So by now I’ve already mentioned a couple of times about my audition for BB14 but (mostly) bit my tongue on the actual process of it for fear of violating some sort of NDA (a fear I don’t have as much now seeing how much time has passed and how much the application/casting process and team have changed).
I managed to make it to the callbacks in Melbourne (so roughly top 150 for the year) which I’m guessing would’ve included Canberra callbacks as well, seeing as Jason was in attendance at mine. Needless to say I didn’t make it through. I think looking back I definitely would’ve come to regret being cast. I was so young at the time (under 21) and as insightful and articulate as I thought I was then, I had a lot of growing still to do as a person.
Enough about the reject, though - here are my thoughts on who I remember meeting:
Sam: He wasn’t as quiet and under-edited as I recall. It was said that he (like many others) was very crass in the house and spoke a lot about stuff that wasn’t suitable to air on television. This says a lot about how a watered-down version of Big Brother doesn’t work at all. The fake shark attack story does make me laugh, I remember watching it and thinking this guy has a pretty advanced sense of humour. This time I saw a bit of an aggressive side to him as well that I didn’t pick up on the first time. His relationship with Sandra had some intrigue, but more from her end than his.
Jason: I liked him. He had a lot of fun moments despite not being shown a lot in the edit and I was sad to see him go early. His only major part in the storyline was being a floater in-between groups and seeking information from everyone. His story about coming out was a sad one as well that was one of the few real human moments in the season.
Sam
Spoke very briefly to him. Seemed alright, but was very quiet and almost seemed disinterested in the casting process. I think he was hiding that he was an amputee because he was pretty much a sure-fire pick to go in with his life story and the producers had said at the start of the day “some of you have things that we’ve asked you not to mention - remember that”. Didn’t really like what I saw from him in the house, though. Seemed to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder at times. Might’ve been the stress of the housemates he was with, though, because I probably would’ve been the same.
Jason
I remember having this guy pegged as a housemate from the moment I met him - potentially even a finalist. Expected wayyyy more from him as a result that just never came.
I’m trying to cast my mind back around eight years now, but I feel like he was more subdued at the audition day and might’ve played up a character at times to try to gain popularity. Ironically I feel like he would’ve fared better if he didn’t.
Cat: Here is the thing with Cat, in the beginning, both times I have watched this season now I really liked her. She was a normal everyday person who was very relatable and easy to root for. She was level-headed, easy-going and just decently likeable. I was super happy to see her voted the most saved the first time she faced eviction as an individual. I was happy to see that the voting audience wanted to reward an everyday person. I liked that she wanted to hang out with the younger crowd, and I felt she was one of the more complex personalities amongst the cast.
Cat
Everyone had a great first impression of her. She didn’t really stand out too much, but she seemed nice enough and I remember thinking she was super attractive lol.
Pretty much what you saw was what you got with Cat. Definitely intelligent both in terms of intellect and emotional intelligence. Just think she got a bit lovestruck and that tainted whatever shot she would’ve had at winning.
Penny: She's probably one of the better casting choices from this series and should have been there from the beginning. She wasn't shown as much as I had hoped her to be (as I skipped the daily shows at the time, so I didn't get to see a lot of her) but from what I did watch I did enjoy her. she was funny, she was entertaining, she was unique, and she stuck out even amongst the original housemates. She's a lot more memorable than more than half the cost which wasn't really hard to do but anyway she is still an amazing housemate. Had she been there from the beginning I would have been willing to root for her to win in all honesty. I just wish there was more time for me to get to know her because she was very likeable. I remember meeting her when I worked at McDonald's a couple of years ago and she was extremely nice in real life, so I gave her a free coffee LOL.
Penny
One of the first things Penny said to me was that she didn’t think she’d get along with me because she “wasn’t smart enough” to get me. She was nice and really bubbly, but I was never really sure if it was legit or an act (there were a lot of people playing up their personality a bit on the day to be the centre of attention). Maybe that’s just her personality.
Inoffensive enough, though. It would’ve been really interesting to see how she would’ve fared if she went in day one. Might’ve outshined Skye and taken her place in the final 3.
Travis: I used to love him back in the day but this time I actually understood why everyone thought he was a tool. He was one of those douche footy guys who always had to have his voice heard and couldn't articulate an argument well enough despite the fact that he thought he could. He was loud and obnoxious, and I struggled to warm to him in the early days of the show.
(...)
He was obviously really hard to live with hence why he was nominated so many times, but I suppose on the outside world he'd be really fun to hang out with (in very small doses) and he did make for good TV numerous times. I did like that he didn't just stick to the boys and form a boy’s group, he instead hung out with Skye and the other females and had fun throughout his stay in the house. But being from the same area as him and knowing very well what sort of person he would be like; I couldn't find myself wanting him to win.
Travis
Oh boy, where do I start with this guy? Ever had a group task at work/uni where one person shuts out everyone else’s opinion and will talk over the top of you to make sure you know its their way or no way, despite having several people in the room who had clearly higher EQ and IQ? That’s Travis. Very grating personality. Loud, obnoxious, dense. Oh, and I'm surprised David caught flack for being sexist when Travis was around. This is a guy who openly bragged about rawdogging girls but said he’d never take responsibility for a kid if he got a girl pregnant like the world needed more absent fathers. At the end of the day while there were about 6 of us in the lift together he suggested grabbing beers. Would it surprise you to hear nobody took him up on that offer?
Imagine my surprise when this guy was the most saved in most of the weeks he was up, let alone making the final 2. His inclusion in the cast was enough for me to be happy that I didn’t make the cut, but the outcome of the season showed me as well that I just was not the archetype to do well on Big Brother, and would likely be either an early evictee, or kept around while I slowly lost my mind having to live in close confines with people like Travis.