“Big Brother” is one of the most emotionally exhausting reality shows on television, and in part this is due to what the participants endure, not what they are paid. Even though the show has upgraded its prize pool to $750,000 from $500,000, it’s still well below the mark of what Survivor winners get and what America’s Got Talent offers as prize money, and Big Brother is a much bigger commitment. Guests often spend at least 80 days in the house if they have a chance of winning, and according to season 15 winner Andy Herren, the show can be “cheap” and charge players while the game is on. As proof, he has a hilarious receipt that shows that living in a house is even less glamorous than fans might think.
On Twitter, Andy Herren talked about a conversation with a friend who mentioned that he had heard that CBS can be a little stingy when it comes to money. Herren confirmed that this is true and noted that Ginamari Zimmerman, the runner-up in the Houseguest season, had to repay the show for the treatment she received after an injury during the competition (and it’s worth noting that Ginamari lost her job). after the performance). He even provided a photo of Gina-Marie’s check, which apparently confirms that this story is true.:
Yesterday I was talking to a friend who said he heard that CBS is cheap and wondered if I had any firsthand knowledge and I was like, “GinaMarie needed stitches after a comp because a nail sticking out cut her and CBS took the cost out of her prize money.” My friend gasped.
— Andy Herren (@AndyHerren) October 19, 2022
It’s wild to think that Gina-Marie had to pay for her treatment during the Big Brother competition. Obviously, people outside the show don’t know the details of what’s going on behind the scenes, but it would be nice if the network paid the bill. Of course, season 15 is undoubtedly one of the most controversial seasons in the show’s history to the point that it needed a title card “at the viewer’s discretion” before episodes, but certainly enough people watched to cover the cost of stitches for one of the stars. .
Andy Herren, who may have had problems after “Big Brother” overlooked his role in the last 22nd season, which was attended by all the stars, noted that this was not the only case when the show could be called “cheap”. Herren recalled that when he didn’t bring his contact solution into the house, the show actually did everything possible to ensure that he would cover its cost. He tweeted:
Wait, my God, this reminds me of a memory I suppressed! Before the season, I thought they supplied us with a contact solution (there isn’t really one), so I didn’t take it, and they made me give them my credit card while it was in sequestration, and they went and bought it for me. So wild!!!
On the one hand, I understand that Big Brother cannot be expected to provide the essentials to every guest who plays the game. On the other hand, taking a member’s credit card to the store to buy some kind of contact solution that wouldn’t cost an incredible amount of money is pretty bold.
It should be noted that the 15th season of “Big Brother” was released in 2013, so in the nine years since then, everything could have changed. However, CBS reality shows weren’t just getting back on their feet when all this happened, so maybe it’s just standard practice and guests should expect something when they play.
Who knows? Maybe this is finally the excuse that fans need to campaign for “Big Brother” to reach the million dollar prize mark, especially if the network pulls expenses elsewhere. If this is still happening, I can imagine that the chances of the Legends season taking place could be much lower.
Anyone interested in streaming the 15th season of “Big Brother” can do so with a Paramount+ subscription. This is definitely one of the toughest seasons to watch in terms of controversial content, but perhaps after the incredible season 24 finale, it’s a great reminder of how far the show has come.
