Viewers call out 'Big Brother' for holding a hearing competition with a deaf houseguest
Some question if an audio-based challenge was a fair competition.
A hearing-based competition challenge didn’t sit well with some Big Brother viewers on Wednesday, considering the involvement of the show’s first-ever deaf houseguest.
His name is Matt Klotz, a 27-year-old from Cameron Park, California, and he’s a gold-medal-winning swimmer at the Deaflympics. He previously won the first Big Brother challenge he competed in this season by kicking himself in the butt 100 times.
Big Brother introduced a multiverse theme for its 25th season, paving the way for Wednesday’s Veto competition called Twisted Tasks, which takes place in a 1990s music store.
RELATED: 'Big Brother' breaks out the multiverse — but some viewers think it's just multibad
In Twisted Tasks, the six participating houseguests were tasked with putting on headphones and listening to records to decipher a series of audio clues that they then had to piece together. Those who could do it in the fastest time were recognized, and Klotz did not finish in the top three.
According to an exclusive with EW that was published earlier in the day, those working behind the scenes on Big Brother took their jobs very seriously when it came to creating a level playing field for Klotz, both inside the house and out.
For competitions, adjustments included the addition of a parametric or directional speaker that can be moved around, and was tested by Klotz beforehand. With Twisted Tasks specifically, producers used a combination of the right tone and voice in his ear, and an appropriate set of noise-canceling headphones that would work with his hearing aids without causing feedback.
But despite all those efforts, many viewers who were reacting on social media wondered if having a hearing-based competition with Klotz involved was all that fair in the first place.
Taking a hearing impaired person and making them compete in a hearing contest is CRAZY
Y’all really sick @CBSBigBrother #BB25— Unhinged (@25Bigbrother25) August 17, 2023
Honestly Big brother needs to hire new people because how hard is it to not have a hearing comp with a deaf contestant. Or to have a prompter in the dr for him #bb25
— Krystal (@krystalaundrea) August 17, 2023
Big Brother, I love you but why are we doing competitions like this with someone who is hard of hearing? Not fair, do better. #BB25
— Not Doyle. (@ginger_snap_123) August 17, 2023
Cbs/big brother has shown their complete unawareness of deafness. It is not just being able to HEAR the sounds but also listen and understand. Also the processing and understanding of sound is not the same as a typical hearing person #bb25
— Mary (@millz_bb) August 17, 2023
Seriously?? A competition that is all about hearing?? When you a have a deaf houseguest competing?? Come on, Big Brother. Do better. #bb25
— Kaely Gibson ?? (@k4e1y) August 17, 2023
Why would you do anything involving hearing like this with a deaf contestant? #BB25
— Big Brother Top Ten (@BBTopTen) August 17, 2023
Despite an unfavorable outcome during his visit to the '90s, Klotz remained safe from elimination for this week.
Big Brother airs on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on CBS.
