Was the decision to keep Helen in through to the final justified?

shandersshanders Posts: 5,907
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Haven't watched much of this year's show but was the producers decision to grant Helen a free pass through to the final justified? Has she been good value? Has she spoken about Wayne Rooney? Was it worth it??!!
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  • netcurtainsnetcurtains Posts: 23,494
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    No I don't think it's been worth it, it's ruined the natural flow. She couldn't be nominated but could nominate, that ruins the whole premise right there.
  • Janette800Janette800 Posts: 13,357
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    I don't like Helen but yes she's been good entertainment even though she annoyed the hell out of me
  • memememememememememememememe Posts: 922
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    as long as she doesnt win ...................................yes entertaining ( sometimes) ..think if it wasnt for her aggressive attitude ....................she may have been a derserving winner ..

    but the last couple of days have been ((lets get on with everyone now ....))
    but for me a put on .......................................

    i do not want her to win as i think it will give the younger generation the wrong signals .................................
  • bookclub10bookclub10 Posts: 4,030
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    It has definitely worked out better for Helen because she has had time to redeem herself somewhat. If she had been evicted earlier on, she would have received enormous hate and no one deserves that for a tv show. No housemate has been all bad and anyone given the time and a few breaks from BB can come across better. I believe this of anyone who has been evicted.
    I don't think any housemate should ever be given a pass to the final though as it goes against one of the basic rules of the game- nominations.
    I also think Helen's redemption would have come about naturally without all the back pedalling from BB, and I don't agree when other housemates' behaviour is made out to be as bad just to justify Helen's- We've seen her, and not the others, get cautions and a formal warning in the diary room.
    She has been an interesting housemate and I'm glad she has had the time to show more to her personality, I just wish BB would have left it happen organically.
  • JillyAJillyA Posts: 2,205
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    No - in my opinion it has "spoilt" the game. As she could nominate and not be nominated the balance of power was tipped in favour of her group. It was that power that lead to shock evictions of, for example, Winston and Tamera, as the public were then forced to vote tactically to save the "uncool" kids.

    Even now - despite what she said about being in the same position as the others - she isn't really. She will not face a vote to evict in which she most certainly would have gone. In a vote to win she will always get enough votes as an "entertaining" HM (although its not in my eyes but each to their own) to come out above some of the others such as Pav and Ash. The question is now whether the Team Helen campaign will get enough on side to get her into the top 2 because I truly hope for society she doesn't win.

    She was never going to speak about Rooney or the actor as she is subject to a superinjunction and even if she had Ch5 would not be able to broadcast it. That is why despite people saying why bring up others' pasts and not Helen's it could not be done.
  • CLL DodgeCLL Dodge Posts: 115,488
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    BB didn't choose Helen, Pauline did.

    No-one should have had that opportunity.
  • chickseechicksee Posts: 1,723
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    If you like shouting, arguing/ bickering and foul language then yes she has been an asset but if like me you prefer some fun and decent conversations then it's a big NO.
  • mrsdidimrsdidi Posts: 698
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    So you believe that the producers fixed the viewer vote for Pauline to be the first power housemate then told her to give the pass to Helen?? You like a good conspiracy theory then?

    I don't like Helen but it was Pauline who gave her the pass NOT the producers. I don't think anyone should be given a free pass but all these conspiracy theories regarding the BB producers are getting a bit tiresome now.
  • diurnalomendiurnalomen Posts: 101
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    If has been suggested the whole Helen bad girl turns good redemption story has been orchestrated by Richard Desmond organisations C5 DailyStar etc, and the rumours of further tv work for Helen I would only want to know one thing..

    Why?

    What can she bring to entertain/inform or educate people, with the exception of finding out more salacious stories of her 'former' profession and aggression that we have been provided with. Exactly what is it she can offer? Where is the hidden talent? Redemption to others as here is an example of what not to do? please tell me someone

    Perplexed of Padson:confused:
  • yikeswhatnowyikeswhatnow Posts: 571
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    No: the house would perhaps have been more fun without her.

    It's possible that Ash would have formed better bonds with other people in the house had Helen not been there. When Helen was complaining about Ashleigh recently, he said that he liked Ashleigh and got on with her, and the only time he disliked Ashleigh was when Helen recounted bitching sessions.
  • YeraYera Posts: 6,200
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    shanders wrote: »
    Haven't watched much of this year's show but was the producers decision to grant Helen a free pass through to the final justified? Has she been good value? Has she spoken about Wayne Rooney? Was it worth it??!!

    When Helen went into the house- I absolutely hated the idea- she showed us a very ugly side , swearing, intimidating, fighting at the drop of a hat, then she mellowed a little, then kicked off again, and now seems to have found some calm - the word rollercoaster applies to helen for sure- I think a very damaged woman entered the house- always ready to bicker- and to be fair she probably gets awful abuse in the outside world - I think a more confident Helen will leave, with perhaps a better idea of how to deal with conflict, people in the house treated her with respect- which was probably new to her, and now she treats people better than she did before- it has been a learning curve for her and she has gained a lot from being in the house-

    If she won, even though she is not one of my favourites , I wouldn't be overly disappointed, she was as involved as everyone else in the house and has as much right as any of them to go away with the money - including my top 3
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,856
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    I can't get my head around why someone who verbally abuses and makes other people experiences so miserable can be thought of as entertaining. :confused:

    Edit: No that decision was not justified OP, I think BB channel 5, sees Helen as THEIR cash cow Jade Goodey. As we speak they are probably planning a Goodey/Jordan type fly on the wall series for her, hence planning her 3 months stay in the house was to get as much exposure as possible.
  • treetreetreetree Posts: 1,926
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    defiantly not

    NO house mate should be awarded a pass that lasts the whole series maybe a pass for a week due to a task but never the whole way through

    and especially has she had so many warnings yet it still wasnt revoked when other similar rules were being changed - ie when ashleigh was told she was safe then she wasnt
  • Virgil TracyVirgil Tracy Posts: 26,796
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    no , she's the same as any other gobshite from the other series , and every year they go and the series carries on and other HMs come out more and other dramas develop .

    but Helen was just kept in and it stifled the series to a degree .

    .
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 847
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    treetree wrote: »
    defiantly not

    NO house mate should be awarded a pass that lasts the whole series maybe a pass for a week due to a task but never the whole way through

    and especially has she had so many warnings yet it still wasnt revoked when other similar rules were being changed - ie when ashleigh was told she was safe then she wasnt


    She should not have been given that pass. Her presence (and her foul mouth and personality) HAVE ruined this series. No ifs or buts. BB seem to have pulled out all the stops to protect and promote her - more than ever the past few days.

    So unfair to the others.
  • BabelBrookBabelBrook Posts: 12,837
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    Anyone having a pass to the final distorts the programme. Would there have had the same groupings of HMs without it? Who knows? Where it has basically ruined this series is that she has been allowed to get away with behaviour which in any other year would have seen her thrown out or evicted through the normal process. That has meant other HMs have been evicted who might have survived but worse it has allowed the HLs to be dominated virually every night by the interaction between just two HMs such that other action in the house just hasn't been aired and which might well have allowed a different assessment of other HMs.
  • Scarlett BerryScarlett Berry Posts: 21,135
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    If has been suggested the whole Helen bad girl turns good redemption story has been orchestrated by Richard Desmond organisations C5 DailyStar etc, and the rumours of further tv work for Helen I would only want to know one thing..

    Why?

    What can she bring to entertain/inform or educate people, with the exception of finding out more salacious stories of her 'former' profession and aggression that we have been provided with. Exactly what is it she can offer? Where is the hidden talent? Redemption to others as here is an example of what not to do? please tell me someone

    Perplexed of Padson:confused:

    When has any reality show on C5 really entertined or educated people. :confused: Don't think educatiing the GBP is their USP. ;-)
  • Scarlett BerryScarlett Berry Posts: 21,135
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    BabelBrook wrote: »
    Anyone having a pass to the final distorts the programme. Would there have had the same groupings of HMs without it? Who knows? Where it has basically ruined this series is that she has been allowed to get away with behaviour which in any other year would have seen her thrown out or evicted through the normal process. That has meant other HMs have been evicted who might have survived but worse it has allowed the HLs to be dominated virually every night by the interaction between just two HMs such that other action in the house just hasn't been aired and which might well have allowed a different assessment of other HMs.

    Great post BabelB, spot on.;-)
  • Virgil TracyVirgil Tracy Posts: 26,796
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    I think the laziness of the production really reached it's nadir this week when they just decided to put Helen in a secret room to watch the others , no choice , no vote , no apps , the producers just went - "any ideas ? - let's put Helen in a secret room to spy on the rest"


    .
  • MenkMenk Posts: 13,831
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    I think it's been an interesting experiment and fair play to BB for sticking to the decision rather than adding a twist when Helen was at her worst and cashing in on a hugely popular eviction.

    Of course, Pauline could have saved any of them. I'm glad that a big character was saved rather than someone like Kimberley or Chris who would have been even less interesting had they been safe. I would have loved to see Steven safe - imagine what he would have been like with immunity on his side!

    I think the interesting part of it has been Helen's personal struggle - she hasn't had to 'behave' to avoid eviction, so she has truly been herself. We have seen moments of redemption too, but it is debatable as to where these moments of clarity on Helen's part have come from - true integrity or the natural feeling of wanting to be liked when she finally comes to be judged by the public.

    It's not something which I would like to see repeated - I think the conclusion was always going to be that the saved person does not behave particularly well, or even worse, would sit back and do nothing for the duration - but it's been ok for a one off. It's often the call on here that we vote out the 'characters' too soon and are left with a dull and uninspiring group of HMs, but we now have an example of what happens if a big and divisive HM is kept in beyond their expected time span, and most of us don't like it.
  • ArcanaArcana Posts: 37,521
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    Even if I believed Helen had been good value (and I don't particularly), it wouldn't alter the fact that the free pass exacerbated a general problem with characters like her. Namely that the other HMs tended to be evaluated far too much on whether they were pro-Helen or anti-Helen rather than on their merits.

    In an important sense the 'Helen issue' has really dominated this series as her fans rightly point out. However I don't accept that this has been beneficial overall.
  • some_body1some_body1 Posts: 244
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    It was never justified just a clause in the contract that she made with Big Brother.
  • MavisConsuelaMavisConsuela Posts: 1,331
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    I think it's justified, it could have been anyone - despite what the cynics might say. Had it been Jale, Chris or Christopher who'd received it I don't think there'd be that much of an uproar. Helen was never an underdog and has never really struggled in the house because she's always been surrounded by friends and I think that it where the problem for most people lies.
  • bean_of_sbbean_of_sb Posts: 7,820
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    I blame the success of Dexter and Gina last series. Whilst they weren't my cup of tea, they were hot property in Bb14 and I was shocked to see the controversial housemates stay until the end.

    One would assume the producers went for the same tactic, and engineered the free pass for Helen. The only difference is that in Dexter and Gina there was light and shade, but Helen is a bull in a china shop and has only provided controversy through being a negative influence. She's been a one trick pony since week 01 and there's been no Dexter/ Gina style journey, despite the producers best efforts to convince us otherwise.
  • Anya DAnya D Posts: 14,780
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    chicksee wrote: »
    If you like shouting, arguing/ bickering and foul language then yes she has been an asset but if like me you prefer some fun and decent conversations then it's a big NO.
    Exactly.

    I don't find her antics entertaining and think her slide through to the final allowed her worst traits to flourish.
    Clearly her behaviour was condoned by the producers or they would have acted on the warnings they gave her.
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