Big Brother 19 episode 31 review: Perspective from the taping

This weeks Big Brother 19 episode 31 review is going to be different than most — and that’s because we were there for the eviction! This is the second year in a row that we’ve had a chance to attend a live taping, and if you’re ever in the Los Angeles area we highly recommend it. It’s a fun, enthusiastic experience, and while there is a show to be made (and that’s always top priority), at the same time they do create a fun atmosphere during the show for the people in attendance. (That’s especially true if you love the game.)

For the sake of this episode, there wasn’t all that much in the way of behind-the-scenes information to tease. After all, Matt was not a popular houseguest this season (although there was one Matt fan in the audience) and you probably heard that on TV in the lack of a glowing response when he came onto the stage. For the record, we did clap … very lightly. Booing someone isn’t really our thing, but it was hard to get that inspired to cheer on someone who effectively broke slop rules because he doesn’t feel like following them anymore. While we cannot compare it to audience energy levels from prior seasons, we were there when Da’Vonne was evicted last season and that response was FAR more positive. Also, some of the audience this time may have been exhausted just getting to the CBS studio in 105-degree weather.

Matt seemed excited that there was an audience there to see him, though he may have just been happy to see other people aside from those in the game. The biggest blindside that we got was that it was raining during the Head of Household Competition. It was perfectly fine when we entered the taping, and a few minutes after the downpour the weather cleared up and was okay again.

One thing that is really amazing is how quickly they ushered the evicted houseguest out of the studio — they take pretty good care to ensure that they don’t hear or see anything that could contaminate them before jury. Julie Chen’s interview was brief but biting in parts, especially in terms of allowing Matt to be however delusional he wanted in talking about how Raven has a really good shot of winning the game … when in reality she doesn’t quite have much of one at all.

For those wondering in terms of demographics, this audience (which seemed to be mostly casual fans and just a few feeders) seemed largely pro-Kevin and even pro-Paul for the most part. While they may not have loved Paul, at this point it felt like there were many who felt like they wanted to see him win just because he’s played the best game. Raven was far less popular.

As for Julie, she was in good spirits — she seemed happy to be there and conversed with all of us a little bit during commercial breaks.

The surprise celebrity cameo

Maybe his face didn’t end up on-camera (we haven’t seen the show itself yet — don’t really need to after being there), but American Ninja Warrior co-host and former Celebrity Apprentice champ Matt Iseman was in attendance! For those who don’t know, he’s a longtime Big Brother fan and showcased his knowledge of the game during commercials. We didn’t get to meet him per se, but we at one point before the show was a few feet away from him on the stage. Does that count for something?

Ultimately, this was a pretty mediocre eviction show that was aided by the experience of being there in-person. It was nice to see Matt wear a different shirt, and to get some of opinions about Alex, Raven, and others. Overall, a worthwhile experience.

What did you think of Matt’s eviction episode of Big Brother 19? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments! (Photo: CBS.)

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