Big Brother 26 Premiere Delayed As CBS Faces Huge Backlash For Airing Price Is Right Rerun

Summary CBS faced backlash from fans for delaying the Big Brother 26 premiere and airing a Price is Right rerun instead.

CBS' coverage of the Republican National Convention ran long and caused the delay.

Viewers expressed frustration on social media, calling out CBS for not prioritizing the Big Brother 26 premiere.

CBS is facing the wrath of viewers after the network delayed the Big Brother 26 premiere in order to air a rerun of The Price Is Right before the show debuted. Big Brother 26 debuted in a two-night event airing on Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18. However, the Wednesday episode was delayed due to coverage of the Republican National Convention (RNC) lasting longer than expected. Instead of airing Big Brother 26 as scheduled, CBS chose to air The Price Is Right, which was supposed to be on after the RNC. This delayed Big Brother, causing some major backlash.

Fans were outraged that The Price Is Right was airing instead of the Big Brother 26 premiere during its scheduled time.

In the comments section of a Big Brother Instagram post, fans were outraged that The Price Is Right was airing instead of the Big Brother 26 premiere during its scheduled time.

One viewer lamented, "WHYYYYY IS THE PRICE IS RIGHT ON," while another sarcastically used host Julie Chen Moonves' catchphrase, saying, "BUT FIRST…. We gotta wait 5 more hours [crying emoji]." Another fan wrote, "Where the hell is it?!!! You’re airing Price is Right!! [two angry face emojis]."

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Should CBS Have Aired Big Brother Instead Of Price Is Right Rerun?

Big Brother Has Too Many Schedule Changes & Delays During The Season

Because the RNC took up more time than expected, CBS should've adjusted their schedule and made sure that Big Brother 26 started on time. Every season, the show has schedule changes and delays, mostly due to sports coverage running long. Big Brother doesn't seem to be CBS' top priority, even though it's been one of its most popular shows since 2000. To add insult to injury, the Price Is Right episode was a rerun, so it shouldn't have taken precedence over the Big Brother 26 premiere.

Big Brother is unlike any other TV show because it involves so much commitment. Fans must not only tune in to three episodes per week, but, if they really want the full experience, they can watch the 24/7 live feeds. Because Big Brother fans give so much to the show, CBS should respect them by making it the top priority in the schedule. It's a bad sign that the very first episode of the season was delayed. This causes DVRs to cut off episodes, which is a real turn-off for viewers. At 9 p.m. EDT sharp, Big Brother 26 should've aired as planned.

While airing the RNC in full was necessary, showing the Price Is Right rerun was not. Although CBS is off to a negative start because of the fan backlash about the Big Brother 26 premiere being delayed, it doesn't take away from the fact that the season is already thrilling, with an artifical intelligence (AI) twist that will turn the game on its head. The 16 houseguests should get ready to "expect the unexpected," but, hopefully, viewers won't have to do that anymore this season when it comes to the Big Brother 26 schedule.

Big Brother 26 airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 9 p.m. EDT on CBS.

Source: Big Brother/Instagram