Big Brother has divvied out the prize money and is in the offseason, and while there is continued hope that a shortened legends season will come this winter, the executive producers continue to field questions about Season 27 and their plans for future seasons on CBS. This includes information about one competition we didn’t get to see that usually makes the cut, and why it may not be back for a while.
Rich Meehan and Allison Grodner spoke to EW about Big Brother 27, and some of the competitions that weren’t a part of the rotation this season. Notably left out of the mix was the “Slippery Slope,” in which contestants slide across the floor holding liquid, only to dump it on the other side. After Grodner mentioned fans told her they missed seeing it, Meehan explained why we didn’t see it:
I think if we do the slip and slide again, we have to come up with a tweak or an adjustment. So that way anybody could win it.
In a season where fans complained about the fairness of adding the BB Blockbuster, it’s good to see the producers mindful of ensuring parity across the board. The trade off is that we may not see iconic competitions for a while as the team figures out how to give each Houseguest as fair a shake as possible.
Meehan then went into specifics and talked about how “Slippery Slope” tended to favor one type of Houseguest over another. Ultimately it wasn’t so much about skill, but rather the size of the person who competed:
What tended to happen with that game is the tallest, typically most athletic person would win. So it just became almost a given of who would win that game.
For those who are wondering but don’t want to fire up that Paramount+ subscription, the last time “Slippery Slope” was used was in Big Brother Season 25. Jag Bains, who set the record for most competition wins in a single season, ended up winning that year. It definitely adds credence to Meehan’s allegation of the “most athletic” person winning, especially with Bains and his brother the odds-on favorites to win the latest season of The Amazing Race.
As for how the “Slippery Slope” could be tweaked, that’s a great question. It’s possible that the competition could be adjusted depending on the size of each competitor, but that would likely be a logistical headache and hard to prepare for. Another possible fix could be making it a team-based competition, which was done in Season 15.
If there’s one thing I’m increasingly sure of, it’s that the Big Brother team will figure it out. The addition of the BB Blockbuster has injected new life into the series, and fixed the lull of watching the live feeds between Sundays nights and Thursday’s eviction episode. I’m feeling good about seeing this competition eventually return, and with a twist that will somehow improve it.
Big Brother will return to CBS for Season 28 this summer. I’m still crossing my fingers that a winter season is coming, but I’m afraid I’m going to get my hopes up for no reason.