I did not watch Big Brother 2 when it originally aired in 2001. I started with Big Brother 3 the following year. Many years ago I went back and watched Big Brother 2, but didn’t remember a thing from it. I just finished a 38 hour marathon of Big Brother 2 (all 30 episodes) only taking breaks to sleep, eat and the occasional talking but in that period I did not watch anything else. That’s a lot of Big Brother, even for me. So I may not get through all past seasons before the new one starts on June 22 like I had planned. I am taking a little break before I start season 3 and don’t think I will watch the entire season at one sitting again.

I loved the second season of Big Brother. In fact I wish the game was still set up that way, except I would like to add the Power of Veto which is the one thing Big Brother 2 is lacking (that came in later seasons). The players were allowed to bring photos from home. They can’t do that now – only seeing them when they get HOH. And the players called it the Head of THE Household, not Head of  Household (HOH) as it is now known. HOH competitions were all trivia about the house and the house guests, no physical or endurance comps until the end. I could have been in the Big Brother house back then! The players from Survivor competed against the Big Brother house guests on one competition and spent the night. There was one week there was no HOH and another week with no comps because of the 9/11 terrorists attacks.

On Big Brother 2 there were no have nots, but if you lost the food competition you ate peanut butter and jelly for the week, not slop like they do now. The house guests did not have a washing machine. They had to use a wash board and wringer, but they did have a dryer. They didn’t have a toaster either until America voted to give them one. Every week fans voted on the internet with a luxury to give the house or an individual house guest. One week the house guests got a pet – a pot belly pig to take care of for the week. Also each week were the Monday Meetings mandated by Big Brother to address any house issues like cleaning, sleeping arrangements and interpersonal relationships – this was where most of the fights were dealt with. This meeting was also a time for the nominees to give their speech why they should stay, rather than on eviction night. The first several evictions were recorded. Live evictions came about the second half of the season. Winner of part one of the final HOH comp played in part 2 – now they wait and play the winner of part 2 in part 3.

For the entire season of Big Brother 2, there was no live audience – not even the finale. Every evicted house guest was greeted with family members upon leaving the house – Big Brother flew them in. Each house guest was on the jury and not sequestered. So that meant the evicted house guests went home and watched the entire season, including diary sessions before voting on who would win. The jury (in this case every evicted house guests) still met to discuss who they think should win and asked the nominees one question each. On finale night, the evicted house guests went back into the house and everyone was reunited. The nominees were allowed to negate one vote each. That way they could get rid of their enemy’s vote for the other to win. The evicted house guests pulled out their key and announced who they voted for and why. Then Julie interviewed the winners at the end of the show. I really enjoyed the finale much more this way because I liked knowing who voted for who and why they voted that way.

The players of Big Brother 2 back then were all different ages and hair color, not everyone in their 20s and early 30s and all blond girls like the current Big Brother.  It seemed like Big Brother was much deeper on season 2 than it is now. Real people with feeling real things, rather than now with a bunch of pretty, young shallow people just looking for fame. Each week’s eviction was more emotional than the last. The house guests cried when each house guest was evicted.

I loved Mike Boogie on Big Brother All Stars (season 7) and as a coach on season 14. It was refreshing to see Mike Boogie was Mike Boogie from the jump, wearing his shiny sports gear and visors. His cocky attitude was there from the beginning, but he was more feeling back then. He seemed to let his emotions rule him, even proposed to fellow house guest Krista at the finale. Boogie was referred to as Eminem and Slim Shady in the house. Not only for his appearance, but because he rapped his eviction votes.

Mike Boogie was a part of Chill Town (originally known as the Brat Pack), along with Shannon and Dr. Will. Although Chill Town wasn’t even mentioned until the fourth episode and I never saw them discuss the name or even a one on one conversation between Will and Boogie until later. (I guess all of that never made it to the show and was just for live feeders). So I never saw the creation of Chill Town or the evolution of Will and Boogie’s friendship.

Dr. Will was exactly like he was on All Stars – a cold, unfeeling strategist from the jump and never claimed to be any different. That is why I liked him so much. He was honest about his dishonesty – gotta respect that. The house guests complained about being controlled by Will and that he was leading everything and everyone. But if they didn’t want to be lead, they didn’t have to follow. At the beginning of the season, the house guests and American hated Will but by the end America loved him and he is now Big Brother royalty. Will was nominated three times and never evicted. He never won HOH, except for part one of the final HOH.

Here is the order of how each house guest left the house on Big Brother 2:

Before the first eviction, Justin with the jacked up teeth got ejected for threatening violence

1st evicted was Mom Sherryl

2nd evicted was needy, whiny Autumn

3rd evicted was Will’s girlfriend Shannon

4th evicted was Mike Boogie (shocked he went out 4th and was on All Stars)

5th evicted was annoying Kent

6th evicted was Krista boogie’s girlfriend then fiancee

7th evicted was the crying Bunky

8th evicted was the annoying bully Hardy

The Final 3 was the brutally honest Monica, the negative and bitchy Nicole, and the evil Dr. Will

Nicole won the final HOH and evicted Nicole thinking she could beat Will in the Final 2

Will was the winner of Big Brother 2.

It seemed Big Brother was an easier game on Season 2 than it is now. They did not have a POV, the comps were easier (no endurance and hardly anything physical), the players were allowed to bring photos from home and they got to eat peanut butter and jelly instead of slop. So even though the Big Brother game has gotten more difficult (and longer) the prize has not increased – it is still $500,000. I like the game better then, except for the no POV.