Big Brother

Is anyone else still watching? I am posting on other forums and enjoying the exchange of opinions, so will sign off here if nobody else cares? I hope the nasty comments haven’t scared people off though?

GN is dreadful for that. It’s an odd combination of censoring unpopular opinions and an insistence that some preferences are ‘superior’ to others.

As I say, I am happy to continue if anyone else wants to, but will equally happily join in elsewhere if not😎.

I am rather behind due to unforeseen circumstances, please continue I enjoy reading your posts.

I watched last night after missing a few episodes while staying at my son’s. Pairing them for nominations was interesting. Ali seems to have come to the fore since I watched last week. I felt sorry for Khaled when she cut him off mid conversation and walked off. I think if she wasn’t immune from nomination this week she’d be the next to go.

I’m not convinced by the budding romance between BP and Nathan. Some body language experts say that nose touching/rubbing during a conversation can be a sign that the person is lying. It made me laugh last night to see Nathan giving his nose a good old rub on 2 occasions while saying he was falling for BP 😆

Doodledog

Did anyone see a programme called something like Joel Must Win? A panel of ‘celebrities’ manipulated a BB-type set up so that an unassuming contestant would win. They could change rules, alter tasks to make him more popular and so on.

It was really interesting to see how these things can make such a difference. It’s worth trying to find it if you haven’t seen it and are interested the dynamics of reality TV.

That sounds very interesting, and I think I’ll have a look for that! Ben Elton wrote a book about a BB type programme, which I remember thinking probably contained some truths. Of course, what I don’t remember is the name of it!
I confess that I have not seen it for years, since the contestants became more outlandish, but I think I’ll have a look after reading this ( as a wee dabble in mental deficiency, you know).
Also, the point about discussion about programmes like this is a good one. It can be interesting to hear others’ opinions on things like these programmes, as we can’t be having intellectual discourse all the time!

Thank you, Googles!

Ben Elton book is Dead Famous, and The Underdog- Josh Must Win was the Channel 4 programme, which looks to still be available.

Both are worth catching. I read the book when it came out, and enjoyed it. Yes, it was Josh Must Win.

What do people think of Ali? I find her awful. She's so manipulative and sly, and seems to think she's a cut above the others. The other day she was claiming that smutty talk could jeopardise her professional status, but IMO if her employers saw her behaviour they would think twice about keeping her on.

I agree with you about Ali Doodledog. I missed a few episodes and when I resumed last night I thought she’d had a personality transplant since last week. Manipulative and stirring trouble.

I’m not sure about Lily. I think she’s more intelligent than she’d like us to believe.

Agreed. Lily seems to be playing the role of a toddler.

Ali's clearly not as clever as she thinks she is, but now she's been rumbled she will play the victim for all it's worth.

Well, I’m trying to catch up, so am just three or four days in, and just about managing to ignore my personal bugbear of ‘like’ being every second word!
So far this seems much less manufactured than previous ones, and looks to be concentrating on the personalities, which is much more interesting ( for me, anyway)
I am a bit confused about Nathan alleging to have been King Charles’s butler, especially as he said he was ‘ much younger then’, and is hardly an old man now! I think he did say it was at Dumfries House, but I still think he’s maybe exaggerating a wee bit.
I’m wondering why I’ve not seen much mealtime activity, but presumably that will come.
And, I’m not taking to any of the women, especially Martha with her fake ‘caring’, and Ali with her just fake!

Yes, the butler claims seem a bit dubious. How do you go from that to being a pork salesman (or vice versa)? I thought you had to work up from being a footman to get to butler status, or is that just in Downton Abbey/

And then there was Ali saying that ‘forensic’ meant the ‘legal side of psychology’, and Martha saying she had only brought one pair of pyjamas into the house, then appearing in at least two other pairs ( of course, that may have been a lie to help her win the cake task), but she is just so fake!

Nathan - yep all a bit 'dubious' including his romance with Rosie aka Baked Potato
I would like to see Marcello evicted on Friday.

I wondered about the forensic thing too.

I suspect some of Martha's 'pyjamas' are her daywear, though.

Nathan and Baked Potato make my toes curl! I can’t bear to watch. He’s so creepy - and I don’t think that BP knows how to react. I agree that Lily is not as green as she is cabbage looking. She comes out with a lot of sense sometimes, then continues with her gross behaviour. I don’t dislike her though - she makes me laugh.
I like Emma’s sharp wit but I think she sometimes goes too far to try to impress the younger ones.
I know I shouldn’t like Marcello and his sexist and misogynistic ways - but I just can’t help it! 🥴

Well, I’ve almost caught up,,while decluttering boxes to assuage the guilt, but I had a look on You Tube for the very first one, and what a difference! Five boys in one room, five girls in another, in metal, army style beds, and chickens and a vegetable garden to tend! It opened with all housemates inside, and they introduced themselves. I was amazed by how articulate and mature they sounded compared to this lot, not a ‘like’ or ‘literally’ or scream of ‘ oh my God’ to be heard. Their first task to earn a food budget was to make their own crockery, but they quickly got their kit off and made body prints on the wall with the clay, with lots of bums on show!
It was definitely a far cry from these days’ glitzy effort.

I never watched the first one (I remember thinking that I would never sit and watch people doing nothing) but got hooked by number two! I remember they were allowed to read books, and there was a really boring one (I think with John Tickle?) where they just seemed to sit and read and tend chickens. But I still loved it! I agree they all seemed a lot more ‘ordinary’ and I did like the age ranges. I suppose everyone is more ‘savvy’ these days.

It's a very different show from the way it started out. Back the it was a genuine social experiment, and I doubt even the makers knew how big it would get.

Everyone took it very seriously, the housemates as well as the viewers and critics. There were psychologists on hand to analyse everything, and water cooler conversations galore. The idea of being able to watch them round the clock was new, and made it all more exciting.

By about series 4 people were going in to get famous, and the dynamics changed. I stopped watching for a while, as I couldn't bear the screaming and overacting.

I think the change of channel has made a difference though. The housemates this time are more interesting than I remember. Also, as they all have years of experience of watching it, they know what to expect by way of game playing from one another, unlike the first time when the whole nation was shocked at 'Nasty' Nick trying to manipulate the vote. It's evolved, I suppose, which is better than staying still.

I need to catchup but my catchup tv is playing up and I keep missing it when it’s on live.

Nathan has agreed with me that Martha is false.
I think I see Ali’s roots coming in ( or is it because I’ve just done mine?)
She may have a L’Oreal Root Touch Up spray.

I think Martha comes across as vacant. I don't know if she's bright enough to be false. Lily, on the other hand, is definitely 'playing a game', but is BB is a game, I don't find that shocking .

Ali has lovely hair, but she is a very dislikable person, IMO.

Who do people think will go tonight?

I want it to be Marcello but think it will probably be Izaaz

Lily’s fellow contestants are showing amazing self restraint. I thought one of them would have blown a fuse by now listening to her shrieking and childish behaviour. They’ve had a moan amongst themselves but as yet nobody has confronted her about her behaviour. I wonder if they’re afraid that she’s popular with the public and it will go against them if they upset her.

Lily would drive me mad.

I agree, nanaK. I think Izaaz has been below the radar, whether because he's been edited out or because he doesn't do anything. He's boring though. I don't like Marcello - he claims his comments are jokes and 'bants' but I think he has the makings of a bully.

I think I like Khaled the best, but it's early days.

Yes. I like Khaled. He seems like quite a nice person. I find Ali quite unpleasant. All her ‘arguments’ are full of phrases that are taught on communication courses - ‘I hear what you’re saying’ ‘I acknowledge your feelings’ etc. I wish she would loosen up.

Ali is very manipulative. She said that discussing Marcello's 'behaviour' in the shower might get her struck off professionally, but I think her blatant misrepresentation and manipulation is more likely to cause that. I would hate to think anyone vulnerable had her as a therapist - if that's what she does in her psychology role - I'm not sure of her actual job.

Khaled is cute. He seems like a boy, not a man, which helps, and the teen vote might keep him in. Nathan is a bit creepy, Izaaz does nothing and Marcello is aggressive, IMO.