PASADENA, Calif. — Here's some really surprising news — people who wanted to be on "Big Brother 3" had to pass an IQ test before they were allowed to become contestants.
Who would've thought?
OK, so it's a "shortened" version of an IQ test. And they don't necessarily have to pass.
"It's not about needing to be a certain intelligence to be in this house by any means," said executive producer Allison Grodner.
Which seems sort of obvious, doesn't it? At least if you've ever seen these people in any of the three incarnations of "Big Brother," which places 12 people in a house — cut off from the rest of the world — and has them vote each other out until the, um, survivor wins a big bunch of cash.
As for that IQ test, "It's . . . just to get a sense of who they are," Grodner said. "These tests are really about seeing the well-rounded person."
Oh, yes. That's certainly how I would describe the "Big Brother" cast — well rounded.
But enough of this snottiness. At least for a moment.
Grodner and executive producer Arnold Shapiro aren't exactly promising that there will be no repeat of last season, when one of the male contestants was expelled from the house and the show when he "jokingly" held a knife to one of the female contestants' throats. But they aren't expecting any similar incidents.
"Background checks have been thorough both years," Shapiro said. "We don't feel that last year we did an inadequate security check or this year we did. You can do all that's humanly possible, you know. . . . We used a very competent national firm to do our security check."
Not so competent so that they caught the knife-wielder's spotty criminal history. Or this year's drunken driver.
In addition, aspiring houseguests are subject to psychological and medical tests as well as personal interviews.
"I mean, there's a whole battery of tests that potential candidates for this show go through," Shapiro said. "And we do the best job humanly possible and hope that stuff will surface."
What they're really hoping will surface is strong personalities in conflict, which makes for far more interesting TV than a bunch of people getting along. What they're looking for is, "Primarily somebody who's fiercely competitive, however they choose to express that," Shapiro said. "Somebody who's outgoing and personable. Colorful. And then we want 12 distinct persons so nobody is like anybody else. . . . Twelve people who in 100 years wouldn't be under the same roof, except now they are."
And, hopefully, drama will ensue.
"It is very interesting to put 12 people in a house and have them experience something that you can't experience in the 21st century unless you go to a remote island," Shapiro said. "That's that there are no computers, newspapers, telephones. You're cut off from everybody, and then see what happens as weeks go by and try to remember what people said as to the way they intended to behave, the strategies they intended to use and then see what happens when they've been in there for a while. It is fascinating.
"I guess I've learned that human behavior is completely unpredictable. And sometimes delightfully so."
JUST ONE CHANGE: When Shapiro took over "Big Brother 2" last summer, he made several changes in the format after a less-than-successful "Big Brother 1." Not so this year.
"The decision was made to leave it pretty much the way it was," Shapiro said, with the exception of the "veto thing" as well as "a couple other little surprises yet to come."
The "veto thing" is designed to shake things up a bit. One houseguest can earn the veto power, which means that after the "head of household" nominates two houseguests for elimination, the contestant with the veto power can "veto" one of the two and take them off the chopping block. The head of household must immediately nominate another houseguest, and it can't be the one with the veto power.
"All of a sudden, those two nominees that you thought were a sure thing could completely be turned upside down, a new person could go in their place, and the negotiating has to start all over again, "Shapiro said. "So it's really a powerful chip for someone to hold."
Ah, such power.
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com