So the premise of Big Brother is they stick 10 strangers in a house with 28 cameras and make them live there for 3 months. They all nominate two people to be kicked out, and then the audience votes via phone. The last remaining resident wins half a million dollars.

Tonight was the first night and it will be airing 5 days a week. It couldn't have had a better timeslot, beginning right after Survivor. But there are many differences between the two shows, and Survivor's success won't necessarily spill over to Big Brother.

Details:

They can't leave the house and yard.
The swimming pool is way too small.
The house decor is absolutely horrid.
There are bright lights and two-way mirrors everywhere, just adding to the garishness of the place.
They have no contact with the outside world.
There are cameras in the bathroom, including the toilet stall. This won't be aired unless they start trying to have private conversations in there.

I think, tonight's episode at least, was way too hyped. It looked like a David Copperfield special with all the dramatics. In contrast, Survivor looked more real and down-to-earth. Hopefully the show will lose some of this flash and dazzle to get down to the human interactions.

Of course those selected to participate are a diverse group. Five men, five women. (There are two bedrooms of 5 beds each, but only separated by gender if the residents decide to.) One black woman, one black man, one Asian man, and one handicapped man. Ah yes, diversity. Sounds like the cast list for a Power Rangers team, doesn't it?

Oh, but what about the gay person? There has to be one of those, doesn't there? Well, my money's on Brittany. Whether this comes out during the course of the show is another thing. I don't base my guess on the way she dresses, or the fact that she's a virgin. I'm basing it mostly on this one comment she made about religion, which I wish I could remember exactly. It was about condemning people for things they can't help. Or something close to that.

Will I be voting on who's ousted? If the phone call is free, then I probably will. If it's not, then I won't. I don't know why they don't make it an internet poll. They have a website, where you can log in and see what's happening in the house. It's www.bigbrother2000.com.

So I'll keep watching, for a little while at least. If it ends up all about sex, then I have better things to do with my time. Besides, we have Real World for that.