TV: Big Brother

This post is long. I wrote 99% of it yesterday and just didn’t get a chance to post it.

I haven’t posted lately with my opinions on the Big Brother house this year. I’m still bitter that we can’t just do an All-Stars edition every year with the only requirement that Janelle, Kaysar and Dr. Will be on it every season. But I know that’ll never happen. Sadly.

Anyway, this season has been interesting because the mis-matched editing is back. I felt that the editing on All-Stars was pretty truthful and didn’t try to sway viewers any particular way. However, BB8’s over-the-top and in-your-face editing now makes the livefeeds much more interesting if only because you see the big picture about these people, and what they are really like.

The Evel Dick I see weekly on TV is an okay guy. Cries over how proud he is of his daughter, tries to talk openly with her only to be the recipient of her censure, has a semi-decent sense of humor in his diary room segments. Those who only watch TV can’t quite understand why his daughter Danielle hates him so much. But if you watched the feeds or read Joker’s Updates, you’d see that he’s pretty much one of the most unlikable guys that they could have put in the house. He’s disgusting (bodily functions know no privacy when ED is around), incredibly rude and belligerent, and while touting himself to be “the most honest person in [the] house” he parades his so-called honesty around under heavy blanket of insults and bullying.

The Danielle I see weekly on tv is a tough competitor, devoted to Nick (although that devotion didn’t really hit until AFTER he left), and the untrusting daughter. On the livefeeds she is whiny, complains all the time about how much she hates the house (which is hinted on the show but not nearly to match the true amount of complaining she does on the feeds), and just as rude as her father at times, although with less bullying.

But the editing issue I have the most with is the absolute disdain that BB8 editors have for Jameka and her faith. The monks singing in the background when she prays, or the church organ music playing when she’s saying something spiritual – it has gotten old very quickly. The woman is really having a time trying to practice her faith in a house that absolutely won’t allow her to do it. She has self-admitted atheist Evel Dick in her face all the time, completely make fun of her for believing in God. She finally snapped and went off on him a couple weeks ago, which gave him more fuel for the fire because he didn’t hear her most important statement she could EVER make in the house when he accused her of not pleasing God when she cursed at ED in anger: “I’m not perfect. Christians aren’t perfect people.” And I’m afraid that got lost in the argument as ED continued to yell over Jameka and not let her get in her say. Only VERY RARELY does BB8 let Jameka’s heartfelt convictions NOT be turned into a joke, but sadly, it’s so rare that I can’t think of the last time they did it.

I know from the feeds that Eric is a HUGE reality TV fan – HUGE. So it makes sense that he is America’s Player. The problem is – I don’t like him very much. To be honest, I don’t think ANY of the folks on this season would have made a good America’s Player. Maybe Carol, but she left the first week. He is from Westchester County, NY, and he has a slightly snooty way about him that is par for the course for many of the Westchester people I know. He is very arrogant (although not nearly as arrogant as ED) but tries to play like he’s “just some Jewish kid from New York” (his words, not mine). He tries to make himself sound humble – but there’s being humble and then there’s TELLING someone that you’re humble. Jameka is humble. Eric is far from humble. I did like how his votes totally threw off the house – that made for entertaining television for sure as the houseguests tried to figure out who cast the hinky votes. But I’ll be glad when Eric eventually gets voted out.

Amber, well, Amber is a mess – both on the show and on the feeds. Her “spirituality” is a mishmash of things she probably heard growing up. She met Jameka in the house and decided to cling to Jameka’s strength, but sadly I think Amber’s approach to her faith is incredibly misguided and will only fail her in the end if she isn’t serious about it after she leaves the house. If she is truly serious about becoming a spiritual person, I hope she finds an amazing faith-based church when the leaves the house. Because if left to her own devices she’ll continue to tell God to bless Himself at the end of her prayers and will be crushed when she realizes her “visions from God” are actually just her own pipe dreams (unless by some miracle she and Jameka ARE the last two standing, at which time I’ll ask her for some lottery numbers). She rattles off things that Jameka has said in faith, such as “the winner of this veto competition has already been determined in Heaven”, but then Amber takes it too far by projecting her own thoughts on what the end result will be (“and I will win the veto competition because I know God wants to bless me”), which Jameka wisely DOES NOT DO BECAUSE SHE KNOWS SHE DOESN’T KNOW THE END RESULT. Amber is in for a BIG FALL if she continues to tell God what He wants to do in her life.

So it begs the question – who do I want to win Big Brother 8?

Can I demand CBS give the money to Janelle? She was robbed. No? Okay, then I guess I want Jameka to win. I don’t think it’ll happen, but I’d love for it to happen.

Let’s figure out a scenario where she can win.

Amber goes home Thursday.

Danielle wins head of household.
Nominates Zack and Jameka.
Jameka wins veto and removes herself.
Danielle puts up Jess (she and Dick have already stated many times she needs to go).
Zack goes home (Eric and Jameka vote him out since they won’t vote out Jess).

Jameka – finally able to win HoH (I think next week is the last time she’s not allowed, right?)
Nominates Dick & Danielle
Danielle wins veto and removes herself.
Jameka puts up Eric.
Split vote (Jess keeps Eric, Danielle keeps Dick) and Jameka boots Dick.

Jess wins HoH
Nominates Danielle and Jameka
Eric wins veto and keeps nominations.
Eric boots Danielle.

Final three: Eric, Jess and Jameka. Unfortunately, it’s two against one, however, Jess is VERY malleable, and Jameka may be able to sway Jess into keeping her instead of Eric because she “needs” the money more. HOWEVER, Jess may opt to keep Eric because she knows she’ll win over him. But if Jameka is able to win HOH, then she’ll handpick who to send home, and it would probably be Eric, since she’s closer to Jess.

Final two: Jess and Jameka.

Winner: Jameka, strictly based on likeability. Sure, she floated through the first few weeks, but she handled herself well despite NOT being able to compete for HOH for five weeks.

So those are my thoughts on BB8.