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Have you ever thought about the psychological disadvantage of being on a show like Big Brother, and whether what we see is pure reality? Is reality TV a joke? What IS reality? Do I sound like Doug Henning? I’ve pondered it a bit and think that this season, over any other, is a good example of how someone’s personal life can become so compressed with fake conflict that they literally begin to falter with the truth. Take Daniele who started this game barely speaking to her father, and now in his absence has taken on his characteristics in order to survive. Is she behaving in a reality based way, or are we seeing an authentic Danielle? Whatever it is, it suits her well IN THIS GAME.
On the other hand, you have Rachel and Brendon who are so affected by their relationship with the other contestants that they’ve banded together and are vowing to death do us part, only this ain’t death, it’s just Big Brother. Theirs is poisonous relationship folks, and the show has brought it to the surface, for better or worse. Brendon controls Rachel way too much and, even though she’s a drama queen, she doesn’t deserve to be treated the way he treats her. So . . . don’t slip on that ring, don’t kiss the bride. Brendon, take a step outside.
I wonder what would happen to me should I ever get picked to be on Big Brother? Well, first of all, they wouldn’t pick me because I sing too much and I look like hell in the morning, but barring all that and I actually did make it on, what would happen? Would all my normal sensible reactions go off kilter? Would I switch to attack/survival mode without even knowing? Would I start eating all the time, like Kalia? Would bathrobes become the most important treasure in my life, like Lawon? Is it like Ghostbusters where all your fears come to life a la giant Stay Puft marshmallow dude? It’s a bad trip on that show, man. Whoever gets to the end deserves the money. And forgiveness. And a vacation from reality.
Was this game really fair? Usually when veterans are brought back, they’re grouped into a house that’s comprised of other veterans for an All Star show. But this year someone had the sick idea to throw a handful of wide-eyed newbies into the mix, like fingers dangling into a piranha tank. Now, with Dani’s recent win—tailing the end of her golden key immunity—the newbie’s might have a decent chance to get back in the game. But who trusts Dani, really? Everyone had two secret alliances and now it’s all been blown to hell. Dani looks like a love ‘em and chew ‘em up kind of gal. I don’t know if I’d give her my third child if she asked me to.
I think we all want to see Brendon leave the house, if only to watch Rachel implode from the wake. Hey, that might not be such a bad idea. Dani gets rid of Brendon and teams up with Rachel. I sense a bit of feministic fascination coming from the beautiful brunette Donato. It would be a real Thelma and Louise situation, only it would be Rachel and Dani. And no Brad Pitt. But we do still have Jordan and Jeff, and I can close my eyes and pretend he’s in the room. Also, there’s no convertible to drive off a cliff. And there’s no cliff. Hell, they could just swing off the balcony or something. Girl power. Yeah.
But again, this would put the noobies in trouble. I’d start sleeping with my eyes open if I were them. I’d develop hyper listening skills, hang around the storage room, start making deals with shadows. Or, OR, I’d never throw a veto competition ever again. How’s that for a plan?
It’s an illness, this thing called strategy. Some people come into the show free of any sign of infection, and others come in blazing with feverish hypotheses of how to win the game. The problem with that type of thinking is this: Big Brother is a game of psychological nature. It consists of a microcosm of a societal kaleidoscope, of human psyche, of motivation and morality (or lack of). So making plans ahead of the game is pretty much death. There’s always going to be a moment when Julie Chen says, “Are you sitting down?”
So, Keith came into the house thinking he was going to have a harem of beauties—Keith’s Angels—as he so eloquently stated. They would distract, distort, glean information, deflect criticism, give comfort, wipe perspiration, cuddle, ooh and awe all the way to the end. And he, not they, would be the winner. He made this plan before finding out six pro-players would be entering the house. He also did it without thinking that the females in the house might have their own plans to counter his own. And when things got bad, he got loud.
Porsche was this close to being voted out Thursday night, but she wasn’t and here’s why: she is still pliable to the ways of strategy. You want me to help you out? Okay. You want me to lie a little? Cool. I can do that. It’s early and the game is long. I want to be poolside in my bikini for a few more weeks and so I’m just going to ride the tide and collect a golden key. Ooh, it’s pretty too. I’m kissing it, I’m kissing the golden key. My, oh, my it sure looks nice around my quiet, cool and collected little neck. See ya, Keith.
Yes, don’t make assumptions in this game. And unless forced to by the Chen, don’t make alliances until a few weeks in. If you must, absolutely must, then ride out the loyalty the best you can, but still keep your mind open to other opportunities. Never claim citizenship in the Big Brother House, or you too will come down with Strategy Strep. It ain’t fun. The antidote is Chen kissing you with sparkly lip gloss asking, “So, where do you think it all went wrong?” And that stuff’s hard to get off.
After watching the first show of the season, I have to say I think this will be a great cast. Along with the usual spitfires Allison Grodner seems to manufacture in a back closet somewhere, we were shown three duos consisting of past players. Evel Dick was in that mix. Declaring himself the only winner, despite the fact that Jordan was standing just a few feet away, he had already set a tone of dominance that would have, no doubt, been challenged many times in the next few months. But it wasn’t meant to be. Dani said she would get rid of him first chance, and whether or not it was her doing, the fact currently is, Dick is Dead. Or course as you know nothing in BB is set in stone. Things change. Players do come back.
Like many, I am happy to see Jeff and Jordan returning to the house. No one can forget the season these two battled between Natalie and her bestie Kevin. J & J provided much fun to a sometimes hostile house of lies and shouting matches. Ronnie, Chima, Lydia, Russell, and Michele were also part of that friction, yet Jeff and Jordan kept cool in the hammock with delightful talks peppered with laughter and romance. All while playing a smart game.
I remember the day when Jordan was counting fingers for mismatched convos Ratboy had conducted, and suddenly a light bulb went off. She really gave it to him that afternoon. She had guts and wasn’t afraid to take a stance. The entire house was unified, and I loved her for that. When she finally won HOH and received a letter from home stating her family had found a place to live, that was a beautiful moment. Despite some erratic, and let’s just say, dumb actions (can we say q-tips in the wall folks?) I think Jordan and Jeff could do really well this summer just as they did in BB 11.
But they need to watch their back, because Rachel and Brendon will rip these two apart like vultures later in the game and the rest of the house will smile and lick the bones clean. That’s just the nature of the game. Something tells me it won’t be long before we see the evil lurking within the newbies.
It’s season five, and the Four Horsemen have been terrorizing the house. Little Diane Henry has put her foot in her mouth one too many times making comments about sides, and which folks were on them. Yeah, she admitted she had a group, not a smart thing to do. But Diane was insanely honest like that. As you can guess the Four Horsemen went on the defense, hell bent on convincing the house that Diane should be the next person up for eviction. The thing about Diane was she had a good heart, perhaps at a fault. She was a young girl, falling fast in love with the hottie Drew. I think in her mind she thought time spent in the Big Brother house was a ticket out of a former life. She wanted love, she wanted a chance at fame, she wanted money. Like Janelle, I felt Diane was one of those contestants who made her way through the game by just being herself. I liked Diane’s spunk, I really did.
So here she is at her lowest point. She’d been alienated, called trailer trash and she knows she is next on the block. There’s a lot at stake for her. And here comes a competition where all she has to do is stand with her finger pressed to a button. I remember Diane said something like, “I’m a waitress. I can stand here all night.” And she did. Jase went insane. He tried everything to mess with her mind, but she held tight, kept that finger poised. Determination, that’s what Diane was made of. Good old stubborn, kick ass determination. Well, after watching Jase melt like a bad robot in a rainstorm, Diana claimed the HOH throne. The house changed completely after that. No more bad guy, just good old, healthy competition. It was something else. Then came the pinky-swear, and history was made. Diane did not win season five, but she burned an image in my mind that will never be forgotten. I was sad to see her do so poorly in the all star season.
So there you have it, my favorite moment in Big Brother history. I hope there will be multiple moments like this one in the new coming season. I know it’s possible.