BB8 Eric's take on BB11

Eric Stein Sizes Up The Big Brother 11 HouseGuests - Week 1

By Eric Stein

Andddddddddddd, I've returned from my mini hiatus to bring the goods. I'm back where I belong…ass firmly planted in couch. And I'm acting like any good reality star would…I'm currently drinking a beer, because I don't have any other type of beverage in my fridge at the moment. I'd actually love to talk Bachelorette, Here Come the Newlyweds, Real World, Top Chef Masters, The Fashion Show, Charm School, New Food Network Star, and So You Think You Can Dance…but alas, today is a day for Big brother goodness, so those will have to wait. So let's get down to the analysis.

THE TWISTS

Believe it or not, I like them all. The HS clique deal brings an interesting new dynamic to the game. People come into the game with preconceived notions of how they are going to play the game and this rattles their cage right off the get go. I believe that this puts a huge burden on two of the groups. Big Brother is a game of scape-goating and dog piling, meaning you find any asinine reason to target someone and then everyone jumps on the pile to bury them for good. Obviously, this makes the athletes easy marks in this scenario. If the cliques are going to select an easy early target, who better than the physical threats? Ironically, a physical threat has never once won the game, yet they are targeted early every season. The other clique that gets screwed here is the brains. Why, might you ask? Well, the athletes can't hide their muscles, and the offbeats were never going to hide their tattoos…but the brains could have chosen to hide their intellect. Instead, they are having their skill set identified for them whether they like it or not. Also, what's to say that a popular or offbeat person isn't also intelligent or athletic?

The have/have not scenario is a fun one. Why leave it at just slop? Why not torture them with cold water, a freezing cold room, and keeping the lights on all night as well? The good thing here is that it forces people to play hard in these competitions. I wish that the 3 last place finishers in the HoH comp would be subjected to this room, as an incentive for people to stop throwing those contests. If you don't show up to Big Brother expecting some unusual conditions, then you simply should not be there in the first place. A real player will simply embrace and ignore this, but it's a fun new spin on the food comps, which were starting to feel a little dated.

And the returning houseguest. First, let's get the obvious out of the way. I was whole-heartedly, tremendously pulling for Jessica to get into the house. What she said on the show was 100% correct…without America's Player, she would have had a GREAT chance of winning the game on season 8. She was a two time HoH, always in the dominant alliance, and the last person to be nominated in our season. She deserved a second chance and I am certain should would have done amazing. While everyone's gut instinct is to assume that the returning player is a hopeless, walking human target - don't be so sure. Keep in mind that Steph made the final 2 when she returned to Survivor on back to back seasons and the returning favorites dominated the fans on Survivor: Micronesia. The problem is that in order to pull it off, it requires that the returning player be humble, appreciative, and endear themselves to the new HGs. Jessie will do none of those things. However, what he lacks in gameplay, he makes up for in being a fantastic character. He is a hilarious addition to the show and I hope he represents us past HGs (at least for the 3 weeks that he's there).

THE HOUSEGUESTS
Props to BB8 Nick for writing a better version of this article earlier today. I am ripping him off entirely. I have zero originality. Also, please note that I am solely evaluating their gameplay to this point. In no way is this a reflection of my personal feelings towards them; rather simply an analysis of how I view their chances of winning the game at this point. Keep in mind that week 1 means virtually nothing in the BB house. I didn't talk strategy or truly align with anyone til almost day 20, yet when I finally did, I was an influential part of those groups. Week 1 is a far better indicator of who is hopeless than who is going to be victorious.

* Absolutely No Chance of Winning BB11 *

Braden - SPOILER ALERT. Wait, should I have put that spoiler alert before his name? Oh well. Braden has no chance of winning the game because this philosophical, word-making-up, surfer is joining the rarified air of such past luminaries as Carol and Jacob; he's going to be the first person to leave the Big Brother house. Seems to me like that limits his chances of winning, haha. He probably could have been an interesting character if he stayed around and is likely getting a raw deal by going out first, but he's done for nonetheless.

Natalie - Far and away the worst player in the house this season! She's lied about her age, her athletic background, and her knowledge of the game all within the first 3 hours. Great, nothing wrong with lying. However, she has done a piss poor job of substantiating her lies and sustaining them. She is a compulsive liar, but a bad liar. She has contradicted herself numerous times…had a huge tantrum at the HoH competition…and has played uber aggressively, while stating that her intention was to be under the radar. Plus, she has worn sweatpants for two weeks running. She has negative chance of winning.

Jessie - As much as I'd like to see him do well, the same mistakes that plagued him last season will haunt him again. He is too aggressive, too emotional, and too upfront. I wonder, how do people make the same mistakes season after season? Don't they know that the first power alliance of the summer never goes anywhere? Ask Jase and Scott, the Mrs. Robinson alliance, and so many others. Asserting dominance early in the game just paints a huge target on your back. He has additionally made three cardinal BB mistakes already. Using the veto in week 1 is insane. Arbitrarily switching your target midweek is sloppy playing. And he nominated members of all three cliques - why would you want to create enemies of all 3 groups? Oy. Unfortunately for Jessie, he never really stood a chance in this format. He'll be great TV while he lasts.

Russell - He's playing a decent social game, but see above for why he won't win the game. Not only should he have lied about his occupation, but if you're going to state that you are a professional fighter by trade, then you can not come out of the gates and win the first HoH and the first PoV. He has publicly announced what a huge threat he is…hence he's hopeless. After watching the episode, his PoV win was far from intimidating though. SHOTGUN?!? You mean to tell me that none of them could come up with a word that was longer than seven letters? That was flabbergasting. See, I just used a 14-letter word without even trying. I happen to think he has potential otherwise and may last for a while; but he can't overcome the target he's put on himself to make it all the way. Can't wait to grab a beer with him afterwards and talk MMA.

Chima - As Nick very accurately noted in his column, the person who comes off the block in week 1 almost always settles in for a long stay into the house. People shift their focus and said person often doesn't go back on the block for quite some time. So I wouldn't be surprised to see her around for a little while. However, she has a mouth on her that she can't contain. It took her all of 5 minutes upon move-in to start talking trash, she's sassy, and she's a chronic complainer. Outspoken players rarely excel in this game. BB requires the finesse of knowing when to shut your mouth and I don't believe she possesses that quality.

* Middle of the Pack *

Lydia - She was VERY close to being put in the no chance group, but she showcased pretty nifty manipulative skills to get herself off the block this week. As a player (NOT as a person), she reminds me a lot of BB8's Amber. She knows how to prey on people's emotions. She is kissing people's butts with compliments, crying on cue, and tugging at other people's heartstrings. Being manipulative in real life often translates into a dangerous BB player. However, eventually not only do people see through it, but they resent you for using them. It will ultimately bite her in the butt. I do like alterna-chicks though and bet we get along great in real life.

Jeff - My very initial thought was that he could pull a BB5 Drew and "nice guy" himself to the end of the game. Boy, was that wrong. He's already been a part of several week one blowups. Ya wanna know what happens when you get into a fight in week one? You see a player like me sitting in the background (probably in the hot tub) grinning ear to ear, because your antics mean one more person who is ahead of me on the pecking order. Plus, he stated prior to the game that he would love to find true love in the BB house. He is a candidate to get steamrolled by an opportunistic girl. The only reason he's not in the "no chance" group is because he's separated himself from the athletes. You never know what sort of deck reshuffling may occur later in the game.

Ronnie - I'll give him some credit…he said I was his favorite player on BB8 - so the man has good taste. I had very high hopes for Ronnie…he may be the biggest student of the game to ever step foot into the BB house. He is vastly knowledgeable about all things BB. That's why I'm so disappointed in his gameplay thus far. Joining the ranks of BB8 Joe and BB10 Brian before him, Ronnie has opted to play 6 months of game during week 1. Your week 1 strategy should be this simple…if it's not me, I don't care who it is. However, in addition to actively campaigning, he has "secret" alliances with at least 75% of the house. He has what I refer to as the kitchen sink approach…i.e., he aligns with everything and the kitchen sink (he's promised the sink, the toaster, and the counter top to go to the final 4 with them). The only reason he earns middle ground status is because he's smart and a debate champion. If he realizes the error of his ways at some point, he could have a chance of undoing the damage. Unlikely though.

Kevin - As my boy Nick mentioned, the move-in day rap on Kevin was that he was going to be beyond outspoken and flamboyant. Yet somehow, he has managed to stay mostly under the radar thus far. The question is, can he keep it up or will his true personality ultimately shine through? And can he win competitions when he needs to? If things stay the course, Kevin is jury bound at bare minimum. However, he is prone to show his true colors at any time.

Laura - She has the potential to be a very interesting character. She is your typical LA model recruit type, but she doubles as a student of the game. If I were her, I would have shut my mouth about being an uber fan and said, "Oh, they found me in a bar." By staying out of the week 1 drama though, she's on to something. However, ultimately she strikes me as a little too self-involved to make it all the way to the end.

* The Front Runners *

Casey - Mike Boogie 2.0. Even one week ago, I would have never thought I'd be including him in this section. And truthfully, he really rests more in the top of the middle of the pack than as a true front runner for me. However, Casey has done a rock solid job of not creating enemies during week 1. And he's getting the BB super edit to try to make him look like the house comedian to get the fans on his side (always a good sign). The truth is though that Casey is an aggressive guy…on move in day, he outright told other players, "I don't think we'll be getting along or aligning this season." I'm inclined to think his mouth will sink him eventually, but with other players higher up on the target list, if he can last close enough to the end, he stands the chance of a competition run to get him to the finish line.

Jordan - Do not sleep on Jordan. She doesn't know the game well at all, she is too trusting, she is not cutthroat, etc.…yet in this dynamic, that may be just what the doctor ordered. Who is going to spend their HoH week on eliminating Jordan? She is a sweetheart and she's not a threat. She very well may watch people fight right over her head for weeks before they ever look her way. She is a very likely candidate to be the last person nominated this season if she continues to build more social relationships. By simply skating that far into the game, anything can happen. Do I expect her to win? No. But do I expect her to be around to a long time? Absolutely.

Michele - Let me become the 3rd BB8 houseguest to declare Michele as their front-runner. My boys Nick and Joe have previously gone on record with this very prediction and I am jumping right on the bandwagon as well. In her pre-show interviews, Michele described herself as a female me. Need I say more? She combines intelligence with a goofiness that will help disarm her opponents. While she's busy bonding with them over sex talk, they will underestimate her game. She hasn't made any early moves, isn't over aggressive, is under the radar, and is very capable of making a move when the time comes. Plus, the "have not" lifestyle resulted in Chima having a meltdown and Ronnie was also on the fritz, whereas Michele didn't show a single sign of wear and tear. She is my definitive selection for this season's best player to date.


I love Eric's take but I disagree with him some like Michele - I like her but she shows signs of being too sensitive but I do see her going far... end game winner? no

I see Laura winning BB11 - She knows the game of BB, She spends a lot of time observing rather than getting too emotionally involved with any petty BS, and she is aligning herself very subtlely.

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I see Laura winning BB11 - She knows the game of BB, She spends a lot of time observing rather than getting too emotionally involved with any petty BS, and she is aligning herself very subtlely.
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Thats a very interesting take and one that I myself have been thinking about. I hated Laura with the first words uttered from her mouth but she is slowly and quietly emerging as a force to be reckoned with. We'll have fun seeing how this progresses as the weeks go on.
Michelle with her butt plugs, ass eating and fights over nothing is disintegrating before our eyes. This girl is an emotional disaster.
I would be happy to see Casey, Jeff and Laura duke it out until the end.

By Eric Stein for RealityWanted.com

Goodbye cliques twist, we hardly knew ye. As predicted, last week’s live show put the kibosh on the HS format, but not before it had a MAJOR impact on the game. The cliques, combined with the returning houseguest twist, have shaped the entire game this season. Let’s enter our BB time warp and paint a picture of what could have been. Remember during the first HoH competition, Laura was shown in the DR proudly stating that she threw the competition to not appear too strong? Well, I bet she regrets that now. For argument’s sake, let’s just imagine that Laura held on and won the game for the Populars…

Everyone close your eyes and chant “LAURA, LAURA, LAURA”…now count backwards from ten….do the hokey pokey…wait for it….wait for it…okay, annnnnnnnnd there it is. Laura is now the week one HoH…

Where’s Jessie? Oh yeah, he never entered the house. In fact, is that Natalie on the block? Yup! Her and her telegraphed first night lies are firmly planted in the nomination seat. And having just asserted his strength in the HoH comp, Russell is right there next to her. And since the Athletes are clearly not in control, only have 3 votes (2 of which are nominated and one of whom hates them), things aren’t looking too hot in Athleteville. What’s that I hear coming from the HoH room? Is that a song?

I love the sun and the sun loves me, I love slop in my tummy
They thought I was another Holly, and Zach was voted sexiest bunny
Booyah, booyah, booyah, booyah, booyah, booyah, booyah

Oh right! If Jessie isn’t there, that means we have a new HoH…Jessica is in charge! In turn, the Populars have an extra vote. Braden is surfing on a lawn chair in the pool. After all, he’s protected and can’t go home. In fact, not even one slur has come out of his mouth, because he’s a very happy and safe BBer. Feeling safe, Jess/Jordan/Laura spend much of the first week praying to the sun gods, while tanning in the backyard. The live feeders rejoice. And what the heck is Ronnie doing? Is he feeding the three popular girls grapes and fanning them? Sure is! After all, Jessie isn’t there so he doesn’t need to worship him and the Athlete army is already depleting, so he needs to crawl up somebody’s butt. Since Lydia can’t perform sex acts on Jessie, it appears as if she’s been forced to spread the love…Russell is on the block, so he’s not worth a hand job…looks like it’s Braden’s lucky day! Wow, the Populars are just loving life right now. With this momentum, there’s no way that Laura is going home next week, so they are settling in and making long term plans. Everything is different. Well, wait…not everything. Natalie still doesn’t shower.

(Snaps out of my trance)

Ah, what could have been. It’s nice to daydream sometimes, isn’t it? The producers know that the fans would be loving life right now if that had happened, but alas, they don’t have a time machine (at least not that I know of…they could be saving it for AS2). However, what they do have is the ability to manipulate the game to “gently” nudge it in the right direction. Sure, they can’t bring the likable players back, but they sure can protect the ones they still have now! And just like that, poof, we have our third majorly game-altering twist of the season - the magical wizard coup de tat. Let me state up front…I hate the concept of the coup de tat in general. It compromises the existing structure of the game and it’s waaaaaaaaaaaaay too great of a power. First of all, it’s a get out of jail free card for your entire alliance. That is amazing. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to feel safety in the BB house. Armed with the knowledge that you and your alliance are safe for the week, you can relax and spend the week planning for the future without fear of repercussions. That alone would be an immense power. Yet, on top of that, you also get to essentially evict any other player from the house. A lot of people have asked me how an alliance will have the time to coordinate their vote if the Coup nominees are only revealed mere seconds before the vote? Simple, when you use the Coup, just state in your speech which person you want your cronies to vote out. Without time to debate and think, your alliance will be subtly strong-armed into voting the way that you want, and that person will be a goner. And voila, just like that you’ve zapped YOUR biggest obstacle towards winning the game. It’s such a huuuuuge swing in power. Completely demoralizing to the HoH (whose plans will go up in flames), totally tragic for the alliance that is on the receiving end of it, and worst of all, it is life-ruining for the houseguest who goes home. The person who gets taken out by the Coup doesn’t even have a fair chance to play the game to defend themselves, which means for the rest of their lives they will have to wonder what could have been if they didn’t get hosed.
I sincerely don’t believe in such game-breaking power. But I really, really, really hate that it’s a fan vote. If you are going to give out an epic power, it should not only have to be earned but each HG needs to have a fair chance to earn it. See, the producers can easily argue that everyone has an equal chance to win the power this way, but we all know that’s just not true. So in essence, Jeff & Jordan have been handed a game-changing gift horse. Luckily, it just so happens that the majority of viewers are pulling for them, so the fans will be pleased with the ensuing trickle down effect. Happy viewers = happy producers. They say all’s fair in love, war, and reality TV – but this really isn’t fair. I will be sending a sympathy card and flowers to the jury house for the person who ultimately gets wronged by this twist (whether I’m rooting for them or not).
So aside from massively impactful twists, what else is going on over in our favorite nut house? Well, as I’ve predicted, Ronnie is done for. He played a BRUTALLY bad game. There is a huge difference between possessing the ability to play a good game and actually doing it. I don’t even see how he can be called a master manipulator when his manipulations did nothing other than get him evicted. That doesn’t sound too masterful to me. Otherwise, everyone is still lying, everyone is still paranoid, everyone is still completely crazed – eh, seems like a pretty average week in the life of a BB houseguest. I must say...it’s been another bust of an HoH week. Yet again, the HoH will leave office is worse standing and power than they entered it. Early in the week, Russ was just about ready to orchestrate the game-changing alliance reshuffle that I’ve been speaking about. Russ/Jeff/Jordan/Michele/Kevin could have taken it to the end. Russ let his paranoia and ego get in the way though and once again we are left with a jumbled mess of things. This house seems to be incapable of making a decision and sticking with it. To me, that is a fatal flaw in BB strategy. You NEVER should change your targets midweek. If they were the person you wanted out when you made your nominations, NOTHING that anybody does during the week should change that. People get too caught up in the excitement of the moment and lose their heads. The first 4-5 people who can pull their heads out of their butts long enough to form a new solid alliance will produce the winner of this game. The question is - who out of Kevin, Lydia, Chima, and Michele will be capable enough to orchestrate it and properly latch onto or bust up the existing power alliances.
The problem is that this upcoming week is meaningless. They will continue to overplay and scramble and just when they think they have it figured out, the coup will be used and blow it all up again. On the positive side, the constant reshuffling should lead to an exciting season. Keep in mind, only 4 people will have gone home as of tonight…that still leaves 9 other playing – there’s lots of game to go. My ideal scenario for this week would be Jessie winning his 3rd HoH in 3 chances, self-righteously doing whatever the heck he wants all week long, and then J&J using the Coup to oust Natalie at the week’s end. Nat goes and Jessie stays (although he’s stripped of all his power in the process) and is forced to reevaluate his game. Wouldn’t it be intriguing if Jessie/Russ/Jeff were the Final 3. It’ll never happen though. BB has ever been an alpha athletes game and it never will be, but how awesome would those final few comps be?
So who do I think is playing the best game currently? Jeff…by a mile. He stays out of fights, has a solid alliance mate to the end, and is gaining favor as the summer goes on, rather than losing it. If he can lock in some additional alliance members, he has a chance to take this to the end. He is just far more level-headed than most of the house. His biggest obstacle is that eventually he will be sitting on the block next to Jordan and he will always go home before her. PoV will be very important to him later in this game. My girl Michele has disappointed this week, but she will be protected by the Coup and by the time all is said and done, nobody will ever remember that she was public enemy of the week once upon a time. There’s very little point in analyzing the house standing until the Coup comes and goes. Next week’s HoH will be the biggie, not this one.
So, last week I signed off my e-mail with the following (which still holds true, by the way): “If you wanna tell me what an idiot I am, how ugly I am, that I was the worst player in BB history, ask me out on a date, buy me gifts, or offer any other comments on my article, leave me a comment here or you can hit me up at: www.myspace.com/ericstein”

Would you believe that somebody actually e-mailed me and asked me out? I kid you not. And, amazingly enough…it wasn’t a guy, she wasn’t 73, she wasn’t a contestant on More To Love…and, she was actually hot. Man, I love reality TV.

Erika wrote:

By Eric Stein for RealityWanted.com

But I really, really, really hate that it’s a fan vote. If you are going to give out an epic power, it should not only have to be earned but each HG needs to have a fair chance to earn it.

I've been going back and forth about this. The first HoH this season was more unearned than this. By now, HGs should be conscious of the fact that there can be an America's Choice that can alter the game beyond giving them lollipops or whatever. HGs do have the opportunity to win over the fans in addition to their fellow HGs. If you aren't a likable HG, you risk being on the wrong end of an America's Choice. Being a jerk in the BB house rarely helps you.

It is a significant power, though, and obviously it's going to be skewed toward the audience favorite when the audience votes for the winner (which is probably why production implemented the coup d'etat this year in the first place). There should be a strenuous comp for it--not some True/False thing about phone messages like the lame HoH game tonight. Obviously with a comp, that risks someone like Jessie/Natalie winning the coup d'etat, and I don't think that's what production had it mind, so they gave it to the audience.

But not everything in the BB game is necessarily earned. Luck always plays a major part in the game every year, so this is nothing new. But I don't think it's completely unearned either. Jeff earned the coup d'etat for acting like the polar opposite of Ronnie, really.

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Jeff earned the coup d'etat for acting like the polar opposite of Ronnie, really.

Thats a really good point and one that I hadnt thought of. While the winner of BB is rarely who the public wants to win, Jeff has earned America's favor and therefore maybe..just maybe...he does deserve this wizard power..lol. Yes, he didnt have to win a comp or figure out a puzzle but he truly did earn it by being a decent and genuine person.

Eric Steins Take On The Big Brother 11 Finale

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I am delighted with the outcome of BB11. A lot of people asked me why I hadn’t written columns for the last couple of weeks. Well, it’s because I was entirely disinterested and disenchanted with the last few weeks of the game. I felt it was crawling to the finish line. I probably shouldn’t admit to this, but I actually watched the Biggest Loser premiere in its entirety before I caught up on BB on my DVR. But, when I did…I was oh so very happy.

Let me say this…people should really reevaluate what makes a good BB player, because Jordan was a good player and a deserving winner at that. The object of the game is not to win the most possible competitions…it’s to last until the end. So credit the entire final 3 for doing that. But ya know what? She did great in the comps too! The most HoH wins anyone had this season was two – she tied for that. Kevin won 3 comps…she won 3 comps. Which is also the same amount of comps as Adam won on season 9. And only one less than Boogie and Dick won on their respective seasons. She won 2 tiebreakers by producing amazingly accurate answers on the spot on both accounts. That shows she was far more on top of things than one may believe. She was on the block 4 times and nobody took her out. If you don’t think that is impressive, why don’t you ask the 6 people who went home the one and only time they were on the block this season what they think? When you are on the block, you are marked for dead. And she survived 4 times. Being well liked is a skill in this game. Never being the intended target is a skill in this game. Don’t forget, she cast votes to evict Ronnie, Jessie, Russell, and Kevin. In 4 of the other weeks she was nominated (hence couldn’t vote), then the Chima eviction (nobody voted), and the week she was HoH (doesn’t get a vote)…the point being, aside from week 1, she cast votes to evict the person who went home every single time that she voted. And those votes led to the evictions of the game’s biggest threats, all the while keeping the blood off of her hands. Making the “big move” is a matter of perception. Is Jeff getting out Russell or Kevin getting out Jeff really a big move if it doesn’t ultimately result in their betterment in the game? I don’t see why. Everyone has to go, so being the HoH to get out Lydia is just as important as being the HoH who gets out Jessie.

Most importantly, Jordan won the competition that mattered most. She put the game into her own hands by defeating each of the other members of the final 3 fair and square. And she evicted the correct person. Towards the end of the game the strategizing is mostly over - you either win or you go home. And she won. Additionally, Jordan brought a human quality to this game that is often missing in many of the HGs. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Jordan was one of the nicest, most genuinely sweet people to step foot into that house in years. She was actually probably the single nicest. Certainly the most smiley. And while I would never decide the winner of the game this way, you’d have to be a cruel person to not be happy to see somebody win the money who truly needs it and will appreciate it. How often can you watch the outcome of a reality TV show and say it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person and really mean it? I’m thrilled for her. This is literally instantly life changing for her.

As for the other members of the final 4, I believe that Kevin and Michele probably played the best overall games this season. Both went under the radar before getting involved in important ways when it mattered. Both did it without the protection or benefit of the returning houseguest twist, the clique twist, or the Coup. Kevin, in particular, managed to stay very well liked while exercising great influence on the decision-making late in the game. His ability to contain his naturally larger than life personality showed great skill and awareness; and he was well positioned and able to turn it on when it mattered in the second half of the game. However, they were both plagued by the same thing – they didn’t win the competitions that they ultimately needed to win. I hate to say it, but Kevin will be haunted by that tiebreaker for the rest of his life. $500,000 came down to one question and he lost to Jordan. Michele choked on her final HoH and PoV as well. I’ve been there, done that – it’s not an easy pill to swallow.

Natalie, on the other hand, was not a good player by my estimation. It concerns me that after a while she seemed to genuinely believe her own lies. That is the actual definition of delusional. And as I’ve detailed throughout the season, her lies were often pointless, useless, and inconsistent. Case and point, she makes her nominations to make it seem like she’s not with Kevin (which shouldn’t matter anyway at that point). Then she publicly celebrates his Veto win…. while drinking alcohol…even though she’s allegedly 18. Her conduct during both Pandora’s Box challenges was telegraphed, short-sighted, and bad gameplay through and through. For all of her hot air about competitions, everyone defeated her handily time and time again. And trust me, she was not throwing comps…she’s waaaaay too competitive to ever do that. The girl cheats at pool when they play for fun. I was thrilled that the jury saw through her boisterous claims. The look on her face when Jessie’s vote was revealed made the entire season for me. That said, she lasted much further in the game than I would have anticipated and she did indeed make plenty of strong moves along the way. I just feel she could have played a much tighter game.

As I’ve mentioned before, I was lucky enough to get to hang at the BB house on move in day. Getting to watch an unedited view of the HGs forming those initial impressions was very telling to me. At that time, I stated that I guaranteed a woman would win the season, as every guy had a major fatal flaw that would ultimately prevent him from winning the game. Kevin was the only one who proved me wrong, as the rest of the gentlemen went down to the exact trait that I thought would ail them in the game. I then remarked that I could write 3 names on a piece of paper right then and there (3 hours into the game) and one of those 3 players would win the game. I was heckled by those I was viewing with and told that I think I know more about this game than I do. Well, the names I wrote down 3 hours into the game were Jordan, Michelle, and Lydia. Upon watching the game for the first few days, I wrote my first Reality Wanted column. At that time I put the players into 3 categories, including naming my 3 front-runners to win the game. At that time I listed Jordan, Michelle, and had replaced Lydia with Casey (with a slight asterisk). Note that these predictions were made after 3 hours of game and roughly 5 days of game respectively; and I included 2 of the final 4 and the ultimate winner on both lists. Yes, I am mostly pointing this out just to praise myself. Please hold your applause.

For the record, if I were to have been in the house this season, I most certainly would have aligned with Michelle and Jordan. I believe they would have been my most viable allies in the scheme of this group. The person that I believe would have been the most dangerous for me to play against is Lydia. She was an emotional player, which is very hard to get a beat on as you try to analyze the game from a rational perspective. It was hard to assess where she was coming from and she is a top of the line manipulator. With most of the other players, it was what you see is what you get…but I didn’t feel that way with her.

Overall, I thought this was a very good season, with extremely dynamic, exciting players. As the season has ended, I think it’s fair that I now reveal whom I was rooting for all season. Michelle and Jordan were my tops all along. What a shocker, I know. As if you couldn’t tell that from the rest of this article, haha. Thereafter, I very much enjoyed Russell, Jeff, Ronnie, and Jessie. The four of them managed to combine gameplay and entertainment in a big way. Kevin won me over and made a fan of me later in the game. And in talking to Laura outside of the house, she has a great head on her shoulders and would have been someone I’d like to have seen in the game longer. I particularly did not care for Chima, Lydia, and Natalie in the scope of the game. However, I am smart enough to realize that we are simply viewing the “in house” versions of these people and there’s a great chance that many of them will pleasantly surprise me in person. Just like all of you, I still watch the show as a fan and develop rooting interests. However, I try my best not to pass judgment on anyone until I meet them in person. I have the utmost respect for the game and those who play it.

For the 11 of you who are actually my fans…fear not. I’ll still be here at Reality Wanted offering a few more BB thoughts at some point and my analysis of other reality TV offerings to help tide us over until next summer. Thanks for all of the support and great feedback this season. Much appreciated! I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.

Quote :

I particularly did not care for Chima, Lydia,
and Natalie in the scope of the game. However, I am smart enough to
realize that we are simply viewing the “in house” versions of these
people and there’s a great chance that many of them will pleasantly
surprise me in person.

I particularly like this comment by Eric and wish some of the fans would remember this...lol. Part of the fun of BB is trashing the gameplay and antics of the HGs and as a fan I partake in all of that. Once the show is over though...thats when it ends and we move on.

I don't know if I agree with that. Have we ever really seen it happen that a person in the house is really all that different outside the house?

I do think it's probably easy to get so caught up in the game when it's going on 24/7 that it might stress you into doing/saying things you might not do/say otherwise. I do think that people also exaggerate and/or create a certain persona to play the game.

Overall though, I don't think they can be that much different inside and outside the house precisely because it takes place 24/7 and you can't hide yourself indefinitely.

Dick, for example, really played up the bully persona as a strategy in the house. But I don't think Dick is that much different in real life. Maybe iced tea wouldn't get poured on someone's head, but I think he's probably a pretty bitter and vindictive person in real life also (among other things because I do think we saw a sweet side to him too). He just amplified what is truly himself.

Ditto with Russell who may have played an exaggerated bully in the house also pulled a Kanye in basically every post-show interview I saw complaining about how dumb and essentially undeserving Jordan was.

And although your interview with Natalie made her seem better than I expected, some of her answers still seemed forced and dishonest just like she was in the house.

Maybe in the real world Chima wouldn't do the equivalent of throwing a microphone in the hot tub, but I would still expect her to act like an entitled bitch.

And yeah, there are probably some sides to people we don't get to see in the house, but overall, I do think we get a pretty good picture of who those people are outside the house. I just haven't really seen any evidence to the contrary to convince me otherwise yet.

You make a great point MB and after thinking about it a bit, I don't/didn't see any radical changes from HGs in the house opposed to when they get out. The reason why I singled out that comment was because I was trying to say that as fans, we should move on after the season ends as most of the HGs do. Of course most of us do move on but there are a portion of rabid BB fans who just cant let it go once the season ends. A few examples, Natalie from season 9 had some asshole post pictures of actual abortions on her myspace, Chelsia from season 9 had death threats sent to her parents house and I'm sure there are many many things we never even heard of.

Quote :

Have we ever really seen it happen that a person in the house is really all that different outside the house?

I love this statement though MB...lol and its making me wonder if any HG was loved in the house then hated out of the house and vice versa because they changed when they got out of the house. Just off the top of my head, I would say that Crazy James is a candidate for this catagory. While I DID NOT in any way shape or form like even one thing about CJ, he had a ton of fans. After he got out of BB his following was almost cult like and just like alot of cults, he started asking for money. I think this was a big turn off for him fans and he lost alot of his faithful following because of it.
Would love to hear from anyone else who can think of a HG or HGs who were completely different after they left the BB house.

I actually think that was a pretty great article, on Eric's part. He definitely knows the game very well. I've never really been a big fan of his, but good job on the articles, Eric.