America’s Player was the main twist of the 8th Season of Big Brother. Eric Scott Stein was chosen by CBS producers to be America’s Player from the start of the season. During his diary room sessions Eric was given tasks to perform that had been chosen by the American public through a voting system. The viewing public could vote on which task they wanted America’s Player to complete by casting their vote either online at CBS.com or via text message at the end of the Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday episodes. The tasks given to Eric on Tuesday dealt with Thursday’s eviction, Thursday task dealt with the Friday nominations, and the Sunday task varied. The tasks he was given must be completed in order to win the cash prize at the end of the season. The prize was structured so that for every week that Eric completed the assigned tasks as America’s Player he was rewarded with $10,000.
Interesting facts:
- As Eric made it to the jury house and was able to vote on who should win the grand prize, America voted for him and instructed him to vote for Evel Dick to win.
- Some confusion arose from the title of the name “America’s Player” as Canadian viewers were allowed to vote online. The executive producer, Allison Grodner, commented to Global TV saying “We are certainly not trying to exclude any of our viewers so we will call this…the ‘Canadian-American Player’.
Task Given on Thursday’s Episode:
This task was centered on Eric pitching a certain nominee for eviction that America had chosen to the head of household of that week. If by chance Eric was America’s Player then the task was easy and he simply nominated the chosen house guest for eviction along with his own choice. If Eric was not the head of household for that week then his task was to convince the HOH to nominate the house guest chosen by America. If the HOH did not nominate the house guest that won America’s vote then Eric was given a second chance to push for that nomination at the veto ceremony. As America’s Player Eric successfully completed all but the last of his Thursday night tasks.
Task Given on Tuesday’s Episode:
This task was centered on Eric having to influence the opinion of the other house guests on who should be evicted. If Eric happened to be nominated for eviction, then his Tuesday night task as America’s Player was to suck up to and flatter a specific house guest to make sure they did not vote for him to be evicted. He was successful in completing this task if that house guest did not end up voting for him. When Eric was not nominated for eviction, then the America’s Player task was to target one of the two nominated house guests for eviction. As America’s Player when Eric had to vote he automatically voted for the targeted house guest of the week. As America’s Player Eric successfully completed five of the Tuesday night tasks. When Eric was instructed to flatter Evel Dick, he opted to not complete the task.
Task Given on Sunday’s Episode:
This task was centered on Eric’s relationships in the house with the other house guests. Some of the tasks were devised to shake up the house and as such some were more difficult to complete than others.
How many Tasks did Eric complete as America’s Player?
Eric successfully completed 21 out of the 28 tasks he was given and earned $40,000 for his efforts. He failed to complete 7 tasks as America’s Player.
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