This year, BB has a 'Secrets and Lies' theme but I'm wondering what the the final punchline will be when BB eventually winds up? I mean, the show included several apparent symbolic, archetype characters e.g Playboy. Model or Femme Fatale. Twins. Boxer. Socialite. Policeman. Hippy. Womaniser etc

Looking at the above line up, producers might have thought such characters would have been a genuine, good mix ... but what if they saw something else within the application forms?

Maybe, this year, they intended to educate a nation, (well, 1.8M viewers), to demonstrate that life never is truly as it appears ... and that it is easy for any of us to judge others merely by the labels, signs and tokens we place upon first impressions we hold as too sacrosanct to deviate from.

Anyway ... Do first impressions stick?

Some of us, as voyeurs, will have read the Socialite label and immediately branded that particular girl as a spoiled rich kid, (buying into the hype?), while others will have been prepared to look beyond to see something more ... and some of us might have scoffed at a HM's Playboy / Player label ... while others will have simply enjoyed the absurdity of the character.

And what about the Hippy? Was she a typical, peace and love child of the universe ... or just a girl dressed like one? ...

The (ex) Policeman? What of him? For some, his lifestyle, mannerisms and effeminate behavior will have blown any typical view of such a former upholder of the law right out of the water.

Or Sam? Well ... perhaps BB have left him out of the HL show, (and even ignored much LF material associated with him), to show us, as voyeurs, that being ignored and overlooked is a poignant, every day reality for millions of physically, (or mentally), impaired folk all over the world.

What about you, dear reader? Have you been tricked by your preconceptions, turned over by your own in built prejudices or joined the pitch fork wielding, torch bearing villagers marching en masse to chastise whatever monster has seemingly violated your psyche?

Or do you see housemates as disorientated game show participants just trying to survive the fascinating, alien and claustrophobic social environment that John De Mol first created back in 1997?

I love you On the Beach!

Fab prose and great points...I have to go to work so can't stay and worship your message now but thanks for writing something that's enjoyable to read.

My first impression of Dexter was that he was a monster who violated my psyche,i still feel that way even though in all honesty he has done little to warrant that reaction.

Violated your psyche - that's a bit OTT.

I was referring to something written in the original post

VERY nice post.

Nope - they're all cannon fodder because they set themselves up to be.


Just the usual bunch of mutants and misfits, with little real depth of thought as to anything other than will they amuse and infuriate. This is BB, you know

Fascinating read OP. There have definitely been a lot of moments this series.
(Goes into Dan-like mode and opens conspiracy theories corner of brain).
On a couple of occasions I've wondered if at the end of this BB it will be revealed that none of the HMs is what they seem, that from Michael onwards we have watched from am dram to semi pro actors improvise characters, including the contradictions raised by the OP, following a basic storyline, and the real Secrets and Lies were just that.

Jeez, you're good OP! Liking your posts so far

I am just wondering who you are On the Beach....psychologist, researcher or just part of Joe Public.

Your posts are very good, very well put together...and obviously looking for certain responses.

Don't put me down, I am just a typical forum member here with doubts and reservations...and you just strike me as being ' not quite kosher'

I maybe way off beam...but I am not usually too bad!

Love the prose, thank you. I think they are the usual bunch of talent-less, wannabee zelebrities, very calculating and devoid of humour in the main.

All contributions greatly appreciated, especially those screaming adoration and love from the roof tops, Poppy!!!

I must defend my integrity here though so will answer your inquiry, Pettra ... in the most sincere and stark fashion ...

A long time ago, I allowed business success to absorb me and that passion wrecked my love story of a marriage and I entirely cracked up as a result! Subsequently, from then till now, through the lens of 'Beach', I've used public forums as a kind of distraction where I could throw out questions to the world and, in the process, learn a little bit more about myself and others.

Consequently, whatever style of writing you recognise in me, well ... it has developed over a very long time.

I don't need forums, (or Beach), anymore really but I do still enjoy engaging folk online and the only certain response I seek, as you put it, ... is to engage my reader with something slightly adjacent, interesting or different.

I don't always get it right but that is always my goal, none the less.

I'll not refer to the above again ... and you won't press me further. Just appreciate I'm genuine and wish to engage within your community.

Just trust me!

... or just pass my threads by.

I've edited a couple of typos since originally posting this.

Nice to have you on board OP...... I really took time to warm to any of the housemates this year. Dan and Sam stood out but for different reasons. Two complete opposites really. Over the weeks Sam was the one I really warmed to. I could see that there was so much more to him than BB were showing in the HL's. I maybe a little bias as I work with the deaf and realise how hard it is at times to not get overlooked. Dan has become less appealing over the weeks. The other housemates have not left any impression on me at all. .

Really like this post, OP. Might be one of the first ones I have read that genuinely got me thinking.
Maybe they are all stereotypes, maybe, in our basest form, we all are. But perhaps...
"You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...and an athlete...and a basket case ...a princess...and a criminal."

Thank you for your full and frank response....and at no time was your integrity in question...well not by me anyway, I was just curious to know who was behind such a well put together opening post.

It would not have mattered to me in the slightest had you said that you were a researcher or whatever - this forum is open for all for as long as admin allow them to remain here.

Unfortunately, I am the sort of person who, when she has something niggling in her head, has got to come out and say what it is...or ask it. Then I wait for the fall-out, and deal with the consequences......then move on.

I ask the questions that some people are dying to know the answers too but are either too polite or too reserved to ask.

Posts like yours are always refreshing, especially in the middle of a series, when the DS forum goes into a frenzy supporting Tom, Dick or Harry and the trolls come out to play.

No hard feelings meant...and none taken by me!

Hi PotKettle, Thank you. Yes. I'm enjoying the forum.

Re Sam. The shocker may be that he might not be 80% hearing impaired at all. Perhaps he is entirely 100% deaf!

Step into his shoes and wonder ...

It might be only an unwitting ignorance on the part of some HM's but perhaps we too would, (on occasions), huddle in our bed for extended periods ... after resigning ourselves to being ignored, excluded or treated as invisible by some folk.

I think he has achieved a role model ambition to represent those of impaired hearing ... simply by doing Big Brother in the first place.

Yes true, not only ignorance but they can be so wrapped up in themselves that they do not take time out to walk in his shoes. He has done well and I really wish he could be seen more so that people stop accusing him of being boring. He has got such an expressive face and that says it all, to me at least.

Big Brother is educational? That's one of the more absurd things I've read on this forum lately.

Well ... it is a deeply unglamourous 'warts and all' snapshot of the human psyche. Housemates and public.
Food for study for years.

Good. Thanks Xazou. Yes, I chose the term archetype because the word represents the core model or prototype of an idea or form ... and I think that is what we have in the way of housemates this year.

Stereotypes are versions or variants of a form. A stereotype is a thought that may be adopted about specific types of individuals. The Archetype itself is the raw, pure label we give things, symbolically or otherwise! A kind of mental shorthand description we assign to things we think we already know.*

This BB experiment may be encouraging us to challenge such lazy, inbuilt perceptions ... or perhaps I just think too much and should drink less coffee!

* That was my layman's description. I'm sure someone disciplined in the subject would explain things far more succinctly.

But good ...

Making you think ... has made my day.

Thanks Geeky, That's OK. Don't you fret about putting my carefully crafted words out of context.

I wrote;

Maybe, this year, they intended to educate a nation, (well, 1.8M viewers) ...

Thanks for the contribution though ...

I wondered something similar and that at the end we will get told there was only one real housemate and the joke was on us!

I did not like Gina at first. But then I admired her honesty and I loved her sense of humour. If there is something to laugh at Gina will laugh. Compared to the others her "bitching" is minimal. Sam is relatively harmless, but impeded by his hearing difficulties which make it hard for him to join in every conversation, but I am warming to him.

Fantastic thread OP. Thank you.

My contribution is that I do very much think that archetypes are selected for the show.

A few weeks ago I felt thoroughly played. This was at about the point of the appearance of the heartbroken girlfriend Katie. It didn't quite hang together for me. I don't mean that Katie wasn't real, that she made it up etc. But there did seem to be far too many lucky coincidences.

While tempted to start a thread the forum was preoccupied with righteous indignation so I didn't bother.

My thoughts were along these lines. I have never bought into the idea that the whole show is a fix, the winner is pre-ordained etc. I don't buy this because I don't see a motive for the channel or producers. How do they benefit? On the other hand I do see why some people cry "fix" because sometimes the show seems very manipulated.

On the other hand they are obliged (if they want to keep the viewers and airtime) to produce the best TV show they can. Putting a bunch of people into a house, sitting back and hoping they make good telly is high risk (BB4).

So I started thinking how I would go about it.

I would very much seek out archetypes. But first I would put together a project plan with a number of possible plot lines. These plot lines would sit along with tasks I thought would be entertaining to watch while also having scope to be revealing (We learned way back in BB1 that having house mates make a pot from clay tells you little more about them than they can't make pots out of clay).

It is clear that tasks have to be pre-planned because so many are quite elaborate in terms of props and execution. My guess is that a range of tasks are mapped out months in advance.I suspect they select from a menu of pre planned tasks as the show unfolds.

Once the desired story boards and task time line was roughed out then I would seek out my contestants. I would indeed look for archetypes to portray the characters I had in my outline plots.

I would then present the contestants to solidify the caricatures I want them to play. The villain, the tart, the domineering mother/father figure etc. Then set up the day to day activities in the hope that these individuals would unwittingly play to the character they have been given.

As I have total control on what I set them to do or how I edit them they don't need to do much to enable me to make them conform to type. But if they don't for whatever reason no matter because I would have set up more than one possibility and one is bound to come good for me if I poke it hard enough.

Does this matter - Hell no - its only telly. However I do feel a bit bad for the individuals who go in there only to be publicly vilified which is why I refuse to judge anyone as fundamentally good or bad based on their manipulated portrayal on the show.

Thanks, MargMck, I had similar thoughts earlier in the series and have a thread in my head relating to the alleged back stories but will leave it bubbling away where it is for now.

My immediate concern is getting to grips with multi quoting comments so I'm using you and vpower as guinea pigs.

Here goes ...


Hey! Hi vpower. Thanks for the endorsement.

Yippee. It works. I can fly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=755f0iUuJY0