This is an instalment of a regular commentary on Big Brother from Dr Toni Johnson-Woods, Lecturer in Contemporary Studies, The University of Queensland.
Big Brother started with all the glamour and glitz of a movie premier. Contestants waved to the throng and the throng changed back. All of the contestants claim they came to Big Brother the experience, not the money. A statement which confounds more than it elucidates; Big Brother detractors hoped that at the very least it was the money that attracted them.
For people who view the nightly shows, they have only had a few shows in which to make their judgements; cam viewers have more insights into the contestants. Or do they? It appears that the contestants are not being themselves, the impact of being watched 24/7 has produced behaviours that even they are at a loss to explain (or at least so their conversations reveal).
As a whole the group is young and quite attractive and fairly diverse (not that there are any obvious ethnic groups represented, Lisa is the only non-white participant) in occupations and lifestyles. They have spent the first week (the honeymoon period) getting to know each other; this seems to consist mainly of hugging and kissing. The penchant for physical touching (which started from the minute they stepped from their limousines) is not "typical" household behaviour, but perhaps reflects that they are responding to the subtle (and not-so-subtle) manipulation by the host when she started them thinking about what they would get up to in the house.
Clearly, the most exciting event would be for some of the contestants to have sex on camera. The directors/editors can only hope that, if it happens, it doesn't happen too soon, it would be better if they could tortuously work toward some romantic story. "Randy Andy"'s antics are too blunt, according to comments on the Big Brother web site. Now the games have begun and last night the first eviction nominations were announced. Who was nominated tells us how the contestants view their fellow housemates and who is eventually voted off tells us how the audiences view the different contestants.
Discussion in the Big Brother web site forums is a large part of the BB experience for some viewers. Each of the contestants seems to have developed a public profile based on the forum participants' extensive viewing of the web cameras. The following characterisations seem to have developed in discussions. (Note that the characterisations are not my own views but an analysis of what has appeared in the public forums.)
Blair
The most popular contestant is Blair (19). Since the first night, twenty percent of website votes have given him their vote. But why? He is good looking, but so are many of the contestants. Some say it is because he is caring, but how do people know this? From the few short takes we have seen so far, he is as caring as say Johnnie. Younger viewers tell me he is "cool", but are unable to articular why he is cool. Apparently he has "it", that indefinable star quality that and appeals to both male and female viewers. In his first-night video, he was surrounded by family; Blair is clearly a nice guy. In talks so far he has managed to keep the good-guy image; while Ben admitted that one-night stands are his staple, Blair refrained from commenting. He attracted no votes from housemates and careful viewers will note that he is rarely cast in a bad light on the nightly shows; while he may like Christina, he is not aggressive; this will win him sympathy and may turn the tables on Peter (Christina's bed-mate) and Christina. Blair is the ordinary Aussie bloke, he will appeal to mothers, sisters, and blokes; unless he does something spectacularly wrong, he will win. Last night Blair did not get one eviction vote, so it seems that he meets the household's approval too. Keen eyed viewers should watch carefully, is Blair being groomed for a win?
Andy
While Blair attracted no votes, "Randy Andy" attracted the most. Love her or hate her, she certainly has given the BB cam viewers something to watch, especially during shower time. Her frank discussion about her alternative lifestyle has caused more than a little controversy; she may be too frank for most viewers. Andy also seems to have gotten the confession bug. She was the first to use the Diary Room and is often seen heading that way. It seems that most of her confessions focus on her sexual fantasies/desires. Similarly, outside the Diary Room she chats endlessly about sex: even revealing that she worked as an escort (with full details). I suspect that she will occupy the lion's share of the Thursday night AO show. Cam viewers are in a quandary about Andy-while they find her annoying and over-the-top, they also feel that if she leaves, the show will lose some of its zest. If she is not voted out this week, she is likely to go in the first few weeks.
Sara-Marie
Sara-Marie is often viewed as Andy's lieutenant. She is also given to displays of her body; but web viewers are not appreciative because Sara-Marie does not have a culturally acceptable body. Currently, the camviewers dislike her, but those of us who watch the nightly programmes are unsure what the fuss is about. She is more likely to be voted off than Andy if the cam viewers have their say.
Gordon
Even more likely to be voted off than Sara-Marie is Gordon. His hairstyle attracted many negative emails; but, more than that he has been condemned as a "threat". If the contestants could read the popular poll on the website, they would not feel threatened by Gordon: he has consistently been at the bottom of the popularity polls but, ironically, just as his popularity increased, his housemates nominated him for eviction. Gordon is perhaps too intellectual for this "sociological experiment" as he calls it but wasn't Machiavellan enough to adopt a survival strategy.
Sharna
Sharna (fourth on the eviction list) is the oldest (34) and perceived as one of the loudest members. While the web viewers dislike her, it seems that she did not upset her housemates to the same extent and was fourth in the list to be evicted. She might be loud but hers is an acceptable loudness, one of exuberance. Also, she is not sexually aggressive which means that she would be least likely to upset other females in the house. She has not adopted a mothering role, which might have seen her gain power.
Johnnie
The object of the game is be the last person in the house and, as has been found on shows such as Survivor and The Weakest Link, contestants most likely to win have a strategy. Johnnie, whose popularity has soared in the past week, from 9% to 14% and he has ousted Jemma from her number 2 spot. Johnnie conducts fitness classes, which will give him an enormous amount of power and prestige (the equivalent of food gathering on Survivor). Johnnie is everyone's friend and is perceived as a caring guy. He is not too loud but offers hugs and massages. This kind of touching ensures a tactile intimacy with the contestants. And while he is not "mothering", this type of touching offers succour. However, if there is an upset or drama in the house which requires some kind of confrontation, will he be able to come to the rescue?
Peter
Peter has usurped the alpha male (Blair) by charming Christina into his bed. Peter's age (27) and occupation (vintner) will not win him votes with a young audience, but if a crisis develops, his maturity could show him to be the most capable in the house.
Todd
Todd, the most alternative guy, has driven the cam viewers crazy who all scream for him to be off, but he seems to have household approval (he did not receive one vote). After his frenetic first night (when he broke an axe and threw something into Andy's eye) he seems to have settled down. Perhaps another week with those drums could drive him out, but it seems that the contestants like to exercise to drum music. He is most popular among those viewers who seek to redress the surfeit of middle class contestants.
Ben, Christina, Jemma and Lisa
Ben, Christina, Jemma, and Lisa are clustered around the middle of the polls. They are not a threat to anyone at this stage. Ben could be Blair's rival, given that they are both about the same age, with the same looks and share similar interests; but he has made some tactical blunders, he appears too open to a sexual peccadillo. Jemma was a front runner with Blair, but her popularity has dropped. It seems that her obsession with her looks is starting to aggravate even male viewers. And eyes are turning to Christina whose popularity has risen proportionately to Jemma's decline. Apparently, whoever is good enough for Blair is good enough for the web viewers. However, if she continues to flirt with Blair and Peter, she will find herself voted off, but not until the end of the story. Lisa's annoying laugh has prompted many emails calling for her eviction. Again, what annoys the cam viewers does not seem to annoy the other contestants so much.
Voting has been cleverly crafted. The housemates nominate those whom they do not "click" with or those who pose the greatest threat. But audiences get the final say, as their vote decides who is evicted. Voters will select those they "dislike" the most, in other words, those with whom they least identify. And there are at least two audiences: the ones who watch the webcams and know more about the contestants, and those who watch the nightly shows. Either way, it seems that the Big Brother winner is unlikely to be someone who leads an alternative lifestyle. Conformity rules, okay?
Dr Toni Johnson-Woods
The complete set of commentaries is available at https://www.uq.edu.au/news/bigbrother
