question him and would realize how wrong she was after she saw the show and would owe him an apology.  (9/3 10:43)

Nicole:  I trusted you.  I feel like everything I tell you definitely gets back to Cody ... that is why I was upset yesterday and just slept.
Derrick :  Look at me real quick.. I’m going to tell you straight up and I haven't said this all season if that is what you feel you are going to look really dumb on camera.. look at me real quick.. you are going to look really dumb on camera if you that.  If you think 90% of what you just said is true..... I expect a text message apology…

Derrick told Victoria that he was disappointed in her for not coming to him after she heard from Zach about the Bomb Squad alliance (that Derrick had kept from her).  By the end of their talk, Victoria was apologizing to him for not trusting him (even though he was lying) and taking the word of "the biggest liar in the house" (Zach, who was telling the truth about the alliance). Victoria was crying and Derrick acted hurt and betrayed, breaking her down even more. (8/9 4-5pm) 

Again, I get that lying is part of Big Brother, a big part.  But there is something more insidious about a 30-year-old father, talking to a 22-year-old girl, telling her that everything she's put together based on the facts in front of her is not true, that thinking it's true makes her look dumb, and she's going to owe him an apology.  There is something worse about him telling another 22-year-old girl that she hurt his feelings and betrayed him by questioning his veracity, when he has been lying to her from day one.  If you don't see a subtle difference between clever gamesmanship and abusive, gaslighting-style manipulation, then maybe you love Derrick's game.  I don't. 

Derrick's "anything goes" attitude makes sense for him at work where the greater good is preventing a crime, catching a perpetrator, or saving his own life.  But that type of morally-bankrupt, unethical, win-at-all-costs approach has no place on what is in the end just a silly game show. Derrick is not owed the prize money and in a civilized society, even one that gets enjoyment from reality TV shows designed to show people at their most deceitful, we should at least question whether there are or should be any limits to how far someone will lower themselves just for a big payday.

Zach Rance for America's Favorite Houseguest

VOTE HERE - ZACH FOR AFH

On Big Brother, America's Favorite Houseguest is a coveted consolation prize. Usually it goes to the person who didn't win the grand prize, but to the houseguest who won a different prize - the hearts of America. It's the first chance for the fans of the show to let the houseguests know what we really think of them. We've watched their gameplay, their Diary Room sessions, their late night chats, their unguarded moments, their social game, their highs and lows, and after all that there is one person who captured our imagination. The one player who defines that season.  The player without whom the season would have been not as watchable.  It's our first chance to let the houseguests know, after being locked away for some 90 days, who has made the greatest impact on the fans. Who is the one we love the most. Is there any question that for Big Brother 16 that person is Zach Rance?




Quick. Think of your favorite moments from the season.  Was it one of Zach's poems? Was it one of his Diary Room sessions?  His twerking? His broshowmance with Frankie? His heart-to-heart talks with other houseguests?  Was it how he was the only player to learn about his fellow houseguests, who could name all their family members her and remember every detail of their life stories? His energy, enthusiasm and love of life?  His desire to shake things up, make something happen, entertain us?  The fact that in a game full of lying and deception he turned out to be the most real person in the house.  He tried to act the bully, tried to be the bad guy, but couldn't hide the fact that he's just a sweet kid.



This season has been for the most part boring and predictable.  Unanimous votes and sheep lining up to be slaughtered as the dullest winner in Big Brother history moves his chess pieces around to guarantee his inevitable win. Without ZachAttack's volatility, unpredictability and showmanship this season would have gone down as the most tedious, uninteresting ever. But we were blessed with the most watchable houseguest the show has ever cast. Funny, lovable, roguish, outrageous, raw, and unfiltered, Zach was the real star of BB16.



We have from now until Monday, Sept 22nd at 9:59am PT.to vote, up to 20 times per day, for Zach to be this season's Favorite Houseguest and take home the $25,000 prize. He not only entertained us and always kept in mind that he was on a TV show and there to make things exciting for us, he was also used by Team America to complete three of their missions, for a tidy sum that he shared none of.   Let's send a clear message to everyone who was part of Big Brother 16. This was the season of the Zach Attack.  He won not the $500,000 but something more valuable, he learned that he could be himself in all his outrageous and compelling glory and that America would love what they saw and want to see more.

PLEASE VOTE HERE!!

Need more proof, check out these fan videos:

Is Big Brother 16's Derrick Playing a Dirty Game or Does "Anything Go?"

If you're a Reality TV fan, you remember when Johnny Fairplay's grandma died on Survivor: Pearl Islands. Or, more accurately, you recall when he used her fake death to try and engender sympathy from the tribe and buy him more days on the island. While the move failed to get Johnny to the end, it did get him hugs, a reward challenge gift, and a place atop the Pantheon of reality TV baddies.

That wasn't the first lie in a reality TV show and it certainly hasn't been the last. Some lie to create a sympathetic character.  On Big Brother 12, contestant Matt Hoffman told his fellow houseguests that his young wife had a rare bone disease that only "affects one in a million.”  Russell Hantz told Survivor: Samoa castaways that he had lived through the Katrina disaster in his native New Orleans.  Others lie about their former brushes with fame, fearing it might seem they don't need the prize money.  Child actress Lisa Whelchel joined former major leaguer Jeff Kent in hiding their past professions from their Survivor: Philippines castmates.

This past season of Survivor: Cagayan, police officer Tony Vlachos decided not to share his job with his fellow island inhabitants, including fellow officer Sarah Lacina.  He claimed he was a construction worked, even when Sarah confronted him on obviously being a cop.  This turned into a million dollar strategy when he was overwhelmingly voted the winner.  Central Falls Rhode Island police sergeant Derrick Levasseur watched Tony's successful strategy before embarking on his three month Big Brother adventure this summer.  He decided to follow a similar strategy and hide his police background - which included a three year stint as an undercover officer - from the rest of the cast. 

This year's Big Brother cast has its share of liars.  Caleb Reynolds has been so proficient in spinning stories about  himself while in the house that a compendium of his questionable assertions has been put together in this blog.  Frankie Grande lied about his age (he's 31, not 28) and omitted that he was a "social media mogul" with a famous little sister (Ariana Grande) until his game was in jeopardy.  Zach Rance lied about hating everyone and being a villain.  Victoria Rafaeli lied about playing Big Brother (couldn't resist).  But the biggest lie this year has been the true identify of that mild mannered Parks and Recs coordinator and new daddy Derrick - a police sergeant and former undercover officer.  In fact, this - that Derrick has three years experience working undercover - may be the biggest lie that anyone has told in the Big Brother house.  It certainly is the one with the most consequences.

Why does this lie stand out among the others?  Because, by the very nature of his training and experience as an undercover cop, he is uniquely suited for lying to and manipulating other people.  I wrote this more detailed discussion in how an undercover cop's skills are uniquely suited for Big Brother success HERE.  He has power over the minds and hearts of the other houseguests unlike anything I've ever seen before and, while many are blaming the gullibility on the houseguest, it's hard not to point the finger at Sgt. Levasseur.  While he was working undercover, it is conceivable that his very life depended on his ability to gain trust and confidence.  No thespian taking the stage ever has at much at stake.

Derrick is a 30-years-old father with ten years on the police force including three working undercover. The houseguests on whom he has most effectively used his skills are 22 year old girls, Nicole Franzel and Victoria.  When Nicole became suspicious of Derrick, telling him she was convinced that anything she says to him gets back to Cody (which is true), Derrick responded, "If that’s truly what you feel, you’re going to look really dumb on camera if you think that."  He then uses a typical mind control technique.  "Look at me," he tells her. Firmly.  "Look at me."  He tells her over and over that she's not only wrong, but is going to look stupid if she continues thinking he's allied with Cody.  "You'll see," he tells her, adding, that she will owe him a text apology when she sees the feeds and realizes how wrong she was.

Now, great lie. Strong, convincing, unequivocal.  Nicole believes him and crumbles into tears that she ever doubted her one true friend.  The most trustworthy person in the house.  Will I have to hand in my reality TV fan card if I tell you that this exchange made me sick to my stomach?  Watch it here and tell him if it doesn't make you question the ethics of Derrick's gameplay.

There is something about the way that Derrick plays with his fellow houseguests' weaknesses and vulnerabilities, how he convinces them he is their best friend and the only person they can trust, something about how morally outraged he becomes at any suggestion that he's not the nicest guy on the planet that rubs me raw.  It's not just how he lies so easily, but how easily he makes the other person convinced that they are the bad guys for even questioning him.

Two weeks earlier, Derrick did his mind-control misting shtick on Victoria.  When Zach told her that Derrick was in a large alliance, she was shocked and hurt to the core.  Eventually, Derrick confronted her about what she heard.  He told her it was a complete lie, that he had no alliance with anyone.  If he had an alliance with anyone it would be with her, he said.  Derrick had lied to Victoria from day one about his allegiances and yet managed to mist her into believing that he was completely honest with her.

As recently as last night, as he was convincing Victoria to pretend to hate him so the remaining houseguests would think he doesn't have her vote, Derrick reaffirmed that he has always had her back. Innocent lies/half truths, you might say.  Yes, technically, Derrick has had Victoria's back up to a point - he wanted to keep her as long as possible because he knew she would never, ever, ever vote him out.  But their alliance is all for his benefit, not hers.  He doesn't even have to give her his vote this week!  Instead, he has convinced her that voting her out is best for him and that she should support this.  And she does, to the point that she has said repeatedly that she wants Derrick to win more than she wants to win.

Again, you might argue that is good gameplay.  But then Derrick said of Victoria:  "I am one of the few people that defends that girl she was crying.. I have a daughter I’m not going to make that girl look like a fool."  And that's where he crosses the line for me.  His mind control is making Victoria look like a stupid, lovesick lemming.  A fool. And it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

Derrick has this young girl, who is clearly smitten with him (and she has mentioned repeatedly that she's attracted to older men), wrapped around his finger.  She would do anything for him.  She is his plaything, a Playdoh creation he can mold and pose in any position he chooses.  He has her wanting him to win more than she wants herself to win.  Her remaining goal is not to stay in the house, but to guarantee his win.

Play dirty, play hard, that's how you win.  I get it.  But this year, watching Derrick Gaslight these young, vulnerable girls into believing that they are wrong, crazy, uncaring, heartless, I'm not so sure I can justify winning at any cost.  I no longer feel comfortable watching someone - a father to a young girl - win by playing with these girls' emotions.  By manipulating them and then telling them you're doing it for their own good, because you're honest and trustworthy and look at them like someone's daughter,  you've crossed some imaginary line in my mind.

Derrick's infamous accusation to fellow alliance member Zach that he was "literally taking food out of [his] daughter's mouth" is the kind of amped-up manipulation that people point to as him playing a dirty game.  I disagree.  That was a low blow, but it was a smart one and fully within the bounds of good manipulative strategy.  But the way he isolates these young girls, befriends them, develops their trust, causes them to distance themselves from anyone else, manipulates their feelings, causes them to question their sanity and challenges them when they don't follow his game play makes me question whether anything goes in a reality TV game show.  That is going a little too far in my book.

Are there any boundaries; should there be any limits?  Or is all's fair in love and Big Brother?

Why Big Brother 16 Contestant Derrick May Be the Best...and Most Boring

There is no question that at about this point every year, fans of the CBS summer reality series Big Brother proclaim that this is the worst season ever.  This year is no exception.  With the eviction of fan favorites like Donny Thompson and Zach Rance, both of whom played the games with their hearts rather than their heads, there is a gaping hole in the soul of the show.  But what should save the season is the brainy play of 30-year-old police sergeant from Rhode Island, Derrick Levasseur.  Derrick has been masterminding every move made in the Big Brother house from jump street, yet his game play has not been entertaining or popular.

If the badge fits...For more on Derrick's gameplay click here.

Why is that?  Two words - jump street.  As in 21 Jump Street, the TV show (later movie franchise) about undercover cops.  Derrick is a former undercover cop and it is that skill set which has given him unprecedented power in the house and seems destined to put $500,000 worth of groceries in his young daughter's mouth.  So what is it about being an undercover cop that works so well in the Big Brother house?  And why does it not make for riveting television?

1.  The ability to blend in

The first and most important skill an undercover cop needs is the ability to blend into his or her surroundings.  Being outed as a cop can be a death sentence.  Whether it's posing as a teenager when you're years older (something fellow Houseguest Frankie Grande no doubt wishes he could do) or pretending to be a criminal or drug user, undercover cops have to be able to convince strangers of a made-up identity - a whole new persona that will seem completely real and natural.  Meryl Streep doesn't have her life on the line when she takes on a part, undercover cops very well may.

So the Derrick who walked into the Big Brother house is a creation, a manufactured persona designed to be nonthreatening.  He's a Parks and Recreations guy with a bunch of employees below him who helps paint hash-marks on the football field and keeps the red maples healthy.  He's married with a new baby (okay, that part seems to be true).  He's a nice guy.  Not good looking, like Cody Calafiore.  Not in great shape, like Caleb Reynolds and Devin Shepherd.  He's just Joe Schmoe, every man. 

He lets Caleb go on and on about his service in Iraq without ever letting Caleb or the rest of the house know that he also has dealt with dangerous, life-threatening situations including a fatal shooting. While Frankie drones on ad nauseum about his famous sister, his millions of followers, and his Broadway shows, Derrick just smiles and nods, pretending to be ol' boring daddy-o with no exciting stories to share.  He lets the other Houseguests take center stage as he fades into the background, the affable dad who likes puttering around on a lawnmower.  But because of this, he looks boring and uninteresting and his screen time lacks electricity. Zach could not strategize his way out of a paper bag, but he was watchable.  Derrick is dull as dishwater on the screen.

2.  The appearance of trustworthiness

An undercover cop is only successful if he manages to be accepted and trusted by those he's infiltrated.  Snitches get stitches, as the saying goes.  So it should come as no surprise that the word other Houseguests use most often to describe him is trustworthy.  Derrick is everyone's closest friend and confidante.  Victoria has poured her heart out to Derrick; no fewer than two other people are firmly convinced they have a final two deal with him.  He has never been on the block.  He has never been mentioned to go up on the block.

How has he managed this?  By keeping his mouth shut.  He doesn't rat out fellow Houseguests, so he can never be put in the middle of an argument.  You know the one way to look like you are never lying, never promise anything and never take responsibility for any decision.  Derrick is masterful at this.  He is constantly asking all his allies what they want and letting them know he'll go along with whatever they want.  If you promise nothing, you never have to break a promise.  If you never say what you want, you can never be called out when someone hears something contrary.

But because Derrick is considered so trustworthy, there are no fireworks when he's on the screen.  No one calls him out, no one gets mad at him.  Contrast this to the time that Zach told Derrick that Nicole told Victoria Rafaeli (phew!) about the five-person alliance that Derrick was in.  Victoria was devastated to learn that her closest ally had been lying to her all along.  Did that come back to bite him?  No.  Derrick immediately called a meeting to clear the air.  He did this to demonstrate how loyal and honest he is - he has nothing to hide. Instead, the focus was on Zach's lie, not the underlying truth (of the alliance).  So Victoria left feeling even more trusting in the man who had lied to her about his other alliance.  If she had felt betrayed and violated and had yelled at Derrick and stormed off, it would have made for good TV. But instead, she went right back to snuggling with her only true friend in the game.

3.  Make them think it was their idea

Derrick is a good listener and most people love hearing the sound of their own voice.  So they talk and he reflects back either supporting their decision or gently moving them in a different direction.  You will never hear Derrick say, let's vote out so-and-so next.  The same way an undercover cop can't be the one to suggest the illegal act, Derrick doesn't overtly make the move - he makes his allies think they are in charge of every decision.  He tells them any array of possibilities is fine with him (and sneaks in the one he really wants without letting on).  He tells them, repeatedly, that he has their back and will support whatever they want to do, and they don't even notice when his alternative suggestion (which they're free to ignore) is what he really wants.  And they don't realize later that when they take that alternative, they are doing his bidding.

To be a good undercover cop, according to Derrick in his pre-show interview with Reality Relapse, you have to learn to adapt to those around you. "Learn their likes and dislikes, their motives, their weaknesses."  Once you know this, you can more easily manipulate them.  Big Brother masterminds from the past - Dan, Dr. Will, Evel Dick - let the Houseguests as well as the home viewer know what they wanted and how they planned to get it.  This year, Derrick is as big a mystery to us as he is to the Houseguests.  Ten weeks in, do we really know who he plans to take to the final two?  Do we know what he plans to do this week or next?

Since Derrick is playing the game of making everyone around him do all the work and is not sharing with the viewers what his ultimate plan is, we are disengaged.  When other Houseguests scurry with a new plan to "shake things up," we know not to get excited or invested.  Ultimately, what will happen is whatever Derrick decides will happen.  We know that no big moves will be made unless he approves them, and nothing will keep him from running things.  The only mystery left is who will be sitting next to him in the final two and how he'll get them to think it was their idea to take him there. 

4.  Be a good liar

Lying has to come as easily as breathing to an undercover cop, or he won't be doing much of the latter for very long.  Derrick is an expert.  He weaves stories out of whole cloth, adding details, with the effortless ease of a former Enron exec.  But this is where his largest disconnect with the viewers comes in.  Derrick is not just lying to the Houseguests, he's lying to the television audience.  And that is a no no.

Once Derrick was joined with Donny and Frankie as Team America, he has not only been playing Derrick the Leslie Knope of Central Falls, RI, he's also been playing loyal TA member.  He stares right into the camera, talking directly to us, the viewers who voted him there, and lies to us.  He tells us that he wanted to carry out a Team America mission to cast a hinky vote, but Donny wouldn't go along.  He tells us that he would have tried to save Donny with the last mission, but Frankie wouldn't go along.  He tells us that he wants to keep Team America together and yet did nothing to keep Donny from being voted out.

A good liar, like Dr. Will Kirby, is entertaining when they let us the viewer in on their lies.  Dr. Will didn't lie to us by, for example, pretending to like a contestant that he knew the public liked (as Derrick did twice, after he heard the crowd roars for Zach and Donny).  Dr. Will accepted his dark side and shared his true feelings.  Derrick pretends to be the nice guy, the loyal Team America player who just wants to make America proud but is thwarted by his fellow team members.  He'll throw Donny and Frankie under the bus to the viewers, who can see what's really going on, and doesn't bat an eye.  He'll orchestrate Zach and Donny's exits, then tell US that he's sad to see them go.  That's not endearing, it's scary.  And, frankly, not fun to watch.

5.  Be smarter than the people you've infiltrated

The final reason that Derrick is the best and least interesting contestant this show has seen is that he has been given the weakest set of opponents yet.  The so-called super fans (Nicole Franzel and Christine Brecht) have zero clue what he's doing and have done very little to control their game.  When Nicole was Head of Household and could make a move, she failed by not nominating two members of the large alliance (why sacrifice Jocasta who would NEVER have voted out Nicole?).  

The Big Brother 16 Houseguests have no clue how to play the game.  All-guys' alliances are a staple of Big Brother and this year the Bomb Squad started out that way (with six of the eight men), until Devin decided to add two women to make a half-a-house alliance.  Joey Van Pelt tried to form an all-girl alliance only to have the girls immediately shut down the idea and spill it to the guys.  Had the girls gone along with the plan and kept it quiet, someone like Christine would have been in a great position, straddling two powerful groups.  Instead, she's now low man on the totem pole.

Not only are the Houseguests not smart enough to play a good game of Big Brother, they're not smart enough to pick up the many clues Derrick has dropped about his true identity.  After Frankie's big reveal about how he'd been hiding his sister's identity and his social media fame, there were of course rumblings again about whether everyone was who they claimed to be.  Derrick actually said, "most of us" are who we say we are.  No one picked that up.

No one noticed when he talked about peoples' motives and their profile, when he jokingly put a badge around his neck and said he was a cop, when he organized a neighborhood watch, when he seemed to have all the cop lingo down pat.  Nope.  They continued to be suspicious that the guy with the Duck Dynasty beard and a drawl slower than molasses in February was a college professor, but the street-sounding jamoke with confidence and a penchant for cop slang couldn't be lying about being a Parks and Rec person.  Even though he admitted to NEVER HAVING WATCHED THE SHOW OF THE SAME NAME.

[K]Nope, no red flags there. 

Before going into the Big Brother house, Derrick spoke to Reality Relapse about how his undercover past would help him in the game: "I worked in undercover for a long time where I had to not talk about things, so I'm used to being confidential. ... I've been in situations where if I make a mistake I could end up dead."  So far, he's made no apparent mistakes and is well-positioned to make the biggest score of his life.  It just may not be all that exciting for the rest of us.

***For more on Derrick's gameplay check out this blog post from Krazillia's Place.***

How CBS Big Brother Buried the Lead

It must be difficult producing a show that runs in nearly real time.  You may think going in you know what the narrative will be, who will be the stars, what the fans will care about.  For Big Brother 16, Alison Grodner and the rest of the behind-the-scenes players had their story going in - pop star Ariana Grande's brother and YouTube personality Frankie  was going in cognito with his secret identity. Secondary stories were sweet Duck Dynasty-bearded groundskeeper Donny and police sergeant Derrick (going undercover as a recreations coordinator).

Let's admit it.  Casting for a reality TV show is a crap-shoot.  Someone who looks great in their interviews turns into a dud (aka PowPow who was more like meow meow). Some story lines don't pan out (Christine the super fan became Christine the literal hanger-on).  And then there's 23-year-old recent University of Florida grad Zach Rance, or ZachAttack as he's now known to Big Brother fans.  

Cast as a Dr. Will wannabe, Zach was some background noise at first.  He was given a few seconds to do his "I hate everyone" bit then was moved off screen for the main stories. And then Zach and the star of the show Frankie started Zankie and now the powers-that-be were interested in the will-they-or-won't-they showmance. That became the new lead story.  Zankie was everywhere; even Ariana tweeted about them. Julie Chen asked questions about them. Tribute videos exploded and all eyes were on the two. 

But CBS mistakenly thought all this interest was because of Frankie and missed that a new BB star was born right before their eyes. Zach is watchable.  You can't take your eyes off of him.  Cody may be the cute one, Caleb the body, but Zach is the one who captures your attention. The unpredictable outbursts, the joie de vivre, the catch phrases and poems made Zach the one you cared to see what he'd do next.  His excitability, his spontaneity, and his enthusiasm captured the fans' imaginations.  Every minute he was on the screen was electric.

Only one problem emerged.  Zach and Frankie had a falling out.  Frankie targeted Zach, then Zach targeted him, and the showmance became a flop.  How to deal with this?  CBS could air what really went down, or they could devise a poor Frankie and Derrick narrative.  Suddenly, it was the 31-year-old former dancer accusing Zach of taking money away from needy Africans and the 30-year-old former undercover cop telling Zach he was taking food out of his daughter's mouth.  If you watched the live feeds, you heard Frankie talk about euthanizing Zach, putting the baby to sleep and then stabbing it.  But that didn't make the show.  On the feeds, you saw Derrick threaten to choke Zach out and break every bone in his jaw.  But that didn't make the show. 

Nothing negative that Frankie or Derrick said was shown; instead they were painted as reluctant heroes trying to save the alliance from the volatile Zach.  The home viewers didn't see them plant seeds in Victoria and Christine's minds that Zach was a danger to them.  They didn't see how Derrick made false allegations about Zach being a threat to Frankie's safety.  The producers tried their best to make Zach the goat, solely responsible for his own downfall.  They must have hoped this would keep their Team American trio, and especially Frankie, safe for weeks to come.

What they couldn't have imagined was the groundswell of support for Zach Rance. Never before in BB history has one houseguest become the center of such a large social media movement and the recipient of so much viewer adoration.  When his fans thought Frankie had violated house rules telling Zach he was nominated, "Renom Rules" trended on Twitter.  Before the eviction vote, #SaveZach was all over Twitter, as ubiquitous as #ZachAttack.  Past houseguests from the godfather of them all Dr. Will to Dan Gheesling tweeted their appreciation and support of Zach.  Even Ariana Grande, and her mother Joan, tweeted out support for Zach and their wishes that Frankie would come to his senses before it was too late.  As Big Brother co-producer Chris Roach tweeted last week: "I get the sense a lot of people wish they had voted #BBZach to be a part of Team America."

Zach said often in the BB house that he hoped he'd have 79K Twitter followers by the time he exited the BB house; as of today he has 115K for an idle account that has just one tweet from two years ago.  His Instagram has 188K followers and is growing daily.  "Froot Loop Dingus" has entered BB parlance as a new favorite phrase.  The episode where he was evicted was the season's highest rated episode.

CBS let a star slip through their fingers and will continue to shove Frankie, and to a lesser extent eventual winner Derrick, down our throats.  But we will miss the former frat boy from South Florida with loose lips, questionable dance moves, and more personality than the rest of the house combined.  We can't wait for BBAllStars2 and the return of Zach Rance, who came into the house to be hated and to win $500K and failed on both accounts. 

CBS Big Brother and the Groupthink Phenomenon

Zach Rance, the phenomenally popular 23-year-old recent college grad from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is the latest cast member ousted from the Big Brother house, a victim not of his own doing, as he told Julie Chen in his charmingly honest post-eviction interview, but a victim, like many of those who went before him, of groupthink.

Merriam-Webster defines groupthink as "a pattern of thought characterized by self-deception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics."  The term was coined by William H. Whyte, Jr. in a 1952 Forbes article on the social phenomenon which occurs where mere conformity becomes something else - a kind of mutual brainwashing of a small group to all agree on what is right and wrong.  The "you're either with us or against us" mentality.  Social psychologist Irving Janis expanded on the research into groupthink in a 1971 Psychology Today article.  There he wrote:

I use the term groupthink as a quick and easy way to refer to the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action. Groupthink is a term of the same order as the words in the newspeak vocabulary George Orwell used in his dismaying world of 1984. In that context, groupthink takes on an invidious connotation. Exactly such a connotation is intended, since the term refers to a deterioration in mental efficiency, reality testing and moral judgments as a result of group pressures

It is not at all surprising that Janis considered groupthink in the same breath as the novel from which the very concept of "Big Brother" arose.  It is by the very nature of the show that isolating a group of individuals and pitting them against one another results in just this type of phenomenon.  There is in any society a hierarchy, those at the top and those at the bottom.  There is the in group and the outcasts.  That is why CBS's summer reality show is not merely entertainment (and less so now that the dominant group is all that's left with no challengers) but a social experiment.  We see in real time how cliques are formed, how good and evil are defined, how fear and paranoia warp your perception and how even the kindest of us fall victim to the bullying mentality we all disdain.

What Janis discovered doing his research into groupthink in the realm of foreign policy decisions, is what we have seen every year on Big Brother the TV show.  According to Janis, there are eight symptoms* of groupthink:

1. Illusion of invulnerability – Creates excessive optimism that encourages taking extreme risks.
2. Collective rationalization – Members discount warnings and do not reconsider their assumptions.
3. Belief in inherent morality – Members believe in the rightness of their cause and therefore ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions.
4. Stereotyped views of out-groups – Negative views of “enemy” make effective responses to conflict seem unnecessary.
5. Direct pressure on dissenters – Members are under pressure not to express arguments against any of the group’s views.
6. Self-censorship – Doubts and deviations from the perceived group consensus are not expressed.
7. Illusion of unanimity – The majority view and judgments are assumed to be unanimous.
8. Self-appointed ‘mindguards’ – Members protect the group and the leader from information that is problematic or contradictory to the group’s cohesiveness, view, and/or decisions. 

(*These come from: http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm)

If you look at that list, you may get the answers to the questions you've had about the house guests the past two months.  Why does no one listen to Donny Thompson's warnings about Derrick Levasseur?  Check item #2.  Why does everyone gang up on the most recently evicted house guest?  Look at 4.  Why in week 2 was Devin Sheperd so upset with Zach for suggesting they keep Brittany Martinez?  See #5.  Item by item, you can click off why the house guests have done some of the head-scratching things they have done.

Tweeted by @BB16ZachRance

Caleb Reynolds knows he heard a fan shouting something negative about him and Frankie Grande when they were in the backyard with Zach.  Cody knows he heard a different fan shouting negative things about Frankie and Derrick yesterday.  Why don't they ever question their allegiance; why are they never suspicious?  Item #6 - ignore facts that don't conform to the group consensus.  Of the eight items, perhaps the most powerful is the last, the one used to great effect by Derrick.  A former undercover cop (who knows how to infiltrate groups) and current police sergeant, Derrick has repeatedly made sure that his minions stay away from outside influences.  Whether it is telling someone that Nicole Franzel should never talk to anyone alone, or making sure that Zach was accompanied wherever he went last week, Derrick has made sure to keep outside influences from his group's ears.

Because of groupthink, six different people (Caleb, Christine Brecht, Cody Calafiore, Derrick, Frankie, and Victoria Rafaeli) believe they each are in a great position in the game with final two deals that will guarantee them a spot in the finale.  Unfortunately for all but Derrick, he is the only common denominator in each secret final two pact.  Because they each believe they are in a great position in their alliance, none will do anything to upset the apple cart.  The simple mechanics of their situation eludes them.  Despite realizing that where there is a group of six players remaining, there is by its nature a hierarchy, a totem pole, each believes they are at the top and each believes someone else to be at the bottom.  While it's easy to chalk this up to poor gameplay, stupidity, or naïveté, the more obvious explanation is that this is how the game is structured.  It takes a very strong, or very crazy, person to veer away from the safety of groupthink and think for themselves.

They have had virtually no outside contact for two months.  They have little in the way of stimulation or distraction.  They are in a stressful situation without their usual outlets for coping.  Don't think you wouldn't act the same in their shoes.

Look what happened to the few players who deviated from the script, who argued against groupthink.  What happened to Joey Van Pelt?  She had the temerity to suggest forming a girl's alliance.  What nerve!  Outta here.  Hayden Voss tried to form a new alliance, plotting against Derrick/Cody. Adios.  Zach merely questioned what the powers-that-be suggested (early in the game not wanting to vote out Brittany, later in the game voicing that maybe he didn't want to throw the competition to oust Donny or maybe he can't trust people in his alliance who tried to evict him a week ago) and he was given his walking papers.  Opposing groupthink in the Big Brother house gets you a few minutes with Julie Chen and not a lot more.  And so we will continue to see scared little mice cowering in the corner hoping they're the last one the cat eats.

Big Brother promotes bullying, cliquish behavior and fear of straying from the group, and until enough players fight back, it'll be one boring season after another.  C'mon Big Brother, give us more unpredictable troublemakers like Zach Rance and fewer sheep like Cody and Victoria.  Watching Derrick the conformity cop serve up and the rest of the house drink his KoolAid for three months isn't riveting television.  It's actually, pretty sad.