- - - - - - - - - - - -

Finally, never assume that things happen in the order you see them on the show. You've had hints if you've been observant: Sometimes someone will have an earlier hairstyle in a later scene. This past week, Brittany was shown having a fairly incoherent confrontation with Josh. It was shown after Karen left the house Wednesday, so it looked like it all happened after Brittany's mom figure departed. Actually, it happened Tuesday afternoon, and a conversation with Karen led directly to it. Brittany had hoped the timing would keep it off the air. Instead, the conversation was merely confusing.

Especially if the editing on the show seems to produce a story line, mistrust it. Like as not, it didn't happen in that order, or episode A had nothing to do with episode B. Probably they're doing it because of reason C (such as, the Don't Play Into Big Brother's Hands By Discussing Your Nominations rule), conveniently left off screen.

Or: They showed Karen upset that Curtis stayed away from the dog at first but became affectionate toward it, which, since she mistrusted him at the time, she thought was acting. They didn't show that Curtis is allergic to dogs, but as the allergy has so far not kicked in, he was able to relax and join in the general dog lovefest. (An allergist is on call for him.)

There isn't an episode of the show a frequent feed-watcher couldn't tell you is, in three or six or a dozen ways, slanted. It's too bad. George the spontaneous labor organizer, Jordan the ex-Mormon, the code Josh and Jamie developed with a deck of cards to talk without the microphones understanding -- these have all been deemed not ready for prime time. (Indeed, Big Brother made the two card coders stop.)

It's too bad. These occurrences are usually more interesting than what they actually show. It's supposed to be a show about real people, but real producers don't seem to think that way. It's a show about story lines, and since it's edited as they go, the story lines are often canned, often forced.

Now imagine how "Survivor" and "The Real World," with their extra weeks of editing time, change those supposed realities. Not because the producers are innately venal (though you're free to form your own opinion), but because they have ideas about what's interesting and they have ideas about what sells and, above all, they have limited time.

Now imagine the evening news.

And try to love Big Brother.