I think the conversation went something like this..

Agent to Bear,,

"Well your series is doing ok, it has its demographic and you should be riding the wave for a while, but what after that? Steve you've really got to make a dent here, Big Brother is huge and you need to use every morsal of what made you on your show, your options are limited, you have no 'real' talent as such so we have to corner the hype amp that character 10-fold, no-ones ever gone in there and PURPOSELY shook it up, sure some go in cause a scene but they all come out and either apologise or backtrack SO here's what we're gonna do.. you're gonna go in there and make history, ab-so-LUTELY no shame, no conscience, no being de-railed, ABSOLUTE focus, Bear you HAVE to stay with it, there's been a LOT of obnoxious creatures in that house through the years so in order to stand out you have to be the BIGGEST A*SEHOLE IMAGINABLE!!"

So here he is doing the only thing that'll keep him off the future building site, going balls out to make a name

Slightly desperate as moves go but I get it now, he even pushed my buttons but now it's all - at least to my mind - perfectly obvious and I find myself over it (phew!)

It's also why Lewis is so 'got your back' about it because he was either there for the conversation or just knows how it all works

I know plenty of you will be "well dah yeh Capt. Obvious" but I think a lot of us are missing just how constructed a world he's/they're from

Therein also lies the annoyance, we like the 'person behind the brand' time, the dynamic I think many of us enjoy is the getting to know the person under the myth, that was indeed the whole point of the Celeb version but this 'going in as something' is contrary to all of that, sure they all go in as their brand but sooner or later the wheels come off but Bear CAN'T let that happen, he's on a career mission, "but so are they all" I hear you cry but this is a way different angle, a whole new ball game, 'reality' of the old money kind (where you throw people into a 'real' situation) meeting - nay being devoured - by new school 'reality' (constructed/scripted situations)

The distinction between real and real is now so blurred, it's grating but it isn't real, nothing can be these days, the world's too letigious for the volitility of the unexpected

I can even hear him telling his mum "mum you have to understand, it's isn't me you know that but I have to do it, just remember what I'm trying to do ok? This is the biggest acting job of MY LIFE and if I can pull it off then I can string it out a bit longer eh"

Bear isn't real, he's reality don't invest your morals or your blood pressure

he can't

Oh he's definitely acting. Its a persona that's partly him and partly fictional.
If he was going for both repulsive AND entertaining, I'd say he's succeeded.

He's very reality tv savy. He knows the times and situations when something will be shown on tv and thats when he plays up the most just to make sure that what he does will be shown.
Whenever two people are arguing, He knows that will make the tv, so he makes sure hes in the background commentating.

He knowns based on the questions hes asked in the diary room if its going to be shown on tv and thats when he puts on his stupid voice and starts acting with his responses.

Yes I pretty much agree with all this, and especially in light of the housemates comments after being shown the nominations in last nights show, complementing him on his 'performance'. However I still feel repulsed by him and even more when I think it is that calculating regardless of how the other housemates feel. As I said on another thread, I think he is quite clever, and has guts to actually go through with that plan whatever - but I cannot stand him, or Lewis/Marnie and Heavy D is just anyone's for the taking in that house, and is getting as manipulated as Chloe (although that's for a different thread). I can see him getting put in other reality shows and maybe being put in a future BB house to 'shake' things up, but that's about it and he will always be known as a knob!

Have to agree. Look how quickly REAL reality intervened when the big security guard came in the diary room and he thought he'd overdone it and was about to be thrown out. Act dropped immediately.

But this is assuming that he has that much intelligence. Good theory but I'm not so sure he is bright enough.

+1

The conspiracy theorists are getting ahead of themselves.

Couldn't agree more. He's just downright nasty, cold and calculating. End of.

I think that people have a hard time getting their heads around the fact that Stephen Bear is an obnoxious, uncaring, self obsessed, verging on the dangerous individual who gets paid a shed load of money for being like this on tv. We look around for alternatives because he is so far removed from ourselves or those around us. Most of us have come across "Jack the lad" types - the love 'em & leave 'em narcissists who don't seem to take any responsibility. Some of us may know some serial pranksters, the people who get their mate's houses wrapped in cling film while they are away or who send a mariachi band to wake them up at 7am after a late night. But, fortunately, most of us have not had to deal with someone who appears to be bereft of morals, so we try to find reasons for it. The reason Bear behaves like he does is that he is not a nice person and has seemingly been allowed to behave in this manner without consequence for years.