BB9, And All The Drama That Comes With It

So another summer rolls around, and with it, another series of Big Brother. I'm a moderate BB fan; I didn't really start watching regularly until last summer, and even then I only caught it a couple of times a week - I'm not someone who can watch TV every night for three months. But I found the melodrama and bitchiness quite addictive, although there were a couple of characters - Chanelle leading the pack - who I couldn't stand.

Then I caught the 3-week, E4-only, seriously underrated Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack in January of this year, and I loved it. Words cannot express how much I fell in love with Big Brother. Partially this was due to the short period (while I can't tolerate TV every night for 3 months, I can manage an hour a night for 3 weeks quite happily), to a large extent it was due to the people in there all being roughly my age as well as intelligent and talented, and probably the biggest draw-in for me was that they were - barring Jade and to a smaller extent, Emilia - all interesting, generally nice people.

Plus I've had a huge crush on Nathan for years.

But anyway, I loved BBCH so much that I was ravidly looking forward to BB9. But so far, I'm not warming up to it much at all. Very few of the members in the house have actually invoked any sort of empathy in me: most of the housemates are split into two groups in my mind, the appalling and the non-existent, with just a couple of exceptions.

So here are my impressions of this year's housemates (in alphabetical order):

Alex: I simply do not have the words for how much I dislike this woman. I could probably find them and then rant about it for a long time, but that might make me lose my lunch. In some ways she's very similar to Charley from BB8, but where I found Charley tolerable (in comparison to Chanelle, at least), Alex is much less so. She seems to value money and things (as well as so-called "respect"; I say so-called because it's fear rather than true respect that she invokes in people) far far above human beings. Has a great deal of prejudice in her - even before her rage at Mikey, it was easy to tell that she looked down on his because of his blindness. Also has a great deal of paranoia, and views every disagreement as a personal attack on her, which she then returns tenfold. Arrogant to the point of severe self-delusion. No capability for introspection whatsoever. No loyalties to anyone other than herself; she'd probably stab her own child in the back if she thought that they were "disrespecting" her. Has a compulsive need to be in control of everyone and everything, and if she's not she'll throw a tantrum. Extreme capability for violence. If I were to diagnose her psychologically, I'd call her a sociopath with classic narcissistic tendencies. My money says she'll be out within a few days, unless BB keeps her in for the sake of drama. But frankly, if they do try to keep her in, I wouldn't be surprised if half the house threatens to walk out. I know I would.

Dale: Very little to say about him. Probably has gotten by on his looks for so long, he hasn't bothered to build a personality. Time will tell if there's more to him.

Darnell: Started out as one of my favourites, but I haven't formed a set opinion yet. I think he's basically a nice guy who's had a hard time in life, but his albinism has affected him in that he sometimes tries too hard to please people in order to have "friends", and will on occasion say and do things that he doesn't agree with in order to feel like one of the group - which leaves him open to sharks like Alex. I generally like him though, and his insecurities are quite touching and make him much more human than your average BB contestant. The American accent is totally sexy, too. He doesn't like to think of himself as disabled in any way, but I think he doesn't have a very high opinion of himself and certainly I don't think he realises quite how lovely he is - I know several girls who'd go for him in a second. (Possibly including me.)

Dennis: Classic Queen Bee-yatch - camp behaviour and outrageous bitchiness about just about everyone (except Alex and Sylvia, who he seems to have taken to) are possibly covering up low self-esteem. That or he actually does think he's the bees knees. Don't like him very much, which I find odd since I almost always take to gay men, especially the camp ones. (Think Jay from BBCH - I really liked him. Yet I don't like Dennis at all.)

Jennifer: Very pretty, hasn't shown much of a personality yet. Although she seems nicer than some.

Kathreya: One of the few exceptions to my general sense of dislike for this year's offerings. Totally hyper, totally nuts, but sweet enough that she doesn't drive you crazy. She's a breath of fresh air, and probably the person who'll keep the house from exploding this year. A peacemaker, but not in a martyr-like way at all. I adore her. If things keep going the way they are, she'll probably win. I'm voting for her.

Lisa: Let herself down with the disgusting food thing (basically spitting mouthfuls of food everywhere while pretending to be drunk) but generally not too bad. Seems pretty down-to-earth, especially considering that she makes a career out of appearing on reality TV shows. Handled the Mario-Steph scenario with a lot of grace - many many women would have thrown tantrums. Up for eviction this week, but I don't think she deserves to go yet. I'd like to see a bit more of her.

Luke: Haven't made up my mind yet. Everyone says he's really sweet but seems a bit holier-than-thou to me. So far I find him kind of boring, but he might improve.

Mario: Not bad. Seems quite mature, and not just because he's the oldest on here. Knows how the game is played and is willing to play it. Happy to try and make the best out of a bad situation. Seems pretty good-natured and caring, especially towards Lisa (his real-life partner) and Mikey (who he seems to have adopted as a younger brother). Not my favourite but not at all bad either.

Michael: Hard to say. I give him props for coming on BB - these things are hard for everyone, so it can't be at all easy for a blind guy. Seems kind of hyperactive, has a strange sense of humour, and tries too hard to please others, so easily led. (No pun intended.) But also seems to be generally good-natured and kind, completely without malice. I can't tell if he's mentally slow or just innocent.

Mohamed: Haven't seen much of him, but what I do see I like. Seems like a really kind, genuine guy. Has a quiet competence about him (possibly due to his background; as far as I know he was raised in Somalia) that reminds me a little of Michael from Prison Break. Speaks when he has something to say, not just to hear his own voice, and doesn't need to create a fuss to make a point. Doesn't take himself too seriously. Hard to tell much about him so far, since he's been very cool and hasn't said a great deal, but I imagine that he's actually very warm and caring. Seems smart without being arrogant.

Rachel: Not sure yet. Seems pretty bubbly and happy, but could be a front. Don't really have an opinion on her.

Rebecca: Again, not much of an opinion, although I get the impression that she wants attention.

Rex: Very hard to form an opinion of. Seems to be a genuine lone wolf, sort of moody and distant, but this could change when and if he gets to know people and warms up to them. Puts a high value on things, most likely as a result of growing up in an upper middle-class family. Get the impression that he's always striving to be the best, but doesn't want to show it. Puts a distance between himself and other people, either as a defence mechanism due to emotions that he can't cope with, or genuine disdain for others. Hard to say which. Hopefully he'll open up a bit more in the future.

Stephanie: Pretty, and pretty annoying. Whines a lot (although not as much as some in the past) and seems to want to be taken care of while at the same time getting annoyed with people who try to tell her what to do. Not the most sporting of characters, and basically unwilling to go along with the fake engagement with Mario - she didn't seem to care that not putting the effort in meant that 4 people were up for eviction, including herself. Probably doesn't like putting effort into things and expects to breeze along in life, with everything she needs magically provided for her. Very much a child wanting to play grown-up. Sort of the female counterpart to Ziggy from BB8. But not all bad - she seems to have loyalty to people she considers friends, and stuck up for a couple of the other girls when they found themselves on the recieving end of Alex's vitriol. Possibly just needs to be given some responsibility, and she'll grow up.

Sylvia: Alex's cronie, and almost as bad. Not quite as venomous as Alex, but very much of a princess mentality, and thinks she can behave as badly as she wants by justifying it as ghetto-princess behaviour. Uses her looks as tender to get whatever she wants and wrap people around her little finger. Interestingly she seems to have taken on the Chanelle role as counterpoint to Alex's Charley - I say interesting because in BB8, Charley and Chanelle were arch-nemeses. Has apparently suffered dreadful traumas in Sierra Leone (her original country) but despite surviving life-changing disaster, she still throws a hissy fit over the smallest of wrongdoings. Very much of a bunny boiler; exactly the type of woman who'd cut up a guy's Italian suits and set fire to his car (although possibly not go as far as killing his pet) for breaking up with her. Never in the wrong, and has probably never made a sincere apology in her life. Might get better once Alex is out of the picture, but I'm not holding my breath.


So there you have it: the original 16 and my impressions. I'll try and keep you posted on any new members who come in, and update you as my impressions of current housemates change. I'm perfectly happy to change an opinion when new evidence comes to light, but for now, I'm waiting impatiently for the series to get better.