With 17 Years &18 Seasons, 'Big Brother' Continues to Trend Strong

"Big Brother" has transformed itself from a silly reality show to a summer tradition for millions of Americans - well, it's still a silly reality show, but one that has cultivated a huge cult following over the last 17 years.

Last Wednesday, Julie Chen, who has hosted every single season of "Big Brother," introduced the CBS series' newest cast members: 12 men and women from all walks of life who got to know each other during the two-hour "Big Brother 18" premiere. Later on in the episode, four returning players popped up, rounding out the cast to the typical number of 16 houseguests.

That "Big Brother" is often labeled a lighthearted and goofy competition series by many is not a totally wrong observation. It's counterpart, "Survivor," takes itself incredibly seriously and airs twice a year on CBS. The stoic Jeff Probst ("Survivor's" host and executive producer) has frequently referred that show as a "social experiment." For "Big Brother," it's a little more voyeuristic than that, with fans comparing the reality show to watching hamsters in a cage.

What separates "Big Brother" from "Survivor," and similar programs, is the unique immersive experience. Unlike most reality shows, "Big Brother" takes place in real time, allowing fans to purchase and watch 24/7 live feeds, which give them full access to spy on the houseguests throughout the three-month season. "Big Brother" also airs three nights a week (Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, the latter usually the live eviction nights), where true fans welcome Chen into their home with open arms.

"Big Brother" producers have also made strides with their casting, often having more people of color and houseguests from the LGBTQ community than other competition reality shows. Last year, "Big Brother 17" featured Jason Roy, an openly gay cashier; Vanessa Rousso, a poker player who is engaged to a woman; and Audrey Middleton, the show's first-ever transgender houseguest. This year is no different: Jozea Flores is an openly gay celebrity makeup artist of Puerto Rican heritage; and Vanessa's sister, Tiffany Rousso, is also on the show and said she dates both men and women.

Fans of "Big Brother" clamored when the initial 12 houseguests were revealed as not a single one of them was blonde - though that changed when "Big Brother 16" fan favorite Nicole Franzel entered the house this week. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, "Big Brother" producer Allison Grodner commented on this season's diversity.

"We think it's an incredibly diverse cast. We have one of the more diverse casts, for sure," she said. "There's a variety of ethnicities in the house. We have a gay man, a bisexual woman, people from all different backgrounds: Armenian, Filipino, Venezuelan, Puerto Rican and African-American."

That the show's producers seem ultra-aware about representing diversity on "Big Brother" should come to no surprise to fans. "Big Brother 15," which aired in 2013, made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Fans watching the live feeds at the time noticed a number of houseguests using hateful language, spewing racist, anti-gay and misogynist remarks, to the point where CBS issued a warning before episodes.

It seems as though producers have gone the extra mile to make sure there is not a Season 15 repeat - Season 16 was an incredible step up in terms of tolerance with Frankie Grande, half-brother of pop star Ariana Grande, skirting the edges of a showmance with a straight houseguest. No one batted an eye and their relationship was lauded on social media. But the four returnees in "Big Brother 18" speak volumes with how producers' feel: Two veterans were originally on "Big Brother 17," one from "Big Brother 16" and one from "Big Brother 14." A Season 15 returnee is noticeably absent and it's probably unlikely anyone from "Big Brother 15" will return to the show.

Still, "Big Brother 18" caught a little bit of heat before the season even started after super-fans dug through the houseguests' social media accounts and found that Corey Brooks, a baseball coach from Texas, used gay slurs on Twitter years ago. The Hollywood Reporter asked Grodner about his problematic language and how to avoid another disastrous "Big Brother 15."

"Look, you put a group of people in that come from a variety of backgrounds and who are out there in the world with different opinions and different ways of expressing themselves online. It's hard to say," she said. "We have a pretty good feeling that this will not be a repeat of season 15."

"So far, they've already been in the house for a little bit now. I've lost track of days, but it's Monday and they moved in on Wednesday and so far there's no sign of that," Grodner continued. "I mean, it's hard to say. These are real people with their own opinions, so it's hard to completely predict, but we have a good feeling it shouldn't go that direction."

When pressed if she knew about the tweets before Brooks was cast, Grodner said she doesn't "talk about the casting process."

Despite the black sheep season that is "Big Brother 15," the series has come a long way since it debuted in the U.S. in 2000. There isn't just one person of color, or the gay each season. Sexuality no longer the butt of jokes, and bigotry is taken seriously, showing producers have embraced the nation's ever-evolving social acceptance towards minority groups.

But "Big Brother" can still do better, especially with its female houseguests: Out of 17 seasons only five women have won. The last woman to take home the grand prize was "Big Brother 13" player Rache Reilly, one of the series' most divisive and well-known players, in 2011. Another interesting fact is that a woman has always lost against a man in the final two spot. When The Hollywood Reporter asked Grodner about this unfortunate stat, the producer said: "'Big Brother' is a big social experiment and ultimately it's as much like how it is out in our world and our society."

"Big Brother" might seem like a shallow reality show to the casual viewer thanks to the show's sexy houseguests, who seem to be half-naked at all times, and the series' whacky and beach-y commercials. But its evolution over 17 years and its staying power (it still pulls in huge ratings with 6.19 million people tuning into the premiere, which is similar to a typical "Game of Thrones" episode) is something that should be noticed.

"Big Brother" keeps viewers on their toes with compelling characters who carry out fantastic gameplay. Nevertheless, the show makes sure to freshening itself up year-after-year - there's a reason why after nearly two decades on the air that "Big Brother" continues to grow and even trends on social media. After all, the motto for "Big Brother" is "expect the unexpected."