Is Big Brother 11 on a 9 Week Schedule?

***I originally posted this on Monday, June 1st. In the meantime, we've gotten confirmation of 12 houseguests this season (though rumors of 16 persist), and then, on June 17th, CBS issued a new statement which dramatically alters the initial impression. Please scroll to the end of this post for the new info!

Things that make ya go Hmmm...

CBS just formally announced that the Emmy Award show will air live on Sunday, September 13th, from 8-11pm. This is a week earlier than originally slated, and this news is definitely sending my Big Brother oriented brain into a big Hmmmm state.

Ya see, according to some unconfirmed tv schedules floating around, BB was supposedly scheduled to have it's finale on September the 15th, but those schedules were released before this change was announced.

Here's the official statement:

CBS’s broadcast of the 61ST PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS has been rescheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT), one week earlier than the previously announced date.

"The new date moves the Emmys away from a weekend where CBS has an NFL doubleheader, which can delay the start of prime time on Sunday." said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events, CBS. "This is better for the live event, the broadcast and our audience at home."

The original date for the broadcast was set prior to the NFL releasing their 2009 television schedule.

At first glance, I though it could be as simple as as Sunday night preemption for BB11, but then you notice the following Sunday is football.

I'm thinking this means that the upcoming season of Big Brother will wrap up and have its finale on Thursday, September 10th. If that's the case, Big Brother 11 will be only 9 weeks long, and the implications of that are... potentially fewer houseguests, and/or more double eliminations.

Then again, heck, they could wrap it Tuesday the 8th. Or, they could skip the Sunday show, and wrap it up on Tuesday the 15th, which would actually make it a (couple days) longer running season than BB10, which ran July 12th - September 16th. There's just no telling.

I checked to see if they've released the start dates for any of the staple fall shows, specifically Survivor and The Amazing Race, and they haven't. There's a fall schedule, but no dates.

What do you think?

Here's a clip of the Julie interview with Robyn Kass, Boogie and Brian Hart from a little while ago when casting was still in full swing. 2 minutes in, Julie asks Robyn, "What are you looking for, as we throw 10 new strangers into the house this summer?"

Could be a Julie oops. Maybe so, maybe no. I spoke with a contact at CBS, and they will neither confirm nor deny...




***CBS issued a new press release on June 17th, and it looks like we're back in business for a full season, and as we already know, with a full cast. :) Here it is:

The 61st PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS has been re-scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

"After we announced plans for September 13, MTV informed us they were locked into the same day for the Video Music Awards, with venue and sponsorship agreements in place. We had the flexibility to move; they didn't," said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music & Live Events, CBS Entertainment. "It's best for the industry and the audience that these events not compete against each other. Huge thanks to the Television Academy and Don Mischer for quickly moving mountains to make this happen. If the Emmy broadcast has as much excitement as the scheduling of the date, viewers are in for an unforgettable event."

"We appreciate CBS and the Television Academy taking on the mammoth task of moving such a huge event as the Emmy's to accommodate the Video Music Awards. Now audiences will get to experience two phenomenal nights of entertainment," said Stephen Friedman, General Manager of MTV.

To present the 61st PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS as close as possible to its scheduled 8:00 PM start, 60 MINUTES (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) is planning a flexible broadcast following CBS Sports late afternoon NFL game.

The 61st PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS is being produced by Don Mischer Productions. Nominations for the 61st PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS will be announced July 16 at 5:40 AM, PT from the Television Academy's Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.

There ya have it! Crisis averted. ;)

♦Permalink