[Archive 2008-03-25] 'Big Brother' contestant Parker Somerville sounds off about the show and his aspirations

Historical archive — originally published 2008-03-25. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

In the past two months, Parker Somerville, a videographer for the website TMZ.com, transitioned from an average guy leading an ordinary life, to living in an extraordinary voyeuristic existence, and back again to the beginning. Simply put, it was a transition from reality to reality, with a two-week detour in reality television. Somerville was a former contestant on the CBS reality TV staple Big Brother, currently in its ninth installment.

Evicted on Day 14, Somerville hoped to have another chance to play the game, but came in second in the special "America's Choice" poll to bring back a former HouseGuest (the poll results were eventually not used at all and nobody was brought back). Now freed from a three-week sequester, Somerville was interviewed by Wikinews reporter Mike Halterman and he discussed his thoughts on Big Brother, how he and his fellow HouseGuests were portrayed and received, and what he plans to do now that his experience is, for the most part, over.

Somerville will return to Big Brother on finale night in five weeks. Please check your local listings for time and channel. Big Brother airs on CBS in the United States, Global in Canada, and E4 in the United Kingdom.

Mike Halterman: So, you've been billed on the show as a paparazzi for TMZ.com. Tell us exactly what you do at your job. What was your most exciting work-related celebrity sighting?

Parker Somerville: It's pretty exciting, and also at times it can be pretty boring. I simply wait outside of major Hollywood hot spots, and get sound bytes and reactions from celebrities and public figures. Sometimes it can be awkward, but for the most part, it's pretty entertaining. My most funny/exciting work-related celebrity encounter was with Wesley Snipes. He had us running up and down the street for like 5-10 minutes! And he was in a full suit! How random?! It was exhausting, but funny as hell!

MH: How much exposure did you have to Big Brother before you were selected to go on the show?

PS: I was never really an avid watcher of Big Brother before I was selected to become one of the HouseGuests. I knew about the show, but just didn't make time to watch it. I can count on one hand how many times I actually watched the show, and that was just because nothing else was on TV at the moment. Before I went in the house, I did watch Seasons 3 and 6 just to kind of familiarize myself with the game. I must say, it's pretty interesting and I may watch future seasons.

MH: In a previous interview I conducted with Canada's Next Top Model winner Andrea Muizelaar, she said that she believed reality shows cast people who are perhaps unstable, to make for better television. Do you feel that's true?

PS: I don't believe the name of the game is to find the biggest whack-job and stick a mic and camera on them for good TV. I think the producers of these shows carefully look for the best mix of people to create a story around them. They look for who's going to get along with who, who's going to feud, who's going to be the peace keeper, hook-ups, and so on.

Don't get me wrong, everyone loves to watch drama as long as it's not them, so of course they are going to look for people with personal issues but I don't think that's all they cast for. If you think about it, the people with personal issues could grow from their experience and become better people after seeing how they were portrayed. Who knows?

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Text adapted from 'Big Brother' contestant Parker Somerville sounds off about the show and his aspirations by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.