It's only a game show - or is it? (Big Brother (TV Series))

Member Name: mikeb

Product:	Big Brother (TV Series)
Date:	15/06/01 (203 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extended E4 coverage,, new set of housemates,, different situatons.

Disadvantages: Bizarre behaviour,, people know how to play the game now,, many arguments.

I can't say I was particularly looking forward to Big Brother 2 starting but I’m starting to get hooked again.

I was an addict of the first series and hardly missed a programme. The Comic Relief celebrity version surprised me because I didn’t think the housemates would be quite so open and react as strangely as they did. It seemed like only a few days after this ended when the publicity started to build up for the next regular series and to be honest I was doubtful about whether I would bother to watch it this time.
For the first few programmes I saw the odd bit but still had little enthusiasm, a couple of weeks later and it’s got me again.

I think the main reason I’ve got back into it is the extended coverage on the digital satellite channel E4. This has given viewers the chance to get to know the housemates better and as a result get to like, dislike or be indifferent about them in a much shorter period of time than during the first series. First time around Channel 4 edited down each 24 hours into a half hour or hour long highlights show and controlled how each member of the house would be viewed by the public. It was just not possible to present a complete picture of each person like this, even if they did try to present a balanced view. Now, with the E4 coverage, it is alot easier to spot anyone who is trying to manipulate situations, and people, to improve their chances of winning and ultimately getting their hands on the £70,000 prize. There is also more chance to see the good and bad sides of people and form opinions as to whether they are really behaving as normal or acting up for the cameras and the other housemates.

The late night programmes have also presented a far from flattering picture of the present group when compared to the members of the house in Big Brother 1. Although the first lot certainly had a few run ins and disagreements and the whole nasty Nick episode was surprising at the time,
the Big Brother 2 residents are already starting to crack up after only a few weeks in the house.

The first person to be evicted, Penny, behaved in a strange manner from the start but this just got more and more bizarre and paranoid after her nomination. Bubble seems incapable of living without wearing a hat. Paul comes across as a compulsive liar. Helen and Narinda have almost come to blows over Helen’s inability to remember Narinda’s name and last night Brian and Josh and then Amma and Stuart also had big arguments. This only leaves Dean and Elizabeth out of the eleven housemates and Elizabeth has been shown to be two faced when it comes to consoling people she has just nominated for eviction. The last resident, Dean, seems alright and is probably favourite to win even at this early stage.

Perhaps the strange assortment of people and their odd behaviour during this series is a result of this being the third time Big Brother has been on our screens with people knowing how the game works. Bubble, for example, has already started to collect items from the other housemates which he hopes to auction for charity at the end of the series. This brings back memories of Craig’s charity efforts last time – and he won. The tasks also seem to be much less important during the current series and booze has definately played a bigger part with vast quantities of cheap cider being ordered as part of the provisions order, leading to more outragious behaviour.

This week Paul and Stuart are up for eviction on Friday (15th June) and I reckon it could be a close call with Stuart probably getting the boot for taking the game too seriously and being too competitive. For the overall winner I’ll stick with Dean or possibly Josh who appears to have taken over organizing the recreational activities, despite being the last one in the house.

Would I watch another new series next year? Probably!

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