I don't know what the deal is with hypnotism. I'm sure hypnosis is real enough, but not the type we saw in the House this week. Not the stage-hypnotist style of cheap laughs.
Peter Powers just reminded me too mch of Kenny Craig in Little Britain. "Look into my eyes, look into my eyes... 3, 2, 1... you're under!" How are intelligent viewers supposed to believe the whole "when I snap my fingers twice" crap they pulled?
Notice how the 6 HMs "most susceptible to hypnosis" were also the ones most likely to do any crap they're told to get themselves some airtime! I don't know what the deal is. Do they get paid to act like fools and say the whole thing was real? Do they sign non-disclosure agreements?
Anyway, Dixie and Rory were definitely not all that into it. They laughed through most of the scenarios. During the Restaurant scenario, Peter Powers told them all to sleep when Dixie had a mouthful of food. Now, we'd be led to believe that when told to "sleep" by the stage hypnotist, the hypnotised person will just do it. Dixie actually just looked him in the eyes as if to say "how am I supposed to sleep when I'm eating", leading Powers to go on and say that Dixie could sleep and continue to eat, at which point she unrealistically dropped her head, and kept on chewing! Hilarious, but utter crap.
This "special" was probably one of the worst BB has pulled. It was unrealistic, barely funny, and had no introduction or explanation of why it was happening. It was a waste of time, added no insight into the HMs involved (other than they are probaly in it for 15 minutes of fame), and provided unnecessary exposure to the "outside world".
At least the Carson specials were given purpose, and Carson is a much more outgoing and likeable guest. Peter Powers has no powers and is boring and childish.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Another One Bites the Dust
Travis has been out of the House now for almost 24 hours with an infected eye. He was ambushed by Nobbi, Rory and Ben when coming out of the toilet and got squirted with shower gel. Some of the product got into his eye and despite their efforts to flush it with water, it was still stinging.
During FNL, to add insult to injury, they strapped backwards binoculars to head and told him to play soccer! He was hardly participating in the game and the hosts didn't seem to know what was wrong with him. Shortly after this he was removed for medical treatment.
The OS states he was taken to hospital for treatment and they were waiting on doctors' OK to return to the House.
It has now been almost 24 hours and he is still not in there. Hopefully he will return tonight, or at least tomorrow. I wonder what they would do if he was not back in the House and he ended up in the bottom 3 for eviction. I guess he'd have to be exempt for the week not being there to vote on his behalf and so on.
Hopefully Travis is "locked down" and not with his family. A ninja is sufficient to keep him away from fans and outside interferences.
During FNL, to add insult to injury, they strapped backwards binoculars to head and told him to play soccer! He was hardly participating in the game and the hosts didn't seem to know what was wrong with him. Shortly after this he was removed for medical treatment.
The OS states he was taken to hospital for treatment and they were waiting on doctors' OK to return to the House.
It has now been almost 24 hours and he is still not in there. Hopefully he will return tonight, or at least tomorrow. I wonder what they would do if he was not back in the House and he ended up in the bottom 3 for eviction. I guess he'd have to be exempt for the week not being there to vote on his behalf and so on.
Hopefully Travis is "locked down" and not with his family. A ninja is sufficient to keep him away from fans and outside interferences.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Intruder Alert!
The revolving door of Housemates continues this year with another 3 lined up to enter this Sunday night. 1 HM will go out and 3 go in, bringing the House population back up to 12, with 8 weeks to go!
CHERRY
Must be a pretty cool guy to get this far through life with a girl's name. I wonder if his mates shorten it in some way. Chezza! Maybe he will add a new romantic spark for the girls. The original HMs often get to know each other so well they act more like brothers and sisters, but intruders are ripe for the picking (excuse the Cherry/picking pun!). Hopefully he is not too much of a himbo-- the last thing we need now is more segregation between the sexes in there.
RHIANNA
A young single mum-- her daughter was born when she was 18. Possibly an interesting conversation starter with Terri, also a mum. She said in her bio package she wants to be Brigitte's friend and give her a hug. She is obviously being put in as the Rebecca replacement to cheer up Brigitte and give her a new friend. Maybe Brig will stop carrying on about leaving now.
TERRENCE
A new oldie to rival Terri. Will they love having a mature HM to talk to, or will they turn on each other? This guy has 3 teenage kids and wants to get to understand the young generation. He might latch onto the young group even more than Terri has tried which could lead to some resentment.
(I was just thinking, the BB House has had 3 Terri/Terrys over the years (BB04 & this year's 2), and all were parents! Freaky.)
So, will these guys all get to stay, or will there be another snap eviction to decide who gets to become HMs? The official HMs want to leave, and the new ones that go in get thrown out. Maybe we'll get to know these ones.
CHERRY
Must be a pretty cool guy to get this far through life with a girl's name. I wonder if his mates shorten it in some way. Chezza! Maybe he will add a new romantic spark for the girls. The original HMs often get to know each other so well they act more like brothers and sisters, but intruders are ripe for the picking (excuse the Cherry/picking pun!). Hopefully he is not too much of a himbo-- the last thing we need now is more segregation between the sexes in there.
RHIANNA
A young single mum-- her daughter was born when she was 18. Possibly an interesting conversation starter with Terri, also a mum. She said in her bio package she wants to be Brigitte's friend and give her a hug. She is obviously being put in as the Rebecca replacement to cheer up Brigitte and give her a new friend. Maybe Brig will stop carrying on about leaving now.
TERRENCE
A new oldie to rival Terri. Will they love having a mature HM to talk to, or will they turn on each other? This guy has 3 teenage kids and wants to get to understand the young generation. He might latch onto the young group even more than Terri has tried which could lead to some resentment.
(I was just thinking, the BB House has had 3 Terri/Terrys over the years (BB04 & this year's 2), and all were parents! Freaky.)
So, will these guys all get to stay, or will there be another snap eviction to decide who gets to become HMs? The official HMs want to leave, and the new ones that go in get thrown out. Maybe we'll get to know these ones.
Favouritism in the Daily Show
According to the OS Diary, yesterday BB reprimanded Bianca and Nobbi for swearing too much. Bianca was made to clean the inside windows. Nobbi was made to clean all the outside windows.
In the Daily Show, only Nobbi's warning and punishment were shown. It was not mentioned that Bianca got exactly the same lecture moments before.
In the Daily Show, only Nobbi's warning and punishment were shown. It was not mentioned that Bianca got exactly the same lecture moments before.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
BB Lays Down Law, Forgets to Tell Viewers
In tonight's Daily Show, BB called HMs to the Diary Room and told them from now on breaches of House rules will incur a strike against them, and 3 strikes evcits them from the House. This seemed to be brought on by Rory having a bit of a go at Brigitte. It was nothing harmless, but possibly just the straw that broke the camel's back. Or maybe BB just needed some more Daily Show filler.
He went on to say that 2 weeks ago, he had introduced spot fines for rule breaches, and the HMs had already earned themselves $82,000 in fines. Hold on. When did this happen? And what do they have to lose money from? So far the only "money" we have heard of is the $60,000 Corey earned them with his parting task. It was never referred to as prize money though. We have not heard anything else about money-earning tasks. So the housemates have lost $82,000 of their $60,000? Doesn't make sense.
I'm sure regular viewers of the show were surprised to hear HMs were losing money for rule breaches. It's just another aspect of the show BB is inexplicably hiding from viewers this year. It seems this year the HMs that are cut off from the outside world actually know more about the running of the show than the viewers do. Even having watched a lot of live streaming I have not heard anything about HMs winning or losing money this year.
It's time BB came clean and let us in on what the grand prize is this year, how they win it, and how it can be taken away.
He went on to say that 2 weeks ago, he had introduced spot fines for rule breaches, and the HMs had already earned themselves $82,000 in fines. Hold on. When did this happen? And what do they have to lose money from? So far the only "money" we have heard of is the $60,000 Corey earned them with his parting task. It was never referred to as prize money though. We have not heard anything else about money-earning tasks. So the housemates have lost $82,000 of their $60,000? Doesn't make sense.
I'm sure regular viewers of the show were surprised to hear HMs were losing money for rule breaches. It's just another aspect of the show BB is inexplicably hiding from viewers this year. It seems this year the HMs that are cut off from the outside world actually know more about the running of the show than the viewers do. Even having watched a lot of live streaming I have not heard anything about HMs winning or losing money this year.
It's time BB came clean and let us in on what the grand prize is this year, how they win it, and how it can be taken away.
Travis Too Possimistic
Can the HMs do anything to Travis to crack his positive (possimistic) view of the world? Brigitte was told by BB to wear rose-coloured glasses as a task, but it seems Travis has rose-coloured corneas or something. Nothing fazes the guy!
Even Nobbi completely shambolicising Trav's hair yesterday could not break the barrier. He basically cut bald patches into his head, and Travis loved the outcome, even with the entire House-load laughing at him. I shouldn't be too surprised though. This is the guy that requested Renee wax (she ended up shaving) just one of his legs.
And how bold is Nobbi to do something like that to someone.
And surprisingly, even though they are on national TV, it kind of seems like just about anything goes in the House. It's as if there are no social repercussions for what they do except amongst themselves. Even looking on from outside it seems less of a deal. If Travis had to go out shopping with that haircut it would be far more mortifying than to be broadcast into 900,000 homes like that every night. Weird.
Even Nobbi completely shambolicising Trav's hair yesterday could not break the barrier. He basically cut bald patches into his head, and Travis loved the outcome, even with the entire House-load laughing at him. I shouldn't be too surprised though. This is the guy that requested Renee wax (she ended up shaving) just one of his legs.
And how bold is Nobbi to do something like that to someone.
And surprisingly, even though they are on national TV, it kind of seems like just about anything goes in the House. It's as if there are no social repercussions for what they do except amongst themselves. Even looking on from outside it seems less of a deal. If Travis had to go out shopping with that haircut it would be far more mortifying than to be broadcast into 900,000 homes like that every night. Weird.
"I Want To Go Home"
We have heard this plea (or threat) more times than ever before this year, and it's only Week 5!
Rebecca, Dixie and Brigitte have been most vocal on the subject, requesting an early departure every time something doesn't go their way. From the way it seems, BB is pretty much ignoring these requests, asking them to sleep on it, or just to leave the Diary Room. The requests for voluntary eviction seem half-hearted, so there is probably no reason to go further into it.
Obviously the BB production has spent a lot of time, effort, and money on the HM selection and the last thing they want it to see one of them actually walk out over something petty. Not to mention that the HM would probably regret it after not very long at all. But you have to wonder if BB opened the Diary Room doors to the House and to the "outside", which one would they walk through?
Are they just trying to get BB to back down on his punishments? (Both Dixie and Brigitte have received hand grenades they are not fond of.) Are there emotions just getting the better of them? And how serious would they have to be before BB took these requests seriously? Will we see one of them actually leave before their time comes?
Rebecca, Dixie and Brigitte have been most vocal on the subject, requesting an early departure every time something doesn't go their way. From the way it seems, BB is pretty much ignoring these requests, asking them to sleep on it, or just to leave the Diary Room. The requests for voluntary eviction seem half-hearted, so there is probably no reason to go further into it.
Obviously the BB production has spent a lot of time, effort, and money on the HM selection and the last thing they want it to see one of them actually walk out over something petty. Not to mention that the HM would probably regret it after not very long at all. But you have to wonder if BB opened the Diary Room doors to the House and to the "outside", which one would they walk through?
Are they just trying to get BB to back down on his punishments? (Both Dixie and Brigitte have received hand grenades they are not fond of.) Are there emotions just getting the better of them? And how serious would they have to be before BB took these requests seriously? Will we see one of them actually leave before their time comes?
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Ollie Arrives
After winning the Dog House task, appropriate winner Alice was given care of an 11 week old guide dog puppy she has christened Ollie. HMs' task is to care for the dog and train it for the week. There are strict rules as this is a working dog in training.
Today their care had already slipped, as they are supposed to stop it going to the toilet and take it to the sand in the farmyard to do its business to house train it, but while most HMs lay in the sun, the puppy was running around marking everything he could find, and the HMs were unfazed.
Some HMs are uninterested in their pet altogether. Renee is upset that they cannot have the spa while the dog is in the House, and Nobbi is not interested in Ollie either. Rory will be getting to know the dog just fine, as Alice has charged him with cleaning up its... mess.
BB also told HMs the experience would be one never before offered in the BB House, but the BB01 House was given a puppy for a few days before it freaked out at the situation and was removed for its own safety.
Today their care had already slipped, as they are supposed to stop it going to the toilet and take it to the sand in the farmyard to do its business to house train it, but while most HMs lay in the sun, the puppy was running around marking everything he could find, and the HMs were unfazed.
Some HMs are uninterested in their pet altogether. Renee is upset that they cannot have the spa while the dog is in the House, and Nobbi is not interested in Ollie either. Rory will be getting to know the dog just fine, as Alice has charged him with cleaning up its... mess.
BB also told HMs the experience would be one never before offered in the BB House, but the BB01 House was given a puppy for a few days before it freaked out at the situation and was removed for its own safety.
Monday, May 26, 2008
In the Dog House
The "puppy" that was coming into the House turned out to be a case of chinese whispers. The task was revealed early this morning and HMs were sent outside with nothing but the clothes on their backs to climb inside a completely enclosed dog kennel. The kennel is not allowed to be lifted off the ground and HMs may not put any part of their body outside the kennel. The last HM standing (or crouching) has been promised a fabulous prize never before offered in Australia Big Brother.
The prize may be immunity from eviction for the week. Or maybe a cash prize (I don't think individual cash prizes for tasks have been offered before.)
Nobbi was first to crack after only seconds inside his box. He claims he could just not be bothered with it and didn't care what the prize was. Rory was disqualified next because he lifted his kennel off the ground while moving around. When BB tempted the HMs outside the kennels with food, Dixie flew out of her box to stuff her face. Terri was spotted by BB underneath the kennel and was disqualified next.
The pranks broke out next with the disqualified HMs trying to coax their confined friends out by putting watter, spaghetti, prawns, and barbecue sauce into the kennels. By this stage, a few HMs felt the call of nature, and Travis, Ben, and Renee all perched their kennels above the drains in the grass outside to pee.
Renee lasted until 4pm. Bianca quit when she sat on tomato sauce. Travis was disqualified for lifting kis kennel off the ground. When Alice said she would poo her pants before leaving the dog house, Brigitte decided it was too much and left her kennel 3rd last.
Ben and Alice are still crouched inside their houses refusing to be tempted out. Who will win? And what will the prize be? And is there a further twist to the task that will see them through the rest of the week?
The task has been funny to watch on the stream, cameras focussing on the kennel of the HM talking as if it was their face. The kennels walking around by themselves are hilarious. You can just imagine the HM cramped inside. X-ray vision would be a great trick for BB to pull with this task so we could see inside the boxes.
Surely Alice and Ben are getting hungry by now. I will tip Alice to win.
The prize may be immunity from eviction for the week. Or maybe a cash prize (I don't think individual cash prizes for tasks have been offered before.)
Nobbi was first to crack after only seconds inside his box. He claims he could just not be bothered with it and didn't care what the prize was. Rory was disqualified next because he lifted his kennel off the ground while moving around. When BB tempted the HMs outside the kennels with food, Dixie flew out of her box to stuff her face. Terri was spotted by BB underneath the kennel and was disqualified next.
The pranks broke out next with the disqualified HMs trying to coax their confined friends out by putting watter, spaghetti, prawns, and barbecue sauce into the kennels. By this stage, a few HMs felt the call of nature, and Travis, Ben, and Renee all perched their kennels above the drains in the grass outside to pee.
Renee lasted until 4pm. Bianca quit when she sat on tomato sauce. Travis was disqualified for lifting kis kennel off the ground. When Alice said she would poo her pants before leaving the dog house, Brigitte decided it was too much and left her kennel 3rd last.
Ben and Alice are still crouched inside their houses refusing to be tempted out. Who will win? And what will the prize be? And is there a further twist to the task that will see them through the rest of the week?
The task has been funny to watch on the stream, cameras focussing on the kennel of the HM talking as if it was their face. The kennels walking around by themselves are hilarious. You can just imagine the HM cramped inside. X-ray vision would be a great trick for BB to pull with this task so we could see inside the boxes.
Surely Alice and Ben are getting hungry by now. I will tip Alice to win.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Puppy Coming
The rumour is the HMs will get a seeing eye dog tomorrow for this week's task.
The BB01 House got a pet puppy in the early days but it got too stressed out and had to be taken back to its owner for its own well-being. (If a dog stresses out in the House and it doesn't know it is being broadcast on nation TV and the internet, imagine how much the HMs must stress out.)
In tonight's ads Jackie O says the HMs will be put out in the dog house. Is that just an attempt at turning the event into a clever pun, or will there be some twist? Maybe a HM has to live in the kennel and the dog is treated as a HM? Will there be an actual dog, or will it be a dog-related task? Last year as part of the Lucky Numbers task two HMs had to live as the House dog, sleeping on a blanket. Is this a similar concept?
Will one of the evicted HMs get to choose the HM to live in "the dog house" as the next Hand Grenade?
The BB01 House got a pet puppy in the early days but it got too stressed out and had to be taken back to its owner for its own well-being. (If a dog stresses out in the House and it doesn't know it is being broadcast on nation TV and the internet, imagine how much the HMs must stress out.)
In tonight's ads Jackie O says the HMs will be put out in the dog house. Is that just an attempt at turning the event into a clever pun, or will there be some twist? Maybe a HM has to live in the kennel and the dog is treated as a HM? Will there be an actual dog, or will it be a dog-related task? Last year as part of the Lucky Numbers task two HMs had to live as the House dog, sleeping on a blanket. Is this a similar concept?
Will one of the evicted HMs get to choose the HM to live in "the dog house" as the next Hand Grenade?
Sleazy Nathan & Creepy David Gone
I couldn't have picked 2 better evictees.
Nathan's eviction will let Renee get back to being Renee and not this nervous girl we've been watching getting embarassed about Nathan's sleazy advances.
David was just a creepy guy from Day 1. Even watching his "time in the House" package on the Eviction show tonight I thought they had put a still image in the little super-imposed box in the corner of the screen. He had his creepy David expression on throughout the whole thing.
Nathan's eviction will let Renee get back to being Renee and not this nervous girl we've been watching getting embarassed about Nathan's sleazy advances.
David was just a creepy guy from Day 1. Even watching his "time in the House" package on the Eviction show tonight I thought they had put a still image in the little super-imposed box in the corner of the screen. He had his creepy David expression on throughout the whole thing.
BB Springs a Double
Without any prior notice, the OS announces tonight will be the first Double Eviction.
With so many HMs, Intruders almost certain since some profiles have been leaked, and only 8 weeks to go, it is no surprise that BB is starting to cull the flock. But why no announcement until today? Is it a ratings grab? Does BB think he knows who will be nominated and evicted?
And is the new Eviction format really ready for a Double? There are already complaints about the interviews being too short. Hopefully they will further streamline the format tonight to get the evictees out sooner.
With so many HMs, Intruders almost certain since some profiles have been leaked, and only 8 weeks to go, it is no surprise that BB is starting to cull the flock. But why no announcement until today? Is it a ratings grab? Does BB think he knows who will be nominated and evicted?
And is the new Eviction format really ready for a Double? There are already complaints about the interviews being too short. Hopefully they will further streamline the format tonight to get the evictees out sooner.
Brigitte & Travis "Make Up"
After Brigitte and Travis constantly asking other HMs to explain things further to them, they decided today the two should compete in a quiz to see who really knows more. Each HM got to choose a topic to quiz them on. The prize was the opportunity to do the other's make up for tonight's Eviction show.
With a margin of just 1 point from a bonus question, Brigitte proved she was not the dumbest in the House, and is now preparing Travis' face caked in "drag queen" make up for his appearance in front of Kyle and Jackie O, and a million viewers at home.
When asked if "we're good friends now", Brigitte told Travis, "We're just normal friends."
With a margin of just 1 point from a bonus question, Brigitte proved she was not the dumbest in the House, and is now preparing Travis' face caked in "drag queen" make up for his appearance in front of Kyle and Jackie O, and a million viewers at home.
When asked if "we're good friends now", Brigitte told Travis, "We're just normal friends."
Eviction #3: Who Will Go
Last week I failed miserably in predicting the outcome of the eviction, as I think most people would with the new format. But I'll give it another crack this week anyway. I won't bother guessing who will go, because it is impossible to tell at this stage who will even be nominated, but I'll put down my thoughts on some possibilities and probabilities. Then I'll put in order who I think is safest from HM votes to who is in most danger. The when the nominees are announced, my prediction will be based on who is in most danger out of the 3 from this list.
So, this week Alice has the Eviction Powers from winning FNL. After last week I fear using my Eviction Twist Hypothesis, as it certainly failed me last time, but we should assume that the voting audience has given up voting for Alice, as she has the power to save herself, meaning she would end up in the bottom 3. (Of course there is no accounting for the logic of a 14 year old girl with a prepaid mobile, so the majority of voters may not have worked out this subtlty.)
The last we heard, Alice, Bianca, Dixie, Nathan and Terri were the bottom 5. At the end of FNL, the bottom 3 were announced as: Bianca, David, and Nathan (so the votes had changed already!).
We can probably assume that House favourites, if nominated, will end up getting few HM votes and end up safe, so that saves the likes of Nobbi, Rory, and Renee. Easy targets for the HMs would be Terri and Dixie. After her week of crying, I wouldn't hold too much hope for Brigitte if she ends up in the bottom 3-- Rory, Nobbi, Bianca, etc would see she was swiftly evicted. Ben took a lot of votes last week, but had stiff competition.
So my safe list is:
SAFEST
Alice (assumed not nominated due to twist)
Nobbi
Rory
Renee
Bianca
Travis
Ben
David
Nathan
Dixie
Terri
Brigitte
LEAST SAFE
Let's see how well this method goes!
So, this week Alice has the Eviction Powers from winning FNL. After last week I fear using my Eviction Twist Hypothesis, as it certainly failed me last time, but we should assume that the voting audience has given up voting for Alice, as she has the power to save herself, meaning she would end up in the bottom 3. (Of course there is no accounting for the logic of a 14 year old girl with a prepaid mobile, so the majority of voters may not have worked out this subtlty.)
The last we heard, Alice, Bianca, Dixie, Nathan and Terri were the bottom 5. At the end of FNL, the bottom 3 were announced as: Bianca, David, and Nathan (so the votes had changed already!).
We can probably assume that House favourites, if nominated, will end up getting few HM votes and end up safe, so that saves the likes of Nobbi, Rory, and Renee. Easy targets for the HMs would be Terri and Dixie. After her week of crying, I wouldn't hold too much hope for Brigitte if she ends up in the bottom 3-- Rory, Nobbi, Bianca, etc would see she was swiftly evicted. Ben took a lot of votes last week, but had stiff competition.
So my safe list is:
SAFEST
Alice (assumed not nominated due to twist)
Nobbi
Rory
Renee
Bianca
Travis
Ben
David
Nathan
Dixie
Terri
Brigitte
LEAST SAFE
Let's see how well this method goes!
Ratings Down
Apart from the second Eviction show, which made changes after viewers complaints about the format of the first week, BB has failed to reach the 1m viewer mark throughout the week.
The total number of viewers being down on last year isn't that much of a problem because every year experiences fewer total TV watchers, as internet and DVD take over the market.
But the percentage of viewers in ten's target demographic of 18-49 year olds (or more specifically 16-39s), is also a worry this year. BB is getting just over 30% of the viewers in the target audience.
New program Big Mouth is scoring just over 600,000 viewers, but a smaller audience is probably what that show needs given its adult content which could be in danger of being banned again if kids started tuning in.
FNL is still doing well with over 900,000 on a Friday night.
Even the second installment of Carson Crashes didn't live up part 1, which saw the highest viewership since the Launch Night. This week it was on against the State of Origin match.
The question has to be, why doesn't ten move the Daily Shows to 7:30pm? Most of ten's target audience are over watching Home & Away at 7:00. Seven and Nine generally start their programming for older audiences at 7:30, which would be the perfect time for ten to snatch most of the kids. If ten is sticking with its timeslot of 7:00 just to try and combat H&A, it is very noble, but stupid.
The Neighbours lead-in is also detracting from BB's audience as Neighbours's audience weakens.
We can't blame Gretel's absence because she was never around for the Daily Shows. Maybe the removal of Live Nominations (which always rated surprisingly well) has had an effect. Or maybe the lack of a live streaming component like UpLate has alienated viewers who now only get to see edited down teenage-oriented storylines via the DS.
Regardless of this, BB is still a cheap show to produce, and once sponsors are locked in for a season, ESS has made the money they need. The only effect the low ratings will have on BB is its chances on getting picked up for a 9th season, or the amount of advertising revenue they will make if the 9th season goes ahead.
The total number of viewers being down on last year isn't that much of a problem because every year experiences fewer total TV watchers, as internet and DVD take over the market.
But the percentage of viewers in ten's target demographic of 18-49 year olds (or more specifically 16-39s), is also a worry this year. BB is getting just over 30% of the viewers in the target audience.
New program Big Mouth is scoring just over 600,000 viewers, but a smaller audience is probably what that show needs given its adult content which could be in danger of being banned again if kids started tuning in.
FNL is still doing well with over 900,000 on a Friday night.
Even the second installment of Carson Crashes didn't live up part 1, which saw the highest viewership since the Launch Night. This week it was on against the State of Origin match.
The question has to be, why doesn't ten move the Daily Shows to 7:30pm? Most of ten's target audience are over watching Home & Away at 7:00. Seven and Nine generally start their programming for older audiences at 7:30, which would be the perfect time for ten to snatch most of the kids. If ten is sticking with its timeslot of 7:00 just to try and combat H&A, it is very noble, but stupid.
The Neighbours lead-in is also detracting from BB's audience as Neighbours's audience weakens.
We can't blame Gretel's absence because she was never around for the Daily Shows. Maybe the removal of Live Nominations (which always rated surprisingly well) has had an effect. Or maybe the lack of a live streaming component like UpLate has alienated viewers who now only get to see edited down teenage-oriented storylines via the DS.
Regardless of this, BB is still a cheap show to produce, and once sponsors are locked in for a season, ESS has made the money they need. The only effect the low ratings will have on BB is its chances on getting picked up for a 9th season, or the amount of advertising revenue they will make if the 9th season goes ahead.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Problem With The Eviction Twist
Although we've had 1 week already that proves my theory wrong, in an intelligent world it theoretically should be right.
On Friday night, we find out who will have the power to remove a HM from the nominees, saving them from eviction. Therefore, they potentially have the power to save themself if need be. We will assume this HM has all neurons firing and is smart enough to know to keep themselves in the game as long as possible, so if they are in the bottom 3 we will assume they will remove themself.
At this point the only way for the audience to ensure the FNL winner is even nominated is for them to land in exactly 4th bottom place in number of public votes. This is a statistic that is not even worth aiming for, especially since we do not know the order of the bottom HMs, the margin between them, or the total number of votes in total BB receives each week. Therefore, again assuming the audience is intelligent, a viewer who wanted the FNL winner evicted would realise the improbability of getting them nominated, and stop voting, and a viewer who wanted to save the FNL winner would know that they could save themself if in the bottom 3, and stop voting.
With (theoretically) no votes coming in for the FNL winner between Friday night and Sunday night, presumably the peak voting period, they are almost certain to end up in the bottom 3, and following the above logic, save themself and put someone else in their place. So, it is as if the FNL winner basically gets immunity from nomination/eviction. So why go to all the trouble of making it a twist?
That is the logical explanation anyway. But last week proved why they would go to all the trouble. Obviously the viewers did keep voting to save Rebecca (or she just happened to have enough votes to ensure she was still in with a chance), so Rebecca did not end up in the bottom 3, and then improbably did end up being in exactly 4th place and getting herself nominated, and then despite even having the 4 point bonus to help save herself, decided to use them to evict herself anyway. This is obviously the most illogical and improbable outcome for an eviction possible, yet somehow managed to happen in the second week!
So I guess all it proves is there is just no knowing what will happen on BB!
On Friday night, we find out who will have the power to remove a HM from the nominees, saving them from eviction. Therefore, they potentially have the power to save themself if need be. We will assume this HM has all neurons firing and is smart enough to know to keep themselves in the game as long as possible, so if they are in the bottom 3 we will assume they will remove themself.
At this point the only way for the audience to ensure the FNL winner is even nominated is for them to land in exactly 4th bottom place in number of public votes. This is a statistic that is not even worth aiming for, especially since we do not know the order of the bottom HMs, the margin between them, or the total number of votes in total BB receives each week. Therefore, again assuming the audience is intelligent, a viewer who wanted the FNL winner evicted would realise the improbability of getting them nominated, and stop voting, and a viewer who wanted to save the FNL winner would know that they could save themself if in the bottom 3, and stop voting.
With (theoretically) no votes coming in for the FNL winner between Friday night and Sunday night, presumably the peak voting period, they are almost certain to end up in the bottom 3, and following the above logic, save themself and put someone else in their place. So, it is as if the FNL winner basically gets immunity from nomination/eviction. So why go to all the trouble of making it a twist?
That is the logical explanation anyway. But last week proved why they would go to all the trouble. Obviously the viewers did keep voting to save Rebecca (or she just happened to have enough votes to ensure she was still in with a chance), so Rebecca did not end up in the bottom 3, and then improbably did end up being in exactly 4th place and getting herself nominated, and then despite even having the 4 point bonus to help save herself, decided to use them to evict herself anyway. This is obviously the most illogical and improbable outcome for an eviction possible, yet somehow managed to happen in the second week!
So I guess all it proves is there is just no knowing what will happen on BB!
Friday, May 23, 2008
BB Gets Cheap on Licensed Music
In past years of FNL, before the first commerical break they have always played the "Who Will Win" montage with clips of the HMs exercising in the House, accompanied by an instrumental of the song "Eye of the Tiger". This year BB has started using a soundalike track over the montage as a cheaper alternative.
New BB Concepts Not Getting Air Time
2 new concepts for BB08 are not getting any airtime in the Daily Show.
First is the Vending Machine, which has made at least 2 appearances so far and has failed to cause enough controversy to get into the night's show. HMs used their first week's currency to buy chocolates for everyone, and their second week's earnings to buy soft drinks and a cricket set. The second time around Brigitte's clothes were also on offer, and not purchased by HMs.
The other is the Strategy Room. Aside from the end of FNL, and small clips during the Sunday Daily Shows, BB has failed to get material worth broadcasting out of this venture. The Strategy Room has been opened several times during the last 2 weeks for HMs to form alliances and share voting secrets, but casual viewers would not know it existed.
First is the Vending Machine, which has made at least 2 appearances so far and has failed to cause enough controversy to get into the night's show. HMs used their first week's currency to buy chocolates for everyone, and their second week's earnings to buy soft drinks and a cricket set. The second time around Brigitte's clothes were also on offer, and not purchased by HMs.
The other is the Strategy Room. Aside from the end of FNL, and small clips during the Sunday Daily Shows, BB has failed to get material worth broadcasting out of this venture. The Strategy Room has been opened several times during the last 2 weeks for HMs to form alliances and share voting secrets, but casual viewers would not know it existed.
Brigitte's "Tough" Task
In last night's Daily Show, they made it look as if Brigitte was given her task to wear rose-coloured glasses for the entire day early in the morning, and had to put up with it all day long.
However according to the OS Diary, she did not get the task until around 5:25pm, and only had to wear the glasses and act positively until after the Family Dinner. 3 hours maybe?
Thank god the task had a twist, because BB made it way too easy on her.
Also, another offer BB made didn't even go to air. BB offered to give Brigitte her belongings back if she was willing to trade places with Nobbi in the Kombi Van. She declined this offer. Perhaps because she is enjoying the attention! While I don't agree with her bahaviour getting any more airtime than it already is, showing this would have shown that maybe her stuff isn't as important to her as she is making it out to be. At least in the Kombi, she would have plenty of time away from the HMs she believes hates her so much. Maybe making sure they see her cry is part of her plan!
However according to the OS Diary, she did not get the task until around 5:25pm, and only had to wear the glasses and act positively until after the Family Dinner. 3 hours maybe?
Thank god the task had a twist, because BB made it way too easy on her.
Also, another offer BB made didn't even go to air. BB offered to give Brigitte her belongings back if she was willing to trade places with Nobbi in the Kombi Van. She declined this offer. Perhaps because she is enjoying the attention! While I don't agree with her bahaviour getting any more airtime than it already is, showing this would have shown that maybe her stuff isn't as important to her as she is making it out to be. At least in the Kombi, she would have plenty of time away from the HMs she believes hates her so much. Maybe making sure they see her cry is part of her plan!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Carson's Back Tomorrow
Even though it happened a week ago, BB will air the second Carson Crashes special tomorrow night. Now that Rebecca has been evicted, will they edit her out of it and make it look "live"? If they do the fashion show in the same way as last time, they won't be able to, as they all stood along the back of the stage.
After watching some episodes of How to Look Good Naked, I have a new favourite Carson word, and I hope he uses it tomorrow night-- I like the way he turns the simple word "bra" into "BRRRRRAWWWWW". It's like he's never going to stop pronouncing it. Listen out for it!
After watching some episodes of How to Look Good Naked, I have a new favourite Carson word, and I hope he uses it tomorrow night-- I like the way he turns the simple word "bra" into "BRRRRRAWWWWW". It's like he's never going to stop pronouncing it. Listen out for it!
More Fuel for the Flame
Everybody's been speculating about Travis' sexuality. His clothes, his voice, his love of the Spice Girls, etc. Just now on the Live Stream they were talking about their favourite foods. Travis' favourite? Quiche!
Nathan & Renee, Dancing by the Tree. N, O, T, H, I, N, G!
From tonight's Daily Show, it seems that most of the HMs gave up rehearsing for this week's dance task not too long after their official practice session was over. Except for Nathan & Renne, who seemed to be "rehearsing" from 9am until well into the evening.
More likely it was just a chance for Nathan to be Mr Sucky Nice Guy to her all day, and Renee to be Miss Shy Tough Chick to him.
"Ooooh, I'm embarrassed to touch your face." Blargh!
Just hurry up and become this year's BB couple so we can evict Nathan and watch Renee get over him in 5 minutes flat and him to pine for her from the outside as if they still stand a chance! Renee was fun til Nathan came along.
More likely it was just a chance for Nathan to be Mr Sucky Nice Guy to her all day, and Renee to be Miss Shy Tough Chick to him.
"Ooooh, I'm embarrassed to touch your face." Blargh!
Just hurry up and become this year's BB couple so we can evict Nathan and watch Renee get over him in 5 minutes flat and him to pine for her from the outside as if they still stand a chance! Renee was fun til Nathan came along.
Right Back At Ya Tom
Last night on Big Mouth, special comedian guest Tom Gleeson went on a rant about how the only thing Terri ever says is "I'm 52. I'm 52. Oh, I'm 52..." and so on.
Shortly after that he went on to make a joke about himself being a red-head and getting sunburnt every time he goes into the sun-- a joke he tells in EVERY appearance he makes! He has done it in the Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala, when I saw him at the Jason Alexander comedy show a couple of years ago, and probably in every TV appearance I have seen him in.
So, Tom, when you base your entire professional existence on the same line, don't have a go at the HMs for being repetitive.
Shortly after that he went on to make a joke about himself being a red-head and getting sunburnt every time he goes into the sun-- a joke he tells in EVERY appearance he makes! He has done it in the Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala, when I saw him at the Jason Alexander comedy show a couple of years ago, and probably in every TV appearance I have seen him in.
So, Tom, when you base your entire professional existence on the same line, don't have a go at the HMs for being repetitive.
Monday, May 19, 2008
So They Think They Can Dance
Another BB cross-promotion task begins. Last week's cricket task was set up to promote the IPL Cricket now showing on Ten in the timeslot UpLate should inhabit. This week cross-promotes the SYTYCD national tour.
But it already seems like a good task. We have seen dancing tasks before in past years, but they usually involved the HMs all learning the same dance, e.g. BB05's Tango task (also a cross-promotion for the Fox movie Mr & Mrs Smith!) or BB07's Bollywood task. This week has the HMs paired up and each learning different styles to present to BB at the end of the week, and presumably the SYTYCD judges as well.
The pairs and styles were well-chosen too. Terri & David doing the German slap dance will be hilarious. Rory and Nobbi pulling some boy band moves! From the looks of it Brigitte will be a natural at her hip hop, but will get frustrated trying to get Travis to learn the moves.
As with most of these types of tasks, the performance will probably be seen on the live streams on Saturday night and aired in the Daily Show on Sunday.
But it already seems like a good task. We have seen dancing tasks before in past years, but they usually involved the HMs all learning the same dance, e.g. BB05's Tango task (also a cross-promotion for the Fox movie Mr & Mrs Smith!) or BB07's Bollywood task. This week has the HMs paired up and each learning different styles to present to BB at the end of the week, and presumably the SYTYCD judges as well.
The pairs and styles were well-chosen too. Terri & David doing the German slap dance will be hilarious. Rory and Nobbi pulling some boy band moves! From the looks of it Brigitte will be a natural at her hip hop, but will get frustrated trying to get Travis to learn the moves.
As with most of these types of tasks, the performance will probably be seen on the live streams on Saturday night and aired in the Daily Show on Sunday.
All Brigitte's Eggs In One Basket
... And the basket just got evicted!
By putting her allegiance with Rebecca and turning on all the other girls, Brigitte has left herself in the House without any girl buddies. Sure, Dixie and Bianca are just as bitchy, but at least they still have in-roads to friendships with Alice, Renee and Terri. Rebecca has left Brigitte without anyone.
So this week the relentless crying to BB will continue. Perhaps this week's task will bring her closer to Travis, who is like a girlfriend anyway.
By putting her allegiance with Rebecca and turning on all the other girls, Brigitte has left herself in the House without any girl buddies. Sure, Dixie and Bianca are just as bitchy, but at least they still have in-roads to friendships with Alice, Renee and Terri. Rebecca has left Brigitte without anyone.
So this week the relentless crying to BB will continue. Perhaps this week's task will bring her closer to Travis, who is like a girlfriend anyway.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Ninja Exposure Causes Info Leaks in the House
On the Live Stream Bianca just confirmed that the "Ninja" that did her hair and make-up (for the Carson Kressley special) told her she had seen the fight between Bianca and Corey on the show. When Bianca questionned which fight had been aired, the Ninja said she probably shouldn't have mentioned that.
But why are the Ninjas talking to them anyway? Shouldn't they have taken a vow of silence before entering the House for the special? Or maybe it is too much to ask a hairdresser to stop gossiping for more than 20 minutes!
But why are the Ninjas talking to them anyway? Shouldn't they have taken a vow of silence before entering the House for the special? Or maybe it is too much to ask a hairdresser to stop gossiping for more than 20 minutes!
Changes to Eviction Show
There were slight changes made to the Eviction format this week. It could have been taken further, but it was a big improvement already.
Firstly, more happened on stage. This is good news for those who paid $80 for an Eviction Show ticket. They had the chat with Mrs Travis, discussing her son's sexuality and constant questions posed about it. And also Corey live on stage-- although he said about 15 words during the 4 minute interview, it was good to have a send-off for him after his interesting stint in the House.
The nominations and voting worked the same way. It was still a bit drawn out, but as the number of HMs gets smaller the voting process will get shorter and shorter, but I guess so will the length of the whole Eviction Show.
Announcing the "safe" HM seemed a bit awkward as well. Kyle just blurted it out and no one was really sure if he had meant it. It could have been made a bit more official. But why announce a safe HM? Why not have the 3 of them fearing eviction until the last moment?
But then the way they pre-recorded the announcement during the commercial break and played it to the audience on delay so Rebecca could be backstage straight after the announcement was a good move. It keeps the suspense, but also allows them to go straight into the interview. While we know the evictee has really had 2 or 3 minutes by themselves on the buggy ride to the stage and getting mic'ed up, it still makes it seem more spontaneous. And some people who don't know the intricacies of the show might believe their fake little revolver on the back of the stage is really attached to the House.
The interview was still way too short, but maybe they will get longer as the show goes on and they have more to talk about. Also, maybe they don't have as many video packages edited together this year because they are not really sure who the nominees would be before the show. Crossing back to the House after the interview is almost unneeded. The segment could be better used for a longer interview.
The show was a lot better this week and hopefully more small improvements happen over the next few weeks. Hopefully the ratings will show an improvement this week as well.
Firstly, more happened on stage. This is good news for those who paid $80 for an Eviction Show ticket. They had the chat with Mrs Travis, discussing her son's sexuality and constant questions posed about it. And also Corey live on stage-- although he said about 15 words during the 4 minute interview, it was good to have a send-off for him after his interesting stint in the House.
The nominations and voting worked the same way. It was still a bit drawn out, but as the number of HMs gets smaller the voting process will get shorter and shorter, but I guess so will the length of the whole Eviction Show.
Announcing the "safe" HM seemed a bit awkward as well. Kyle just blurted it out and no one was really sure if he had meant it. It could have been made a bit more official. But why announce a safe HM? Why not have the 3 of them fearing eviction until the last moment?
But then the way they pre-recorded the announcement during the commercial break and played it to the audience on delay so Rebecca could be backstage straight after the announcement was a good move. It keeps the suspense, but also allows them to go straight into the interview. While we know the evictee has really had 2 or 3 minutes by themselves on the buggy ride to the stage and getting mic'ed up, it still makes it seem more spontaneous. And some people who don't know the intricacies of the show might believe their fake little revolver on the back of the stage is really attached to the House.
The interview was still way too short, but maybe they will get longer as the show goes on and they have more to talk about. Also, maybe they don't have as many video packages edited together this year because they are not really sure who the nominees would be before the show. Crossing back to the House after the interview is almost unneeded. The segment could be better used for a longer interview.
The show was a lot better this week and hopefully more small improvements happen over the next few weeks. Hopefully the ratings will show an improvement this week as well.
Rebecca Evicts... Herself
Who saw this coming? Rebecca-- winner of FNL and holder of the Eviction Twist --first repaid Travis for saving her last week by removing him from the Nomination line-up, but then she, herself, fell into the bottom three. Then, with double points to evict, chose herself as the next evictee with her 4 point advantage.
In the Daily Show from Friday night when Rebecca found out she was in the bottom 3, she confided in Brigitte that she would definitely save herself and she really wanted to be in the House. So enough happened in that weekend to make her want to leave.
In the past, one of the rules of nominations was that HMs could not nominate themselves. Either BB was not expecting anyone to choose to evict themselves and did not have a comeback for her, or BB really doesn't care who their points go to now, as long as they give reasons. And really, it is the ultimate strategic vote. With the strategy to let anyone other than yourself win!
As it turns out, if Rebecca hadn't voted for herself, and given her 4 points to Ben and 2 to Rory, she still would have been the evictee of the night. Results would have ended up Rebecca 18, Ben 17, Rory 7.
The result probably worked out for the best, too. I'm sure that Ben will become a great HM later in the series if he survives. He seems really funny but needs a smaller audience for his quiet voice to be heard and appreciated. Rory is a loud, dominant male, and without him the only alpha male left will be Nobbi, ruling over all the quieter boys.
Rebecca was leading the bitchfest. Over the weekend we saw all combinations of the girls in little groups, talking about the others, then moving into different little groups and talking with the ones they just bitched about, about the others. Rebecca was separating a lot of the groups of girls, and now with her gone, Dixie is the one doing it, which will be noticed and she will be dealt with soon.
The other HMs will never know during their stay that Rebecca sacrificed herself for their sakes. The question that will probably never be answered is, if she hadn't been evicted tonight, would she have still gone out of her way to leave?
In the Daily Show from Friday night when Rebecca found out she was in the bottom 3, she confided in Brigitte that she would definitely save herself and she really wanted to be in the House. So enough happened in that weekend to make her want to leave.
In the past, one of the rules of nominations was that HMs could not nominate themselves. Either BB was not expecting anyone to choose to evict themselves and did not have a comeback for her, or BB really doesn't care who their points go to now, as long as they give reasons. And really, it is the ultimate strategic vote. With the strategy to let anyone other than yourself win!
As it turns out, if Rebecca hadn't voted for herself, and given her 4 points to Ben and 2 to Rory, she still would have been the evictee of the night. Results would have ended up Rebecca 18, Ben 17, Rory 7.
The result probably worked out for the best, too. I'm sure that Ben will become a great HM later in the series if he survives. He seems really funny but needs a smaller audience for his quiet voice to be heard and appreciated. Rory is a loud, dominant male, and without him the only alpha male left will be Nobbi, ruling over all the quieter boys.
Rebecca was leading the bitchfest. Over the weekend we saw all combinations of the girls in little groups, talking about the others, then moving into different little groups and talking with the ones they just bitched about, about the others. Rebecca was separating a lot of the groups of girls, and now with her gone, Dixie is the one doing it, which will be noticed and she will be dealt with soon.
The other HMs will never know during their stay that Rebecca sacrificed herself for their sakes. The question that will probably never be answered is, if she hadn't been evicted tonight, would she have still gone out of her way to leave?
Eviction #2: Who Will Go?
It's a lot more difficult to judge this year because we don't really know who will be nominated for eviction until 7:30pm. Also it doesn't take much for the bottom 3 to change drastically, because on Friday night Bianca was not in the Danger Zone at 7pm, but by 9:30 when FNL was over, she was one of the bottom 3 confirmed to Rebecca.
So we can safely say Rebecca will not be evicted, because she has already said she will undoubtedly save herself if she is nominated. This year's voting method actually makes it more likely that she will be though, because why would the public vote for her after Friday night knowing she can save herself? The only reason to do so is to hope she ends up #4 on the list, so she will save someone else and fall into their place herself. An unlikely event to aim for.
Rory has kept himself out of the Danger Zone this week after his nomination last week. David has played the "unfortunate upbringing" card this week in a hope to save himself. Favourites Alice and Dixie have been in there all week.
We will probably see an all-girl bottom 3 this week, or if any of the guys slip in there it will be Nathan. I wouldn't mind seeing Nathan go this early as he is very boring.
I will guess it is time to go for either Alice, Bianca, or Nathan.
So we can safely say Rebecca will not be evicted, because she has already said she will undoubtedly save herself if she is nominated. This year's voting method actually makes it more likely that she will be though, because why would the public vote for her after Friday night knowing she can save herself? The only reason to do so is to hope she ends up #4 on the list, so she will save someone else and fall into their place herself. An unlikely event to aim for.
Rory has kept himself out of the Danger Zone this week after his nomination last week. David has played the "unfortunate upbringing" card this week in a hope to save himself. Favourites Alice and Dixie have been in there all week.
We will probably see an all-girl bottom 3 this week, or if any of the guys slip in there it will be Nathan. I wouldn't mind seeing Nathan go this early as he is very boring.
I will guess it is time to go for either Alice, Bianca, or Nathan.
Separated at Birth?
It was pointed out to me that Scout from the video game Team Fortress 2 may be Travis' long lost twin. What do you think?
Friday, May 16, 2008
Nobbi, Put Your Clothes On, Why Dontcha?
Nobbi's scantily-claddedness is getting on my nerves. He rarely has a shirt on, and now half the time he's in his underwear. He was the first to get naked under the shower-- and that was the outdoor shower! Is he a nudist? If Saxon had taken Nobbi's possessions from him with the Hand Grenade, I don't think he'd mine one bit.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Carson Crashes BB's Closet Again: UPDATED
Carson Kressley will be returning to the BB House next Tueday to record another Wednesday night special where he will make over the remaining HMs.
And why wouldn't they when his special this week attracted 1.24 million viewers (42.3% 18-49s), even after a dismal lead in from the Daily Show with only 967,000 viewers (34.2% 18-49s).
Still in need of a makeover are Alice, Bianca, David, Dixie, Nathan, Nobbi, Rebecca, and Travis. However this list also contains the 5 names that make up the current Danger Zone list, so it is likely one of them will be evicted this Sunday before they get their chance.
Kyle also promised Carson would make an appearance on Sunday night's Eviction show. That's 3 live plugs for HTLGN just during BB airtime.
This week's special was very good. Carson had a great rapport with the HMs, whereas some celebrity guests could have been patronising to them. Unfortunately either the taping ran long or they crammed it into his schedule too tightly because he really rushed off afterwards. Would be great if this time he could stay for a bit of a party or a drink with them.
UPDATE: The special was actually recorded last night, 6 days before it will go to air. HMs were not happy since all they wanted was a birthday party for Rebecca. They got locked out of the House til 1am and still hadn't had dinner because they had expected food for the party that never happened. Live streaming was interrupted all night on the OS to hide the fact something was going on. Also, no mention of Carson or the makeovers has been made on the OS News or Diary. Similarly, Corey's departure from the House has been covered up on the OS, obviously waiting for Channel 10 to get the scoop tonight before they put any news up there.
And why wouldn't they when his special this week attracted 1.24 million viewers (42.3% 18-49s), even after a dismal lead in from the Daily Show with only 967,000 viewers (34.2% 18-49s).
Still in need of a makeover are Alice, Bianca, David, Dixie, Nathan, Nobbi, Rebecca, and Travis. However this list also contains the 5 names that make up the current Danger Zone list, so it is likely one of them will be evicted this Sunday before they get their chance.
Kyle also promised Carson would make an appearance on Sunday night's Eviction show. That's 3 live plugs for HTLGN just during BB airtime.
This week's special was very good. Carson had a great rapport with the HMs, whereas some celebrity guests could have been patronising to them. Unfortunately either the taping ran long or they crammed it into his schedule too tightly because he really rushed off afterwards. Would be great if this time he could stay for a bit of a party or a drink with them.
UPDATE: The special was actually recorded last night, 6 days before it will go to air. HMs were not happy since all they wanted was a birthday party for Rebecca. They got locked out of the House til 1am and still hadn't had dinner because they had expected food for the party that never happened. Live streaming was interrupted all night on the OS to hide the fact something was going on. Also, no mention of Carson or the makeovers has been made on the OS News or Diary. Similarly, Corey's departure from the House has been covered up on the OS, obviously waiting for Channel 10 to get the scoop tonight before they put any news up there.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Houseplan Version 3
A BBBA forum member was nice enough to send me some of his screenshots of different angles of the House, and I have updated some final inaccuracies and details in my houseplan.
Also, tonight's Carson Crashes BB's Closet special was edited to look like going through the seemingly magical cloud door in the backyard led the HMs into Casron's Closet (aka the Eviction Room), but from the house layout you can see they were taken for a fair walk around the camera run (presumably blindfolded) to get to their destination.
Edit: HMs were locked in the backyard while this went on. Why didn't BB simply usher the make-over HMs to the purple ninja-access door near the pools? It is the closest exit point to the Eviction Room/Carson's Closet. Maybe BB really wants us and the HMs to focus on that cloud door being "the great unknown".
(Click image to view it full size in a new window)
Also, tonight's Carson Crashes BB's Closet special was edited to look like going through the seemingly magical cloud door in the backyard led the HMs into Casron's Closet (aka the Eviction Room), but from the house layout you can see they were taken for a fair walk around the camera run (presumably blindfolded) to get to their destination.
Edit: HMs were locked in the backyard while this went on. Why didn't BB simply usher the make-over HMs to the purple ninja-access door near the pools? It is the closest exit point to the Eviction Room/Carson's Closet. Maybe BB really wants us and the HMs to focus on that cloud door being "the great unknown".
(Click image to view it full size in a new window)
Changes to Sunday Format
BB has felt the ratings dive for the first Sunday Eviction, and producers have started reworking the format of the Live Eviction show for this week. Ads airing now are vague about the changes, but promise "You won't know who is evicted until the very end". Well, wasn't that one of the problems? That the evictee was announced too late and there was hardly any time for an on-stage interview.
Main complaints have been:
Main complaints have been:
- Little interaction with the hosts and live audience for most of the show
- The voting process is too slow
- The Eviction Revolver took away the surprise of the eviction for both the HMs and the audience
- The on-stage interview was too short
It is probably too late now to change the nomination/eviction process for the year. The only way they could do this without Kyle and Jackie available Monday nights to host would be to go back to the BB01 style of pre-recording the nominations during the day and airing the highlights during the Daily Show.
Anyway, I don't think there is anything wrong with the new process, as it will see the boring or inconsequential HMs evicted first. It has already delivered one of the most boring HMs from the House.
But one rumour that is going around is Gretel's famous catchphrase "It's time to go" will make its return this weekend.
Looking forward to seeing how the changes improve the pacing and suspense.
New Gimmick Missing From Daily Show
BB's latest gimmick, the BB Vending Machine, failed to make an appearance in tonight's Daily Show. Undoubtedly it will return many times throughout the season, but its first appearance to the HMs must have failed to make a splash.
While 4 of the HMs were in "Bali", BB gave the others 15 coins to spend in the BB Vending Machine. Items included personal things such as Nathan's treasured item, and a new pair of heart-shaped sunglasses to replace Travis' broken pair, to items to share such as chocolates. In the end the altruistic option won, and all HMs divvied up the chocolates between themselves.
I'm sure if Nathan picked his own item to purchase it would have made a storyline for the Daily Show, but the HMs are being too nice now.
I can't wait for BB to put Princess Sparkles in there and see what Brigitte or the others decide to do with their pocket money. Some HMs would feel sorry for her and buy back the toy. Maybe they would do it to shut up her continual crying. But perhaps someone like Nobbi would have Saxon's legend live on and leave the stuffed unicorn behind glass to set off Brigitte on another outburst.
While 4 of the HMs were in "Bali", BB gave the others 15 coins to spend in the BB Vending Machine. Items included personal things such as Nathan's treasured item, and a new pair of heart-shaped sunglasses to replace Travis' broken pair, to items to share such as chocolates. In the end the altruistic option won, and all HMs divvied up the chocolates between themselves.
I'm sure if Nathan picked his own item to purchase it would have made a storyline for the Daily Show, but the HMs are being too nice now.
I can't wait for BB to put Princess Sparkles in there and see what Brigitte or the others decide to do with their pocket money. Some HMs would feel sorry for her and buy back the toy. Maybe they would do it to shut up her continual crying. But perhaps someone like Nobbi would have Saxon's legend live on and leave the stuffed unicorn behind glass to set off Brigitte on another outburst.
Versatile Big Brother
The main BB voice this year is last year's deputy BB, and has always been the funny one.
And he is getting his chance to show his talents this last week-- so far playing a rapper during FNL, a flight captain on the flight to and from "Bali", a cricket umpire for this week's task, and a fashion show announcer when Carson Kressley crashed the compound.
Do you do accents, too, Big Brother?
And he is getting his chance to show his talents this last week-- so far playing a rapper during FNL, a flight captain on the flight to and from "Bali", a cricket umpire for this week's task, and a fashion show announcer when Carson Kressley crashed the compound.
Do you do accents, too, Big Brother?
Dixie and Her Food
Dixie quickly became known as the house's food thief when the topic was brought up during the first Family Meeting. She admitted to sleeping with an apple under her pillow which she wanted to eat later, and hiding tea bags in her bra, then offering them to other HMs.
In tonight's Daily Show we saw that she is more interested in stuffing her face with breakfast than participating in this week's task. Even after she missed one catch and checked to make sure no one noticed, she continued eating and missed a second one. But doesn't she realise that the reason she has a nice breakfast in front of her is because they passed last week's task? They are well on the way to failing, and then she is back on staples. Maybe just anything edible is satisfactory.
In tonight's Daily Show we saw that she is more interested in stuffing her face with breakfast than participating in this week's task. Even after she missed one catch and checked to make sure no one noticed, she continued eating and missed a second one. But doesn't she realise that the reason she has a nice breakfast in front of her is because they passed last week's task? They are well on the way to failing, and then she is back on staples. Maybe just anything edible is satisfactory.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Holiday House to Return
Just noticed when Kyle and Jackie introduced the BB aeroplane and Holiday House, Kyle said the plane could take them to heaven or could take them to hell, and this time it will take them heaven. Sounds like what I mentioned before about BB scrapping the Bali resort and building a new holiday location there to use later in the series will come true. But what kind of hell holiday could they produce? Maybe if they installed sprinklers on the roof they could have the yard start "raining" whenever one of them goes outside the bedroom.
Dixie Getting Nasty
On Monday night's DS we saw Dixie have a go at Ben just for overhearing him say her name. All he did was tell Nobbi that Dixie was enjoying watching Brigitte without her belongings. He didn't say anything bad about her. He wasn't "bitching". And when Ben explained this to Dixie she said she understood, but continued to harass him about it. It didn't sound like forgiveness to me.
Then on tonight's show Dixie took Bianca's willingness to do a lot of the cooking, made it sound as if Bianca was whinging about having to cook, when she was just saying she didn't mind if she had to cook extra meals, and again went on about it, even when the situation was explained to her.
For a mental health worker, she is not very understanding and is not a good listener. Maybe her own mental health being seen on BB will cost her a job.
Then on tonight's show Dixie took Bianca's willingness to do a lot of the cooking, made it sound as if Bianca was whinging about having to cook, when she was just saying she didn't mind if she had to cook extra meals, and again went on about it, even when the situation was explained to her.
For a mental health worker, she is not very understanding and is not a good listener. Maybe her own mental health being seen on BB will cost her a job.
There IS Less To Brigitte Than Meets The Eye
How long can Brigitte remain upset about her lost belongings? Did she expect everything to go her way when she went into the BB House? Was she not even looking for a challenge? It seems like she is far too precious to be in there.
It is so funny to watch, but unfortunately has dominated the Daily Show for 2 days. The greatest moment was when she first started crying when the reality sunk in, and she sobbed "What does 'indefinitely' mean?"
Her first reaction was to leave the show immediately because she couldn't sleep without her unicorn and bear, and she wants her mum. She has asked to leave, has gone on a hunger strike (did she get this idea from Ja'mie on Summer Heights High?), and has pestered BB to the point where he begged her to get out of the Diary Room. If this is really how her mind works, who knows how she will ever get through life.
In fact, if she wasn't in the BB House, this reaction might get her everything she wanted. Imagine an employer telling her she is fired, then she breaks down into a moronic relentless sook. She'd have her job back in 5 minutes. Thank god BB is standing strong and hasn't gone giving her back things. In fact he is even playing along with her game, talking to her through Dixie, providing her with a pillowcase and scissors to create her own Sound-of-Music-style fashions. Everything she doesn't want him to do.
I wonder how her parents feel watching their little 5 year old on Big Brother!
It is so funny to watch, but unfortunately has dominated the Daily Show for 2 days. The greatest moment was when she first started crying when the reality sunk in, and she sobbed "What does 'indefinitely' mean?"
Her first reaction was to leave the show immediately because she couldn't sleep without her unicorn and bear, and she wants her mum. She has asked to leave, has gone on a hunger strike (did she get this idea from Ja'mie on Summer Heights High?), and has pestered BB to the point where he begged her to get out of the Diary Room. If this is really how her mind works, who knows how she will ever get through life.
In fact, if she wasn't in the BB House, this reaction might get her everything she wanted. Imagine an employer telling her she is fired, then she breaks down into a moronic relentless sook. She'd have her job back in 5 minutes. Thank god BB is standing strong and hasn't gone giving her back things. In fact he is even playing along with her game, talking to her through Dixie, providing her with a pillowcase and scissors to create her own Sound-of-Music-style fashions. Everything she doesn't want him to do.
I wonder how her parents feel watching their little 5 year old on Big Brother!
Updated Houseplan
I have made some changes to the floorplan for the BB House.
- The Strategy Room and Eviction Room have been fleshed out. The Strategy Room is actually part of the Eviction Room, with a false wall to make it smaller. There is a door between these rooms and the Living Room, next to the Diary Room door. When HMs accessed the Diary Room from the door at the other end of the Eviction Room, I believe this was via a short tunnel sectioned off, normally used as the camera run.
- The Holiday House has been detailed a bit more, with the garden and bedroom areas, and the rough location of the pool.
- The BB aeroplane has been labelled.
- The shape of the Living Room, entrance from the backyard, temptation screen, and dining room has been moved around a bit to match the wall positions in the House.
- The outdoor toilet has been added in.
- The eviction red carpet has been added.
(Click to see image full size in a new window)
Vending Machine Watch (Updating)
THIS POST UPDATES WEEKLY
Given the light coverage BB's Vending Machine is getting this year, check here to see what they have to spend, what they have to buy, and what they choose each week.
INTRODUCTION
The BB Vending Machine appears every Tuesday and contains several sought after items in the BB House. Some are for the good of all. Some are personal items that affect only one HM. Head of Household (FNL Winner) is given a budget of up to 20 coins, based on how well behaved they have been for the week. HoH can discuss the purchase of items with HMs, but has ultimate power over what items are taken from the machine into the BB House.
WEEK 3 (Day 16)
Head of House: Nathan
Spending Money: 14 coins
Items Available:
Head of House: Alice (Inherited HoH from Rebecca when evicted)
Spending Money: 16 coins
Items Available:
Head of House: Alice
Spending Money: 16 coins
Items Available:
Head of House: Renee
Spending Money: 14 coins
Items Available:
Head of House: Nobbi
Spending Money: 18 coins
Items Available:
Head of House: Nobbi
Spending Money: 18 coins
Items Purchased:
Head of House: Brigitte
Spending Money: 15 coins
Items Available:
Head of House: Cherry
Spending Money: 10 coins
Items Available:
Week 11 (Day 72)
Head of House: Cherry
Spending Money: 16 coins
Items Available:
WEEK 12 (Day 79) - The Final Vend!
Head of House: Ben
Spending Money: 20 coins
Items Available:
Given the light coverage BB's Vending Machine is getting this year, check here to see what they have to spend, what they have to buy, and what they choose each week.
INTRODUCTION
The BB Vending Machine appears every Tuesday and contains several sought after items in the BB House. Some are for the good of all. Some are personal items that affect only one HM. Head of Household (FNL Winner) is given a budget of up to 20 coins, based on how well behaved they have been for the week. HoH can discuss the purchase of items with HMs, but has ultimate power over what items are taken from the machine into the BB House.
WEEK 3 (Day 16)
Head of House: Nathan
Spending Money: 14 coins
Items Available:
- Hair straightener
- Chocolates
- Coffee
- Cans of soft drink
- 2 pillow slips and scissors for Brigitte
- Travis' red heart sunglasses
- Mystery Item: Nathan's cherished personal possession
Items Purchased:
- Soft drinks
- Chocolates
Head of House: Alice (Inherited HoH from Rebecca when evicted)
Spending Money: 16 coins
Items Available:
- Some of Brigitte's clothes
- Cans of soft drink
- Chocolates
- Cricket set
- Pamper pack
- Coffee
- Footy results
- Mystery Item: Gnocchi (Alice's favourite food)
- Chocolates
- Cricket set
Head of House: Alice
Spending Money: 16 coins
Items Available:
- Chocolates
- Puppy chews for Ollie
- Brigitte’s running shoes
- Ben's personal photos
- Bianca's personal photos
- Mystery Item: "Austin Powers" movie (Alice's favourite movie)
Items Purchased:
- Chocolates
- Ben's Photos
Head of House: Renee
Spending Money: 14 coins
Items Available:
- Dubbo Rhinos football results (Renee's favourite team)
- Invitation for Nobbi to attend the Family Dinner for 1 week
- Hair straightener
- Milo
- A movie pass
Items Purchased:
- Invitation for Nobbi to attend Family Dinner
Head of House: Nobbi
Spending Money: 18 coins
Items Available:
- Hair straightener
- Bedroom makeover, giving them some single beds
- Pamper pack
- Chocolate
- Soft drinks
- Football & frisbee
- A party dress for Brigitte's 21st birthday party this Saturday
Items Purchased:
- Brigitte's dress
- Football & frisbee
- Chocolate
Fallout: Yes, at last the Vending Machine makes it to the Daily Show because it caused some contention. Over half of the HMs wanted the hair straightener and Nobbi refused to buy it, instead buying them a chocolate bar each. This almost brough some HMs to tears! This will make the girls extra keen to win FNL this week just so they can choose the items next week. Who knows if it will even be in there though. Or will an item Nobbi would want be in there to choose?
Week 8 (Day 51)Head of House: Nobbi
Spending Money: 18 coins
Items Purchased:
- Hair straighener
- Nobbi's boxing equipment
- Steak and wine dinner for Brigitte and Terrence (to annoy Brigitte)
Head of House: Brigitte
Spending Money: 15 coins
Items Available:
- Grenade Reversals
- Hair product
- Magnum Icecream
- Milo
- Golf set
- Dinner for Two
- Reverse Brigitte's Grenade (she gets her belongings back)
- Reverse Bianca's Grenade (Night Watchman)
- Reverse Cherry's Grenade (Housekeeper)
Head of House: Cherry
Spending Money: 10 coins
Items Available:
- Surfing Magazine
- Diary Room Dinner for Two
- Mole Clues
Items Purchased:
- 2 Mole Clues: "The Mole is not Terri" / "The Mole is not Rory"
Week 11 (Day 72)
Head of House: Cherry
Spending Money: 16 coins
Items Available:
- Letter from home for Terri
- Professional haircut and colour for Brigitte and Alice
- Indoor Tennis
- Terri's Letter
- Indoor Tennis
WEEK 12 (Day 79) - The Final Vend!
Head of House: Ben
Spending Money: 20 coins
Items Available:
- Care packages from home for 2 HMs
- Ben's care package
- Travis' care package
Monday, May 12, 2008
BB in Bali
The BB Bali holiday for 4 HMs seems like a bit of fun. The mockup aeroplane cabin was a good trick rather than just walking through the door. Although it was incredibly fake (and good on BB for showing the HMs making fun of it all in the Daily Show), it added to the illusion for the HMs, by simulating the travel time to an exotic location.
The tropical garden looks great and the luxuries would be a welcome change for them. The open-air bedroom is something different too.
I wonder if the 4 HMs really were chosen at random. They seem to be a few of the underdogs. I get the feeling if Terri or Nobbi, who have had plenty of screen time already, were picked, they might have been put back on the bottom of the pile again. I think it is BB's way of separating the groups to amplify the viewers'feelings about certain HMs and give them some time in the spotlight.
In contrast the cricket task going on in the House is a bit dull. It is a variation on a theme they have used many times before. At least it will ensure they get 24 hours of conversation during the task.
You have to wonder if some bigger task is coming for the Bali HMs or if they are really just going to live the week in their luxury location, or if the HMs will swap at some point. With Carson Kressley making a guest appearance in the House, you'd think they would all have to be in one place for that. Will BB make them sit on the plane again to get back to Australia?
A great twist would be if after this week, BB destroys the tropical garden, refits the whole area into a different holiday theme, and sends another group of HMs there in a few weeks' time.
I don't think I've seen the real point of the task yet, but it seems lucky for the HMs chosen to spend their time there. Let's hope whatever twist BB has for the task pays off.
The tropical garden looks great and the luxuries would be a welcome change for them. The open-air bedroom is something different too.
I wonder if the 4 HMs really were chosen at random. They seem to be a few of the underdogs. I get the feeling if Terri or Nobbi, who have had plenty of screen time already, were picked, they might have been put back on the bottom of the pile again. I think it is BB's way of separating the groups to amplify the viewers'feelings about certain HMs and give them some time in the spotlight.
In contrast the cricket task going on in the House is a bit dull. It is a variation on a theme they have used many times before. At least it will ensure they get 24 hours of conversation during the task.
You have to wonder if some bigger task is coming for the Bali HMs or if they are really just going to live the week in their luxury location, or if the HMs will swap at some point. With Carson Kressley making a guest appearance in the House, you'd think they would all have to be in one place for that. Will BB make them sit on the plane again to get back to Australia?
A great twist would be if after this week, BB destroys the tropical garden, refits the whole area into a different holiday theme, and sends another group of HMs there in a few weeks' time.
I don't think I've seen the real point of the task yet, but it seems lucky for the HMs chosen to spend their time there. Let's hope whatever twist BB has for the task pays off.
Viewers' HM Audition Votes Discarded
Last year we were told we would have a say in the HMs that enter the BB House in 2008. The promise was that the top 3 public voted video auditionees would be guaranteed a place in the House lineup, and the next 50 would be called for face to face auditions with producers.
In reality, the 14 that entered on Launch Night did not include any of the top 3 voted HMs. BB even told them they "weren't even close", suggesting they weren't even in the top 50. It is likely BB scraped up all auditionees, regardless of their public votes, to gather the 14 he wanted to feature.
1 week later we had a special show where the 3 voted HMs were introduced and inserted into the House as "official housemates", thus ensuring BB's promise of guaranteeing them a HM position was kept. However only 2 days later Terri was asked to get rid of 2 of them. The 2 HMs, Barney and Michael, were evicted. Surely, after being 2 of the most popular auditionees among viewers the eviction was fake. They will have some secret mission won't they? Well, we have not seen them since. They did not appear on FNL, the Eviction show, or Big Mouth. They were not waiting in the Resort House for the other HMs. They did not have any media commitments that I know of. They have just disappeared.
I bet those 2 wish they had not been voted into the top 3 now, as they would have had a better chance if they got to audition for producers like the others.
It just shows BB's faith in the viewers to choose their own HMs did not last long, and probably won't be tried again. We did get a great batch of HMs regardless, so the video auditions obviously worked well for them, so maybe that aspect will be back again for BB09, without the public voting.
Also, is it strange that BB hasn't put the HMs'audition videos on the website to rewatch? Maybe some of them didn't actually submit an audition video!
In reality, the 14 that entered on Launch Night did not include any of the top 3 voted HMs. BB even told them they "weren't even close", suggesting they weren't even in the top 50. It is likely BB scraped up all auditionees, regardless of their public votes, to gather the 14 he wanted to feature.
1 week later we had a special show where the 3 voted HMs were introduced and inserted into the House as "official housemates", thus ensuring BB's promise of guaranteeing them a HM position was kept. However only 2 days later Terri was asked to get rid of 2 of them. The 2 HMs, Barney and Michael, were evicted. Surely, after being 2 of the most popular auditionees among viewers the eviction was fake. They will have some secret mission won't they? Well, we have not seen them since. They did not appear on FNL, the Eviction show, or Big Mouth. They were not waiting in the Resort House for the other HMs. They did not have any media commitments that I know of. They have just disappeared.
I bet those 2 wish they had not been voted into the top 3 now, as they would have had a better chance if they got to audition for producers like the others.
It just shows BB's faith in the viewers to choose their own HMs did not last long, and probably won't be tried again. We did get a great batch of HMs regardless, so the video auditions obviously worked well for them, so maybe that aspect will be back again for BB09, without the public voting.
Also, is it strange that BB hasn't put the HMs'audition videos on the website to rewatch? Maybe some of them didn't actually submit an audition video!
Saxon First Evictee
Saxon is the first "real" evictee, given that Michael and Barney seem to have just disappeared.
I don't think we've lost too much. He was the alpha male, holding the rest of the boys back from mixing with the girls. Unfortunately now Nobbi is left as alpha male, and he's not the guy you want dominating the decisions of the House. Saxon was the self-confessed racist, and was apparently constantly holding himself back from his normal angry personality, which we never saw.
The best Saxon moments of the year were:
I don't think we've lost too much. He was the alpha male, holding the rest of the boys back from mixing with the girls. Unfortunately now Nobbi is left as alpha male, and he's not the guy you want dominating the decisions of the House. Saxon was the self-confessed racist, and was apparently constantly holding himself back from his normal angry personality, which we never saw.
The best Saxon moments of the year were:
- His constantly threatening that his suppressed anger could blow up at any moment, but never actually seeing anything come of it. This reminded me of Mr Furious (Ben Stiller) from Mystery Men who claimed that getting very angry was his super power, but never actually helped him achieve anything.
- Launch night when Nobbi told him his Japanese tattoo did not actually say "Star Warrior" as he thought, but "Star DIRT"! Someone will be under the tattoo needle very shortly I think!
New Eviction Format
The new eviction format was unsuspenseful and very involved. Improvements will probably be made over the next week or so to get the format streamlined and right.
Firstly, the eviction room was a good idea, being properly set up to see all the HMs (this year's lounge is not the best for group shots), but it wasn't really used as I expected. Once they announced the nominees and they all went off to vote, they ended up back in the lounge anyway. I thought at least the nominees would remain in the other room, but they too had to return to the lounge for the Revolver (unfortunately in Saxon's case, the revolver is also not as I expected!).
So, the whole first hour of the show ignored the fact they had a live audience sitting there and just involved Kyle and Jackie throwing to BB doing all the work in the House. I'm sure the crowd were enthralled having paid $80 to sit in a cold amphitheatre and watch a TV.
The housemates were obviously not told to keep their answers brief. After watching the last few years of nominations a few of them seemed to think they had to talk for 2 minutes, but BB was accepting minimal answers (which is good).
Keeping the nominees' votes secret from the audience was a good idea because I actually thought, from guessig who the nominees would probably vote for, that David was certain to be evicted, so I was surprised when Saxon left.
So, after returning to the lounge, the nominees stepped into revolver. This concept has potential, but to be suspensful, they need to release 1 of the 2 safe HMs back to the House, then have the evictee ready at the eviction doors and announce the evictee with Jackie and do the little interview, or show them walking through the camera run and out the eviction door. Maybe they could even keep the 2nd safe HM in the revolver until after the commercial break to keep the HMs in suspense too. Also, to make the nominees nervous they should at least spin the room several times so they don't know who will be returning. Rory said they didn't move it at all. Plus BB stuffed up by saying David was safe, when Rory stepped out of the room. Plus why not set up a camera that can see inside the revolver and see it spinning and the looks on the HMs faces!
After all the time taken to do all this, there was only 20 mins left to do an eviction interview, and it seemed really hurried. And this was the only real part the live audience got to witness on the stage.
Next week they need to hurry through the announcement of the nominees and the twist, tell the HMs to keep their votes brief, use the revolving room to its full potential-- show the HMs in there turning around. Even announce the evictee by spinning the room and stopping on the evictee's compartment. In any case they must announce the evictee before showing both safe HMs returning to the House. And keep plenty of time aside for the interview, because that is what we, and the live audience, want to see.
Firstly, the eviction room was a good idea, being properly set up to see all the HMs (this year's lounge is not the best for group shots), but it wasn't really used as I expected. Once they announced the nominees and they all went off to vote, they ended up back in the lounge anyway. I thought at least the nominees would remain in the other room, but they too had to return to the lounge for the Revolver (unfortunately in Saxon's case, the revolver is also not as I expected!).
So, the whole first hour of the show ignored the fact they had a live audience sitting there and just involved Kyle and Jackie throwing to BB doing all the work in the House. I'm sure the crowd were enthralled having paid $80 to sit in a cold amphitheatre and watch a TV.
The housemates were obviously not told to keep their answers brief. After watching the last few years of nominations a few of them seemed to think they had to talk for 2 minutes, but BB was accepting minimal answers (which is good).
Keeping the nominees' votes secret from the audience was a good idea because I actually thought, from guessig who the nominees would probably vote for, that David was certain to be evicted, so I was surprised when Saxon left.
So, after returning to the lounge, the nominees stepped into revolver. This concept has potential, but to be suspensful, they need to release 1 of the 2 safe HMs back to the House, then have the evictee ready at the eviction doors and announce the evictee with Jackie and do the little interview, or show them walking through the camera run and out the eviction door. Maybe they could even keep the 2nd safe HM in the revolver until after the commercial break to keep the HMs in suspense too. Also, to make the nominees nervous they should at least spin the room several times so they don't know who will be returning. Rory said they didn't move it at all. Plus BB stuffed up by saying David was safe, when Rory stepped out of the room. Plus why not set up a camera that can see inside the revolver and see it spinning and the looks on the HMs faces!
After all the time taken to do all this, there was only 20 mins left to do an eviction interview, and it seemed really hurried. And this was the only real part the live audience got to witness on the stage.
Next week they need to hurry through the announcement of the nominees and the twist, tell the HMs to keep their votes brief, use the revolving room to its full potential-- show the HMs in there turning around. Even announce the evictee by spinning the room and stopping on the evictee's compartment. In any case they must announce the evictee before showing both safe HMs returning to the House. And keep plenty of time aside for the interview, because that is what we, and the live audience, want to see.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
House Floorplan
After tonight we have seen pretty much all of the House there is to see I think. In the absence of a proper floorplan on the official website, I have updated the previous year's floorplan to show the layout of this year's house. Here's what I think it roughly looks like.
(Click to see image full size in a new window)
(Click to see image full size in a new window)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Housemate Review: Who Are They Now?
We are 2 weeks into the series now, and there is an eviction looming. We've seen plenty of the HMs now, so who do they seem to be and what do they really bring to the series?
ALICE
She is the one I saw least potential in on Day 1. I didn't see much of interest coming from her then, and I can't say I do now either. Apart from a potential hookup with the short-lived Barney, and her cooking skills that apparently leave a lot to be desired, she hasn't provided any good Daily Show story lines. I can't see any real bond with other HMs either which will be a downfall if she ends up in the bottom 3-- and she has been in the Danger Zone for most of the week.
BEN
He is one of the most quiet HMs, but he has a really funny side that I think is being shadowed by the bigger personalities. We have seen him playing characters during Mr BB, and I think more of this entertaining side will come out if he is in there when the numbers are down to about 8 or less. But while he is on the quiet side, he has more chance of ending up nominated, and will require the HMs' backing to keep himself in there.
BIANCA
She says she is there to prove a point to Australia. She wants to be a role model for all teenagers because she is intelligent, doesn't drink, smoke, or do drugs, and is obedient. Does she think she's perfect? I actually now believe her when she says being attractive is her curse, because although she knows how to dress up nice, she really does downplay her looks. It's just the rest she goes on about. Corey has really challenged her beliefs and her strength and that has been a good character builder for her on the show, now that she has stopped going on about him. If she can let go of the act and show her true colours she could probably be a great HM.
BRIGITTE
You've always gotta love the ditzy one, but there's something about this one. She's either way too smart and is overplaying the dumb blonde, or she is the dumbest blonde the house has ever seen. All this Pricess Sparkle business is way too much to tolerate. Get over your little horsie already! Plus for the ditzy chick, we really haven't seen much of the usual mockery made of her. If we don't hear some real blonde comments from her soon, then she doesn't add enough to the house.
DAVID
This guy has a creepy background, and the creepiness has stuck with him. There is something just too odd about this bloke. He seems friendly enough. But I can't help but think of him being like the Brendan Fraser in Blast From the Past, where he's been secluded from the real world for so long and now he's trying to catch up on life. He offers the house nothing and would not be missed. The only thing he has building up for him is the day he decides to tell the HMs about his childhood and the big sob-story begins, but he might be holding back a little too long. You'd think he would have let it out a few days before the eviction at least.
DIXIE
The question isn't whether she'll last through an eviction. It's whether she'll last until an eviction! She has said many times since she got there that she wants to leave. For a mental health worker she seems very unstable! Aside from the tears, she seems to know how to have fun and is very funny. She's formed close relationships with some of the HMs which will help save her. She just has to relax and enjoy what she's doing before it's over. I can see her getting a fair way through the series.
NATHAN
Well he's safe this week, and we've only known him a short time. He seems like Mr Nice Guy. I doubt he'll get into any conflict which will see him become another under the radar guy and he'll be nominated many times. But he'll be popular in the house with both the guys and the girls. He gets along with both groups pretty well so far.
NOBBI
One thing he has going for him is how entertaining it is to watch him get the raw end of every deal. The HMs have taken a shine to him. I expected him to be in with the blokes, but a lot of the girls are on his side as well surprisingly. All I see is a bully, a whinger, and a sleaze. If this guy was lapping up luxuries in the house I would hate him, but the fact that he thinks he is suffering every minute of his life makes me enjoy pitying him. He knows how to play the game, and he will continue to bond with the tough guys and intimidate the weak guys, and argue his way through everything. And when he doesn't get his way, he will stamp his feet and have a tantrum like the spoilt little cry baby he is. Funny stuff.
REBECCA
Bianca may be the intelligent good-looking one, but Rebecca is the intelligent good-looking one with a personality. She could have easily been mistaken for the bimbo cover-girl, but she is showing there is a lot more to her. She's not getting a lot of screen time without the help of others but hopefully she'll last a while and we'll see more of her soon.
RENEE
She doesn't fit the mould of a BB girl which is quite interesting to watch. She has no problem hanging around the barbie with the blokes, but she gets along with the girls as well. Renee and Travis are really the only ties holding the girls and guys together this year. They manage to drift between groups and fit in wherever they go. She says she's not well educated but I don't think that's true. I think she knows a lot, but just doesn't care to know it. I think her bond with both groups will help her stay for some time.
RORY
Rory is the larrikin of the year. He is mostly sucked into Saxon's boy club so far, but he gets along well with most of the HMs. While he seems a bit of a tool, there is nothing sinister to him and he brings lots of entertainment to the house. I think he is valuable for now, but he will be very disposable when it gets to the last few weeks.
SAXON
He's a boofhead. The big guy with tickets on himself. Unfortunately the genders have divided again this year and I think mostly to do with Saxon. He has become the leader of the boys and he is drawing them into the boys club. Luckily he has been in the Danger Zone all week, and if the HMs get the courage up to do away with him it will likely help the guys and girls mix a bit more. The only thing worse than having him there is that if he goes, Nobbi will be the alpha male.
TERRI
She is what BB has needed all along, but is it in too big a dose? While they have cast a mature HM at long last, there is too much of a generation gap between her and the rest of the HMs, ranging only from 17 to 33. It has made her an outsider, when she should be a treat. She has so many stories to tell, but the rest of her HMs have an attention span of about 2 minutes. If they had spread out the age ranges more she would make it a long way, but unfortunately the HMs will single her out time and time again. They did it on the first night, they did it in FNL, and they will evict her as soon as the public lets them.
TRAVIS
He is the ultimate character. He has the quirky voice, the big heart, and the childlike innocense which all make him endearing. I can see finalist, if not winner, qualities in him. He will get annoying at times, but his character makes up for any shortcomings. Nobbi was right when he summarised Travis as saying what the others want to hear, but that is just because he doesn't have a bad bone in his body. He is as genuine as they come, and so proud to be who he is. I'm sure at home he is mummy's "special" little boy! ;-)
ALICE
She is the one I saw least potential in on Day 1. I didn't see much of interest coming from her then, and I can't say I do now either. Apart from a potential hookup with the short-lived Barney, and her cooking skills that apparently leave a lot to be desired, she hasn't provided any good Daily Show story lines. I can't see any real bond with other HMs either which will be a downfall if she ends up in the bottom 3-- and she has been in the Danger Zone for most of the week.
BEN
He is one of the most quiet HMs, but he has a really funny side that I think is being shadowed by the bigger personalities. We have seen him playing characters during Mr BB, and I think more of this entertaining side will come out if he is in there when the numbers are down to about 8 or less. But while he is on the quiet side, he has more chance of ending up nominated, and will require the HMs' backing to keep himself in there.
BIANCA
She says she is there to prove a point to Australia. She wants to be a role model for all teenagers because she is intelligent, doesn't drink, smoke, or do drugs, and is obedient. Does she think she's perfect? I actually now believe her when she says being attractive is her curse, because although she knows how to dress up nice, she really does downplay her looks. It's just the rest she goes on about. Corey has really challenged her beliefs and her strength and that has been a good character builder for her on the show, now that she has stopped going on about him. If she can let go of the act and show her true colours she could probably be a great HM.
BRIGITTE
You've always gotta love the ditzy one, but there's something about this one. She's either way too smart and is overplaying the dumb blonde, or she is the dumbest blonde the house has ever seen. All this Pricess Sparkle business is way too much to tolerate. Get over your little horsie already! Plus for the ditzy chick, we really haven't seen much of the usual mockery made of her. If we don't hear some real blonde comments from her soon, then she doesn't add enough to the house.
DAVID
This guy has a creepy background, and the creepiness has stuck with him. There is something just too odd about this bloke. He seems friendly enough. But I can't help but think of him being like the Brendan Fraser in Blast From the Past, where he's been secluded from the real world for so long and now he's trying to catch up on life. He offers the house nothing and would not be missed. The only thing he has building up for him is the day he decides to tell the HMs about his childhood and the big sob-story begins, but he might be holding back a little too long. You'd think he would have let it out a few days before the eviction at least.
DIXIE
The question isn't whether she'll last through an eviction. It's whether she'll last until an eviction! She has said many times since she got there that she wants to leave. For a mental health worker she seems very unstable! Aside from the tears, she seems to know how to have fun and is very funny. She's formed close relationships with some of the HMs which will help save her. She just has to relax and enjoy what she's doing before it's over. I can see her getting a fair way through the series.
NATHAN
Well he's safe this week, and we've only known him a short time. He seems like Mr Nice Guy. I doubt he'll get into any conflict which will see him become another under the radar guy and he'll be nominated many times. But he'll be popular in the house with both the guys and the girls. He gets along with both groups pretty well so far.
NOBBI
One thing he has going for him is how entertaining it is to watch him get the raw end of every deal. The HMs have taken a shine to him. I expected him to be in with the blokes, but a lot of the girls are on his side as well surprisingly. All I see is a bully, a whinger, and a sleaze. If this guy was lapping up luxuries in the house I would hate him, but the fact that he thinks he is suffering every minute of his life makes me enjoy pitying him. He knows how to play the game, and he will continue to bond with the tough guys and intimidate the weak guys, and argue his way through everything. And when he doesn't get his way, he will stamp his feet and have a tantrum like the spoilt little cry baby he is. Funny stuff.
REBECCA
Bianca may be the intelligent good-looking one, but Rebecca is the intelligent good-looking one with a personality. She could have easily been mistaken for the bimbo cover-girl, but she is showing there is a lot more to her. She's not getting a lot of screen time without the help of others but hopefully she'll last a while and we'll see more of her soon.
RENEE
She doesn't fit the mould of a BB girl which is quite interesting to watch. She has no problem hanging around the barbie with the blokes, but she gets along with the girls as well. Renee and Travis are really the only ties holding the girls and guys together this year. They manage to drift between groups and fit in wherever they go. She says she's not well educated but I don't think that's true. I think she knows a lot, but just doesn't care to know it. I think her bond with both groups will help her stay for some time.
RORY
Rory is the larrikin of the year. He is mostly sucked into Saxon's boy club so far, but he gets along well with most of the HMs. While he seems a bit of a tool, there is nothing sinister to him and he brings lots of entertainment to the house. I think he is valuable for now, but he will be very disposable when it gets to the last few weeks.
SAXON
He's a boofhead. The big guy with tickets on himself. Unfortunately the genders have divided again this year and I think mostly to do with Saxon. He has become the leader of the boys and he is drawing them into the boys club. Luckily he has been in the Danger Zone all week, and if the HMs get the courage up to do away with him it will likely help the guys and girls mix a bit more. The only thing worse than having him there is that if he goes, Nobbi will be the alpha male.
TERRI
She is what BB has needed all along, but is it in too big a dose? While they have cast a mature HM at long last, there is too much of a generation gap between her and the rest of the HMs, ranging only from 17 to 33. It has made her an outsider, when she should be a treat. She has so many stories to tell, but the rest of her HMs have an attention span of about 2 minutes. If they had spread out the age ranges more she would make it a long way, but unfortunately the HMs will single her out time and time again. They did it on the first night, they did it in FNL, and they will evict her as soon as the public lets them.
TRAVIS
He is the ultimate character. He has the quirky voice, the big heart, and the childlike innocense which all make him endearing. I can see finalist, if not winner, qualities in him. He will get annoying at times, but his character makes up for any shortcomings. Nobbi was right when he summarised Travis as saying what the others want to hear, but that is just because he doesn't have a bad bone in his body. He is as genuine as they come, and so proud to be who he is. I'm sure at home he is mummy's "special" little boy! ;-)
Friday, May 9, 2008
Friday Night Live: Hip Hop Night
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE
Injury Free for 42 0 weeks
It's FNL Hip Hop Night tonight.
The top 3 hip hop dancers from So You Think You Can Dance Australia will perform live on stage.
This is the first week Terri, Corey, and Nathan will compete. After Corey has already stated he won't single out HMs, it is unlikely he will be able to execute whatever power over evictions they will receive this year.
Terri has won herself a free pass to Round 2 already because she was first to "hip hop" out of bed this morning, despite BB's efforts to wake Nobbi in the van.
What prizes will the winner receive? We've been told there is no Rewards Room, though BB isn't known for his honesty. Will the house next door be a Rewards Room?
Will tonight be the revelation of the Strategy Room?
Games tonight include an Eminem (M&Ms) vs 50 Cent (coins) musical-chairs style game. A J-Lo Big Booty obstacle course, and a "finish the next line of the rap" performance game.
I just want to see Terri get further through than Nobbi and watch him whinge about it.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Housemates Have a Sober Party
At a time when the Australian government is cracking down on underage drinking, it was mentioned tonight that BB has ruled that there will be no alcohol in the House while 17 year old Corey is a House Guest. Best to be on the safe side in a year where BB can't afford any negative attention.
So tonight the HMs are celebrating their Mr BB pageant with a glass of Coke in the spa. And, yes, there were some comments made about when Corey will get kicked out so they can have a drink.
So tonight the HMs are celebrating their Mr BB pageant with a glass of Coke in the spa. And, yes, there were some comments made about when Corey will get kicked out so they can have a drink.
Mr Big Brother: UPDATED
Tonight the male HMs will strut their stuff on the catwalk in front of the BB girls and the plastic farm animals, competing for the title of Mr Big Brother-- and a Ken Doll mounted on a trophy base! Categories will include formalwear, casualwear, and swimwear. Scraping together enough collared shirts between them has been difficult enough, but Travis has already talked about borrowing a g-string from Rory! There is such a thing as too friendly!
And planning of a Miss Big Brother pageant to follow has already begun.
8:00pm UPDATED:
And the winner is....
Runners up were Ben and David.
And planning of a Miss Big Brother pageant to follow has already begun.
8:00pm UPDATED:
And the winner is....
Newcomer Nathan
Runners up were Ben and David.
Nobbi is This Year's Michael (BB06)
This year's Nobbi and BB06's Michael have very similar personalities. They are both the manipulative bully of the year. They both have a way of talking a lot and not listening to others. They both go on and on about small things just so they can assert their power over a situation, getting louder with each iteration as if volume makes them right. They both chose their enemies early, and then continually try to get as many of the others on their side as possible.
The similarities don't end with personality, because both have had a similar BB experience. In BB06, Michael was voted by the public, before we even knew who he was, to be BB's Insider. This year Nobbi was voted by Terri, before she knew much about him, to live in the combi van and be confined to the backyard. Both have been segregated from the rest of the HMs by a decision based on first impressions.
As a result of this segregation, both turned on BB, arguing relentlessly and pointlessly with his decisions, despite the fact they always lose.
And most of all, both have done nothing but complain and whinge about their situation being unfair, when really they are getting everything they signed up for. They are on Big Brother.
The similarities don't end with personality, because both have had a similar BB experience. In BB06, Michael was voted by the public, before we even knew who he was, to be BB's Insider. This year Nobbi was voted by Terri, before she knew much about him, to live in the combi van and be confined to the backyard. Both have been segregated from the rest of the HMs by a decision based on first impressions.
As a result of this segregation, both turned on BB, arguing relentlessly and pointlessly with his decisions, despite the fact they always lose.
And most of all, both have done nothing but complain and whinge about their situation being unfair, when really they are getting everything they signed up for. They are on Big Brother.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Housemates May Starve
In Week 1 BB provided the HMs with prepared meals, and aside from some booby prize meals like the seaweed or the cheese slices, they were nutritious and ample meals. But the HMs continually complained. It's not enough for them, it doesn't have enough protein to fill the blokes' biceps, it doesn't taste nice...
So, BB responded by giving them access to a kitchen, and a fully stocked pantry and fridge. They started cooking up their own meals... and most of the HMs complained!
Now after their few days of cooking, BB has given them the famous staples diet to live on to encourage them to earn luxury foods next week. So the girls make do with what they have and produce something that is about as tasty as they are going to get... and the HMs complain.
Sure, tonight's chicken pie was really meatloaf wrapped in pastry, but they don't have much to work with. I don't see many of the guys stepping up to the hotplate, but they are first to criticise the food put in front of them. And when they did reject the pie and try to fend for themselves, their idea of porridge was raw oats and milk. They even refused to believe, when told, that you have to cook porridge. Oh well, we may be evicting skeletons after not too long.
So, BB responded by giving them access to a kitchen, and a fully stocked pantry and fridge. They started cooking up their own meals... and most of the HMs complained!
Now after their few days of cooking, BB has given them the famous staples diet to live on to encourage them to earn luxury foods next week. So the girls make do with what they have and produce something that is about as tasty as they are going to get... and the HMs complain.
Sure, tonight's chicken pie was really meatloaf wrapped in pastry, but they don't have much to work with. I don't see many of the guys stepping up to the hotplate, but they are first to criticise the food put in front of them. And when they did reject the pie and try to fend for themselves, their idea of porridge was raw oats and milk. They even refused to believe, when told, that you have to cook porridge. Oh well, we may be evicting skeletons after not too long.
Terri Passes Task: Any Old Task Will Do
BB was determined to get Terri back in as a HM any way he possibly could, especially after Rima's departure left the House full of boys.
Terri's task to chaperone Corey and provide guidance to the boy was deemed a failure by BB, and quite clearly was. However her "successful" completion of the task Corey refused to do, to choose 2 Gatecrashers to be evicted, was enough for BB to reinstate her HM status.
But Terri has already been telling the others this week she feels out of place. Her more permanent stay may get a bit uncomfortable. Nobbi obviously will never accept her. Will the others?
One good thing out of this is we will get to see Terri compete in FNL this week. We've already seen she can climb a tree with the best of them. Wouldn't it be fantastic to see her win over the young ones? Or at least make it to the final rounds!
Terri's task to chaperone Corey and provide guidance to the boy was deemed a failure by BB, and quite clearly was. However her "successful" completion of the task Corey refused to do, to choose 2 Gatecrashers to be evicted, was enough for BB to reinstate her HM status.
But Terri has already been telling the others this week she feels out of place. Her more permanent stay may get a bit uncomfortable. Nobbi obviously will never accept her. Will the others?
One good thing out of this is we will get to see Terri compete in FNL this week. We've already seen she can climb a tree with the best of them. Wouldn't it be fantastic to see her win over the young ones? Or at least make it to the final rounds!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Crowded House: Terri Evicts 2
Just announced by BB:
Corey was supposed to choose 2 of the Gatecrasher HMs to be evicted from the House by sunrise. He declined the task, and BB passed it on to Terri. The choice is a lot more difficult for her as she will possibly (probably) become a permanent HM again after this week, and will have to stand by her decision.
With the task of voting these guys into the House given to the Australian public, and such a big deal being made out of it, I can't see this being a permanent eviction either. I think BB has plans for the 2 that are chosen and it will become next week's twist. It is likely that BB will put them into the "house next door" that seems to be when the old White Room was, with its own backyard where the farmyard used to be with full size pool and cubby house.
I haven't had a chance to see much of the new guys, but I'm not that fond of Michael. Nathan seems to be the "nice guy", and if Barney hangs around much longer he and Alice could get a bit of romance happening. Given that I don't know exactly what will happen to the chosen 2, I will choose from either end and say I want her to pick Michael and Nathan for whatever lies in store for them.
I just hope they don't cut the live streams off again tomorrow to keep this decision a secret until the Daily Show airs.
Corey was supposed to choose 2 of the Gatecrasher HMs to be evicted from the House by sunrise. He declined the task, and BB passed it on to Terri. The choice is a lot more difficult for her as she will possibly (probably) become a permanent HM again after this week, and will have to stand by her decision.
With the task of voting these guys into the House given to the Australian public, and such a big deal being made out of it, I can't see this being a permanent eviction either. I think BB has plans for the 2 that are chosen and it will become next week's twist. It is likely that BB will put them into the "house next door" that seems to be when the old White Room was, with its own backyard where the farmyard used to be with full size pool and cubby house.
I haven't had a chance to see much of the new guys, but I'm not that fond of Michael. Nathan seems to be the "nice guy", and if Barney hangs around much longer he and Alice could get a bit of romance happening. Given that I don't know exactly what will happen to the chosen 2, I will choose from either end and say I want her to pick Michael and Nathan for whatever lies in store for them.
I just hope they don't cut the live streams off again tomorrow to keep this decision a secret until the Daily Show airs.
Corey: Altruistic and Helpful
Corey is already proving the media, and Bianca, wrong. So far in the House, as well as showing he likes a joke and a bit of fun, he has been the model Housemate.
Despite being a guest in the BB House, Corey helped the HMs clean the backyard at dawn as part of their weekly task. When HMs ruined the bread recipe Corey showed his kitchen skills, fixing the dough and cooking 3 loaves of bread for the House. When offered the choice between a selfish reward of a hair straightener or a reward for the whole House of chocolates and soft drinks, Corey rewarded his HMs for making him feel so welcome.
Corey's good behaviour is making Terri's task even more difficult because she has to show BB that she can punish him for mistakes and steer him along the right path. So far Corey is just being hindered by Terri's task because she is reprimanding him for smaller things making him resent her more. Therefore his backlash on Terri will make her task harder because he won't have respect for her.
Plus the media's scramble for an anti-BB story saying this is a "publicity stunt", sending the wrong message to kids, and "child abuse" have again been rubbished by Corey's acceptance in the House and his good behaviour so far.
Despite being a guest in the BB House, Corey helped the HMs clean the backyard at dawn as part of their weekly task. When HMs ruined the bread recipe Corey showed his kitchen skills, fixing the dough and cooking 3 loaves of bread for the House. When offered the choice between a selfish reward of a hair straightener or a reward for the whole House of chocolates and soft drinks, Corey rewarded his HMs for making him feel so welcome.
Corey's good behaviour is making Terri's task even more difficult because she has to show BB that she can punish him for mistakes and steer him along the right path. So far Corey is just being hindered by Terri's task because she is reprimanding him for smaller things making him resent her more. Therefore his backlash on Terri will make her task harder because he won't have respect for her.
Plus the media's scramble for an anti-BB story saying this is a "publicity stunt", sending the wrong message to kids, and "child abuse" have again been rubbished by Corey's acceptance in the House and his good behaviour so far.
Role Model Bianca
Bianca didn't even give Corey a moment to prove himself to her. She hated him instantly and went around telling everyone what she thought of him.
It finally culminated in her telling Corey to his face that she wants to be everything he is not. Without making a personal attack, Bianca told Corey he had become a figure of teenage rebellion and made it look cool to ignore all the rules. She told him her goal in the House was to prove to kids they didn't have to drink, smoke, and do drugs to be cool, and not to be disobedient.
So is Bianca saying she is everything a teenager should be? Is this the persona she is going to play in the House just to make a point? Is she really as perfect as she is making herself out to be? And if she is just playing a character, will it shorten her stay in the House?
It finally culminated in her telling Corey to his face that she wants to be everything he is not. Without making a personal attack, Bianca told Corey he had become a figure of teenage rebellion and made it look cool to ignore all the rules. She told him her goal in the House was to prove to kids they didn't have to drink, smoke, and do drugs to be cool, and not to be disobedient.
So is Bianca saying she is everything a teenager should be? Is this the persona she is going to play in the House just to make a point? Is she really as perfect as she is making herself out to be? And if she is just playing a character, will it shorten her stay in the House?
Big Mouth: Uncut for Grown Ups
The one thing we missed out on last year in BB was anything above a PG rating. Even though the Premium web content was rated MA15+, live streams were heavily censored and video packages for download rarely got into M-rated territory. It was BB for kids.
But really the series is about observation of a group of adults with a diverse range of ideas, beliefs, experiences, and morals. And more often than not, these are made up of adult-oriented themes-- they are part of life. And it's not just sex and nudity as the politicians who don't watch the show would have you believe. It can be about sexuality, safe sex, drugs, religion, race, family situations, abuse, crime, war, conflict, scandal. Add to that mix Gen-X and Gen-Y's favour of 4-letter words to enhance a conversation, and you have all the stuff that priests and pollies don't want to be seen on TV. But they are the things some adults (including some young adults) should be made aware of, hear opinions of, formulate their own opinions of, and discuss with other mature adults.
Uncut in the early years used to provide an insight into some of these adult oriented topics from the HMs' points of view, and would also reveal parts of their personalities that could be completely hidden in the PG-rated Daily Shows. I'm sure in BB01 Andy, the dominatrix, would have seemed like a regular Carol Brady in the Daily Shows if she didn't take out her whip and candle wax on Thursday nights.
But as the series became more popular, Uncut, and later Adults Only, turned into a series of naughty treats for any kid with a TV in their bedroom. The clips shown were made more juvenile and tacky, the week's evicted HM was no longer invited to discuss the topics of the show with Gretel, and in BB05 the show sunk to a new low with Gretel playing the up-tight school marm disciplining the naughty viewers for watching each clip as she presented them. The show got more and more bad press (including a statement from PM John Howard that was made a mockery of in this year's teasers), and the show was eventually cancelled in 2006 before it even broadcast the turkey slap incident that broke the camel's back.
This year, some of the adult themes are back, and are being presented in a mature format by Tony Squires and Rebecca Wilson: two respected and experienced journalists, on Big Mouth. The first episode went to air last night and included commentary by 3 of the most intelligent ex-HMs to ever walk out of the BB House: Tim Brunero, Paul Dyer, and Chrissie Swan. Most of the show was just a panel discussion on events straight out of the Daily Show, but they did cross over into adult territory, and managed to do it in a way that was informative to viewers who had not seen the events, but not so gratuitous to offend the easily-offendable.
The show included discussion of:
But really the series is about observation of a group of adults with a diverse range of ideas, beliefs, experiences, and morals. And more often than not, these are made up of adult-oriented themes-- they are part of life. And it's not just sex and nudity as the politicians who don't watch the show would have you believe. It can be about sexuality, safe sex, drugs, religion, race, family situations, abuse, crime, war, conflict, scandal. Add to that mix Gen-X and Gen-Y's favour of 4-letter words to enhance a conversation, and you have all the stuff that priests and pollies don't want to be seen on TV. But they are the things some adults (including some young adults) should be made aware of, hear opinions of, formulate their own opinions of, and discuss with other mature adults.
Uncut in the early years used to provide an insight into some of these adult oriented topics from the HMs' points of view, and would also reveal parts of their personalities that could be completely hidden in the PG-rated Daily Shows. I'm sure in BB01 Andy, the dominatrix, would have seemed like a regular Carol Brady in the Daily Shows if she didn't take out her whip and candle wax on Thursday nights.
But as the series became more popular, Uncut, and later Adults Only, turned into a series of naughty treats for any kid with a TV in their bedroom. The clips shown were made more juvenile and tacky, the week's evicted HM was no longer invited to discuss the topics of the show with Gretel, and in BB05 the show sunk to a new low with Gretel playing the up-tight school marm disciplining the naughty viewers for watching each clip as she presented them. The show got more and more bad press (including a statement from PM John Howard that was made a mockery of in this year's teasers), and the show was eventually cancelled in 2006 before it even broadcast the turkey slap incident that broke the camel's back.
This year, some of the adult themes are back, and are being presented in a mature format by Tony Squires and Rebecca Wilson: two respected and experienced journalists, on Big Mouth. The first episode went to air last night and included commentary by 3 of the most intelligent ex-HMs to ever walk out of the BB House: Tim Brunero, Paul Dyer, and Chrissie Swan. Most of the show was just a panel discussion on events straight out of the Daily Show, but they did cross over into adult territory, and managed to do it in a way that was informative to viewers who had not seen the events, but not so gratuitous to offend the easily-offendable.
The show included discussion of:
- Rory accusing Travis of being gay just because of the type of sunglasses he chooses to wear-- a clip that shows Rory's intolerance of gays, and making judgements based on appearance alone, and refusing to listen to anything other than his own opinion-- aspects of Rory we would not have seen otherwise; and also showed Travis' will to express himself by the way he dresses and his opposition to Rory's beliefs, and being comfortable with who he chooses to be and what he looks like.
- A discussion about sexual experiences (and exaggerations) of some of the HMs-- providing insight into the the types of relationships HMs have had outside the House, including Travis' religious beliefs about sex before marriage.
- Nobbi getting naked in front of the other HMs-- well he's just a bit of a show-off, isn't he?
- The media calling the HMs freaks-- followed by a discussion of social inclusion of people who are different, and Paul's retalliation at the media.
We Nominate, Housemates Evict
This year, the live Nominations show has been cancelled due to Kyle and Jackie O's schedule, and the process has been changed to suit, which may see the HMs that are flying low get evicted early.
Now, much like Idol or SYTYCD, the public will have the whole week to vote for the HMs they like best. On Sunday the bottom 3 will be announced to the HMs. The FNL winner for the week will get some special privilege based on these votes (to be annouced either Friday or Sunday), and then the HMs will vote 2 points and 1 point for who they want to be evicted that night. Based on the HMs' own votes, one of them will be evicted.
First of all, this has excellent fund raising potential for BB. Previously regular voters would only need to send in votes in the weeks their favourite HMs had been nominated. Now voters will need to save their faves every week throughout the series. Also, instead of 3 HMs receiving votes, there are 12, and next week there will be more. So plenty of revenue coming in from there.
The next thing is, with the public only voting to save, the ones who don't get noticed, won't get votes. The under the radar HMs will have more chance of ending up in the bottom 3 each week. Housemates who stirred things up used to get all the nomination points from the HMs and the public would have to vote out on of 3 interesting characters. Now the ones who stir things up will get more airtime on the DS, become more popular, and get more save votes, while the boring ones will get nominated.
So then the HMs get a choice of 3 to evict. No word yet on whether they evict during the day with the results announced live, or if the whole eviction process is live. Also will they have to give reasons for their nominations this year? This was the only real insight into what they were thinking about the others we used to get, so hopefully it is done in some way.
A new aspect of the nomination process we have already been shown is the Danger Zone, where each weeknight we are shown the list of the bottom 5 HMs. This will get interest in voting up for those wanting to save the HMs trailing in votes, and also shows us how the votes change day by day.
The 2 things left to be revealed are:
Now, much like Idol or SYTYCD, the public will have the whole week to vote for the HMs they like best. On Sunday the bottom 3 will be announced to the HMs. The FNL winner for the week will get some special privilege based on these votes (to be annouced either Friday or Sunday), and then the HMs will vote 2 points and 1 point for who they want to be evicted that night. Based on the HMs' own votes, one of them will be evicted.
First of all, this has excellent fund raising potential for BB. Previously regular voters would only need to send in votes in the weeks their favourite HMs had been nominated. Now voters will need to save their faves every week throughout the series. Also, instead of 3 HMs receiving votes, there are 12, and next week there will be more. So plenty of revenue coming in from there.
The next thing is, with the public only voting to save, the ones who don't get noticed, won't get votes. The under the radar HMs will have more chance of ending up in the bottom 3 each week. Housemates who stirred things up used to get all the nomination points from the HMs and the public would have to vote out on of 3 interesting characters. Now the ones who stir things up will get more airtime on the DS, become more popular, and get more save votes, while the boring ones will get nominated.
So then the HMs get a choice of 3 to evict. No word yet on whether they evict during the day with the results announced live, or if the whole eviction process is live. Also will they have to give reasons for their nominations this year? This was the only real insight into what they were thinking about the others we used to get, so hopefully it is done in some way.
A new aspect of the nomination process we have already been shown is the Danger Zone, where each weeknight we are shown the list of the bottom 5 HMs. This will get interest in voting up for those wanting to save the HMs trailing in votes, and also shows us how the votes change day by day.
The 2 things left to be revealed are:
- What power the FNL winner will get over the nominees.
- How the Strategy Room will work.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Corey: Just a Nervous Kid
Corey Party-Boy-Worthington-Delaney-Whatever else he wants to be called has had his 15 minutes of fame, and now he is going for minutes 16-30.
We've seen plenty of interviews on current affairs shows peppered with answers of no more than a few words, and interviewers struggling to fill out the time allotted for the story. But is there really any more than that to the kid for us to learn in the BB house?
Kyle's request to the audience tonight seemed spot on. "Let him speak... then boo him." The audience's negative reaction didn't seem to phase Corey, but then you'd think he'd be used to that by now.
When Corey entered the House, he was like a deer in the headlights. He was just a nervous kid. The whole thing seemed to overwhelm him and he seemed to just want to look at his shoes, rather than his new housemates. Luckily Saxon was quick to take Corey under his wing.
He has already spent some time alone in the House. When he had a moment to slip away he spent some time hiding in the dining room playing with a balloon. He doesn't seem to be taking the big group thing easily. Having his appointed Nanna there is not going that well for him either. Terri has already asked him many times if he is feeling tired and what time is his usual bedtime.
Terri has questionned him on his education and Corey admitted that he passed the first 2 months of Year 10 because his mum did all his schoolwork for him, and he has worked doing some carpentry since leaving school.
At the moment he is very shy and quiet but I expect he might become a bit more involved and rowdy after the first night. Somehow I don't see him chipping in with cooking and cleaning and it will be up to Terri to put him in his place in that regard.
We've seen plenty of interviews on current affairs shows peppered with answers of no more than a few words, and interviewers struggling to fill out the time allotted for the story. But is there really any more than that to the kid for us to learn in the BB house?
Kyle's request to the audience tonight seemed spot on. "Let him speak... then boo him." The audience's negative reaction didn't seem to phase Corey, but then you'd think he'd be used to that by now.
When Corey entered the House, he was like a deer in the headlights. He was just a nervous kid. The whole thing seemed to overwhelm him and he seemed to just want to look at his shoes, rather than his new housemates. Luckily Saxon was quick to take Corey under his wing.
He has already spent some time alone in the House. When he had a moment to slip away he spent some time hiding in the dining room playing with a balloon. He doesn't seem to be taking the big group thing easily. Having his appointed Nanna there is not going that well for him either. Terri has already asked him many times if he is feeling tired and what time is his usual bedtime.
Terri has questionned him on his education and Corey admitted that he passed the first 2 months of Year 10 because his mum did all his schoolwork for him, and he has worked doing some carpentry since leaving school.
At the moment he is very shy and quiet but I expect he might become a bit more involved and rowdy after the first night. Somehow I don't see him chipping in with cooking and cleaning and it will be up to Terri to put him in his place in that regard.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Nobbi Intimidated By Terri's Return
How classic was Nobbi's reaction to Terri returning to the House tonight? While he tried to act tough, his reactions ranged from fear, to denial, to panic.
When the penny dropped that she might be coming back Nobbi started saying a lot of "Ooooh, if she comes in here, I'll...", but never managed to decide how to finish that sentence.
Next he started denying it by yelling that she can't come back after she has been evicted, as if his own grasp of the rules of Big Brother were superior to BB's own.
After Terri entered he decided his best bet was to start collecting friends, fast! He quickly went around to as many HMs as he could and made sure they were on "his side". Strangely, Dixie was one of the first to reassure him, even though she was one of the ones that seemed to get along well with Terri on the first night.
After a commercial break Terri could be heard saying to Nobbi something about if she was here to chaperone him (rather than Corey). At this Nobbi ran off and stood behind a bunch of other HMs.
Terri admitted to Brigitte tonight that when she was asked to banish a HM to the combi van, she was apparently told by BB that she was only doing it to them for 1 night. But when she then thought of him being out there a week so far with no end in sight, she seemed to enjoy her decision even more.
At the moment it seems that Ben, Saxon, and Dixie are going to see Nobbi through this ordeal. Will we see Nobbi tell Terri what he thinks of her while she is in the house? Will his arguments be justified, or will it just be the same spite talk we have already heard from him? Or will he wait until Terri leaves again before he decides to stand up to her again?
When the penny dropped that she might be coming back Nobbi started saying a lot of "Ooooh, if she comes in here, I'll...", but never managed to decide how to finish that sentence.
Next he started denying it by yelling that she can't come back after she has been evicted, as if his own grasp of the rules of Big Brother were superior to BB's own.
After Terri entered he decided his best bet was to start collecting friends, fast! He quickly went around to as many HMs as he could and made sure they were on "his side". Strangely, Dixie was one of the first to reassure him, even though she was one of the ones that seemed to get along well with Terri on the first night.
After a commercial break Terri could be heard saying to Nobbi something about if she was here to chaperone him (rather than Corey). At this Nobbi ran off and stood behind a bunch of other HMs.
Terri admitted to Brigitte tonight that when she was asked to banish a HM to the combi van, she was apparently told by BB that she was only doing it to them for 1 night. But when she then thought of him being out there a week so far with no end in sight, she seemed to enjoy her decision even more.
At the moment it seems that Ben, Saxon, and Dixie are going to see Nobbi through this ordeal. Will we see Nobbi tell Terri what he thinks of her while she is in the house? Will his arguments be justified, or will it just be the same spite talk we have already heard from him? Or will he wait until Terri leaves again before he decides to stand up to her again?
Corey, and Stuff Like That, and... Yeh!
Just having a look at Corey's interview on the OS and here are the 3 phrases we are going to get most sick of for the next... however long!
- "... or something like that."
- "... and stuff like that."
- "... and, yeh!"
Seems every sentence he says ends with one, OR MORE, of these 3 phrases! E.g. "I'm just a nice guy, or something like that... and stuff like that, I dunno." So this is what we'll be subjected to with Corey in the house.
Also, I'm hoping there will be a sunglasses showdown between Corey and Travis. Corey may have his $2 yellow plastic sunnies as part of his "image", but Travis has his heart shaped sunglasses (now broken though, I think), and his blue sunglasses with the plastic criss-crosses that I'm sure you could not possibly see anything through!
Lastly my wishes for Corey are that most of the Housemates think he is a tool and completely shoot down his ego. I wanna see him crying to Big Brother by the end of tonight! Then it will all be worthwhile!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Rima's Fall Gives Her A Break
Rima's fall from the tilting platform in the first round of FNL last night caused her to break her leg. She is now in hospital recovering and could take several weeks to heal.
The press release issued by Ten and ESS says they will await her decision on whether to return to the House when she is up to it.
Obviously in hospital she can't be "locked down" completely. Will BB assign a minder to her? Will doctors and nurses be instructed to only communicate to her about her medical condition? Will she be in a room without a TV? Will she be secluded from fans? Will her husband be able to see her?
The decision needs to be made once she is fit to leave the hospital. If she can go home or to a hotel room, then she is fit to re-enter the house. It's not like they do much anyway. If they are going to give her several weeks to recover and then decide to go back into the house, she has too much of an advantage over the others.
The press release issued by Ten and ESS says they will await her decision on whether to return to the House when she is up to it.
Obviously in hospital she can't be "locked down" completely. Will BB assign a minder to her? Will doctors and nurses be instructed to only communicate to her about her medical condition? Will she be in a room without a TV? Will she be secluded from fans? Will her husband be able to see her?
The decision needs to be made once she is fit to leave the hospital. If she can go home or to a hotel room, then she is fit to re-enter the house. It's not like they do much anyway. If they are going to give her several weeks to recover and then decide to go back into the house, she has too much of an advantage over the others.
Friday, May 2, 2008
FNL Prizes and Privileges Gone
At the beginning of tonight's FNL, BB promised HMs $20,000 cash to the winner. The hosts did not mention any of the usual prizes during the show-- a choice of the 3 boxes, a weekend in a rewards room with another HM, the right to discuss nominations, the right to allocate chores, or a nominations twist.
When Nobbi finally won, BB presented him with a cheque for 20,000 Zimbawe Dollars, worth less than AU$1. The hosts showed clips of Nobbi breaking BB's rules during the day and suggested this is the reason the prize was reduced to non-existence. However they must have planned this "twist" for whoever was the eventual winner of the games to have the prize ready. Yet the hosts did not let on about this.
So Nobbi gets a buck and a trophy. If this really is the whole prize, I don't see the use of FNL at all anymore. HMs should be competing to make their stay in the house either longer or more comfortable, or at least to enhance their bank accounts when they leave. The only hope FNL has now is if they increase the value of the prize each week. $1 in week one, and maybe extra privileges or prizes next week, and so on. But after this week's diappointing reward, they are going to have to advertise the weekly prize twists heavily each week.
When Nobbi finally won, BB presented him with a cheque for 20,000 Zimbawe Dollars, worth less than AU$1. The hosts showed clips of Nobbi breaking BB's rules during the day and suggested this is the reason the prize was reduced to non-existence. However they must have planned this "twist" for whoever was the eventual winner of the games to have the prize ready. Yet the hosts did not let on about this.
So Nobbi gets a buck and a trophy. If this really is the whole prize, I don't see the use of FNL at all anymore. HMs should be competing to make their stay in the house either longer or more comfortable, or at least to enhance their bank accounts when they leave. The only hope FNL has now is if they increase the value of the prize each week. $1 in week one, and maybe extra privileges or prizes next week, and so on. But after this week's diappointing reward, they are going to have to advertise the weekly prize twists heavily each week.
Rima Abducted from FNL
FNL games really weren't designed for Rima. If she had gotten past Round 1 tonight, she would not be able to compete with the props and costumes they had to use. The only option would be if she elected an eliminated housemate to play on her behalf.
This was not a problem however since it seems BB's aliens abducted her during the show and erased other HMs memories so no one even noticed.
In the pre-game decider where HMs had to stay on a tilting ramp as long as possible a ninja was standing by to catch Rima when she fell. Other HMs were left to plummet to the ground. Yet despite this, Rima injured her toe and was removed from the arena to have ice applied. She did not return for the duration of the show, and is still, as far as I can see, not present in the house celebrating David's birthday with the others.
Maybe the aliens have taken her as compensation for their spaceship that Saxon broke in Round 3.
This was not a problem however since it seems BB's aliens abducted her during the show and erased other HMs memories so no one even noticed.
In the pre-game decider where HMs had to stay on a tilting ramp as long as possible a ninja was standing by to catch Rima when she fell. Other HMs were left to plummet to the ground. Yet despite this, Rima injured her toe and was removed from the arena to have ice applied. She did not return for the duration of the show, and is still, as far as I can see, not present in the house celebrating David's birthday with the others.
Maybe the aliens have taken her as compensation for their spaceship that Saxon broke in Round 3.
FNL Week 1 Theme: Out of This World
At the end of last year on the BBBA forums a discussion was going on about themes for FNL, and I suggested a UFO/Alien theme. They already did a Space theme in 2005, but that wasn't really UFO/Alien-related. But tonight's episode is "Out of This World" with an alien theme. I hope they have some great games, up to the standard of Gladiator night or Japanese night last year.
FNL Through Time
A place to relive all the past FNL nights. I'll start off with the theme of each week and will eventually add the games and maybe details and winners, etc.
BB05
Week 1: Roman
Week 2: 50s
Week 3: Athletics
Week 4: Italian
Week 5: Country Fair
Week 6: Nautical
Week 7: Boot Camp
Week 8: Asian
Week 9: Space
Week 10: Winter Wonderland
Week 11: Unknown - tape lost
Week 12: Aussie
Week 13: BB All-Stars
Week 14: The Prize Fight
BB06
Week 1: Caveman
Week 2: Farmyard
Week 3: Back to Work
Week 4: Rockstar
Week 5: Horror
Week 6: Caribbean
Week 7: World Cup
Week 8: Pommy
Week 9: Bugs
Week 10: Asian
Week 11: Yankee Doodle
Week 12: Ooh-La-La
Week 13: Christmas in July
Week 14: The Prize Fight
BB07
Week 1: Gladiator
Week 2: Japanese Gameshow
Week 3: Bling Bling
Week 4: On the Beach
Week 5: Almost Famous
Week 6: Outback Adventure
Week 7: Jungle
Week 8: Mexican
Week 9: Horror
Week 10: Back to School
Week 11: Pirates
Week 12: 70s Disco
Week 13: Seven Deadly Sins
Week 14: Quest For Glory
BB08
Week 1: Out of This World
Week 2: Hip Hop
Week 3: Celebrities Gone Wild
Week 4: Scouts
Week 5: Night at the Races
Week 6: Super Heroes Save the World
Week 7: Friday the 13th
Week 8: Heavy Metal
Week 9: Spies
Week 10: I Love NY
Week 11: Circus
Week 12: All Themes of the Year
BB05
Week 1: Roman
Week 2: 50s
Week 3: Athletics
Week 4: Italian
Week 5: Country Fair
Week 6: Nautical
Week 7: Boot Camp
Week 8: Asian
Week 9: Space
Week 10: Winter Wonderland
Week 11: Unknown - tape lost
Week 12: Aussie
Week 13: BB All-Stars
Week 14: The Prize Fight
BB06
Week 1: Caveman
Week 2: Farmyard
Week 3: Back to Work
Week 4: Rockstar
Week 5: Horror
Week 6: Caribbean
Week 7: World Cup
Week 8: Pommy
Week 9: Bugs
Week 10: Asian
Week 11: Yankee Doodle
Week 12: Ooh-La-La
Week 13: Christmas in July
Week 14: The Prize Fight
BB07
Week 1: Gladiator
Week 2: Japanese Gameshow
Week 3: Bling Bling
Week 4: On the Beach
Week 5: Almost Famous
Week 6: Outback Adventure
Week 7: Jungle
Week 8: Mexican
Week 9: Horror
Week 10: Back to School
Week 11: Pirates
Week 12: 70s Disco
Week 13: Seven Deadly Sins
Week 14: Quest For Glory
BB08
Week 1: Out of This World
Week 2: Hip Hop
Week 3: Celebrities Gone Wild
Week 4: Scouts
Week 5: Night at the Races
Week 6: Super Heroes Save the World
Week 7: Friday the 13th
Week 8: Heavy Metal
Week 9: Spies
Week 10: I Love NY
Week 11: Circus
Week 12: All Themes of the Year
Thursday, May 1, 2008
BB Gives Them A Go, Media Calls Them Freaks
Big Brother has mixed things up a bit this year and chosen a more diverse range of housemates from all walks of life. Rather than 16 attractive 18-25 year old Aussie kids, BB has picked a grandmother, an Aborigine, a midget, a male with a feminine voice, a UFO believer, a big-boobed intelligent woman, a Japanese immigrant, a ditzy blonde, a vet, a tradesman, a tomboy, a law student, a skimpy waitress, and a cult escapee. They are the people you walk past in the street. Yet because they are not from BB's usual cookie cutter, the media came out on Tuesday calling it a freak show. Isn't BB just giving these people an equal opportunity to be on the show, and for their groups to become more accepted in society? It's the media now saying we should look at them and treat them differently.
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