BBB 24: ‘Coaches’ explain the importance of their work when training reality participants

When Fiuk hired a history teacher in 2021 to avoid embarrassing the BBB, the topic became controversial. After all, is being or not being publicly canceled a question of character or of being well informed?

Carol Sodré, a master in Afro-Brazilian history, was responsible for giving Fiuk an overview of racial and social issues in Brazil. She claims that the singer was extremely impacted by the content of the classes, which may have led him to internalize “white man’s guilt” — which resulted in scenes of crying and suffering in front of the reality cameras.

“I believe the way he reacted was genuine. He was very impressed during classes, he cried”, says Carol, who works as a high school teacher and science popularizer.

For her, there is nothing wrong with a participant wanting to prepare for the program, on the contrary: “There are thousands of people watching, it is a powerful tool for propagating content”, she argues. “It’s a huge responsibility to be at BBB.”

In the current edition, the person who sought preparation with a coach was Yasmin Brunet. In the same vein as Fiuk, the model wanted to update herself on current discussions so as not to give away anything. Wanted by F5 To comment, Yasmin’s coach stated that he had a confidentiality agreement.

Ableism

From the current edition, Carol highlights the example of para-athlete Vinícius to show the difference that preparation can make in the reality show. For her, the debate on ableism could have yielded more fruit if Vinícius had a theoretical basis.

“He doesn’t mind the nicknames, but perhaps he isn’t speaking for all people who have disabilities. If he had been guided, he could have done his literacy work on national television,” he says.

Artistic mentor Gis de Oliveira, who coached Carla Diaz (she was in the same edition as Fiuk), and Arthur Aguiar, BBB 22 champion, agrees.

“A person who enters the BBB without any type of preparation is mistaken,” says Gis. From a commercial point of view, the mentor sees the reality show as a great showcase for those who participate. But you need to have the right preparation.

Classes for the heterotop

Gis speaks with pride about his biggest “success story”: Arthur Aguiar, who was canceled and left the program as champion. With a history of cheating on his ex-wife, Mayra Cardi, Arthur sought out Gis’ work in an attempt to use the BBB to clean up her image. He succeeded.

“I taught him what a ‘heterotop’ is, what a ‘toxic male’ is, what mistakes he made by not taking a stand when lies emerged about him. He had been canceled on the market for two years. No brand or person wants to associate with someone with a sexist image”, says Gis.

Gis’ mentoring ranges from a stylist to dress the participant to a neurolinguistic therapist. But she claims that the main thing is to work with the truth. “We don’t make people train their speech. We understand the person’s identity, what their strengths and weaknesses are, to prepare them in the best way possible for who they are”, she explains.

Character only lasts two weeks

“If you don’t have 100% truth, you can’t work”—that’s Gis’s maxim. According to her, it is “scientifically proven” that no one can sustain a character for more than 10 or 15 days in situations of confinement and extreme pressure, like in BBB.

“Even because the program is designed to emotionally destabilize the person,” he says. If the participant is in a high-pressure situation, a trigger triggered — sometimes even on purpose by the program’s production team — can shock them and they may lose control.

In other words, you can’t pretend something you’re not. “A good preparer will seek to structure themes of social responsibility, but always within the limits of that human being. There is no interpretation that lasts more than 15 days. Sooner or later, the mask falls off.

Mentoring is not cheating

Gis is aware of the fact that participants who seek mentors or coaches are seen as cheaters in the program. “A lot of people say ‘ah, so-and-so hired a coach, he’s stealing’. It’s not stealing, on the contrary, everyone should have a coach in their life, to help them understand their own image, know where to go and how to work on it.”

Carol Sodré agrees: “This approach of ‘So-and-so sought a coach so he wouldn’t be racist’ is sensationalist. If a person seeks to find out, that’s legitimate. I’d rather people care enough to get to a program of this magnitude and not talk nonsense than arrive spreading misinformation.”