After Reggie Bird’s eviction from Big Brother, people are calling out the show for having ableist challenges.

Last night’s Big Brother was a double whammy for all of the show’s fans, with Estelle and fan-favourite Reggie being evicted from the house. While the shocking twist of the double eviction was bad enough, people are also unhappy with how the challenges on the show – arguably featuring an inclusive band of contestants – tipped the odds against Reggie, the only differently-abled contestant.

Shortly after winning Big Brother back in 2003, Reggie was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that gradually causes blindness. In her own words, she was ‘disadvantaged’ by not having sight, describing her vision as ‘looking through a straw’.

Which is why the latest challenge on Big Brother did not sit well with audiences. In a last-ditch effort to avoid eviction, Taras, Estelle, and Reggie were required to build a bridge using the pieces provided. Except, the construction required comparing the size, shape, and order of the pieces, which – people pointed out – would be tougher for Reggie with her condition.

“What a BS challenge! The bridge was redundant and only made to slow the vision impaired housemate down. Not cool. #BBAU,” said a Twitter user. 

Love Film & TV?

Get the latest Film & TV news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

https://twitter.com/essential_jaime/status/1544266084618240000

“#BBAU you created a challenge that required an almost blind person to build a bridge. You seriously set it up for #Regi to lose because she had NO chance of winning the challenge. She is too slow and needs to constantly balance herself to stop from falling.” another user added. 

Some also pointed out that this is not the first time calls for making the challenges more inclusive have been made. People have been pointing out the ableist nature of the challenges since the last season – evidently to no avail.

“Not to sound like a broken record, but when are we getting challenges that’s aren’t physical? This ableist bullshit is getting old. #BBAU,” a Twitter user said. 

“I’ll say it again. If you’re going to use competitions as a main element of the format, don’t make them for the selective few… make them for everybody. This is supposed to be a fair game. It’s been the same since 2020. You would think they would learn. #BBAU #BigBrotherAU,” added another. 

The conversation becomes more prominent given the fact that Reggie was brutally trolled online for her condition, with many claiming she was faking her condition.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘Oh, she’s faking,'” she says. “But who would ever want to fake being blind? They don’t know me, or the challenges I deal with every day. I’m a strong person and I think people who leave comments like that have issues.” she addressed her trolls in a TV Week interview earlier this year.

For more on this topic, follow the Film and TV Observer.

Check out more tweets calling Big Brother out on ableist challenges:

https://twitter.com/vlada_sasha/status/1544264862393843715

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine