Aspiring Tampa filmmaker Joseph Rodriguez is on the new season of ‘Big Brother’

A Tampa man is already making an impression on reality TV, and he’s bringing light to an oft-forgotten art form in the process.

“When I tell people I work at a video store, they're like, What? Like, who buys VHS tapes,” Joseph Rodriguez said on the season premiere of “Big Brother” last Wednesday.

The 30-year-old is then shown working at Viper Video in Tampa’s Riverside Heights neighborhood. The shop—at 706 W Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.—is in the same plaza as Steelworker Records and Best of the Bay-winning Nerd Out Comics. It sells new and used VHS tapes, DVDs and BluRay, but specializes in horror, sci-fi and cult favorites. It’s one of the last videotape stores in the country and fills a void left by Tampa’s beloved and long-shuttered Grindhouse Video.

Shop owner Shelby McIntyre, who opened the store in November 2021, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that everyone at the shop loves Rodriguez and is rooting for him. There’s also a job still waiting for the aspiring filmmaker after the roughly 90-day contest is over.

“He just loves that show, so we're happy for him. I want him to do great on it. But you know if he wins we'll never see him again,” McIntyre said, alluding to the $750,000 first place prize.

On the show, contestants are locked inside the Big Brother house with no phones, internet or connection with the outside world. Their actions are captured by 94 HD cameras and 113 microphones, which are recording 24/7. One houseguest is “evicted” each week, but contestants do form alliances to stay safe along the way. This season includes an AI-related twist.

In his intro video , Rodriguez—who also plays in local bands and has worked on videos for outfits like post-rock band Sleeping Pills — is also seen jogging on the beach. He finds out he’s going on the show by finding a key as he unpacks a box of tapes at Viper Video.

“Oh my god, I’m on ‘Big Brother,’” he screams. McIntyre then walks up and says, “What’s that?”

Rodriguez then says his love for poker will serve him well on the program. “In poker, you have to be patient, and when you have the move, you got to go for it,” he added.

Rodriguez's @joeymustanggg  account no longer exists, but you can follow him via @brosephrodriguez now. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

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