Big Brother News
Big Brother 8 Commentary Diary
Week 13 commentary: the end!
BB news, rumours, gossip and commentary
Author: Ridge Rogue
July 2008
Pot plants rule (diary closes - a bit of a lengthy update)!
July 25th, 2008 at 11:09pm, EST, by Ridge Rogue
It's time to bring this diary to a close. We've heard this week since the after party, that Michael and Rima turned down invitations to attend the finale. Terri says she'll use a small amount of her prize money to get a facelift. Ben didn't reject Bianca in the bad way that the media made out. And so on and so forth. But now that all is said and done, I'd like to close this commentary diary and offer some messages of thanks.
I'm not sure if I'll ever do this type of commentary again if BB returns one day, but it just depends on how the format is utilised. I believe that BB will be a shadow of its former self if it does and be less of the spectacle that it has made out of itself in recent years in particular. But whether or not I do present any commentary, I'll certainly be here promoting the greatest show on earth one way or another.
When I started my commentary diary I hoped for a revolution on BB but it didn't happen. I also offered a quote:
This is not Big Brother. You don't win by sitting in the corner being quiet!
Kyle sandilands - Australian Idol 2005, October 3rd, 2005.
That was his observation of how to win BB back then. As it turned out, pot plants still do win and so nothing has changed. All those years ago when BB began, the pot plants took over and continued their domination to this very week, eight years later. It's amazing, isn't it? And in all that time, we've seen slam sites spring up to criticise, defame and spread fictional news about them and the show. We've also seen this fan site bagging the producers for choosing the pot plants in the first place. And we've seen the media waving their arms around to get their little piece of attention out of it by going wild with fictional news and other nonsense.
The end result of all that, and the lies the show insulted the intelligence of viewers with, was that the ratings continuously dropped. This is a TV show. If you want high ratings you must entertain, like I said in a recent update here. That's the key to success and to sticking it to the critics. But many HMs weren't entertaining one bit for the most part over the years. The public therefore grew tired of the smear campaigns against the show, the lies and the lack of genuine entertainment on BB, and they voted with their TV remote. You can't argue with that. It's supposedly called democracy but some of it's really a kneejerk reaction based on ignorance (espcially where the excessive negativity is concerned).
But, despite that, BB, SYTYCDA and The Biggest Loser (all Network Ten shows) were all in top 10 in the ratings for first half of year with almost all other top ten shows being boring sport. Don't believe the spin that reality TV is dead because it clearly isn't. And the poll I've been running for a while (results below) shows that most voters are outraged by BB's axing. There's a small sample of potential future viewers if BB returns. If the rest are just as outraged then BB will succeed again.
Thanks
With that said, I'd like to close with some messages of thanks.
Prelude
I've taken the news of BB's axing much better than I ever thought. Maybe that's because a few of us had known and discussed here in May this whole topic of BB being rested. Maybe it's because I have other websites to move to and am itching to get on with it. I missed Gretel a bit this year but only a small bit because I know she'll be back on our TV screens soon. Similarly, I believe BB will be back and a break is the best option. It's all good and I'm not actually devastated at all by the news.
It's remarkable that I - one of the most vocal supporters of Gretel and BB - has taken this news so well. God help the poor kids, though, that are bawling their eyes out and the slam sites that bag the show and the fans for watching it. It's off to the therapist for all of them. I recall hearing about a kid that committed suicide once because their folks wouldn't let them watch BB. I hope this news of BB's demise doesn't have that impact on anyone.
If I, a big fan of BB, can handle the news then anyone can move on with their life and think little of this.
If there's one thing I'm happy about in all this axing of BB news, it's that we get to deliver to ESS, Ten and the wider community watching us our condemnation of the mediocrity and corrupt nature of commercial television in this country. But we still need to pause and remember that while BB gave us something to relax and watch after getting out their to save the world during the day, there were people working their butts off to give us those brief moments of relaxation over the last eight years. I'd like to thank some of them.
Auditionees
To everyone that has ever auditioned for this show, I thank you for trying out for BB. I know only too well that there were some real gems among you that were overlooked in favour of lower quality cast choices. It really was just as frustrating for me as it was for some of you. One can only blame the wankers that produced the show for that. It is a lesson for future television productions in a time of better quality TV a bit further down the track.
I'd also like to thank all the potential and actual auditionees I've ever given basic coaching to over the years. You told me soo much about yourselves and I still carry around with me all the secrets you've ever entrusted me with. I still promise that I will never reveal them to anyone and I thank everyone that trusts me with private information. I learnt so much about many topics from all of you and I wish you all the best with your lives. Thanks again!
Gretel
I gave this site a quote late last year about Gretel's role on BB, but want to add to it a bit more here. I just wanted to say thanks Gorgeous Gretel for the seven years of a superb job in hosting Big Brother on Ten. This year proved that there really is no one better than you, like I've always tried to convince the mostly ignorant public. Your talent in hosting a live show is the reason you were hired in the first place for BB. You're absolutely gorgeous and I love you to bits. On behalf of all of your fans and I, a big thank you for your efforts. Big Brother would've been nothing without you. We love you and wish you all the best!
The HMs
Thank you to those that made this show worth watching: the housemates. We'll all miss you Gordon Sloan! All of you housemates (both the pot plants and the entertaining ones) gave us so many memories and on behalf of all fans of BB, I thank you. I'd particularly like to single out the greatest housemate ever: Vesna. What a bloody whinging little pest you were in BB 5 but God I love you to bits, as many of us fans do. You are the greatest and you should never forget that. You will always have a huge fanbase. All of you housemates took something from this experience but you also gave us fans something in return and we thank you. We'll never forget you all. Thank you again.
To all those housemates that feel that this show ruined their life (and there's quite a list so I won't publicly embarrass you all), I'd just like to say that although the experience may not have been what you had hoped for, you were responsible for some great moments in Australian TV history (some good, some not so good, but great in their own way) and you should never forget the role you played in that and the many tears and laughs that people shared with you. All the best for the future, housemates!
The fans and critics
This site used to attract thousands of visitors a day sometimes in the better years of BB. In other years there was less public interest. But to everyone from around the world that has ever dropped by to check us out, thank you for spending some time here. Thanks to everyone that has emailed me about my commentary or other site matters. Like me, the true and genuine fans, and only them, not those posing as such on slam sites, know what works best on Big Brother and we love this show like nothing else. Keep in touch; you know I'll always be here for you fans, but not for the critics.
All I can say to the sub-human cretins that are critics of Gorgeous Gretel and the concept of Big Brother (yes I'm talking about you John Howard and those at the slam sites), you've contributed (along with the producers of BB) to succeeding this time in bringing down my favourite show. But there's one thing I can promise you and that is that it ain't over. In another time and another place, the phoenix will rise again and I firmly believe that with all of my heart. Karma is a bitch. You may've had a few good points that reminded us of what we could all see, as insulting to our intelligence as that reminder is, but you know that for the most part you're wankers. Good riddance. Fuck the lot of you!
Crew and hosts
To all those crew and outside contractors that have worked on this show at anytime over the last eight years, I thank you on behalf of all fans. This show's temporary demise is not your fault and any criticism and poor ratings has never been your fault. You learnt, you laughed, you cried along with all of us when watching the housemates in action. There is nothing wrong with that and you did your work well. Thank you, thank you, and thank you! I especially thank those a little higher up like Nick, Aaron, Rikkie, Johnathon, Leon and other Deputy Big Brothers over the years. You added an element to this show that was most entertaining indeed. Thanks again! And Rodney, there's no doubt that the Australian Big Brother house was always among the best in the world. You did an excellent job overall and should be very proud. Thanks for the coolest house in Australia!
Mikey G, Fryzie, Bree (you sexy babe), Tim Ferguson, Kyle and the lovely Jackie O, and anyone else that's hosted that I might've forgotten, thanks for all you've ever done on Big Brother. You were all entertaining in your own way and that brought an added element of fun to our viewing experience. Good luck in the future and thanks for the memories!
Ten and ESS
I think you morons would know how us fans all feel. There really is no excuse for this completely unacceptable outcome. One of my favourite actors, Michael Douglas, once played a character called "Gordon Gecko". He said that greed is good and I believe that it is good in some cases if you do the right thing with the money when no one else will. But this isn't one of those cases. All I can say to you people is shame on you! Thanks for the early years but since then your efforts have epitomised the mediocrity that has become the television landscape in this country (full of poor quality productions at best). Stop the wanking and wake up to yourselves!
To a couple of executives
Peter Abbott, there is no other executive producer quite like you in this country. You are a true rare gem in the television industry. Your involvement in Big Brother in the first three years was a fine example of your excellent work. You new the rules of the format and how to use the concept to almost its fullest extent sometimes and I thought you were a man after my own heart for that. I was amazed by how well you engrossed yourself in this show. That's what I would've done and you did a mighty fine job. As I once said in my Idolchaos commentary, I might've been a bit annoyed with your comment several years ago in the media that people are fed up with the "eviction narrative" but I know that you know what a great concept the show is. And you did a fantastic job with it. Well done and thanks for the memories in those years!
John DeMol, you and your team that came up with the concept of Big Brother will always be my group of true heroes. When Bart and Sabine became national heroes themselves, I knew that the television landscape had changed for the better (or for the worse as the wowsers say, but screw them). Without that one meeting you all had, our lives in more than 30 countries would not be the same today, a decade later. I thank you for giving us Big Brother! The same goes for Joop van der Ende. Without you as well, Endemol wouldn't have been born to bring this great concept alive on television. I thank you both!
A final farewell
This show has brought fans and critics together in a cult like no other. I still strongly believe today in the concept of Big Brother (it's the main reason that media writers sometimes consulted me for opinion and my knowledge of BB). I know there are still so many unique and incredible possibilities in the future for the format. All you need to bring those possibilities onto TV screens around the world is people that share the same belief as I and other true, genuine fans do. It isn't that hard and the ignorant, brainless critics can easily be proven wrong. Big Brother might be taking a break in this country but Big Brother will never, ever die. And on that note, for the final time this year, I'm Ridge Rogue. Say hi to your girlfriend for me :) Take care, enjoy life and you will see me again one day. Best wishes!
Big Brother's second life is coming one day. Are you prepared?
Reasons for the demise of Big Brother Australia ... for now
July 25th, 2008 at 2:56am, EST, by Ridge Rogue
With my commentary coming to a close this week, I'd like to look at some of the reasons why BB was axed before I close this diary off over the coming days. More information has come to light this week about why BB was axed. I often wonder if anyone that buys BB in the future will bother to learn from the mistakes made in this first incarnation of Big Brother Australia. I can only hope so because many mistakes were made, from the deliberate lies entrenched in every aspect of the show, to the greed that brought it down in the end (outside the betting scandal).
But history has a habit of repeating. We've seen it through the decades in Vietnam and in Iraq and we've seen it in the business world time and time again. It beggars belief but it still happens. Will we see it with any reincarnation of Big Brother? I hope not because it won't be worth wasting the time and money if the same old same old is just going to be repeated. And television viewers will remember the past, see it in the present and switch off. So let's look at what they've seen recently on the path to Big Brother's destruction.
The major cause of the show's demise seems to be the production company. Many of us BB fans have been frustrated with the producers at ESS for years for deliberately running this show into the ground like they have. This week it was revealed, as I mentioned in a previous update, that they didn't want the show moved to a later timeslot. Network Ten executives finally became fed up and axed the show instead of negotiating any further.
This was the best decision they've made because now ESS executives have had the wake up call they've been in need of for a while (but the geniuses at ESS shot themselves in the foot because plenty of ESS employees now have to find work elsewhere - common sense might've told them that they'd have to if the situation failed to improve, but, quite astonishingly to many observers, common sense always did seem to be lacking among the producers of BB). If the show ever returns on another television network then ESS will probably have less bargaining power. Maybe then we'll finally see the BB series we've always dreamt of. This leads me to the other reason for BB's demise.
Since around 2005, many of the housemates have failed to entertain (that's all viewers ever really wanted: entertainment). This lack of entertainment has been a huge reason for the decline in ratings. My regular readers might recall me saying several times before (and it's in the wiki) that BB came about as a result of the biosphere experiment. That involved a group of people living together and performing tasks in a controlled environment. That sounds like Big Brother, doesn't it? Well that's what it was based on.
Big Brother then took the "prison" environment of being in the house and tried to create entertainment out of it. That might not be very nice, and several housemates have complained about the psychological torture of living in a confined space for three months, but they still had the opportunity to be entertaining toward each other and the viewers to help them to keep sane.
In order for that entertainment factor from the housemates to happen, though, you need to find an entertaining cast. The producers failed in this area so many times after Peter Abbott left the role of EP. Strip this show down by getting rid of all the eviction voting, the hosts, the scandals, the advertising by mostly morally reprehensible companies selling low quality rubbish, and all the media attention and you have a situation that is little more than prisoners living together being watched by the nation (sort of like in The Truman Show but that only focused on one person).
That would be boring if it was the biosphere experiment but this is television and you need that added element of entertainment. That's where ESS failed. In the place of entertainment they added contrived scandals instead. That saw the beginning of the end of BB in this country. The greed of ESS in wanting that early timeslot so they could sell BB to Ten for more, push for bigger advertising revenue sponsorships and aim the show's appeal at kiddies to fleece those watching in an earlier timeslot for voting money throughout the week, plus the substitution of entertainment for scandal for media attention, saw viewers vote with their TV remote and tune out.
BB used to be a show that adults could watch. It was sort of like the modern day version of Silvania Waters and other predecessors to today's Aussie reality television. The housemates in the early years were interesting enough characters capable of holding interesting conversations when they chose to. Since then the housemates have been brainless twits with no entertainment value to speak of. That's why no one cares about BB anymore; no reason to watch.
Viewers didn't care as much as the producers did about who was spooning whom; who was kissing whom; who was doing anything but just be plain entertaining. If only the producers kept a policy of choosing only entertaining people as housemates, not dummies that had no appeal to anyone. The bad casting is without a doubt a huge factor in BB's demise. No wonder Andrew Denton once famously suggested that it is ridiculous to have a group of people sitting around doing nothing in a house for three months only to come out of there as celebrities with no real lofty goals beyond the goal of celebrity itself.
BB used to be an entertaining enough escape from boring drama shows that are often confused as "quality" television (there is no such thing on commercial TV, I can assure you - that's why it's on commercial TV and not the ABC or SBS). Now television viewers can look forward to more boring sport than ever before and also drama shows that will be axed after two episodes as ratings drive decisions towards whatever is more profitable. It's the same old story and commercial TV executives are completely clueless.
At least with shows that are entertaining you can enjoy that brief escape from the mundane routine that some people have in their daily lives. That's why Big Brother originally offered an alternative to what was out there then and is out there now (and the quality of other local productions has slipped even further since BB started in 2001, as the drive towards mediocrity becomes even more relentless for the sake of profit).
A trend towards turning off the TV so one can get out there and live life seems to be the main outcome that commercial TV in all its mundane mediocrity is driving more and more people toward. That's certainly a good outcome, but for those left behind, and those that just want to watch because they like to, there is still a market for shows like Big Brother and there always will be.
Some people hate it and some love it, but it always be fondly remembered as a different kind of TV experiment in its first year or two. Some people say it will be remembered negatively because of what came after those initial years (the sharp decline in quality of casting and other aspects).
But later on, people will not so much cringe and express disbelief when they look back on BB as much as they would've when Graham Kennedy was exploiting his viewers through live TV commercials on his show all those decades ago when TV had only just begun (that's where all this mass marketing started, for which BB is singled out for criticism by the ignorant today), they'll cringe and express disbelief that society's relentless push to sell mediocrity for maximum profit ever took off so exponentially this decade, with BB just being one of many examples of that corrupt greed.
That corrupt greed in the pursuit of mediocrity is in a nutshell what today's society is all about and ironically - as you'd expect when you shoot yourself in the foot through practices that are unsustainable in the long term - it's what brought down Big Brother (the public grew tired of it just as much as Network Ten did with ESS). It's the reason why I've always had a problem with the continuing involvement of ESS in Big Brother and I'd like to see an alternative way of bringing BB to life again occur one day, without their involvement where possible. And so and as high school and university students continue all these years later to study BB, and now the added element of its wreckage, and they will continue to study all this for many years to come, Orwell probably wouldn't be too impressed with how it turned out, but then again ...!
Finale ratings and after-party gossip.
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:29pm, EST, by Ridge Rogue
Finale ratings have been posted in the column to your right.
Here's some gossip from the Kyle and Jackie O radio show this morning. I took notes and here's a run down.
Part 1: Bianca
Kyle went home. Jackie O went to the after party and then the after after party with cast and crew and the public.
Rhianna looked smoking hot to get Rory. Everyone was taking photos of Rhianna and Rory having sex in a corner of the room (dry humping in simulated sex).
Jackie and Ten's publicist couldn't believe it. Then Bianca walked past Jackie and was in tears. She said she was pissed with Ben for rejecting her. He went for every blonde there that he could. K and J will talk to Ben about this next.
Nobbi was spending most of the night dancing with Jackie. She regrets one part in which she embarrassed herself by doing a long run and jump into his arms by the sounds of it.
The past HMs were there (Billy and Aleisha and also Jamie from BB 6).
Jackie and Travis talked a bit and he said he hated all the queries in interviews yesterday about him being gay.
Part 2: Rory
Rory was interviewed. They were at the Marriott first and then some club called MyBar (they needed a password to get in). Rory didn't want to talk about his relationship with Rhianna (sounds like he's less interested in her than she is in him). He was only there for a bit of fun and photos. Jackie admitted that her gay friend saw Rory in the shower, fell in love with him, and told him he is "so hot". Jackie said her friend made her follow Rory around all night.
Then Kyle asked about his finances. Rory wasn't aware but an investment went broke while he was in the house. So Rory will finish his apprenticeship now and do brick laying. Rory was asked if he wants a radio job and said he has no plans at the moment.
Part 3: Terri
Terri said her heart is still beating fast. She also admitted that she is a regular caller to the Kyle and Jackie O show. She roasted Kyle once, she said, about the Lara Bingle affair. He said he was a bit harsh on Lara. Then she said she picked on him once for smoking because he wouldn't look good in Ten years. Then she talked about Caesarian births.
Jackie admitted she told Ben during a break that he was in the lead to win. She regrets it a bit because it would've been disappointing to him when he got the boot instead. They were also in a panic that showing the viewers the vote tally with faces would've caused a meltdown in the voting lines. But it didn't and they were happy.
Terri's partner didn't want her to audition because he had his doubts that she'd get on BB. She went to the after party but didn't go to the after after-party.
Part 4: Ben
Ben didn't want to talk about Bianca. He mentioned that his family weren't all that supportive of his time on BB (they thought he had no chance of winning). He missed out on uni enrolment and will go back to Perth for a while and then travel and move to Melbourne.
Part 5: A later timeslot
K and J talked about debates between Ten and ESS over a later timeslot. It sort of sounds like Ten wanted a later timeslot after the turkey slap but ESS didn't (until they came to their senses recently about this, but Ten axed the show to show them who's boss). Nine does want to air it later at night and ESS have swallowed their pride and will entertain the idea. So we've got a shot here for a return of BB.
Yawnfest finally comes to a close leaving everyone wondering what went wrong!
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:41am, EST, by Ridge Rogue
Here is a quick comparison before launching into a summary. Series one of Big Brother ended with a pantomime with Gorgeous Gretel and the housemates in full costume. And they did a good job to cap off an entertaining series. Fast forward to series eight this year and I, like many of my fellow fans of BB, am left to wonder how the quality of the production of Big Brother Australia could have slipped to such an incredibly low level. It really is quite sad to see such a great concept be used so badly such that the format was deliberately run into the ground in recent years; culminating, not surprisingly, with its axing (but I'm fully expecting an announcement soon enough about a possible rebirth of BB on another television network in the coming years).
The finale of series eight was supposed to be a celebration of eight years of BB, which was supposed to be going out with a bang. But the production was so poor it was humiliating. All of the "celebrations" of past years were crammed into the very end for a few minutes. The whole show really was a disgraceful way for Ten to end its involvement with this show and I'm appalled. This is a summary of how it all went down (hill) for those that missed the dragged out borefest. I'll start with the voting tally.
The show began with a countdown to the opening credits and then the hosts came out onto the stage to waffle for a minute. Then they showed the voting tally at that stage and which HM had the corresponding votes. Ben had 39.8% of the eviction votes, Terri had 30.2% and Rory had 30.0%. So at that stage it was Rory to win by 0.2%. The hosts then had a chat to the final three HMs who were in the Eviction Room. The topics were what they'd been doing during the day and which of them would win (they thought Rory, except for him of course).
Then the past winners of BB came walking down the gangplank through the audience. The order in which they were introduced was from last year's winner down to the series two winner (Ben from series one wanted nothing to do with the show's bad reputation, according to a News Ltd article this week, so Sara-Marie took his place). The hosts asked Aleisha if she was still with Billy and she confirmed that they are. Jamie said he's moved to Melbourne and the Logan twins didn't really say much at all. Trevor said he has bought a house and had a baby boy and works in radio on the Gold Coast now. Reggie said she doesn't miss the fish and chip shop she used to own and Peter joked that he still gets recognised - but as Ben from series one. Sara-Marie did the "bum dance" to finish this part of the show.
In my last update here I gave my readers an exclusive little scoop about Gorgeous Gretel doing a video message of thanks for BB viewers. Well, what happened next? A video message from her was played to viewers. I wish she had chosen not to record the message from the stage of her play because her critics will have a field day with that. But the skimpy costume might just have thrilled some viewers. When she started her message by sending her love to her fans, I must admit that I teared up quite a bit. I miss her dearly and love her a lot. But I am really thrilled that she is out there doing what she loves and trying to rebuild her ruined career. So, my message to her is: I love you Gorgeous Gretel and on behalf of all your fans, thanks for the awesome memories for the first seven years of BB. All the best. We will always watch your career with great interest.
Gretel sends her love to her fans
Some more videos were next. The video message from Gretel was followed by a few highlights of the final night and following morning in the BB house. Then the final three watched the beautiful Sandra Sully present a recap of world and local events in the news. On behalf of all fans of BB, I'd like to thank my favourite newsreader Sandra for taking the time to do that in the last few years and this one. The HMs laughed and cried when they watched the news stories. Then the hosts explained to viewers that they would show the vote tally and their corresponding HMs again (they had previously said they wouldn't again).
Obviously - as conspiracy theorists might say - the producers weren't getting the result they wanted so they thought they'd see if this time would change anything (because it was backfiring big time now). Ben was now in the lead to win (with 29.4% of the eviction vote, to 40.2% to Rory and 30.4% to Terri). How could the votes swing roughly 10% in both directions for both Ben and Rory in such a short time like that? Jackie asked viewers if they wanted Ben to win. She said it's not what she expected and the kiddies must've freaked because the vote tally had changed quite a bit obviously within the next nine minutes until voting closed. They must've milked thousands of suckers for a total of several thousand dollars in that short time.
By the time Ben was evicted as the first of the three HMs out of the house (more shortly about that moment) it was obvious that the votes had swung markedly again. But we're all expected to believe this because there's no independent verification of the results that is given to viewers. And with betting scandals bringing this show down (in part) in the end, I don't think anyone could honestly trust the vote tallies presented by this show. Anyway, it was time for the hosts to play some filler video montages of evicted HMs as a way of preparing viewers for a chat between the hosts and some of the more popular HMs from this series. I'll skip the details and move on because it was the same old same old, but Corey was there still trying, with the help of the hosts, to convince everyone that the public's perceptions have changed. I think the public will decide that but it was good to see him in what will undoubtedly be his last second of his 15 seconds of fame this year.
The next segment saw Mike chat to Rebecca, who said she's auditioning at WAPA (an acting school like NIDA). He also asked Rhianna if she's having Rory's baby (it was a joke). This was a bit of an introduction to the lamest dance routine the HMs have ever performed in any year. Why force them to do this if they really can't be bothered? It was so bad by comparison to the panto in series one. But this dance routine came after more chats with HMs. Dixie said she had landed a job as a morning show host on radio in Broken Hill (in the middle of nowhere - I can see the critics laughing at that career move after BB). David plugged his fireman's charity calendar with a photo of his part in the shoot on display on the big screen behind the hosts. Then Ollie was sent into the house but he didn't want anything to do with the final three (he probably couldn't remember them).
The lame dance routine I've mentioned followed at this point, and then the hosts went down the whole romance path. They talked to Renee and Nathan and Bianca. The latter seems to be keen on Ben but when he was evicted he wouldn't say if he was interested (both saying it's a private matter between them only). Bianca looked totally hot by the way, absolutely friggin beautiful. She said she turned down an offer of more than twenty grand to do a bikini shoot in Zoo because of her political ambitions. Good for her. I'm disappointed, naturally, but extremely proud of her. But anyway, Nathan said he has a new girlfriend now and Renee said she's single. So that settles the romances that never occurred on BB08.
The very beautiful Bianca chats to the hosts
Finally, it was time for an eviction. Benny boo the pot plant was out of there. He gave his share of the prize money to Rory. After a chat between the hosts and Ben, and a reunion for him with Bianca, it was time for the loved ones to visit the final two HMs in the house. Terri's daughter and grandson turned up and Rory's mother and one of his brothers were there. This was a quick reunion and the loved ones were out of there. More video montage filler followed and then it was time for the final two HMs to leave the house via the revolving door. Big Brother only had one comment left to say: "That is all!" By the way, I'd like to congratulate Leon, Aaron and Jonathan on doing a very entertaining job as the voices of Big Brother this year. Well done guys and best wishes for the future!
So the final two exited the house through a corridor to the area where a small audience and Mike, Bree and Fitzy were waiting. The hosts had a quick chat to the finalists and they were sent to the main stage. They made their grand entrance into the amphitheatre after the ad break. The main hosts chatted first to Terri and there were filler video montages of her time in the house. Then it was Rory's turn for a chat and video montages. Kyle told the finalists that the show had been axed but Jackie borrowed our line at this site and said it had been rested for a while.
After an ad break the prizes were announced. These included a $20 000 shopping voucher at Westfield for the runner-up, a vacation to China and phones. The winner gets a vacation to Vietnam, the phones and the $250 000. The announcement was then about to happen and Jackie, the Grim Repear of Aussie TV, was the messenger of good news. You could tell that Terri was about to have a heart attack (she knew she had this win in the bag). She won and buried her head in her hands as streamers came pooring down from the rafters. Terri was joined by her family and the HMs of BB08 also joined her on the stage.
Terri wins BB
Then it was time to cram in a tribute to BB over eight years. The hosts thanked anyone and everyone they could think of and then went to a video montage. I was quite disgusted that they left it until the end to do this. And they didn't even return to the hosts and BB08 HMs afterwards, or switch off the house lights as a symbolic gesture. But, anyway, it was still nice to look back at Gorgeous Gretel in series one (I'm almost crying my eyes out at this point again). At the end, BB reminded us that he is always watching and that: "That is all ... for now!" That's another hint that Big Brother's second life is coming. I fully support BB's reincarnation on Nine because only they can handle such a show. And that is all from me in this update, but I'm not finished with my commentary yet. There will be more from me this week. For now, though, I hope you enjoyed the finale!
The hosts and cast farewell viewers and Big Brother reminds us all from the Diary Room chair that he is always watching. He bids us farewell ... for now!
Alice and Travis evicted; Terri still fave; Gretel's video message on finale?
July 21st, 2008 at 1:16am, EST, by Ridge Rogue
This update covers some gossip about the finale and the results of the eviction show.
The final 5 prepare for evictions
Gretel to appear on finale?
I heard earlier in the week that all the past winners of BB and also Gretel will definately be on the finale. I haven't seen any such news anywhere else but Kyle seemed to confirm it tonight. I hope Gretel is there but I understand that it is more likely to be a video message of thanks. Now if we can get her to dress like Jackie did tonight, we've got a ratings winner :)
Evictions
The very short daily show revealed that the HMs passed the boring weekly task to fold and iron a half a ton of clothes for charity. There was also a discussion about how Alice can carry a baby (even though she can't produce her own eggs) but wouldn't adopt at this stage. She believes that it's just as good to use an implanted embryo that can be carried to a baby of her own.
On the extended double eviction show, Jackie was showing some bosom for the first time this series (I capped pics which are in the forum and gallery, of course). It reminded me of the good old days when Gretel used to let them hang out a bit (many guys miss that). But sadly there were no wardrobe malfunctions :) Anyway, BB taunted the HMs by saying that there could be more than one eviction tonight.
Jackie shows some of her best assets
The voting percentages at the start of the show were 8.9% for one HM, then 20.0%, 20.7%, 21.4% and 29.0%. If ever there was an opportunity to milk voters for more moula then this was it. The hosts then had a chat to the HMs who were sitting on the lounge. There were also individual chats in the Diary Room that followed this and the hosts asked the HMs about what they'd do with the money if they won BB. This took up several segments of the show.
The HMs said they would give their parents some of the money. Alice also said she'd like to spend thirteen grand on studies in America to get a vet's qualification over the there as well. She also talked about the treadmill she used every day and how everyone was making a big deal about. She said she knew it would be portrayed negatively when she blew up about it being removed. Kyle played bad cop and said it was for Terri's care package while Jackie played good cop and supported Alice.
The start of the announcements came after the ad break. The first evictee was Alice. This will come as no surprise to anyone given that she blew up this week and that was the queue to evict her that the kiddies fell for and voted her out. It's so dumb how easily rigged this show is in that way. The hosts talked to Alice about this situation with the treadmill and said it's not her fault or anything. But of course, if she remembered that if you blow up, you're out. It's always better to do what the pot plant HMs always did and stay quiet.
After a chat with Alice about the treadmill, love in the house (or the lack of it in her case) and her time training Ollie, it was time for more announcements to the HMs. Jackie got really excited kiddies when Kyle was about to announce who was safe. It was Ben that was safe and Jackie almost had an orgasm. Jackie loves Ben just as much as Travis and Rory a little bit. She even called Ben "honey" at one stage - totally different from Gorgeous Gretel's hosting technique in past years. Then it was her that was set to announce the next person that was safe. She almost had another orgasm, getting really excited, and announced that it was Rory that was safe (her excitement must've been because she was thinking of the day she saw his long schlong in the shower during the tour she had).
The next announcement was that Travis was evicted. He didn't cry like a girl this time but boy was he thrilled to see Jackie in that top in the ampitheatre (at one stage diving at her boobs to hug her while he was perving). The vote tally saw Travis with 31.4% of the votes and Alice had 21.3% of the votes. The first topic in the chat between the hosts and Travis was whether or not he felt bullied in the house. He said that the infamous spa incident was the only time and that the HMs are great people (as if to justify their behaviour). The experience of being on BB taught him to be more assertive (that's great).
After the ad break, Kyle had disappeared and Jackie was hosting on her own. She asked Travis about all that leg hair he has and Kyle wanders out onto the stage wearing only blue briefs below the belt and fake hair above the knees. It was most unsightly but Travis saw the amusing side. He was then asked which HM he'd give his share of the prize money to and he picked Rory. Then Travis was shown the video of Anne Hathaway (his favourite star) calling him a "sexy thing". Kyle had jeans back on by then, thankfully, while Travis was given his prizes (which have been lame this year for all HMs). So that was the eviction show and Terri is still the firm favourite to take out this contest later today.
Here's a comparison of the betting odds late last week and late last night.
The odds last week
The odds last night
Continues back to weeks 10 to 12 commentary page.