BBB 24: What explains the conflict between boxes and popcorn in the current edition of the reality show

BBB 24 is the fifth edition of Globo’s biggest reality show with the participation of celebrities in the cast. Inside and outside the house, the advantages and disadvantages of having celebrities on a program like this are discussed.

Although the conclusion is uncertain, what can be said with certainty is that the boxes have an advantage as they already have a fan base outside the program. A reflection of this is that, numerically, they have reached the finals of the program so far. Nine of the last twelve finalists were celebrities.

However, there is no point if they don’t earn it in the game. So much so that, since the program combined boxes and popcorn to compete for the prize, the team of stars only won BBB 22, with the victory of actor Arthur Aguiar, 34. And it is worth remembering that the edition that crowned the champion only had boxes in the final — in addition to him, there were actor Douglas Silva and athlete Paulo André.

And that’s okay. Especially because the majority of celebrities who agree to participate in the program are not necessarily interested in the main prize, but in the visibility they can achieve through exposure on a program with so much visibility.

But, despite knowing the importance of looking good in order to secure advertising contracts when they leave, the celebrities who are part of BBB 24 have been alternating ups and downs that call into question the group’s viability in future editions. At the moment, Rodriguinho, MC Bin Laden, Wanessa Camargo and Yasmin Brunet are under public scrutiny — the group is completed by para-athlete Vinicius Rodrigues, already eliminated, and influencer Vanessa Lopes, who withdrew from the program and is undergoing psychiatric treatment.

In this edition, it has been common for those in the boxes to say that they feel persecuted by the popcorns – as ordinary participants who sign up to join the reality show are called. Why was the division between boxes and popcorn so marked this year? Are there reasons for this? O F5 spoke to experts to try to explain the phenomenon; check it out below.

GROUP STRENGTH

The first reason would be the number of boxes compared to the number of popcorn, something that has been pointed out by the participants themselves. “Friend, this edition has fewer boxes than the others. There are six of us,” said Wanessa Camargo, 41, to Yasmin Brunet, 35, in the first week. “I’m glad you’re here. If not, I wouldn’t be able to stand it,” added the singer.

Famous people started participating in BBB in the 2020 edition, when the group became known as cabin. In the first appearance, there were nine of them, which corresponded to half the cast.

In the following three years, the fifty-fifty pattern was repeated, but with ten participants on each side — in 2022 and 2023, the entry of brothers and sisters from Casa de Vidro caused the number of popcorns to increase.

The balance in quantity ended for good this year. As Wanessa noted, there were only six boxes compared to a group of 20 popcorn booths.

EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITY

“My biggest panic is, in addition to being away from people I love, destroying my 23-year career,” said Wanessa Camargo in the early hours of this Friday (26).

Because they have already reached where they are, the cabins end up being even more afraid of exposing their flaws and intimacies. At various times, they show fear of being canceled due to racism, sexism and other social issues.

For historian Monalisa Carmo, the conditions of financial and social privilege of celebrities outside their homes become reality. “They put themselves in a risky position, which is different from everyday life. There we have the opportunity to see them without filters,” she says.

PROTECTIVE SHIELD

And, since they are feeling shy, the boxes begin to look for the possible threat to their stay on the reality show. In this sense, Monalisa Carmo explains that Brazilian society was built on processes of violence and hierarchization since the colonial period.

“To establish who is better than who, it is necessary to create [a imagem] from the other. And who is this other one? It’s everything I don’t want in myself”, he pointed out. This place of denial ranges from appearance to more subjective aspects, such as the moral rule.

An example is the controversy involving David a few days ago. A distortion of the word “humble”, used by him to refer to those who deserved to win the reality show, was transformed into the story of “popcorn who doesn’t want boxes to win” by MC Bin Laden and Lucas Henrique.

As the discussion unfolded, brothers and sisters began to attribute to him characteristics that reinforce stereotypes of a violent, manipulative and malicious black man”, says Monalisa.

I DESERVED IT

This idea that professional and financial achievements and the recognition of the boxes would disqualify them from winning the cash prize also ends up haunting them. On the other hand, the number of attempts a popcorn makes to be accepted into the reality show, their story of overcoming and even the family’s financial difficulties become arguments about why they are worthy.

“The idea of ​​meritocracy is so widespread that even people from other conditions and classes [menos favorecidas] believe in it”, points out anthropologist Mauro Baracho. For the specialist, boxes and popcorn reproduce the belief, but in different ways.

“While cabins believe they deserve it due to their consolidated career, popcorns believe they were hardworking enough,” he said. “The idea of ​​accessing things with a lot of work comes from the same source.”