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Techtite's TV Reviews! |
"Cold. As. ICE! This is the girl who poured on the waterworks for Nathan to veto her eviction in week 4, only to turn her back on him when he was on the eviction block, just two weeks later. OUCH!!!" ---from the review
------------- Sidebar :: ------------- "C'mon, who'd you hate the most?" That's the question each season on Big Brother, isn't it? Not "who do you want to win" or "who did you like the most," though who was the worst of the worst. No telling who that is yet, though stay tuned in this sidebar column, for a week-by-week answer...
----------------- Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted! ------------------
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Big Brother 4
A Techtite ReviewWhy does CBS insist on bringing Big Brother back, every single summer? The answer is in your wallet. Consider: the largest fee for the show is the half a million grand prize, which isn't awarded until after the three month show ends. They use the same house each season, which barely changes each year. The house guests are doomed to fail at least half of their food competitions, meaning they're eating mere water and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for at least half the season. Consider that this amounts to just a little over half a million for a three month season, when most shows cost (at least) half a million per episode. When you think about it, someone's sitting pretty with Big Brother. Too bad they aren't the viewers. What is different from season #3? Just one thing: one-third of the initial house guests were ex-lovers of the other guests. This was intended to stir things up except for the fact that --oops!-- being near someone who makes you uncomfortable makes you clam up, not "stir up." It was at least slightly amusing to see alliances form (and crumble) based on past relationships good or bad, though that's it. It just didn't work out. Again, though, it's time to review the participants of this house "experiment," in the order they are evicted. Each week until the finale, see who was evicted that week, who is now HOH, who gets the "power of veto", and opinions on all the above. Ready? Here are the current stats: The Techtite.com ratings system (icon version):
Scott Best
One-Line Summary : This season's "kicked off by the
producers" contestant. My Comments:
The truth is, I don't think for a minute that the house guests feared
for their lives as much as they claimed, when Scott started tossing a few
plastic chairs around. It was a moment of understandable boredom --and
even more understandable stress-- and in the end, the house guests were publicly apologized to, by Scott himself. Trouble is, rules are
rules, and if a house guest is "a threat to their safety," they
must go. Suddenly --gosh oh golly-- all the house guests are fearful for their safety! Do they
lock themselves in their rooms, scream for help, or run for the exit? NO.
They do, however, claim to be very very afraid for their safety...if
that means being closer to the half million. So, Scott is booted. I don't
exactly know why the producers wanted to stir things up by having
exes in the house, only to boot off the first sign of someone actually stirring,
but...whatever. Booted Off: Technically,
first. Opposing
Nominated Evictee: He wasn't nominated, so; none. HOH
that week (nominations): Nathan. High Point :
Being humble enough to apologize to these losers showed a lot of
class. Low Point: Yes, okay, sure: his behavior
was more than a little unruly (just not worth booting him "automatically") Rating :
Amanda Best
One-Line Summary : Booted by association. My Comments:
I get the feeling Amanda was booted because of the Scott debacle just
two days before, and the fact she was his ex, ergo the "reason"
he was in the house at all. She wasn't hard to get along with from what I
could tell, and let's be candid: she got along swimmingly with David,
that's for sure! However, shame on David for spending a night of passion
(and yes, we mean that the way it sounds) with Amanda, just hours after he
helped vote her off, unanimously. For shame. Booted Off:
The first "official" eviction. Opposing
Nominated Evictee: Jee. HOH that week
(nominations): Nathan. High Point :
She wasn't the least bit bitter or resentful when leaving the house,
and showed a lot of class. Low Point:
Sleeping with David...? In front of millions of TV watchers (not to
mention the LIVE FEED on the internet)? D'oh! Rating:
Michelle Best
One-Line Summary : Rooked. Hoodwinked. Flimflammed.
Back-stabbed. The poor dear. My Comments:
I know that the "first exes" in the house made an alliance
to boot of the "surprise exes" who entered later on. However,
when at least one of those exes was as sweet as apple pie, what do you do?
Well, here's a hint: you don't evict them in the second week, you morons!
Yet once again we have the idiot HOH that week (in this case, Jee) pull
another "Erica is who I want gone so I vote for the most congenial
house guest as a 'pawn' to guarantee her being gone" stunts. How many
times has this stunt worked on Big Brother? ZERO. Time and time again, the nimrods
voting for the evicted guest see this as their chance to boot off a
nice person who's in their way to the big ca$h, and in the end...Nielsen
ratings plummet. Good work guys (and yes, that's called sarcasm. Morons!!!).
Booted Off:
2nd Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Erica. HOH that week (nominations):
Jee. High Point : Showing that being a
virgin doesn't mean you're a prude; it just means you're saving yourself
for the right person, dummy. Low Point:
Not kicking at least half the house guests in the shins as she left. Rating :
David Best
One-Line Summary : Love him or hate him; at least he kept us
awake! My Comments:
Whether David is a smart guy to have booted off or a dumb one depends on who
you ask. People who are sick and tired of humdrum balderdash on this show,
love David: the guy who not only stirs things up in the house, though
is the first house guest to sleep with someone, live, in front of everyone
watching online, after only knowing her a few days!
However, for those who hate him, this is also the guy who helped vote off
said love-interest, Amanda, the day after he
slept with her! Man, that is pretty cold, isn't it? Oh yeah; by week two he
also helped boot out Michelle, his
ex-girlfriend, who was also in the house (thanks to that whole
"ex-factor" thing). Is this the sort of guy you can trust? Not
really. However, he sure rattled a few cages while still in the house. Too
bad it couldn't last.
Booted Off:
3rd Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Jack. HOH that week (nominations):
Dana. High Point : Keeping the show
from being a total bore in the first three weeks. Low Point:
I'm still a little bitter after he so coldly helped boot off Michelle from
the house; totally uncalled for. Add booting off Amanda the day after sleeping with her, and...well,
thumbs-down from me. Rating :
Dana Best
One-Line Summary : She may be emotional, though when it comes
to Allison...you were right on target, baby. My Comments:
So, okay, her cleanliness in the house bordered on obsessive
compulsive. However, it's hard to call her a back-stabber within her
original alliance, when it was clear they were ready to turn on her, as
soon as an opportunity arose to do so (like, say, week 4). So what if she
learned of their back stabbing plans, and tried a little back stabbing of
her own the prior week? It would've wo0rked too, if ALlison didn't swoon
Nathan with her crocodile tears into vetoing her nomination; in the end,
David was ousted, not Allison, or even Jack. So, no sooner does Dana lose
HOH, then Allison wins HOH. Two guesses who she nominates. However, she
claimed the nomination was "an eye for an eye," not because she
had always planned to nominate Dana, since week one. Uh-huh; sure, Allison. Whatever. Booted Off:
4th Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Jun. HOH that week (nominations):
Allison. High Point : "Loyalty above all else, except honor": When Dana learned her "alliance" was only loyal to her
until she helped them get to the grand prize, she turned on them
before they could turn on her. GOOD
for you, Dana. Low Point: On the
other hand, the way she was ready to turn on Jun to stay in the house that
last week --with Jun her last true friend in the whole house-- was cold as ice. Rating :
Nathan Best
One-Line Summary : Guilty by association...but otherwise
pretty innocent. My Comments:
Nathan is evidence of the first-HOH curse; while being the first Head
of Household saves you in week one, it makes you the biggest target in all
later weeks. From then on, it's all about what alliance you're in, and how
strong. That was the start of Nathan's mistakes, when putting all his
eggs into one basket; a basket by the name of Allison. She promised him everything
under the sun to keep from being evicted in week #3; a sure thing, had she remained
a nominee. Nathan vetoed her nomination, only to get David on
the chopping block...who, being less popular than Jack, was immediately
ousted, instead of Allison. That was mistake #2, since not vetoing Jack's nomination made him
person non grata with Jack as well as Jack's own alliance friend, Erica.
People who didn't want to be forced to vote off David weren't too happy,
either, when they were practically doing cartwheels at the thought of
ousting Allison. Unfortunately, Nathan was deceived by a pair of big googly eyes.
Though hey, let's be fair: Nathan's only human. He simply made a bad call. Booted Off:
5th Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Jack. HOH that week (nominations):
Justin (who, FYI, is Allison's ex; was this comeuppance for seeing his ex
canoodling with Nathan?). High Point : Before
the whole Allison thing,
Nathan showed he was a loyal teammate,
and a good strategist. Low Point:
...then he vetoed Allison's eviction. Rating :
Justin Best
One-Line Summary : Moe. My Comments:
If Justin, Robert, and Jee are "the three stooges" --as the
other house guests claim-- then Justin must be Moe; the
smartest of the bunch, and the ringleader. As such, he's also the prime
target. It's no surprise then, that when Erica became HOH, she chose not to set her sights on the last remaining back stabber in
her own alliance --Allison-- and instead decided to defeat Moe once and
for all. As she said though, it's nothing personal. After all, who doesn't
love the stooges? Booted Off:
6th Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Robert. HOH that week (nominations):
Erica. High Point : Probably
the only "ex" in the house that handled seeing his ex with class
and a real sense of cool. It's not like he couldn't care less seeing
Allison again; he just didn't lose his cool about it. Low Point:
Strategically, he should've eliminated Jack last week. This mistake could
be what sends him home the very next week, since a deal with Nathan
would've been better than no deal at all (i.e., the situation he's in
now). Rating :
Jack Best
One-Line Summary : The "Rudy" for this season.
My Comments:
Who can ever forget the first "older" contestant in a
reality TV show like this, Rudy, who in the first Survivor
was a really likeable guy, regardless of his often,
Archie-Bunker-like quips ("I like Richard [Hatch]...though not in a
homosexual way, that's for sure!"). Well, that's the guy that came to
mind, whenever seeing this season's many quips from Jack, who has always
had the "I can't believe he said THAT!" comment to say. Who else
would have had enough spunk to compare Dana to a "buzzard's crotch"
on national TV...? Well, that was Jack for you. He seems like he'd be hard
to live with after speaking his mind the way he did all the time, though
he played a good game, allied with who arguably was the only trustworthy
person in the house besides himself (Erica), and aside from losing every
single HOH competition, played a great game. Booted Off:
7th Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Erica. HOH that week (nominations):
Jee. High Point : As an FBI man for so
many years, this is a man with great rhetorical skills. Who else could
compare someone to a "buzzard's crotch" and still look
respectable? Low Point: ...on
the other hand, he has said
some pretty down and dirty things about the other house guests. However, I
really wasn't married to any of them anyway, soooo... Rating :
Jee Best
One-Line Summary : Curly. My Comments:
If Justin, Robert, and Jee were The Three Stooges --as the other house
guests claim-- then Jee would probably be Curly. Not the leader of the
pack, yet the most likeable, and with one whale of a sense of humor (how
else can you describe his calm demeanor, after getting what was one of the
Worst Haircuts in Live TV History, by another house guest?). However,
anyone knows in Three Stooges lore that while Curly was the most likeable,
he was also be biggest stooge. I'm sorry, though it's hard to look at
somebody as part of "The Dream Team" (as the three boys called
themselves) when Jee gets nominated as HOH twice, only to inadvertently
help boot off who his opponents wanted gone. If it's any
consolation; the guest he wanted gone since week three, Erica, left the
very next week. However, given how he left the week before, this is a
small comfort. Booted Off:
8th Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Robert. HOH that week (nominations):
Jun. High Point : Much like Michelle,
Jee was the only other "ex" in the
house that (sorry, Jun) we liked more than the "original guest"
(i.e.; the exes that were in the house first). Low Point:
Using Michelle as a "pawn" in the eviction game? Isn't it
clear as a bell that this strategy never works? For Jee to try the pawn
gambit after so many failures to attempt the same strategy; what made him
think it would work any better for him?!? Rating :
Erica Best
One-Line Summary : Pink hats and all; this was one "colorful" (and therefore, not boring) contestant. My Comments:
I liked Erica
from day one, when her short video bio showed her with her pet dogs. As a dog
owner myself, being a dog owner takes a lot of compassion and
understanding, let alone when you own two of them! However, there's a lot
more to like about Erica than just her dog-owner skills. She has
shown good sense in making ties with Jack; the oldest, wisest member of
the house. She had been (until week 8 of course) a good strategist, being
nominated by Jee twice, yet dodging eviction both times. Ironic, then,
that she would inevitably be evicted on a week where she was not
originally nominated! Allison was up against Jun that week, with Robert as
HOH. However, when Allison won the Power of Veto for herself, what could
Robert do but nominate Erica? Worst of all; this meant that Allison was
the only one voting...and she was non-too-pleased at Erica's bigger
popularity in the house. In the end, Erica was booted not because she was
disliked, though because of dumb luck. How many Big Brother house guests
can say that in the past 4 years...? Booted Off:
9th Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Jun...and Allison! (see "my comments") HOH that week (nominations):
Robert. High Point : Even weeks after
her eviction, her popularity on the official web site is the highest of
any other house guest this season. That's saying something. Low Point: Her
whispered insults about Jee nominating her twice were considered a bit
racial to some, although given the sexist banter from "The Three
Stooges," it was just a drop in the bucket if you ask me. Rating :
Robert Best
One-Line Summary : Larry. My Comments:
Robert was the last of the "Three Stooges" to go, and in the
end, the departure was the most bittersweet. On the one hand he was a
likeable enough guy; a single guy who clearly was doing this for her as
much as for him. It's a shame, though, that Robert sort of lost it in the
end, and said what he said --within earshot, no less-- about the
"bitches" in the house winning the game over the guys. However,
this is hardly evidence of him being a bad guy per se; after all, if a
young daughter loves her father that much, he must be doing something
right. He also did a lot of "right" things in the house, making
him the last evictee this season! In the end, the so-called
"Three Stooges" had won 4 HOH competitions in 8 weeks. In the
end, he was the last "Stooge" standing, and furthermore, the
last person to be evicted this season. So, who's the "stooge"
now, eh? Booted Off:
10th Opposing Nominated Evictee:
Nobody; he was the last evictee possible! HOH that week (nominations):
Allison. High Point : Seeing him
talking to his daughter was perhaps the singular emotion-grabbing portion
of this entire season. So much so; every time an "America's
Choice" vote asked who we wanted to see get a message from home, it
always was for Robert, because that's how much the audience loved seeing
he and his daughter's love for one another. Awwww! Low Point: Not
to sound like I'm standing on a soap box about it, though given how he
knew his little girl would be watching this show, he really should've held
his tongue with that comment about the "bitches" in the house
winning the game over the guys. Of course, being a little girl, she'll
forgive daddy for whatever he may have said...but can other female viewers
could forgive as easily? Rating :
Allison Best
One-Line Summary : Ms. Freeze. My Comments:
Cold. As. ICE! This is the girl who poured on the waterworks for Nathan
to veto her eviction in week 4, only to turn her back on him when he was
on the eviction block, just two weeks later. OUCH!!! This, when she had
spent so much touchy-feely time with Nate the prior weeks, with a ton of back-rubs and kissing him and
a giggle under
the sheets pulled up to your head and excuse me but don't you have a boyfriend
waiting for you back home?!? I'm still at odds about whether her
boyfriend is happy about how she played the game or not; after all, she
says (cough, cough) that she did it all for she and him. It's just the way
she got there, by telling everyone she was their friend to their face, and
chewing them out that same day in a private video confessional. I'm going
out on a limb here and hoping that she is merely the 50,000 dollar
"second prize" winner, which she won thanks to sheer back
stabbing. However; if I'm wrong, and she actually wins, don't expect a
rewrite of this page. For one thing, I could care less. For another: I'd
rather not know if she actually wins. Booted Off:
Never; the second prize winner (I hope). Opposing Nominated Evictee:
N/A. HOH that week (nominations):
Herself! High Point : I'm grasping for
straws here, though I guess the fact she's actually willing to make things
work out with her boyfriend when she gets back home is a high point. Sort
of. Low Point:
Helping to evict Nathan, after he saved her from eviction.
Rating :
Jun Best
One-Line Summary : Let's just say she won and call this baby
a "wrap," shall we? My Comments:
Okay, so it's a week before the finale. However, to be honest I'm sick
and tired of reviewing this season. It's late, it's half a day before a
deadline, and I have to post this now and have time to write about two
dozen new series reviews in the next month alone. So, let's just say Jun
was the winner and call this baby a wrap, okay? After all; what parallel
universe would be shifty enough to give Allison the half a million prize
against Jun? While Jun's feminist T-shirts took a little to be desired
("I love boys...they make nice pets!"), she was someone who
rarely said one thing and did another; a rarity, on this show! She also
goes home not just with the half million, though as a
guest at the MTV awards show some weeks back, which she won as HOH for the
8th week. Given how she was someone with barely any alliances to speak of,
nor double-crosses to get as far as she did, it's truly amazing she got to
the end the way she did. If there is a singular thing to deride her for,
it's the way she allied with Allison in the last few weeks, which saved
her in some ways though saved Allison as well. It's just a shame that this
"guilt by association" has to lower her rating in this game the
way it does. Because...it does. Opposing Nominated Evictee:
N/A. HOH that week (nominations):
Allison. High Point : Let's just say;
whatever she did to get where she got --without stepping on any toes--
worked like a charm. Low Point:
She makes an alliance with Allison? ALLISON??? Rating :
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