At its heart, CBS’ hit reality competition, Big Brother, has always been about strategizing, making friends, and doing well in competitions. The competitions on Big Brother have become iconic, with favorites like OTEV, BB Comics, and Hide and Go Veto. But a few recurring competitions aren’t as entertaining as others, don’t seem entirely fair, or have just gotten plain old and fans are tired of seeing them.
Thankfully, some of these competitions haven’t been seen in a few seasons, so the official retirement could be imminent. But considering that Big Brother brought the Pressure Cooker competition back after 18 years, anything is possible. Hopefully, some of the worst competitions won’t be brought back again.
10 Caged Eggs
Seasons 11, 12, 15-18, and 21
Despite the competition being akin to watching paint dry, Caged Eggs has been brought back time and time again on Big Brother, one of the best reality competition shows on television. In the competition, players crouch down on one side of a fence while they use their fingers to slowly navigate a delicate egg all the way from one side to the other so they can release it. Naturally, the competition features a lot of cracked eggs and frustration. Watching the players takes up quite a bit of air time, leaving many fans to hit the fast-forward buttons on their remotes.
While Caged Eggs, thankfully, hasn’t appeared since season 21, it has arguably been replaced with a similarly excruciating competition to watch, Tiny Veto. In this competition, the players use a pair of tweezers to stack tiny objects to make a pyramid or shape of some kind.
9 Slippery Slope
Seasons 8, 11, and 13-24
One of the endurance competitions that continues after the live episode is done airing, Slippery Slope, was hilarious at first. But after the 13th appearance, it gets old seeing the players slip and slide back and forth transferring tiny cups of water from a barrel on one side to an empty container with a ping pong ball on the other. The “whoops” sound as one person inevitably keeps falling while watching at least one person glide back and forth like they’re on ice skates is monotonous.
The competition is viewed at the end of one episode and picks up for the next to watch the continuation. Though it’s not viewed in its entirety, it always seems like several minutes too long of air time. Nonetheless, even though Slippery Slope has been played by some Big Brother legends, it lacks creativity. Fans are ready for something else.
8 Hourglass
Seasons 19, 21, 23, and Reindeer Games
Hourglass is actually a new competition, though variations have existed before. Even so, it’s ripe to be retired already. Players stack objects or build a puzzle, but the catch is they have to run back and forth to refill a timer before it expires, or they’re out. It requires putting together the puzzle while simultaneously keeping an eye on the timer, so it’s interesting to watch in some respects.
But after seeing it four times, there needs to be a new element of some kind added to Hourglass to liven it up or raise the stakes.
7 Big Top Drop
Seasons 4, 11, 19, and 20
It’s a wonder no one has contested this competition yet. Big Top Drop requires that players run back and forth, searching for a ball to then must drop precisely over a ledge so it falls through a thin tube on the ground in front of them. To do so, they have to lean over a railing and aim the ball perfectly for it to go in.
In this competition, the railing and tubes are the same height across the board, so it’s obvious that those who are taller and/or have either longer legs or torsos have an immediate advantage. When 6’2’’ competitor Josh Martinez played, for example, it’s no surprise that he won. He could lean over the railing and position his hand almost exactly above the tube. In fact, looking at the stats, almost every person who has ever won is tall. Not only is the competition boring, it’s also downright unfair and needs to go.
6 The Wall
Seasons 10, and 12-25
Fans completely understand that The Wall has become synonymous with Big Brother. It has appeared in many of the best seasons of the show. It wouldn’t be surprising if a new player came into the game and was disappointed that the competition didn’t appear. But The Wall, which has been used for everything from Head of Household to nominations and re-entry, is one of those competitions that has become tiring.
Players stand on a thin platform and must hold onto a wall for dear life while various objects, water, fans, slime, paint, and more are blown or thrown at them. Sometimes, the platforms move, or the entire wall shifts forward and/or back to make it more difficult. The competition is one that plays out over two episodes where fans don’t watch the entire time. But it’s time for a new generation competition with a more interesting twist to take over.
5 Before or After
Seasons 5-16
Before or After is a quiz-based one where players are reminded of one event that occurred while they were in the home, then asked if it occurred before or after a second event. In this competition’s defense, it does give the houseguests something to do while waiting out each day. They can walk around the house trying to remember tiny details about items set up there, or sit and run through every competition, nomination, winner, and vote out to study as much as they can in preparation for it.
But the competition is virtually useless, because while those who studied hard often do well, sometimes, the winner is someone who simply guesses every answer. They have a 50/50 shot, after all, so it’s entirely possible to guess their way through it. The competition also tends to go so slowly as fans watch players shrug and pick whatever answer sounds good from one question to the next.
4 Punch, Slap, Kick
Seasons 19 and 20
Thankfully, this competition has only appeared twice, but there’s a chance for it to return. A machine like the one used for it did appear in the most recent season as part of a punishment for those living in the Have Not room. It’s downright ridiculous, however, even by Big Brother standards, a show where silly competitions are par for the course.
Players stand in the middle of a contraption where they are punched, slapped, or kicked by foam “weapons.” As this happens, they have to memorize the order of the beatings. It’s cruel and inhumane, not to mention unpleasant, to watch the players get hit repeatedly. While the contraptions are soft, similar to what you might find on an obstacle course, it’s still strange to watch grown men and women being kicked in their butts.
3 Morph ‘O’ Matic
Seasons 5, 6, 11, 12, 16, and 17
There’s something downright creepy about this competition, which presents players with odd photos of two houseguests with their faces morphed together into one, and in some strange pose or scenario. (Think having the body of a gorilla or contorting like a circus performer). The players must analyze each image and guess which two houseguests’ photos are used for it.
There’s a fun aspect to this competition on one of the best network reality TV shows. But the photos are off-putting sometimes. So much so that they often distract the players from the task at hand. That might be the point (and to make viewers laugh and try to guess themselves). Nonetheless, Morph ‘O’ Matic hasn’t been seen for a while, and could do with a refresh if it ever returns.
2 Dizzy Discs
Seasons 9, 11, 14, 17, 18, 20-25
Even appearing in the last Reindeer Games special holiday season, Dizzy Discs is one of those competitions that keeps coming back again and again. The idea is for players to hold onto a rope for dear life while spinning around and around and occasionally banging onto a large (though relatively soft) object. Even though the object is designed mainly to try and knock them off, not hurt them, it still seems uncomfortable. Sometimes, the competition involves the players getting blasted with something, like water, paint, feathers, or other non-harmful items, as they try to maintain their balance and grip.
Just watching the competition is enough to make fans dizzy. Often, it’s easy to predict who will and won’t last. Once it’s down to the final two competitors, they often end up negotiating with one another. The competition is usually drawn out far too long, wasting valuable air time that could be used for other aspects of the show. Beyond that, Dizzy Discs has appeared throughout so many seasons, it can be moved to the vault for now.
1 Bowlerina
Seasons 15, 17, 19, and 23
Bowlerina is fun to watch, especially seeing big, burly men wearing pink tutus and twirling around, then trying to bowl a ball without completely falling over. But it has appeared too many times now and the initial hilarity of it has passed. There’s always someone who does horribly and someone who aims with laser focus, as if they hadn’t just spun around for 30 seconds straight.
It’s another competition, however, that gets fans dizzy just watching it. The concept was creative, and there are ways to potentially adapt it. But as it stands, Bowlerina has run its course, and it’s no longer as cute and endearing as it once was.
