The Farr Side: 'Big Brother' concludes outstanding season
“Big Brother” recently wrapped season 24, perhaps one of the best seasons to date for the CBS ratings juggernaut.
Taylor Hale was a favorite of mine from the get-go. Not because she is a fellow Michigander or the fact she was Miss Michigan 2021. I like her because she didn’t put on a fake façade. She told the houseguests she was a “pageant girl,” which instantly made her a target. It also created some challenging TV viewing. The others adopted a mean-girl approach to targeting her. The bullying was difficult for Taylor to handle, yet it seemed to only make her stronger.
Hale could have easily gave in, or even voluntarily walked out the front door. That would have been easier than all she endured, especially during the first few weeks. She was the obvious target for most of the houseguests, but for us viewers at home she was our favorite.
I love an underdog and Taylor certainly fit that role as the season moved along. Thankfully, she was able to join “The Leftovers” alliance consisting of Monte, Turner, Kyle, Joseph, Michael and Brittany.
Taylor found herself on the eviction block five times. She survived and somehow became even stronger. It was cool to see, because the mental abuse in the beginning was grossly negligent. I sometimes wondered if CBS would step in at some point and intervene.
Taylor got the coveted HOH twice, showing she was not a game-player in a vindictive way. Her Leftovers alliance had to help her navigate the week. But was this actually part of her game play?
As luck would have it, Taylor made it to the final 3 with Turner and Monte. It was a scary couple of days as Turner and Monte secured the final competitions. Ultimately, Monte took Taylor to the final 2. In his defense, Monte thought he had a clear path to victory with Taylor by his side and not Turner. Turner’s resume was far too good to beat, considering it required jury votes to win.
If I were a betting man, I would have said it was Monte’s to win. That was, until Taylor gave her final 2 speech. It was the best BB speech I had heard. Monte didn’t stand a chance after that. Taylor received eight of the nine jury votes to win the $750,000 grand prize.
“Jury members, I am challenging you to make the hard decision and change the course of this game and choose progress for the course of this game. I can be the winner of this season, and I promise you will not do it in vain if you do tonight,” she said.
Taylor also had pointed out struggles in her life and on the show and that she’s resilient and continues, despite them. She is a positive role model, for sure.
She made history by becoming the show’s first African-American female winner and first person to win both the show and “America’s Favorite Houseguest.” She got another cool $50,000 for that.
In other reality TV news, “Survivor” returns. Can you believe it’s season 43 already? The season is off to a great start and this cast is going to be one for the books. I’m already a fan of Jesse Lopez, Cody Assenmacher, Elie Scott, Ryan Medrano, Karla Cruz Goday and Noelle Lambert. The new shortened format works best and the twists keep coming making for some great reality TV viewing.
David T. Farr is a Journal correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: The Farr Side: 'Big Brother' concludes outstanding season
