So, it has begun

Two more days until the Premiere airs. Two more days of speculation about who is what and what they will do. The hard core fans are like bookies at the biggest race of the summer: laying down bets, deconstructing the breed and lineage of each house guest, haggling over who has the best chances. And the horses, I mean, the house guests aren't even out of the gate.

A slew of investigators have trolled the Internet to find pictures, videos, blogs, manifestos, resumes, tweets, profiles, recipes, pins, tumbls, flcks, whatever, swarming through every bit of information to toss the kerosene into the obsessive drama that inevitably accompanies every season of Big Brother. Family, friends, neighbours, frenemies, haters, grocers, where the HGs get their avocados or tequila, have flooded the social media for their 15 minutes of fame, either promoting or trying to tear down the HGs.

And what makes it worse? This whole MVP twist which, like many previous twists, will serve to further production's agenda. People are frantically voting, tweeting their favorites, bashing the ones who are threatening their favorite, debating, arguing, scoffing, whipping themselves up into a frenzy. And why? Do we even know what this twist is? What the hell are we voting for? Production and CBS know exactly what buttons to push. They know BB fans are starved worse than those on a fad diet or imprisoned in the cargo of a pirate ship. We will DO ANYTHING for BB!

I'm excited for another season. I'm super stoked that it's all newbies! I start the season like any other with hope that there will be some crazy power struggles, big game moves, fierce competitions, fight-to-the-death Endurance comps and alliances worth rooting for. Yet, my excitement is not as it has been in other years. Why? Because of politics, ego, greed and did I mention bullshit politics? I am forbidden from buying the feeds because I live an invisible line away from the power seat of CBS.

It will make blogging the feeds, um challenging. I will have to rely on the awesome sites mentioned in the right side bar which I will update ASAP.

Until then,

Stay Tuned! :)

p.s. Go Arkansaw :-p Jim

I'm Back B*tches!

Okay, I have caved to peer pressure and I'm back for yet another, no doubt crazy, season of Big Brother.

The hamsters are safely squirreled away (wow, a double metaphor already) in sequester. The fans are chomping at the bit. The rumours are flying and the early reports about the HGs are splattered all over the Internet. I'm going to be a purist and just make my judgments based on these interviews.

This season is supposedly the 'no floater" season which is a long time coming. It will be interesting how production will pull that off. I would love to see them throw down some old-school punishment for those who try to sleep their way to the end (and I don't mean in a sexual way). Here are the complete interviews from We Love Big Brother.

Let me break this down for you: After each blurb I will be giving them a  C score of 0 to 5 of their chances of making it in this game. (0 being the lowest and 5 the highest) and an S (for Shenanigans) score of 0 to 5 for their ability to cause mayhem in the house.

1) Elissa Slater aka Rachel 3.0 is the familiar face that managed to pull off the miracle of being in Greece and in the BB15 house at the same time. *eyeroll* She has a lot in common with Rachel, making it next to impossible for her to keep this relation a secret.  She will fess up if asked directly. She says that she won't be emulating BB12 Rachel's persona and mistakes. We will see. I think the cards are stacked against her in the game and with the "fans". Rachel was a polarizing personality, making it very hard for Elissa to shake it off. C-2 S-2

2) Nick Uhas is this season's Shane Meaney. He seems like a happy-go-lucky guy who might get steam rolled into an Alpha male alliance or a showmance. He's a Yale graduate who lives in Manhattan. "I'm a mega sucker for girls". Yikes, showmance it is even though he says he will avoid it. (Famous last words). He likes girls with red hair, green eyes, petite who are nerdy. That's pretty damn specific for someone not planning a showmance! C-4 S-4

3) Andy Herren says he watches the show religiously but is not a super fan who hasn't watched the feeds. He compares himself most to Ragan Fox because he teaches and he's gay. In the game, he most wants to emulate Danielle Reyes. He wants to stir the pot but not in an obvious way and create down low alliances but befriend anyone. This might make him a big target right off the bat. C-4 S-5

4) Amanda Zuckerman is LOUD! She wants to make others think she's a floater even though she's a competitor. There is no way this chick will take a back seat in the house. Chances are she will be one of the first nominated. She's not a girl's girl. That ain't good. "If you don't like me, I don't care. If you like me, we're best friends." Yup. First nominated and possibly evicted. C-4 S-5

5) David Girton is a cross between Hayden Moss and Braden Bacha from BB11. If he's lucky enough to get into a solid alliance, he will stick around; otherwise, he will be one of the first on the block. He talks a lot about women and showmances. We all know that always bodes well for the game... C-0 S-1

6) Candice Stewart is a pediatric speech therapist from Houston and a pageant girl. She has elements of Monet Stunson's looks, Danielle Reyes' savvy and Jordan Llyod's charm.  This might very well be a winning combination. I would be surprised if she doesn't go far. And as I'm typing this, she says she identifies with Jordan. Damn, I'm good! haha C-3 S-4

7) Gina Marie Zimmerman is Italian (with not an Italian name) from Staten Island and a pageant coordinator. She's going to be popular with the guys in the out of the house. She seems to have a good balance of chill and ballistic. She has already stated that she will get HoH. C-2 S-5




Early prediction: The women this season will either annihilate the men and take control of the house (I wish) or kill each other (more likely).

8) Helen Kim is a very confident campaign consultant and mother of 2 boys from Chicago. She says she doesn't want to come off strong which will be difficult because she is very eloquent and polished. She is my early favorite. If she can maintain this open poise, she will probably go far in the game. C-5 S-5

9) Jessie Kowalski who is an unemployed U.T. graduate with acting aspirations from San Antonio. She is super bubbly and girly but seems down to earth. She is a super fan who has been compared to Britney but "not as catty". And not as funny. C-3 S-4

10)Jeremy McGuire is a part-Cherokee Houstonite who is "a captain of [his] own ship". He is planning on a showmance with a smooth smarminess that is immediately off putting. He states that it is almost impossible to win the game without a girl. (Watch for a Dr. Will copy cat.) He's a self-proclaimed "all-around package" who is "agile like a gazelle". He will either be the leader of the Alpha Male pack or he will be one of the first on the block. I don't think he will be getting a lot of MVP votes. C-4 S-5

11)Howard Overby comes in with his smooth bass voice from Mississippi. He oozes southern charm when he states that he's an unemployed youth worker. Although his physique screams Alpha male, he has a laid back confidence that will charm the others without trying. "I will surprise you... I will be the first African American to win." Git 'er done, Howard. C- 4 S- 5

12)Judd Daughtery from Tennessee reminds me immediately of a combination of Howie Gordon, Frank Eudy and Zane Knight from Survivor: Philippines. He compares himself as a mixture of Russell Kairouz and Dan Gheesling. I don't see it. Sorry. C-2 S -3

13)Kaitlin Barnaby is a bartender from Minnesota who just broke up with her boyfriend. She's open to a strategic showmance. She proceeds to talk about liking edgy and intelligent men. Sorry Kaitlin. Nothing like that in the house. She never heard about BB (gasp!) until she was recruited (ugh!) by a casting agent at her bar. She seems very personable and laid back. Her strategy is to be flexible.... We'll see. C- 3 S-5

14) Aaryn Gries is a Texan pageant girl who is now a Psychology Major. She has Cassi Colvin and Kara Monaco vibe to her. She hates mean girls and cocky guys, most identifying with Frank Eudy. (That's an interesting connection.) C-3 S-3

15)Spencer Clawson is railroad conductor from Arkansas (I still heard ArkansaW, Jim Early!) who is extremely laid-back  and confident. He compares himself to Enzo Palumbo (I don't see it.) and becomes irked when he is compared to Adam Poch (Don't be dissing the Baconmeister!)  He wants to be the girls' friend which is a non-threatening strategy that often works.  C-4 S-4

16) McCrae Olson is delivery pizza boy from Minnesota who is a fun-loving super fan. He has a vibe that's a cross between geek and rocker. He won't be on anyone's radar which gives him a big chance of making it far in the house.
C-5 S-2



Fandom is being brought in with voting for a weekly MVP. What that means and how it will impact the game is yet to be seen. The campaigning has begun in forums, groups and sites.  I can tell you right now, it's not going to be pretty.

My overall impression of this cast is a positive one but they have yet to go into the house. We all know that stepping through those doors chemically changes people and continues to do so as the days, all 100 them go by!

That's it for now! Stay tuned!

BB14: It's a Wrap!

At 10 am PDT today, the feeds will go to trivia for the last time this season, returning after the east coast show for the back yard interviews on Superpass. It's been a hell of a ride, one with moments of laughter, excitement, anticipation and awe along with periods of frustration and disappointment.

I would like to take this time to thank each and every one of the readers and supporters of my blog. Your comments and insights gave me much to think about! Without you, this would be a monologue going mutely in the web sphere. I apologize for having to close the comments on the blog, but it was inevitable that the negativity would come knocking on my blog doors. Feel free to join our FB group Big Brother Shenanigans and join the conversation.

This is the first year of this blog, going from less than 100 hits to almost 40000! This is all due to your loyalty, so my deepest thanks!

Now for the extra special thanks!

To my BBBFFs♥, Michelle, MnM (Helen! heh), Colleen, Kim, Red, Merry, Toni (we missed you this year), our latest addition, Season and last but certainly not least, Syn whose fabulous artwork has graced the banners and background of this blog. Without you, I would simply have gone crazy!

A very special thanks to Jim Early who took me under his wing, supporting this blog and me, hooking me up with the awesome FB group Big Brother Whispers, along with all the Whispers groups where not only fans but also cast members congregate to discuss the shows we love. I've met some pretty awesome people there! :)

Enjoy the Finale! :)

BB14: Save This Show

Here's what I would like to see in the future of Big Brother.

A new production team with fresh ideas and less of an agenda:

1. No more DR tampering or "guidance". Make the DR sessions live. 
2. No more random twists that only serve to help some players that production thinks will amp up the drama factor. That includes the lame Pandora.
3. No more Have Nots. It's a stupid concept that doesn't even factor into the show except for lame food voting. Make house privileges, luxuries and food be earned through competitions and chores.
4. No more restriction of alcohol. You want drama? Bring on the booze.
5. New challenges that aren't ripped off from rival shows.
6. Minimal feed blockages or scheduled feed blockages or even better, prime time feeds only. For those addicted to obsessively watching and minutely analyzing the players' every move, it will be a healthy change. And if people are worried they'll miss something, worry not. Conversations seem to be recycled constantly.
7. No more 4th wall. With less production manipulation this "no talking about production" rule will be obsolete. 

This will spill out into the mandate for casting that will no longer "recruit" people with modelling experience but choose from a wide selection of applicants to pick people who not only know the game, but know how to play the game.  No more vets and newbies mixed together. It's unfair and unbalanced, ruining the original concept of the show that fans have loved.

You want to bring all returning players?

1. Do second chance BB, by bringing in past HGs who were evicted early. 
2. Or level the playing field with half vets and half newbies that must be paired off by the end of the first show. They are then free to make other alliances if they wish. 
3. Or save the vets for a Heroes versus Villains All-Stars in a couple of years.

The show needs to bring in a more interactive aspect to the game where the fans have a actual and transparent say in the game.

1. Voting should be tabulated online using the CBS website where the polling results are shown.
2. Twitter accounts should be manned by people who actually respond to fans not just blast out announcements. 
3. An FB page that is actively manned by people from production interacting with individuals and other major BB FB groups.
4. Competitions that involve the fans and their interaction with those in the house, as well as past HGs.
5. A registration of all BB related blogs with an interactive component between them, their followers and the show.

Lastly and most importantly, CBS and the producers need to take a stand against slander and hate speech which would include not promoting it through their show edits. They need to put in place policies that protect the players and their families/friends/loved ones from the irrational and sometimes  criminal hatred that festers and grows every year. This should include:

1. A publication policy that protects players from printed/electronic materials that slander players and their families, enforcing an anti-cyber bullying internet policy against hate groups, thus preventing the show from feeding into the hate frenzy. 
2. Slander and hate should be monitored and charged. A show that encourages hate speech is not a show worth backing.
3. A policy that includes families of HGs in the online process to drive the point home that these people are real, not show characters that can be torn apart.

That's it for now! Stay tuned! :)

BB14: Big Brother Burn-out

I am at the point of no return with this mishandling of this show that I used to love. It's been all but ruined by the inept production and, as importantly, by the tumorous hatred that his show has engendered among some of its followers. Like Dementors, they are sucking the very life out of this, once fabulous and absorbing, show for me and for many others.

I haven't really turned on my feeds in over a week except to see the results of competitions etc. What's the point? We know it will come to its increasingly inevitable conclusion. I know a lot of people who have already cancelled the feeds, many with the intention of not renewing them next year. Others say they are done with this show altogether. It happens every year at this time, but not on such a massive scale. Will people regenerate interest by next year and come back? I don't know. I can only speak for myself.

I'm done with this formula. It's like watching reruns of the same show with a different cast. Last year, a vet won. It was a bittersweet win because it was a victory of redemption, yet it was a hollow win because it was so blatantly guided by production (the pairs twist). This year, there has been so much manipulation (twists) to ensure that a coach make it to the end that it's been almost sickening. Dan's victory is all but ensured at this point. It won't be a victory of redemption, making it even more hollow because he will be winning against a group of people who are too naive, too star-struck or too inept to even give him a run for his money. Will he deserve the win? Sure. Is it a victory? Meh, because he's been playing several leagues above almost everyone else.

This has nothing to do with whether I like Dan or not. I happen to like Dan a lot. It has nothing to do with the fact that he's played a "dirty" game. Tell me one person who's won playing a "clean" game. I don't judge the players' actions or words on a personal level because I know this isn't real life. This is a contrived situation that they are in. In fact, other than Mike's and Frank's contemptuous remarks, I have liked pretty much everyone this season. My beef is with the producers of this show and the network that keeps them employed. My beef is that they have killed my enjoyment of the show, as a fan. My beef is on behalf of all the new players that have entered the BB house doors not standing a chance because they were picked to be the puppets, the pawns and the road kill of the season. My beef is with the monstrous hatred this show spawns and encourages.

A faction of the BB community has left an ugly taste in my mouth. It's been invaded by a bunch of mean-spirited, judgmentally petty people whose sole entertainment has been to tear apart players on very vicious and personal level, excusing themselves with the fallacy that the BB HGs have "signed up" for this. I've never seen the actual contract and I sure as hell know these jerks haven't either; but I can surmise that if the contract said "be prepared to have your life ripped apart by an amoral band of Internet thugs", the players might be more wary to sign. To add insult to slander, CBS and AGP have gleefully fed into a lot of this hatred with their edits, making them not only reprehensible but also irresponsibly vicious.

I have been told, directly and indirectly, that I have made people feel like "douche bags" because I stood up for those being ripped apart. My answer to that is if some feel that way, it's not me who's doing it, it's their words. I find it hypocritical to judge someone because he swore on the bible or has exaggerated a personal story, in the house, calling them out, when people sit behind the relative anonymity of the Internet to attack others in an often blood-thirsty manner. I find it beyond ridiculously ironic that people get on their moral high horses about what the players do or say in a confined and stress-filled situation while at the same time demolishing their personal lives, on the outside.

And the online punks haven't stopped at the players either. There have been attacks on the personal lives of players' families, friends and other fans as well. There have been systematic attempts to hijack, steal, impersonate identities in an attempt to tear them down. Personal records and information have been published on the web with the sole purpose of terrorizing and harassing its owners. All in the name of a reality TV show. Really? Massive therapy is needed as well as an extended, maybe permanent, black-out from the Internet, if not some jail time. This behaviour is not only sinister, it's mentally unbalanced.

Not everyone in the BB community is like that, however; there are many people out there who have voiced their displeasure at these attacks; there are many who have wanted to talk about the game, the players' decisions, the competition, the unfair tampering. But their voices are constantly drowned out by the anger and ugliness. They are told not to look, not to disagree, not to care. They are told that everyone has the right to voice their opinions. Sure. Does this hold also true for people who have bigoted and criminal opinions towards people of other races, cultures, sexual orientations, religion beliefs, political tenets and socioeconomic backgrounds? Do we have to be subjected to their poisonous tirades? Is our only choice to walk away from the whole thing? For my sanity, maybe so.

I love a good challenge. I appreciate a good power move and a blindside in a competition. I have the objectivity to see it for what it is. Game. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt because we are all human. We all have weaknesses, faults, fears and breaking points. We all have achievements, hopes, dreams and passions. This game is not meant to be a personal Armageddon; and frankly, I want nothing to do with people who think it is.

So in terms of Big Brother 14, the game is over. Dan has swindled Danielle from winning the first of the three-part HoH because he's that good and she's that naively trusting. The second part is due to happen today. Dan has been encouraging Danielle to get Ian to throw it. How successful she will be is irrelevant, because Dan will be masterminding one of Ian's or Danielle's demise to make it to the Final 2. He will succeed. The third part of the HoH will happen live on the Finale Show, Wednesday. Then it's all up to the jury and their motivations for voting.

I will update the results of Part 2 HoH under the banner as usual, but that's it for my blogging this season of Big Brother.

Stay tuned for the future or this blog. Namaste :)

BB14: F3 Part One HoH Endurance.

8:36 PM: Feeds return

8:46 PM: Ian takes a huge swallow of water and nearly falls off.

He falls a a few moments later. Ian is out.

Danielle seems comfortable. Dan is trembling.

Random Shot

9:09 PM: They are getting dunked, rained on and slammed hard against the wall.
9:15 PM: Dan asks for some time alone so he can mist Danielle some more through the "rain". I can't hear anything except Danielle says, "You drive me effing crazy!" He just swore on Chelsea again and Danielle is believing it... Good GAWD THESE AMATEURS!
9:24 PM: Danielle drops. Write Dan the check CBS.

BB14: Between a Quack and a Hard Choice

With an HoH and the last PoV under her belt, Danielle has the chance to make a couple of power moves this week, but the power lies on whoever is the one off the block. If the nominations stay the same, then Shane will be the sole deciding vote. Should Danielle replace Dan with Shane, she will be doing so knowing he will, more than likely, be the one evicted. Or will he? Remember Ian was his first target before Shane. What is a girl to do? All three of them are threats in her endgame for different reasons (see yesterday's post); but keeping Ian and Dan in the game together is suicidal for her because it also removes a close ally.

Taking all personal feelings aside, Danielle's best bet is Ian's eviction which will eliminate the person who has the most chances of beating her in the final HoH. She is more closely allied with Dan and Shane. Ian is a wild card for her. But will Shane cooperate with her wishes? Is taking Ian out the best choice for him? He knows that keeping Dan in the game will divide Danielle's loyalties should she win the final HoH. It would make more game sense for Shane to evict Dan; however keeping Ian in the game is also a threat.

There's the jury to consider as well. Evicting Dan would be an action that this jury would most respect, at this point. It would be a gamble keeping Ian going into the 3 part HoH, but Danielle and Shane would get the credit for eliminating the last coach. Would the jury respect the power move or will they see this as an act of disloyalty on Danielle's part? There's also the fact to consider that by taking Ian out, Danielle has more chances of winning the last HoH and taking Shane with her over Dan. Truly this is not a win-win situation, making it one of the most difficult final 3 choices in a long time on Big Brother. Whatever Danielle and Shane decide to do, should they make this decision together, expect a lot of back lash from the fans. Oh goodie!

But first... Here's Wil!

Stay tuned! :)