The Mastermind Twist should have ____
I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt disappointed in the Mastermind (I tend to loathe most of the acted out silliness but that's neither here nor there). After seeing the resolution to the Mastermind plot, I couldn't help but feel like it was all a waste. After talking with my family and thinking a bit, I have thought of some ways production could have done better by focusing on houseguest and audience engagement rather than acting.
I recall seeing a post here some time ago wondering whether there was a hidden secret in the house--something, anything. I feel like with the theme of the season being a mysterious murder hotel, there should have been mysteries *in the house*, *outside of competitions* for the houseguests to solve. Not something that's done up with cue cards and whatnot, just things ambiently in the house for them to discover. There should have been riddles hidden. The riddles could have led to an advantage of some sort. Maybe there could have been a season-long mystery, with more and more clues dropped, with the hope that a houseguest would solve it. I feel like if there was a hidden advantage a houseguest could have discovered, it would have made for good TV.
On the viewer's end, there should have been something for us, too--mysteries *we* could have solved. I am thinking hidden details in the house and in competitions, ciphers, puzzles, etc. Maybe there could have been a reward for the first viewer to discover some big thing. I imagine an alternate universe where viewers puzzled over ciphers and such like a season-long ARG and it sounds so cool! What if the grand prize was priority in the casting process, i.e. if a viewer solves *x* challenge, their application would be considered first? Like, "Prove you're Big Brother Houseguest material by solving one of Hotel Mystere's biggest mysteries!".
In conclusion, for the houseguests and the viewers, the Mastermind plot was a waste, and could have been handled much better in a way that could have kept everyone on the edge of their seats and wracking their brains. I am curious what all'a'y'all think. If you have any ideas for how the Mastermind could have been better, on a gameplay, production value, entertainment, etc. level, let me know. Thanks for reading.