Though both Bachelor in Paradise and Big Brother chronicle a group of contestants in a confined space, the latter’s producers note one of many key differences between the series: on Big Brother, alcohol is more limited by production.
“It’s a controlled amount,” producer Allison Grodner explained to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, June 28. “We are dealing with a very intense situation in tight quarters and they can be locked in the house for days, so everything that is consumed in the house is controlled by the production.”
Still, the producers, who oversee Big Brother and its spinoffs, including After Dark, defend the ABC series’ intentions. “We’re dealing with real people and real situations on all of these shows,” Grodner says. “I don’t work on that show, but I believe they feel the same: that the safety of our contestants is a priority and always has been.”
Production on Paradise was temporarily suspended in June after a producer on the series claimed misconduct in the workplace following an alleged incident involving DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios. Following an investigation, Warner Bros. found no evidence to support the claims. As contestants head back to Mexico to resume filming, they are now reportedly limited to a maximum of two drinks per hour.
Despite the reality shows’ general similarities, Grodner notes that more projects are beginning to take on the CBS hit’s livestream format, rather than heavily edited series, as seen in Katy Perry‘s Witness World Wide, which was inspired by the reality show. Similar to Big Brother’s Live Feeds and After Dark, a curated version of the feed, Perry’s fans were able to get unlimited access to her life for 72 hours.
“Livestream has been a big part of Big Brother since the very beginning, and it’s interesting how technology has caught up with it. We’ve always been a multiplatform show,” Grodner explained to THR. “Katy Perry had this idea to live-stream her life at the launch of her album. It had a lot to do with the themes of her album. It was all her idea.”
After Dark airs on Pop TV on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 12.a.m. EST and Big Brother airs on CBS Sundays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET, and Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
