What an Idiot!/Live-Action TV/Big Brother

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Examples of What an Idiot! in Big Brother include:

Examples moved from What an Idiot!

  • Late into the third US season, Marcellas and Amy are both up for eviction. Marcellas wins the Golden Power of Veto, giving him the power to guarantee himself a spot in the Final 4.
    You'd expect: Marcellas decides to save himself.
    Instead: He declines to use the Golden PoV, stating he doesn't want to force Jason (the current Head of Household) to choose who to put up in his place between the two remaining girls. Marcellas ends up being evicted, by a vote of 2-1, the 1-1 tie being broken by Jason. And what reason does Jason give for evicting Marcellas? He didn't use the Veto on himself.
    "What were you thinking?": As soon as Marcellas sits down for his post-eviction interview, Julie smacks him over the head with her interview cards.
  • Though no other US BB contestants have risen to the awe-inspiring level of stupid that Marcellas did, a few have come close. An example: Jacob, in the ninth season. In the first week, the house guests were paired into "couples". The couple that won the first competition (Jen and Parker) was named the "Power Couple", and they cast the only eviction vote. Whatever couple they wanted gone, was gone.
    You'd expect: Jacob to kiss up to the Power Couple and try to align with them. Or at the very least, keep his head down and try not to cause trouble. Adam and Sheila were already causing enough drama that it looked like they would be going home, anyway.
    Instead: He goes around telling everybody, including Parker's partner, Jen, that "Parker is a snake" and "he seems gutless... heartless." He adds, "He's in here for the money," and just for good measure, "Wait till I get HOH, his ass is out." He never even considered that Jen would tell her partner what he'd been saying! Naturally, he and Sharon were sent packing, entirely because of his idiocy. His partner, Sharon, did get to return to the game a few days later because of a twist, but it's STILL unforgivable.
  • Brendon and Rachel. The two are hated by much of the fanbase and have a social game that would make Jacob and Russell Hantz blush and say "At least we're not that bad."
    You'd expect: That they would realize that they shouldn't be putting a huge target on their back and actually try not to get people to hate their guts and want them out not just because they're annoying but because they're threats.
    Instead: Rachel proceeds to act the exact same she did before, throwing the word "Floater" around without knowing what it really means, accusing everyone of having "Bad gameplay" when she's the one making an ass of herself, and only has allies out of a couple sycophants (Porsche and Shelly, not that you'd know that.) and two people who happened by fate to be put in a similar group to them (Jeff and Jordan) Brendon proceeds to immediately start playing hard from week one and paints a huge target on her back. Then, after Daniele flips for greener pastures, he tries to get her back on her side to save himself and Rachel...and tells Daniele that if he or Rachel made it to the finals that one of them would win. He apparently never took into consideration that Daniele is another returning player, finished in second place in season eight, and that he essentially told Daniele to align herself with him and Rachel because they could win in the finals. Essentially, he was digging his own grave deeper and deeper

Examples moved from Big Brother

    • Brendon in Season 13. The reason they were evicted in their original season is their Russel Hantz-like social game where they made enemies of just about everyone in the house and being good in competitions put targets on their backs the size of Alaska. Instead of cleaning up their act this time however, they act pretty much the same way they did last year, just allied with Jeff and Jordan this time upon finding they had common ground. After Daniele flipped on their initial alliance, Brendon told her that if he or Rachel makes it to the finals they will win, which is the exact opposite type of thinking you want to encourage—if you want someone to keep you in the house, you want them to think you aren't a threat to them and won't beat them if you make it to the end with them. See also Reality Show Genre Blindness.
    • The newbies had a golden opportunity to vote out Rachel, instead, Kalia decided to TRUST Rachel & Jeff, even though Rachel said 'to her FACE' that she'd target Danielle, followed by Lawon asking to be evicted, thinking he could beat whoever came back. "Win-nothing" Lawon, against either Dominic or Brendon, allowing the veterans to retake a majority. To be fair, Lawon asked to be voted out and there was no way for them to have known it'd be a challenge. And also to be fair, exchanging Rachel for Brendon would've been a better choice.
    • Marcellas is the earliest and most famous example of this trope. In Big Brother 3, the power of veto couldn't be used on oneself, however at the end, it became the Golden Power of Veto which could be used on yourself. Marcellas is nominated, wins the Veto, but does not use it and is then evicted. When Julie Chen interviewed him, she even bonked him on the head with a piece of paper and said "What were you thinking?"
    • Jacob in US Big Brother 9. The first competition is a "Power Couple", which makes them get the sole vote for the first eviction of the season. Instead of trying to get on the power couples' good side, Jacob doesn't and says they're all snakes. This resulted in him and his partner Sharon being the first evictees.
    • Anyone who volunteers to go up on the block and be evicted. Lawon and Dustin come to mind.
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