Extreme situations require extreme measures. That’s how one Big Brother alum feels when it comes to the future of the show, currently in its 28th season. This season has had plenty of controversy, from Kamu Kirk’s comments about some houseguests to fan allegations of production rigging.
McCrae Olson was on arguably the most controversial season in Big Brother history back in Season 15. During his time in the house, audiences were furious over many of the remarks made by a number of contestants. Some saw numerous comments as racist, homophobic and misogynistic, among other things.
According to McCrae, the show has a much bigger problem than any controversy surrounding the houseguests. He spoke exclusively to Reality Tea about some of the BB28 backlash, while also assessing Julie Chen’s hosting and offering a bold take on what might be best for the show moving forward.
McCrae’s take on the rigging allegations
Among the biggest controversies fans are crying foul over is the preferential treatment of vets by production in their eyes. Angela Murray, originally from Season 26, won America’s Vote in Week One, with Survivor veterans Rick Devens and Dee Valladares getting a shot at the BB Time Capsule as well. While Angela wound up getting a punishment, the two Survivor alums won special powers.
There’s been speculation that production was slowing down the chair spins in the Time Capsule to help the veterans get a power. McCrae, however, says he’s seen those Time Capsule challenges this season plus the past ones and for him, everyone gets the same speed, and it is all equal. For McCrae, the newbie houseguests should have assumed the three vets would win the public votes early on.
“Devens has a built-in fandom, Dee has a built-in fandom … I don’t see how the people in the house didn’t figure that out and plan accordingly,” said McCrae. He believes that the only way to get around that inevitability is for the newbies is to play with the vets, at least early on.
Allegations of rigging among fans is not a theory McCrae subscribes to. He thinks those complaining are simply bitter and jealous. “That is just people wanting an excuse for why their favorite player sucks *ss,” says McCrae. “People who claim production is rigging it; they’re the people that their favorites are not doing well.”
“It’s a weak person who blames the tools,” he adds.
McCrae calls out Big Brother Fandom and past Houseguests
Perhaps the most polarizing houseguest this season is Kamu. The recently evicted MMA fighter drew backlash in Week Two when Rick was Head of Household. It began when Rick saw Drew and Barrett in unicorn-themed garments, wondering if they were wearing women’s clothes. Kamu responded, “Bro, miss me with that drag stuff.”
Online, many fans and former houseguests didn’t take kindly to his comments while also being unhappy that Rick didn’t call it out. For McCrae, this is a case of fans blowing things out of proportion. “Big Brother fandom thrives on controversy.”
Frankie Grande from BB16 expressed his disgust online with Kamu and Rick, calling for them to be removed. McCrae believes that former houseguests have a clear motive for making online comments while Big Brother is airing. “When Big Brother rolls around, it’s engagement season baby, you can say crazy stuff, and you are going to get engagement, and so I think a lot of them are like fish in the barrel like, I can get free likes out of this,” McCrae theorized.
Before his eviction, many fans called for Kamu’s removal for those comments and a controversial video which surfaced on Instagram. In the video, Kamu appears to be mocking someone’s pleas of “I can’t breathe,” with Kamu joking that the person thinks he’s George Floyd.
When it comes to Kamu’s comments in the house, McCrae says, “If Kamu did not break a rule, then he should be playing. I don’t want people to be taken out arbitrarily because of the hate mob online.”
“They (fans) will pick whatever they want to get upset about,” he added.
In McCrae’s season, more than 20,000 people signed an online petition asking for Aaryn Gries to be removed from the game over her numerous controversies. For McCrae, everything today, especially on reality shows, has become like a moral battle.
McCrae explains what Big Brother needs moving forward
After over 20 years on the air, McCrae wants to see some big decisions made about the show sooner rather than later. For him, the show is becoming stagnant and is in desperate need of a wakeup call. McCrae says Big Brother “needs to be cancelled.”
Doing that for McCrae would provide the show with the shot in the arm needed to thrive. “A hard reset would be great,” McCrae said. If that were to happen, he is confident it wouldn’t go off the air for good. “It’s such a cheap show to produce that anyone would be a fool not to pick it up,” he adds. Big Brother Canada was cancelled in 2024 but is returning next year with a new host.
Moving to a different network for McCrae might be a good first step should BBUS get a reset. “We’ve seen CBS drop Love Island and it gets picked up by Peacock, and it’s doing tenfold what it did on CBS. CBS is a dying company,” in McCrae’s opinion. Love Island moved to Peacock in 2022. It’s since become one of the most-watched reality shows on streaming platforms.
McCrae weighs in on Julie Chen’s future as Big Brother Host
Along with a cancellation, McCrae wants to see someone new assume the hosting duties. Julie Chen has hosted the show in the US since the beginning. Audiences have often criticized her robotic behavior on TV, with the former co-host of The Talk nicknamed Chenbot. “I love Julie (Chen), Julie’s great, but it’s time to pass the torch,” according to McCrae.
As for who he’d like to see replace Julie, McCrae had three people in mind. That includes former BB winners Dr. Will Kirby and Rachel Reilly. McCrae believes that Rachel “understands the game, she loves the game, she’s got the juice, I think she would be great at it.” Meanwhile, he thinks Will “has such a different perspective on the game that’d be really interesting.”
Jerry O’Connell is the other name he’d like to see replace Julie. McCrae believes that Jerry “should take over.” He wonder if “they’re grooming him to take over for Julie.” Jerry currently hosts Big Brother: Unlocked and filled in for Julie for one episode of Big Brother in 2024.
You can stream episodes of Big Brother on Paramount+ while it airs on CBS on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
