Originally Posted by JonDoe:
“BB5 - More eventful than the other four put together, well planned, on the whole well executed and the best choice of HM to grace our screens in Victor.
BB2 - With one or two exceptions a thoroughly likable bunch, entertaining without being particularly dramatic and my most likeable HM in Dean.
BB1 - New, fresh exciting but with hindsight, slightly lacking and no 24hr coverage.
BB3 - Detestable group of HMs, the only series I have failed to secure a favourite. Took much of the fun out of it for me.
BB4 - What more is there to say about it? There are many candidates here but the worst choice of HM goes to Gos (pleasant enough chap though he may be). What the producers expecting from the Sleeping Booty I'll never know.”
My choice of ranking exactly.
BB3 had good ideas but was ruined by awful housemates; BB1 was defined by the Nasty Nick incident, but had the adorable Anna and Tom for the fun bits; BB4 was completely forgettable – Jon Tickle was the only highlight and one decent HM does not a BB series make!
Of my two clear favourites, BB2 contained my favourite HM’s of all time – Brian, Helen, Dean and Bubble, and I laughed throughout the entire duration of this show. There was a lovely ‘aura’ around this show and I’d have been completely happy if any of the contestants (except Stuart) had won. However, I remember Brian and Helen’s one-liners more than any particular incident in the house
BB5 has redefined the BB genre and has been amazing to watch. Suddenly there were plotlines, clearly defined episodes and full-on drama for the entire 10 weeks. There wasn’t the previously dull first 2 weeks whilst the series ‘warmed up’ either. The choice of HM’s was inspired and the first night, when Kitten got booed on the way in and Jason turned up in a thong, was a sign of things to come. Whilst the stereotypes didn’t always pan out, they were the best group of HM’s that BB ever put together. Endemol have perfected the art of reality TV manipulation and created a true ‘soap without a script’. This year has been less about 12 people living together, but rather 12 people dealing with various shades of shit that Endemol have thrown at them. BB has followed stories and characters and developed their strategies to suit the situation. Would we have had a pretend wedding if the Stu’n’Michelle romance wasn’t happening? Would they have been chained together if there hadn’t been signs of psychotic jealousy and Jason’s obvious dislike for the rest of the group? Whilst I don’t think the producers ever imagined that The Return From The Bedsit would create such carnage and end up with them removing a HM, they knew that there would be chaos and manipulated the situation for all it was worth. For every incident this year, you can point your finger to the catalyst that BB provided to create that situation.
BB6 has a great deal to live up to, not least the HM’s. No one will doubt that Victor’s campaign would have been utterly successful had BB not scuppered it with the return of (what Vic thought were) eliminated HM’s. If (I hope) BB use the Head of House idea, it will give a fresh spin on the strategies Victor developed – a kind of divide and conquer. We know that the public will accept an obvious gameplayer, as long as they have charm. Endemol must work very, very hard this year and find a way to move on from BB5 retaining all the things that made it utterly compelling, without looking like they’re just repeating old tricks. It’s a tough one, but I’m hopeful!