BBB 22: Rodrigo’s mistake was to open his game wide and not have another subject

In the early years of Big Brother Brasil, a player committed a mortal sin if he admitted he was interested in the final prize. The public did not forgive anyone who wanted to make money. It seemed that the purpose of BBB was to teach life lessons and pass on positive messages. Anyone who didn’t pretend to be nice didn’t last long in reality.

The Brazilian spectator was also slow to realize that the villains are the ones who move the game. The ones that cause tantrums in the house, the ones with irritating habits. The result is that these supposed evildoers were soon eliminated, and the most guarded house in Brazil was transformed into a botanical garden.

These two perceptions seemed to have been pushed aside in recent times. Brazilians finally understood that the BBB is a competition, not an action between friends, and that the fights inside are, most of the time, one of the best reasons to watch the show.

They looked like they had been pushed aside, but they weren’t. Rodrigo’s departure, after just two weeks, shows that many people still despise those who strategize instead of “playing with their hearts”.

But was he really a villain? Compared to the hardened macho men of other editions, the boy was a flower. Yes, he called Linn da Quebrada a “traveco”, and someone his age should have known for a long time that that term is offensive. But in the aftermath, Rodrigo did the right thing: he reached out to Linn and asked for a class on the proper terms to refer to trans people. Admitting one’s ignorance and wanting to overcome it is an increasingly rare quality in Brazil today.

Rodrigo’s real mistake was widening his game. He was monotonous: he only talked about forming alliances and agreeing vows. He even made some friends – his relationship with Vinicius was beautiful to see – but he never lost sight of his objective. His peers didn’t like it, and neither did the public.

I’m not in love with the boy, but he will be missed. There are many vegetables in BBB 22 that could be discarded, without further detriment to the game. One of them, dancer Brunna Gonçalves, even won a special vignette announcing her “best moments”, in which she appears doing absolutely nothing.

Who is dictating the rhythm of this BBB, for better or for worse, is Tiago Abravanel. Charismatic, uninhibited and already well known, the grandson of Silvio Santos has irritated those who would rather see fire in the playground. He is always preaching love, self-acceptance and cordiality. He went so far as to say that the program is called Big Brother because the objective is to reward the “big brother”, the one who takes care of others.

For those who still don’t know: Big Brother is the dictator of the dystopian society described in the book “1984”, by George Orwell. The leader of this totalitarian regime knows everything about its citizens, who are watched 24 hours a day by a multitude of cameras. In other words: at BBB, Big Brother is us.

But is this really the “BBB do Amor”, as defended by Tiago Abravanel? For me, it’s more like the BBB of the Luta de Classes. The division between the groups Pipoca and Camarote is clear, and the latter are winning. For they have an indisputable advantage: many already knew each other before, and alliances between them arise naturally.

There are exceptions, of course. Jade Picon always tries to get closer to Pipoca’s girls. Naiara Azevedo and Linn da Quebrada formed, with Natália and Jessilane, a group that the internet has dubbed As Comadres. Arthur Aguiar even circulates among everyone, but always returns to the arms of Douglas Silva and Pedro Scooby.

Pipoca nicknamed Camarote the “Disney group”, because of the cuteness that its informal boss, Tiago Abravanel, tries to imprint on the game. For now, the Disneys are convinced they’re stifling it. For now.