Big Brother 2 (American season)

Big Brother 2 is the second season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It is based upon the Dutch series of the same name, which gained notoriety in 1999 and 2000. The series premiered on CBS on July 5, 2001. The HouseGuests entered the house on June 30 with the series lasting 82 days. The season concluded on September 20, 2001, with Dr. Will Kirby being crowned the winner, and Nicole Nilson Schaffrich the runner-up.
The series revolved around twelve strangers living in a house together with no communication with the outside world. They were constantly filmed during their time in the house and were not permitted to communicate with those filming them. Unlike the first season, the format of the series was revamped to emphasize the competition – with HouseGuests now competing in competitions for power before voting each other out of the house. One HouseGuest, known as the Head of Household, had the task of nominating two of their fellow HouseGuests for eviction. The HouseGuests then voted to evict one of the nominees, with the HouseGuest who received the most votes being evicted from the house. When only two HouseGuests remained, the previously evicted HouseGuests would decide which of them would win the $500,000 grand prize.

Development

Despite the negative critical response to the first season, rumors began circulating in September 2000 that the series would be renewed and would give CBS more creative control over the project. Les Moonves later stated that the possibility of a second season was "very possible", adding "If we can fix the product... we feel there's great potential there." In February 2001, it was confirmed that there would be a second season, and that casting would begin soon. Paul Romer, who was heavily involved in the first season, stated that the show had poor ratings as the critics "didn't get it." It was reported that CBS blamed the casting for the failure of the initial season. With the confirmation of a second season, it was revealed that the series would undergo serious changes before the premiere. Before work on the season began, numerous changes were made in terms of the production team. CBS later stated they hoped to get Arnold Shapiro to produce the series, and were eventually successful in doing so. Allison Grodner was yet another addition to the series this year, who was hired as the co-executive producer.
The season was originally planned to air five nights a week, though this was later dropped to three nights a week. The show was set to air on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights at 8p.m. Eastern Time, though in August was pushed back to 9 pm. Eastern Time due to the show's mature content. The live show, in which one of the HouseGuests was evicted from the house, was scheduled to air on Thursday nights. Chuck Riley became the narrator for this season, however, played a smaller role in the show than in the previous season. Initially, it was revealed that the HouseGuests would vote to evict one another, with the viewers choosing the winner out of the final three. This was later scrapped, and it was decided that the HouseGuests would choose the winner and the evictees. Like the previous installment, Big Brother 2 featured the live feed streaming, in which viewers could watch live inside the house at any time. This was the first season to charge for the live feeds to be used, with viewers paying either $19.95 to view the full season or $9.95 for a month of the feeds. The decision to require a payment for the feeds upset numerous fans and viewers, several of which threatened not to watch the series at all. A spokesperson for CBS later stated "The subscription does two things It safeguards against who's watching live feed so we can verify their age . Second, in entertainment you generally pay for content, so I don't think this is anything unusual."
Despite controversy surrounding her appearance on the series, it was confirmed in May that Julie Chen would return to host the second season. In another change to the series, Dr. Drew Pinsky and AOL Online Advisor Regina Lewis did not return to the series. Following the departure of co-host Ian O'Malley during the first season, no second host was selected for the series. The twelve HouseGuests competing in the series were revealed on June 29, 2001. The group moved into the house on July 1, 2001. HouseGuests Mike and Justin had a criminal record prior to appearing on the series, causing some controversy from critics. HouseGuest Will was a doctor, while Kent and Mike both owned their own businesses. Autumn, Kent, Krista, and Sheryl were all parents, though Kent was the only parent who was married. Bunky was revealed to be the first openly gay HouseGuest to participate in the series, while Kent revealed prior to the season that he felt homosexuality was "perverse". The HouseGuests from this season were noted as being more disruptive than in the previous year's show, with several arguments and romantic relationships occurring in the house. Shapiro stated that the new group of HouseGuests were "uninhibited, outgoing and diverse", and predicted "romance and nudity" from the group.

House

The house used for the second season was a one-story house with four bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room, and one bathroom. The floorpan of the original house was retained with alterations made for additional sleeping areas, the Head of Household room, and relocated storage area and Diary Room. The house was an estimated 2,400 feet, an increase from the previous season's house. The lot used for the house was located at the CBS Studio Center in Hollywood, California. It featured a total of 38 cameras and 62 microphones, making all areas of the house visible. During their stay in the house, the HouseGuests were required to wear microphones at all times, ensuring everything they said in the house was heard. Throughout the house there are two way mirrors lined against the walls, with a production team filming behind them. The bedrooms featured infrared night vision cameras, allowing the cameras to continue filming while the lights were off. The majority of the living room features red colors, as did the kitchen and dining room. The dining room saw the inclusion of a round table, where the weekly nomination ceremony would take place. The bathroom featured mainly light green and cream colors. There were three bedrooms eligible for all of the HouseGuests to use, while one was reserve solely for the Head of Household. The bedrooms all had uneven beds, some being water beds and other being simple cots, and two bedrooms featured a plexi-glass wall dividing them. The Head of Household bedroom featured items such as a mini fridge and monogrammed robe. The backyard featured a patio area for the HouseGuests to sit, as well as a pool, Jacuzzi, and basketball court.

Format

Big Brother is a game show in which a group of contestants, referred to as HouseGuests, lived in a custom built "house", constantly under video surveillance. While in the house, the contestants were completely isolated from the outside world, meaning no phone, television, internet, magazines, newspaper, or contact with those not in the house. This rule could be broken, however, in the event of a family emergency or passing. At the start of each week in the house, the HouseGuests would compete for the title of Head of Household. The Head of Household for each week would have luxuries such as their own personal bedroom and free laundry service, but was responsible for nominating two HouseGuests for eviction. The Head of Household would not be able to compete in the following week's Head of Household competition, meaning that a HouseGuest could not hold the title for two weeks in a row. All HouseGuests excluding the Head of Household and nominees later vote to determine which of the two nominees should be evicted, and the nominated HouseGuest who received the most votes was evicted during a live episode. If there is a tie in the voting, the reigning Head of Household is required to make the tie-breaker decision. Unlike other versions of Big Brother, the HouseGuests may discuss the nomination and eviction process openly and freely. When only two HouseGuests remained, the previously evicted HouseGuests returned to decide which of the two should win the game.
The HouseGuests also competed in food competitions, in which the losers were required to solely eat peanut butter and jelly for the rest of the week; this twist would later be known as "Have-Not" in future seasons. The HouseGuests also participated in weekly luxury competitions, in which those competing could win prizes. The players were competing for a $500,000 prize, though the Runner-up would receive a $50,000 prize. The format of the series was mainly seen as a social experiment, and required HouseGuests to interact with others who may have differing ideals, beliefs, and prejudices. HouseGuests were also required to make visits to the Diary Room during their stay in the house, where they were able to share their thoughts and feelings on their fellow HouseGuests and the game. While in the house, the HouseGuests are given no information from the outside world. This includes the families and loved ones of the HouseGuests, whom they are not permitted to see or speak to. The house featured no telephones, televisions, or reading material other than for religious use. HouseGuests could voluntarily leave the house at any time, however, would not be able to return. In addition, a HouseGuest could be removed from the house at any time for breaking the rules; removal from the house meant the HouseGuest would not be eligible to return to the house or appear at the finale.

HouseGuests

Name	Age	Occupation	Residence	Result
	28	Physician	Tallahassee, Florida	Winner Day 82
	31	Personal chef	Atlanta, Georgia	Day 82
	40	Candy store manager	Brooklyn, New York
	31	Bouncer	York, Pennsylvania
	37	Technical writer	Harrisburg, North Carolina
	28	Waitress	Opelousas, Louisiana
	46	Mortgage Broker	Powell, Tennessee
	30	Bar owner	Los Angeles, California
	29	Realtor	San Antonio, Texas
	28	Aspiring singer	Irving, Texas
	43	Interior Designer	Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
	26	Investment Operations Associate	Bayonne, New Jersey	Expelled Day 10