Sidney and I wrapped up our 16th season of watching “Big Brother” last night and oh how sweet it was! Although I know “Big Brother 28” ruffled the feathers of some purists, I found the season to be quite entertaining.

I enjoyed the 28th season of Big Brother.

So let me start with the point of contention for people who prefer to keep their CBS reality TV shows separate. This summer’s season included “The Icons”, a trio of individuals who competed in past realty shows. One of these people, Angela, was part of the Big Brother 26 cast. Okay, not that big of a deal—past houseguests return quite frequently to take another shot at alluding eviction. But the other two “Icons” came from “that other” CBS reality TV franchise…”Survivor.”

For some fans, this was an insult and even an ego-deflater once it became obvious that Devens and Dee were running the game. Why would show producers give house keys to past “Survivor” contestants and how on earth were they actually sticking around week after week? But that sentiment felt by bitter viewers and past “Big Brother” houseguests didn’t resonate with me. Even as someone who only watches “Big Brother” and who has never watched an entire episode of “Survivor” before, the crossover didn’t bother me. In fact, I loved their addition to the cast, applauded their gameplay, and cheered enthusiastically for them to make it all the way to the end.

Sidney and I snuggle on our chair as we watch the season finale of “Big Brother 28.” It marked the 16th season that we have watched together.

“Big Brother” seasons are always more engaging when you have someone to root for and this season I was in the corner of “The Icons.” Thus, I was ecstatic when Devens won…perhaps even over the moon. Out of the three icons he was my favorite and this season marked the first time someone I wanted to win from the beginning actually pulled it off. Devens was simply superb. He won competitions, played a flawless social game, provided perfect answers under jury questioning, and was just so damn likeable. 

There was absolutely no doubt about it. Devens deserved to win Big Brother 28.

Speaking of likeable, he took home “America’s Favorite Houseguest” as he cemented his legacy for playing perhaps the most complete Big Brother season ever. Although I hated it that he didn’t take Drew to Final Two, his entire body of work allowed me to look past that act of betrayal. Even though I can’t say for sure that he would have beat Drew by the same margin that he beat Taylor (6-1), there is no question in my mind that he still would have comfortably won.

I literally jumped around when the jury voted Devens as “Big Brother 28” winner.

As per usual, I always take the chance to touch on some lighter topics I like to assess at the end of each season…

– After two years of lame and clunky themes, I could live with this season’s time travel storyline. It set up some interesting competitions and the house wasn’t an eyesore to look at. Although the special effects used to simulate the houseguests moving through time were hokey (as per usual), I could deal with it given that everything else related to the theme was mostly decent.

– The time travel theme spinoff that missed the mark was the “BB Time Capsule.” It was an example of the show just trying too hard. A lot of the rewards/punishments were inconsequential and pretty annoying. When it came to the one reward that actually factored into gameplay, I thought Dee was stretching so hard to use it. The “BB bribe” did end up having an impact but it seemed like the houseguests had to get really creative and “cute” to use it—not good in my humble opinion.

– Zingbot redeemed himself last year after some unfunny routines in Season 25 and Season 26. Unfortunately, his slate of jokes this year didn’t pack the same humor and cleverness from Season 27. In fact, this season’s stand up set kind of repulsed me. But perhaps my expectations were just too high.

– On the other side of the coin, my expectations were low with “Unlocked.” I was annoyed and uninterested with the show last year and my opinion didn’t change for Season 28.  The producers once again did a slimy thing by inserting an episode of “Unlocked” into a traditional Sunday airing of Big Brother. When this gimmick is crammed down our throats, it not only wastes my time but it makes me hate “Unlocked” even more.

– But enough of the negativity, let me express something that I appreciated: The houseguests conducted themselves in a manner that didn’t require the premature removal of anyone or major controversy to erupt.

– Congratulations to Big Brother for airing its 1000th episode this season. It was a lot of fun to watch as awards were bestowed on past houseguests and iconic moments relived. Although I usually despise “look back” episodes (such as the second-to-last episode in each Big Brother season), the approach of the 1000th show was warranted and tastefully done.

– Finally, I have a confession to make: While seemingly fellow houseguests and much of America scorned her, I was a fan of Haley. The way she was evicted bummed me out because she wasn’t granted an interview with Julie.

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Ha! I went a little long on my comments this year. Let me turn it over to my readers now. Did you watch #BB28? If so, what did you think? In closing, thanks to my wife (and daughter) for watching yet another season with me. We certainly enjoyed it but I am not sad to see it end…feeling compelled to watch a show three times per week can be pressure-inducing 😉. Don’t Blink.