If this was someone’s first time watching Big Brother, there would be more questions than answers. The continuing subplot with Felicia Cannon and Cirie Fields trying to blindside Hisam Goueli is convoluted enough. Reilly Smedley ended up as a casualty, but at least there we had an explanation. Reilly gave her alliance permission not to vote for her, and that’s what they did – including Reilly’s beginnings of a showmance to professional swimmer and Deaflympics champion Matt Klotz. Luckily for Matt, the heads of the dominant Bye Bye B**ches alliance are warming up to him. But Matt has an unavoidable secret that’s hiding in plain sight. You probably noticed the large bandage on Matt’s back during one of his many shirtless scenes last week. So on Big Brother 25: why is Matt’s tattoo covered by bandages?
Big Brother 25: Why Is Matt’s Tattoo Covered By Bandages?
Matt’s tattoo completely covered in bandages during his time on the show because of copyright issues (CBS).
Matt’s not the first houseguest to have his body art hidden. We’ve covered how one of influencer participant Blue Kim‘s somewhat graphic tattoo was blurred on national TV. What was even weirder was that the tattoo in question was blurred out in some scenes and visible in others. It’s also easy to find out that what Matt’s hiding is a tattoo, and that it’s nowhere near as much of a problem as Blue’s.
Matt’s Instagram shows that his tattoo is a simple design with the Deaflympics logo in the center of the Olympic rings. Makes total sense for Matt, as we know he is a multi-time Deaflympic medalist and an Olympics-level athlete. He also got it all the way back in 2015. So, this isn’t because of an infection or because it’s new. If the tattoo isn’t controversial and there’s not a medical reason, could it be because of copyright?
BB 25 houseguest Matt’s beautiful hybrid Deaflympics-Olympics logos infused together. CBS was forced to cover up the colorful tattoo due to copyright infringement issues (Instagram).
Big Brother 25: Matt’s Bandaged Tattoo Could Have CBS Breaking Copyright Law
Reddit fans seem to be leaning towards the copyright theory. NewYorkerGuy explains the difference between Blue and Matt’s tattoos thusly: “Matt’s tattoo is a trademark so it’s covered with tape 24/7. Blue’s tattoo is ‘graphic’ so it’s blurred somewhat inconsistently for the episodes only.” LegallyFM explains that the International Olympic Committee is very careful about where their logo is used. “Matt’s tattoo is the Olympic logo and IOC is hardcore about their trademark and IP and they will not clear it.”
The last thing CBS wants is a lawsuit for a gameshow on a tight budget that they can’t even top up the $750,000 price to a smooth $1 million.
But there is another level of legal issue to think about, which is that you apparently need to get the permission of the tattoo artist to show a tattoo on a show. It can be an issue for sports video games, such as in this article. The tattoo artist for WWE Superstar Randy Orton successfully sued game maker Take-Two Interactive. This was for featuring a representation of her tattoo on the pro wrestler’s digital persona. But, Take-Two beat a similar lawsuit filed by NBA legend LeBron James, filed for the same reason.
There’s also the more humorous case of Mike Tyson’s tattoo artist suing Warner Bros. If you remember classic comedy film The Hangover, you remember that actor Ed Helms’s character wakes up with Tyson’s famous tattoo on his face. Tyson appears in the film to dispense justice with his fists, but true justice was served in a courtroom.
