The Big Brain Theory

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Season 1
User Score
6.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
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User Reviews

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  1. whatdowesay
    May 10, 2013
    2
    Too much drama, gossip, backstabbing, not enough engineering. It's somewhere between Jersey Shore and Junkyard Wars. Can't we have an honest competition without all the interpersonal drama?
  2. Rabbit1949
    Jun 13, 2013
    0
    I have been watching each episode but after last nights judges decision they lost me!
    Are the judges paid?? It is beyond reason how the judges picked the team to win the car catching competition. First of all, are we looking for practical solutions to Engineering issues or seeing how ridiculous we can be. Secondly, what did the car look like after it ran into the steel fence the team    I have been watching each episode but after last nights judges decision they lost me!
    Are the judges paid?? It is beyond reason how the judges picked the team to win the car catching competition. First of all, are we looking for practical solutions to Engineering issues or seeing how ridiculous we can be. Secondly, what did the car look like after it ran into the steel fence the team built!
    That gizmo, (including labor) had to cost 3 times as much as the simple net device. Its obvious that the young contestants are very gifted, HOWEVER, if they had submitted that device to someone market they would be sadly disappointed. Good luck finding the next group of contestants! Last night was a sad display of judging a project on the merits of REAL world applications.    … Expand
  3. howhsieh
    Aug 11, 2013
    0
    After finished watching Season 1 Episode 7 "Catching Cars", I personally felt that the show has depleted its credibility and I didn't even bother to watch the supposedly-climax finale.

    The "steel wall" solution should not have won over the "safety net" solution because it is a flawed design for the following reasons: (1) It's ability to stop a car travelling at 35mph and keep both the    After finished watching Season 1 Episode 7 "Catching Cars", I personally felt that the show has depleted its credibility and I didn't even bother to watch the supposedly-climax finale.

    The "steel wall" solution should not have won over the "safety net" solution because it is a flawed design for the following reasons:
    (1) It's ability to stop a car travelling at 35mph and keep both the car and passenger safe will vary greatly by terrain. On a slippery surface (wet, snow, or ice), I doubt it will have enough friction to stop the car. On a very rough surface where friction is high, I doubt it will keep the passenger safe!
    (2) It won't work for any car that has 4WD or rear-wheel drive; the car will simply drive away with some decoration!
    (3) Mark Fuller's (one of the judges) explanation (on the official website) of why the "safety net" solution didn't win was because the design has a disadvantage that "these brakes had to be sized to match the mass of the on-coming vehicle. Had this been a huge truck, it wouldn't stop". True, the brakes may need to be sized to match the on-coming vehicle, but at least the brakes can be sized. Where as to stop a "huge truck", I doubt that the "steel wall" solution can be easily sized up!!
    (4) It takes more effort to build, more materials to build and is unproven.

    Based on the above analysis, I cast doubt on the judge's motivation when choosing a winning solution.

    I have doubts that the judgement was based on the "winning team" (ie, based on individuals) rather than the "winning design".    … Expand
  4. ronintje
    Sep 21, 2013
    1
    Just watched the food production episode and i got tired soon.
    First all the drama about some bad guy being elected for the wild card and all others complaining about him being rude.
    Then they start making a plan for a machine. One of the contestants talks about a 3D printer thing and gets the job because the jury was very impressed. But the thing she build didn't have anything to do    Just watched the food production episode and i got tired soon.
    First all the drama about some bad guy being elected for the wild card and all others complaining about him being rude.
    Then they start making a plan for a machine.
    One of the contestants talks about a 3D printer thing and gets the job because the jury was very impressed.
    But the thing she build didn't have anything to do with 3D at all...
    Like WTF???
    She should have lost just because the machine wasn't anywhere near to what she was talking about.
    Probably won't bother watching it again.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Neil Genzlinger
    May 1, 2013
    50
    The usual stuff of such shows--arguments among team members; a race against the clock--is served up, though here the disagreements are peppered with phrases out of a physics class about kinetic friction, static friction and so on.
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  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Apr 29, 2013
    50
    In the end, we come away from Big Brain Theory realizing that nerds can be just as insufferable as anyone, and just as interesting. The only thing that seems to separate the competitors on Big Brain from those on “Survivor” is that the nerds wear more clothes.
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  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Apr 29, 2013
    50
    In the broad strokes, this looks and feels like almost every other made-for-TV elimination game.
    Read full review