it almost seemed as if they'd been given topics to discuss by BB. The conversations seemed really stilted and seemed to arise out of nowhere.

Maybe it's because I'd recorded the show and watched late but it all seemed very unnatural.

I believe the show has become very scripted since the move to CH5. It's why they will never give full live feed again as it's impossible with this staged farce.

Well I hadn't considered it but I have said elsewhere and it seems entirely relevant here that certain conversations have felt like chunks were missed out. A good example tonight was Sarah going on about immigrants taking from the state and then followed up instantly and oddly with her insisting that she isn't racist and she teaches her daughter to not be racist

I'm not saying she is racist in fact I'm not saying anything about her views because I'm confused tbh

It wasn't a natural flowing conversation, it was like the producers heard buzz words "immigrants" "common people" and edited together the mess that we saw. Really not sure.

Yes

Sarah & Harriet talking about immigrants and then saying not racist (mainly sarah talking)

Danny and Kieran (sp?) talking about how personalities are more important than looks and they have turned down hot women with poor bantering skills/personality (lol). It seems like production told them their comments about the twin's vulnerability didn't go over well

there were more IIRC

Aaron's freak out on Joel and saying he was constantly having a go at him seemed really strange. It made me like Joel even more and think less of Aaron. I don't think this was scripted by the show but Aaron being paranoid or looking for a fight for camera time

I thought the very same thing.

I used to sit in on interviews for jobs at work and it was the same as when we'd ask a group to role play/discuss a topic scenario!

I think it's the houseguests themselves doing it. They're aware that the public is voting on things for the time bombs. They're trying to showcase themselves in the best light possible, and so their conversations come across as fake. Because they are. Kind of like the crying.

I think it might be down to the editing. I was thinking when Nick was nominating it didn't look natural but that was because a lot was cut out from what we saw on Friday. Then again I'm probably being too gullible and just giving them the benefit if the doubt.

I'm still puzzling over the Chloe/Aaron one.

Chloe: "When I first met you I didn't know what to make of you. I've never met anyone like you before and I wondered if you were fake but now I've got to know you I really like you and think you're really funny."

Aaron: "Oh you're so rude!" *flounces off to the bathroom to shed a few crocodile tears*.

That made no sense to me.

If I remember this correctly, in the early shows the contestants were given topics to discuss, I am sure it was mentioned.....

my local pub is popular with a couple of ex towie cast people and a load of 18-25s.. and they all naturally construct their chat in the sort of stances you see on reality tv.

it is not that the house "scripts" the housemates, it is the housemates act in that style naturally.

Yes, they were. Once they told them to talk about their first loves, and that was how Nick ended up telling his story about his French wife who was killed in a car accident (one of the things he was most known for, as he completely made it up but the other Housemates believed it and were really kind to him afterwards.)

I've thought of this as well. If the producers want to manufacture a conversation or something, why not just be upfront about it? It would get the achieved result, whilst still earning respect from people like us.

Exactly this, extreme examples being Nikki Graham and Luisa Zissman who both talk like a 5 year old reading off a card. They are a product of our society I think.

This is what I was thinking too. I think most if not all these HMs have a front that they show to the world - I think it's a common theme this year. They are all to intents and purposes fake and are currently playing up to these fronts with little vignettes of discussion.

Give it time for these fake fronts to slip and we will see more of who they really are. All these little discussions at the moment are about saying things they think we want to hear. It won't last though

I think it makes sense in the context of his hissy fit with Joel last night. He makes drama out of nothing just for the attention.

It's not scripted, it's just being aware of the cameras and saying things for effect. Same with Gogglebox, those conversations would be totally different if the cameras weren't there.

I noticed the "set-piece" discussions last year too.

It was said the cameras are only "on" part of the time and the HMs know when they are on, and act accordingly, and apart from that, relevant people are brought together to have a "discussion" about various topics and no-one else seems to be around.

I find that very odd, if it is meant to be a spontaneous conversation. There would normally be others walking in and out during the chat.

You're probably right. He seems to have a mean streak too which I don't like. During the water fight with Joel he was really quite aggressive in making sure he got Joel back. Although, I don't like Joel either, he does that horrible passive-aggressive thing where he does something to wind somebody up and then when they snap he does that simpering chuckle with wide eyes like he's mystified as to why they're getting bent out of shape.

I hate that.

I agree with all of that.

I didn't really see that as passive-aggressive, I related to it when you're trying to have a laugh with someone taking it way too seriously.
You can either run off to avoid it (but you can't really if you started it), or keep getting them back (which would mean it would never end and could get nasty) or you just let them get you back and accept it while still having a laugh.
I think Joel was the 3rd option.

Though I think he should try and do pranks on other people instead of Aaron. The balance between fun and personal is thrown off with Aaron.

Does anyone remember a scene last year where one housemate hid behind the kitchen door and hit another housemate over the head with an egg? Think it may have been Mark and Christopher. That was one of the most set up things I'd ever seen.

That's very sad to hear.

Big Brother and other 'reality' TV really has set the reality for many

He's done it a few times though. He did it with the meditating thing too. Classic passive/aggressive move.

Well I thought he was unfairly blamed then aswell.

I think Aaron has shown that he reacts to things way too OTT, unless Chloe was trying to wind him up aswell the other day.
Whereas the others seem to get where Joel is coming from.

Though I think there's more to come from Aaron/Joel and the editors will lap it up as they never ignore any kind of 'showmance'.

I found the argument with Aaron and Joel, and then Jack's rant about the camera to **** off very scripted.