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'Game playing' versus 'I'm here for the experience'
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It's amazing the number of people who go into BB claiming that they are in there for the experience. Josie Gibson, Pete, Brian Bello and Luke A all claimed that they were there to enjoy the BB house and said that they would not win. To me this was game playing. Aaron was upfront and said it was a game show and he was playing the game.
How do others feel?
How do others feel?
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It is quite poignant to think how very much almost all housemates want to be popular and charming, and how badly some of them fail. I don't particularly admire a high level of strategic gameplaying, though at least Aaron did it well. Plenty of people (eg poor, juvenile Becky in BB13) have done it appallingly.
In any case, it seems perverse to me to say that it is 'game playing' every time someone says they don't think they will win. It is more likely in most cases that they say it because they don't think they will win. Aaron is the only housemate I can think of who has ever said he KNEW he would win; and he very wisely did not say that until long afterwards.
I'm sure there is an element of that, but most of them seem pretty realistic these days. BB8 was the last series (excluding Josie) where people 'got' much; BB9 housemates were unlucky, especially Rex, because no one knew how over the game was. So Rex, Mo, Darnell, Luke, Bex and Sara were all preparing themselves for media offers after BB, almost none of which happened. (I think Luke did get some local radio in the end?)
By BB10 they pretty well knew. They used to openly joke about how few people were watching and how likely it was that they would all be on the dole afterwards.
Josie muddied the water by making it all seem possible again; certainly Aaron and Faye had good reason to expect more than they got, and Jay and Louise were not actually delusional to think people would be interested. But I doubt whether anyone in BB13 expected a lot of quality media offers; most of them went straight back to work/ college as soon as they had finished. (Benedict seems busy though; he has a different agent from the Ch 5 one, presumably better).
It's just a catchphrase spouted by many HMs to try and convey how genuine they are without any real meaning. What does it mean and what exactly is this Big Brother experience that people supposedly covet?
Everyone goes on the show for a reason, to win the money, Z list fame even just a narcissistic need to be seen and things along those lines. That's the Big Brother experience but surely not what they want people to think when they say that phrase.
The idea that HMs say they don't think they can win is another one. Everyone instinctively knows that it's a sin to viewers to think you're popular so of course they are going to say that if the subject comes up. Even saying you want to win is dodgy territory and to be fair during the course of the shows history not everyone thought they could or necessarily wanted to - back in its heyday a lot just wanted to be on and make enough of an impression to get magazine deals and their week on BBLB and present T4 and any other BB perks. I would argue this is fast becoming irrelevant. Particularly on the C5 series the winner is the only one that gets anything decent.
Wonkeydonkey if you have no objections I'd prefer to post my response to the continued debate of the old thread on this thread as opposed to PM as it's obviously very relevant to this discussion.
Ashleigh more or less admitted she was only there for the fame in her VT
yeah , it does vary . but I do think some of them have egos whch make them believe they'll get work because they're so much better than the HMs of the past .
then there's the ones who are essentially doing it to tick off the list : "things to do before you're 30" type thing , they usually end up walking I reckon tho .
I think the young pretty girls know they will be guaranteed a few grand from Nuts and Zoo , and maybe more .
the lads don't get much (unless they wanna go the gay calendar route)
then there's the ones who believe they've got the Jade-factor , that they're destined to be massive rtv stars .
but I think they all believe they're such 'big' characters that they're bound to do well out of it somehow .
On my boyfriends life
Winning would be nice but i wouldnt go in there with the intention of winning
Why people cant grasp that some just do it simply for the experience is beyond me
Were not all machevellian and greedy
This false modesty is just sensible game tactics for the most part. Pretending you're a humble jo, however big your actual ego, is the British way. Arrogance rarely plays well. I wouldn't call it gameplaying or gameplan. Just common sense. But don't give 'em any credit for saying it ..... watch their actions instead.
Take Josie Gibson whom you mention. She swore in the house she would never sell her story outside the house ..... reacting as if she were mortally offended when Sam Pepper had the audacity to suggest such a thing.:eek: Does anyone really think she was surprised to find she had just such an opportunity as soon as she came out of the house ..... and lo and behold grabbed hold of it with both hands and has been selling her story ever since! :rolleyes::D
Trying to pay the game on BBUK is pretty pointless anyway due to the endless nominations riggage, the producers selectively applying the rules and the hypocrisy/double standards of the voters.
I suspect a lot of housemates nowadays do genuinely go in there for the experience but probably wouldn't outright refuse the odd money making opportunity that came from it.
The more accepted game playing becomes the more honest housemates will be IMO. Using the 'experience' card is just a way of hiding a multitude of other reasons to be be a housemate, not least of which is hoping to win some money.
Using the 'experience' to raise awareness for some charitable, well meaning cause has to be the biggest game play going.
It would be nice to see some honesty like;
'I'm hoping that if people see me as charitable and having a cause they will like me more.'
Or
'I'm pretending not to want any mag deals so people will think I'm humble, but oh boy will I grab any media opportunities with both hands if they come my way.'
Let's stop these fake housemates by showing support for the honest, up front ones who understand the rules and want to openly play by them. Let's not be taken in by fake humbleness and laughable genuinity anymore. That's what I say.
As a tactic using false modesty in front of the other housemates to avoid noms makes sense, but I think it would be better to somehow let the viewer in on the truth. I know I would appreciate the honesty.
you seem to have a very low opinion of human nature. Do you not recognise at least the possibility that someone might really be humble or modest or genuinely committed to some 'well meaning cause'?
Of course, but those type of people don't want to be housemates on Big Brother.
I agree with you (up to a point) as it will increase the entertainment factor, but fear we're still in the minority on this.
I do think you have to be careful not to exaggerate the case though. I expect there are some HMs who are being genuine when they talk up the 'experience' and 'charity' aspects ....... though the more often they declare it, the less I tend to believe them!!
And at the other end of the spectrum, I don't want to encourage those who take their I'm "just keeping it real" persona too far. All HMs have an obligation in my mind to try to jel with their fellow HMs, no man is an island and all that ..... so they still have to be reasonably likeable, sociable and play fair.
But I certainly agree with your central premise - which is to cut some slack for those HMs who aren't willing to pay lip service to the sort of crap you mentioned and not give credit to those who do. Most motives are mixed.....and that's true for pretty much all HMs imo.
My own opinion is, I like a game player as long as they don't come out with the usual rubbish of being on a Journey..Sorry if you want to go on a Journey go to greece, or spain, or america, or australia..Bores me to death these people who say i'm doing it for this groupe of people or that groupe of people. Ballcock's..Your doing it for yourself so just be honest! I also hate the housemates who pull the bully card & make themselves look a victim, Do people really think BB would allow bullying?!
Yes, indisputably.
I have heard many housemates say this wonkeydonkey over the years, I have been on a Journey even in interviews with davina..I can't think of any off hand tbh but it has been said many times..I will think about it & get back to you because genuinly I can't think off hand right now!
Yes the 'J' word, I agree it's bleurghh. It is quite nice that someone develops some kind of insight into themselves but watching it every series gets boring.
Eg Housemate A realises they are a self absorbed narcissist and becomes aware that another human can have feelings too...yay hooray for them. :yawn:
I also agree with the bully card being very poor game play. Eg Lauren BB13, her whole persona was the bullied victim, sob sob everyone hates me yet I'm so nice, sob sob.
Totally.:D But that's modern media for you ...... everything's a journey now. Including getting out of bed in the morning probably! When interviewed, I wish someone had the guts to reply they hadn't been on any journey and it was just another of life's experiences.
A journey! :yawn: Must add that to the list of things which trigger my potential bulls**t alarm when they come out of the mouth of an HM. Suspect buzz phrases include:
- I'm only doing it for the experience (if said several times over) or for such and such a charity
- I've been on such an incredible journey / emotional rollercoaster in here.
- I've learned so much about myself in here.
- This is the best experience of my life
- I love you all and made some friends for life
- I hate nominating, cos I like everyone in here
I think that sounds fascinating, though I'm not sure who, if anyone, you are referring to; I certainly can't think of someone in 'every series' who has undergone any kind of genuine transformation. How nice if they did.
That certainly wasn't her 'whole persona', or she would have had nothing like the support that she did. When she didn't feel picked on, she could be a funny and feisty housemate. She was by far the best lab rat, for example, and look at her running away from Deana's 'ring' imitation, with her trousers constantly falling down in her panic, and tell me it wasn't funny.
Wanting to win is hardly greedy or Machiavellian and having a game plan is surely just common sense.
I've never understood the horror at someone having a game plan as surely everyone has one. Even in everyday life when meeting people for the first time it would be the norm to be nice and try to make a good impression but this seems to end up being called a game plan when carried out on reality TV.
Much other than this is difficult to carry out on BB as viewers don't seem to want it and fundamentally cannot be carried out as housemates tend not to be allowed to discuss nominations. The US version is good for proper game playing but that of course is a whole other show.
Out of game plans that we know exist I hate the I'm stupid a la Jade, though at least she actually was stupid. The ones I like were somewhat played by Victor and Rex a little and Aaron but I don't think anyone was truly able to play a game as 'life' got in the way for all of them. Grumpiness with Vic, Nicole with Rex and a little bit of Faye and others deciding to play games with Aaron.
I think all in all they are all there for the experience but obviously would like to win, like anyone would and failing that of course would enjoy gaining something else from it. A little bit of both I suppose.