WARNING: This blog may contain BBUK spoilers you may wish to avoid. It also contains quoted language you may find offensive.
We begin with a brief round up of the week in BBUK – and for the early part of the week, the focus was on Ziggy being the lone man in a house full of women. On Sunday Ziggy got to date each housemate over one course of a meal – which meant for Ziggy it was an eleven-course meal, with Big Brother insisting he ate everything that was served up.
The dates were our first chance to see who he really got on with, with Chanelle obviously number one on the list, and dates with Emily, the twins and the elders of the house also going well – though Ziggy cut short his time with Charley and Shabnam.
Shabnam is a wannabee – she wants the fame, but even sitting around in a house is too much like hard work for her, she wants it now – and made it known she wanted Ziggy to nominate her. Of course though, this is trying to influence another housemates nominations – and as such Big Brother punished the rule break by banning all housemates from the bathroom, leaving them with no option but to use the bath in the middle of the lounge.
His second nomination was for Emily, someone Ziggy didn’t appear to have friction with himself, but his instant bed buddy in Chanelle did – with arguments over hair straighteners and her sharing a bed with Ziggy the subject of their minor cat fights.
When Ziggy did nominate though, it was Shabnam who was his first choice – “I don’t dislike the girl but I think she’s spoilt, I think she’s bone idle, selfish, in some ways and I don’t think she’s done much. His reasoning is it’s “based on who I think may cause myself a problem” – with it remaining unclear whether he sees her as a threat to winning, or a likely cause of friction.
Big Brother would delay telling the housemates the nominees for 24 hours – but Emily tricked Ziggy into apologising for nominating her when she claimed Big Brother told her she was up for eviction. Despite the trickery, this is interpreted by Big Brother as discussing nominations, and hence Emily and Ziggy are punished – by nominating another housemate to be punished on their behalf. They opt for Shabnam, who has all her clothes and make-up confiscated and is left with a suitcase of bland, ill-fitting clothes provided by Big Brother.
ZERO TOLERANCE
Warning: the following may cause offense
Now, after Celebrity Big Brother there is one thing all the housemates know they musn’t do – anything at all which could be deemed racist. So Emily uttering the line “You pushing it out you nigger” wasn’t the smarted move – and though claiming not to be personally offended, Charley was clearly shocked for some time after.
Ultimately though C4 and Endemol decided they had no choice but to be seen to have a zero tolerance approach to the matter – and at 3.30am Emily was woken and called to the diary room to be informed she would be thrown out of the house for using language which could offend her housemates or viewers at home.
A full transcript of this incident can be read at Being Big Brother.
Personally, I thought it was an over-reaction and that a first – and final – warning would have sufficed, allowing the public then to judge Emily for themselves. However, after Celebrity Big Brother it is completly understandable why C4 wanted this issue dealt with swiftly and harshly, and further more in the daily show it’s evident that Charley was actually quite upset by the comment – though the next day her concern seemed to be more about how much press coverage she’d be getting as a result!
MAN FRIDAY: THE SEQUEL
So, we’re on to Friday and with Ziggy their only male company in the last couple of weeks, it’s time to send in a double dose of testosterone – Gerry, a 31 year old from Greece with multiple degrees and Seany, 25 and from Ireland – a massive Michael Jackson fan. Of course though, Big Brother isn’t sending in possible love interests, they’re both gay – though Gerry does claim he’s fed up of men and looking towards women now.
This week’s nominations twist will see only four housemates nominate – Gerry, Seany and two housemates of their choice. The first eviction will take place next Friday.
However…
Another housemate has already departed. After first threatening it a week ago, Lesley has now departed from the Big Brother house, having said goodbye to her housemates on Saturday morning.