Cheap entertainment or unshakeable weekly ritual? Whatever your opinion on it, the role of competition-based reality TV as a microcosm of society, casted so audiences can relate to contestants, is undeniable. On popular reality competition shows like Big Brother and Survivor, where winning a large cash prize requires navigating the line between bonding with your castmates and voting out potential threats, contestant diversity presents similar hurdles as in the outside world. Except, discrimination here means losing out on $1,000,000.
The ‘bad luck’ of POC contestants on competition reality TV shows has become an eerie trend. A 2023 study found that on Survivor, female contestants and BIPOC contestants are “more likely to be voted out of their tribe first,” and less likely to reach the middle of the season or the infamous merge. The “curse of the first-out contestant” also plagues Big Brother, where the first people out after the show’s five year hiatus were POC. CBS, the network for the aforementioned shows, pledged to have all future casts from 2022 forward to be at least 50% BIPOC.
But do these inclusive measures work? Has anything actually changed in reality TV, and by proxy society? Beloved Big Brother alum Kaysar Ridha, an accomplished entrepreneur and tech executive, as well as the first Muslim contestant on the show, weighs in on DEI and group versus individual identity on reality TV.
Kaysar Ridha via Big Brother Wiki
What does Kaysar think of the curse of the first out contestant and its link to diversity as a seasoned Big Brother player?
Before Kaysar became popular among Big Brother viewers as a charismatic and strategic player—even returning twice on all-star seasons, indicative of his fan-favorite status—he faced the challenges of bonding with his 2005 castmates during his first appearance. “You’ve got 16 people thrown into a house with cameras. It’s cold. It’s uncomfortable.” Contestants adapted to their new environment (where they were filmed 24/7) by “gravitating to what’s safe and known,” such as the people that “look like” and “talk like me.” Kaysar, an Iraqi-American contestant among a predominantly white cast who was nominated to be evicted during his first week, agreed that there’s “definitely validity” to the notion of the first out curse.
Having competed in Big Brother in 3 separate seasons- BB6 (2005), BB7 (2006), and BB22 (2020), does Kaysar believe the rationale behind voting contestants out has changed due to shifting social dynamics such as cancel culture?
Kaysar shared the massive behavior shift between the “blatant racism” and “acceptable prejudice” he endured on his first Big Brother appearance as opposed to his subsequent ones. He argues that the accountability social media brings has caused a “shift of behavior” that made the stereotyping and hatred he endured—such as being accused of not “respecting women” or hearing from other houseguests that the killing of millions in Iraq was acceptable—less flagrant.
Would you say the top-down influence of changing the demographics of contestants on this show, like the CBS pledge, will have a difference on discrimination in reality TV?
Kaysar believes that by changing the demographic distribution within the Big Brother house, CBS is attempting to eliminate the tendency of “homogenous” casts to vote people who don’t “look, talk, or act” like them out. He’s still uncertain on if this change will be successful in the long-term, maintaining that the systemic social issues are the true root of the issue. Yet, he points out that in the recent future, “it’s already started to change,” with recent “qualified, well spoken, and deserving” contestants who happened to be BIPOC managing to win, partially due to this structural casting shift.
How did Kaysar navigate the dynamic between expressing your individual identity-your own strategy, likeability, personality- versus representing a larger, often misrepresented cultural identity?
Kaysar’s answer is “simple.” He shares that he realized that there was “no way to represent an entire group of people.” He “made it abundantly clear” that while he was proud of his religion and background, he was rejecting the “typecast role” others attempted to box him into as the only Muslim and Iraqi-American contestant present.
Kaysar explains that he realized that “in order to demonize any group of people, you have to first dehumanize them.” By “injecting humanity” back into the stereotyped perception his 2005 castmates had of him, forcing them to see beyond their assumptions and get to know him for his individual identity, Kaysar proved he was “normal, human, and lovable” to a cast and audience whose primary knowledge of Iraqi people was warped by the Iraq War.
Kaysar’s unwavering determination to reject type casting and exist solely as himself made waves among the Big Brother audience, recounting that after his initial appearance on the shoe, people of all demographics and political affiliations thanked him. “I was like, what did I do?” Every commenter had felt “represented” by his on-screen authenticity.
What does Kaysar think should change in the media to mitigate hatred and promote humanity and empathy?
Kaysar takes a “broader” approach in his thoughts on nurturing tolerance and humanity. He sees the structure of our societal behavior as what needs to change, noting that “media just amplifies trends.” While we may see benchmarks of progress through our favorite reality TV shows, he maintains that it’s by a “collective effort” to treat each other more humanely that change is possible.
Read more about the intersection of diversity and reality TV, and keep up with Kaysar’s work on his social media and podcast!
