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Big Brother ranks among the longest-running reality shows

Big Brother, acquired for an estimated $20 million by CBS, is one of the longest-running reality shows on television, but where does it rank?

By Richard Jelinek

BIG BROTHER Sunday, September 25 (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and live streaming on Paramount+. Pictured: Big Brother Cast.
BIG BROTHER Sunday, September 25 (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and live streaming on Paramount+. Pictured: Big Brother Cast. /
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Big Brother: When I say those words, what comes to your mind? Chaos? Competitions? Veto? Head of Household? Money? To me, the first thing that comes to my mind is longevity. The reality series has been on television quite a while, but just how long? 26 seasons in fact, dating back to the first episode which aired on July 5, 2000. A reality show airing that long has to be the longest-running reality show, right? Actually, no, but it ranks highly.

Big Brother has been on the air for 26 seasons and 935 episodes. What is amazing is how much the show has improved over time and garnered more attention. With the craziness of each episode comes viewership and criticism. However, with every season people are back, glued every week to view the drama. The series has done spinoffs, Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother Reindeer Games.

Longest-running reality TV shows

While it is arguably the best reality show on television, where does it rank with longevity? 26 seasons is a long time to be on network television, and staying on is harder. Big Brother is in the top 10 reality shows all-time in terms of longevity. In first place is Survivor (46 seasons), followed by The Challenge (40 seasons), The Amazing Race (36 seasons), The Real World (33 seasons), Dancing With the Stars (32 seasons), The Bachelor (28 seasons), and Big Brother (26 seasons).

Host Julie Chen Moonves has been on Big Brother since day one as part of the big series. Whether it is asking the houseguest who they are voting to evict or asking the houseguest evicted what they would do differently, she has brought the energy and questions every week. She has seen all 353 houseguests enter the Big Brother house and has seen many of them leave.

CBS bought the U.S. rights to Big Brother for an estimated $20 million. With that, they brought in the live feeds in 2016 to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite houseguest during late-night air times. As Chen Moonves states, "expect the unexpected" when it comes to plans on how to evolve the show further.

How long do you want to see Big Brother go on for?

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