Celebrity Big Brother: Pop Industry

Promotional poster

***Celebrity Big Brother: Pop Industry*** (abbreviated: ***CBB*** or ***CBB:PI***) is an American reality television series that premiered on CBS in the Spring of 2022. Developed as a music industry spin-off to *Celebrity Big Brother*, *CBB:PI* exclusively casts artists, performers and famous music industry figures as contestants. The contestants on the show battle it out for their right to stay in the house, with the hope of making it to the end and being crowned the winner.

Kandi Burruss, a former contestant on the original U.S. version of *Celebrity Big Brother*, was cast as the host and presenter for the show's first season, premiering April 4, 2022.

## Format

The series is a game show in which a group of celebrity contestants, referred to as HouseGuests, live in a custom-built set, known as the Big Brother House, constantly under video surveillance. All celebrities appearing on the show as in some way relevant to the music industry; stemming from label executives, to artists and performers, to Billboard employees. While in the House, the HouseGuests are completely isolated from the outside world, meaning no phone, television, Internet, magazines, newspaper, or contact with those not in the House. This rule could be broken, however, in the event of a medical injury, a family emergency, or death. The format of the series is mainly seen as a social experiment, and requires HouseGuests to interact with others who may have differing ideals, beliefs, and prejudices. Though locked in the House, the HouseGuests are free to quit the game, though will not be allowed entry back into the game. Should a HouseGuest break the rules of the game, they could be expelled from the House, and unable to return. The HouseGuests compete for a grand prize of $250,000 and the runner-up is awarded $50,000. Prior to the live finale the viewers are able to award their favorite HouseGuest of the season the title *America's Favorite HouseGuest* with a cash prize of $25,000. All of the cash prizes on this celebrity edition are not awarded directly to the HouseGuest, and are instead awarded to a charity of the HouseGuest's choice.

Periodically a HouseGuest will be eliminated from the competition, referred to as evicted from the House. At the start of each round, the HouseGuests compete for the title Head of Household. The Head of Household for each round is given luxuries such as their own personal bedroom, items from home and a letter of encouragement from a loved one. The winner of the Head of Household competition is immune from nominations and was instructed to nominate two fellow HouseGuests for eviction. After a HouseGuest became Head of Household he or she is ineligible to take part in the next Head of Household competition except during the final Head of Household competition where everyone is eligible to compete. The Head of Household, the two nominees and three other HouseGuests selected by random draw then compete for the Power of Veto. The winner of the Power of Veto competition wins the right to save one of the nominated HouseGuests from eviction. If the Veto winner exercises the power, the Head of Household then has to nominate another HouseGuest for eviction which at this point nominations become final.

On eviction night all HouseGuests except for the Head of Household and the two nominees votes to evict one of the two nominees. Before the voting began the nominees have the chance to say a final message to their fellow HouseGuests on why they should stay. This compulsory vote is conducted in the privacy of the Diary Room by the host of the show Kandi Burruss. In the event of a tie, the Head of Household will break the tie and reveal their vote in front of the other HouseGuests. The nominee with the most votes from the other HouseGuests is evicted from the House and interviewed by Kandi. Unlike international versions of *Big Brother*, the HouseGuests can discuss the nomination and eviction process open and freely. During the *Pop Industry* seasons of the show, the HOH and Veto competitions, the nomination and Veto ceremonies, and the eviction for one round all take place within the scope of one day - as opposed to one week in the civilian seasons.

The evicted HouseGuests of the season form the Jury that votes for the winner out of the final two HouseGuests remaining in the House on the season finale, they are known as the jury members. The production team may introduce a temporary change to the format at any time known as a twist. The HouseGuests are informed of a twist by the host or by a note given to the Head of Household to read aloud to the other HouseGuests from the production team. During the show the production team is referred to as Big Brother by the HouseGuests.

## Production

### Development

*Celebrity Big Brother* would air its first season in the United States in February 2018. The following year, a second season would air. Singer, songwriter and music producer Kandi Burruss would take part in the season placing fifth. A third season would eventually air in February 2022. After the third season aired, former contestant Kandi announced on March 26, 2022, that Kandi Corporation would become the official production company for a new in-development spin-off of *Celebrity Big Brother* known as *Celebrity Big Brother: Pop Industry*. This version of *Celebrity Big Brother* would focus exclusively on casting celebrities from within the music industry - spanning from artists and performers to famous figures such as label executives or professional industry reporters.

### Casting

On March 26, 2022, Kandi was announced as the permanent host and presenter of the series going forward, and for all future seasons. A casting call was then announced on the same day, taking place over the following week. Celebrities would be able to submit a pre-casting application form, before attending their audition. Due to a large number of applications, casting was closed early on March 30, 2022. Only a select number of celebrities would be cast for the show's first season - later announced to be sixteen. The cast of the first season would be officially announced by Kandi on Tootland over the course of March 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022.

### Filming

Filming for the series takes place at CBS Studio Center, sound stage eighteen. *Celebrity Big Brother* is filmed in the same location as *Big Brother* since its sixth season and is referred to as the *Big Brother House* often shortened to *House*. The House has 94 high-definition cameras and over 113 microphones in order to monitor and record the HouseGuests. The first floor of the House consists of three bedrooms, storage room and the Diary Room which is accessible by the living room. The bathroom, a lounge room, backyard and a spiral staircase going to the second floor are accessed via the kitchen. The front door is located in a vestibule area that separates the living room and kitchen. The Head of Household bedroom and en suite bathroom is located on the second floor. The second floor also has a balcony with an additional lounge area where the HouseGuests can look down and see the first floor. The backyard is significantly smaller due to the majority of the backyard being used for constant competitions. During *Celebrity Big Brother* a roof is installed over the backyard. The pool table was brought inside from the backyard and moved to the upstairs lounge area. The spare room sometimes used for tasks on the civilian *Big Brother* series, such as the Den of Temptation in season nineteen, is turned into an indoor gym for the celebrity edition.

### Music

On March 27, 2022, Kandi would announce the official theme song of the show on Tootland. "Hey Bois" by Marina was chosen as the theme song for the show, as the song was initially inspired by the catchphrase of a former *Big Brother Canada* contestant, Suzette Amaya. Kandi would officially remix and distribute this song as Kandi's Head of Household Remix.

## Release

### Broadcasting

*CBB:PI* will air multiple times per week on CBS in the United States, 8:00 PM timeslot (7:00 PM Central). 24/7 Live feeds and additional exclusive content will stream on Paramount+, previously CBS All Access, throughout the season. Episodes are approximately one hour in length, and are broadcast in standard definition and high definition.

### Marketing

Host and producer Kandi Burruss officially announced *CBB:PI* on Tootland, at March 26, 2022, with a reveal of the promotional poster for season one, and details about the premise of the show and the production. She subsequently announced that casting for the first season of the show would take place over the following week. The following day, Kandi revealed announced the theme song for the show. Kandi would then announce the show's cast on March 30, 2022 and March 31, 2022. The season's premiere date would also be revealed by Kandi on Tootland on March 31, 2022.

## Reception

During the first season of the show, *CBB:PI* became a household name with a loyal audience tuning in to watch their favorite celebrities every day. The show was so popular that it has been credited as starting a media renaissance by many in the industry, being attributed as the predecessor to shows like *Death On My Spaceship* and *Southern Charm School*. On October 28, 2022, it was announced that the show's first season had been nominated for Best Media Project at the Season 10 Billboard Music Awards. On November 5, 2022, it was revealed during the show that *CBB:PI* had won the award.