Skip to main content

Alpha male

In BB 2 or 3Tim and Dean had that struggle, where Dean was the acknowledged alpha, but Tim didn't respect his authority anymore than Drew and Tim did last year with their "meat heads". It seemed to drive Dean wild that this person he perceived as weak had no fear or respect for him.

Totally agree! This is all the good stuff about BB and the reason I watch. Social dynamics are so interesting. Pity they're not delivering anything even remotely interesting this year. It could be so good!
 
I remember Matt calling the shots, like what needs to be done- clean this, prepare this etc. No one even challenged that, they just did it. They went to the DR and complained of course, or nominated him, but never did anyone really ignore him or challenge his position on the matter. I found this interesting the most. As a society, it's like when we are thrown in stuations where decisions are made, we seem to select a leader (or in the bb world an alpha male is chosen) to give orders and make choices. We haven't actually seen anyone do that yet with the current bb house. Or maybe we haven't seen it. I'd be really curious to see how this is developed or would like to have seen how it was developed
 
I remember Matt calling the shots, like what needs to be done- clean this, prepare this etc. No one even challenged that, they just did it. They went to the DR and complained of course, or nominated him, but never did anyone really ignore him or challenge his position on the matter. I found this interesting the most. As a society, it's like when we are thrown in stuations where decisions are made, we seem to select a leader (or in the bb world an alpha male is chosen) to give orders and make choices. We haven't actually seen anyone do that yet with the current bb house. Or maybe we haven't seen it. I'd be really curious to see how this is developed or would like to have seen how it was developed

In cbbuk at the moment there are 3 who will not conceed alpha spot - a boxer, a hollywood star and an arrogant arse. It is a very different dynamic from what we normally see in Australia, where one boofhead will be given the top position, and the girls and lesser boofs will fall in line. There are often anti-establishment types who will oppose them, and last year one of them won.

But the role of the alpha female, Dee, in cbb is confusing the whole thing.
 
Last edited:
On a side note, Chrissie Swan was an Alpha, and one who did it with kindness and generosity and a sense of fairness. Remember how you'd see the other HMs on Up Late (*sigh* Up Late...) gathering around her bed for night time chat? It was a nightly ritual, with Chrissie holding court. She was also fantastic at conflict resolution and stood up to the dominant males without fear of reprisal (remember that amazing argument she had with Ben?). Loved her. There were no Alpha Males that year, only Ben the wannabe (who failed dismally), and Chrissie the Alpha.

Because we live in a patriarchal world, if you have an Alpha Male and Female in a group, even if the male is the weaker of the two, people often still defer to him as the ultimate Alpha. So I am really interested how Priya pans out. The problem is, the audience often evicts the stronger females early in the game, because God forbid you should actually have self-belief and strong opinions if you're a woman.
 
In cbbuk at the moment there are 3 who will not conceed alpha spot - a boxer, a hollywood star and an arrogant arse. It is a very diffetent dynamic from what we normally see in Australia, where one boofhead will be given the top position, and the girls and lesser boofs will fall in line. There are often anti-establishment types who will oppose them, and last year one of them won.

But the role of the alpha female, Dee, in cbb is confusing the whole thing.

why is she confusing the whole thing? Please don't tell me it's because she is female
 
In cbbuk at the moment there are 3 who will not conceed alpha spot - a boxer, a hollywood star and an arrogant arse. It is a very diffetent dynamic from what we normally see in Australia, where one boofhead will be given the top position, and the girls and lesser boofs will fall in line. There are often anti-establishment types who will oppose them, and last year one of them won.

But the role of the alpha female, Dee, in cbb is confusing the whole thing.

I'm watching that too, and Dee is an Alpha very much like Chrissie. Very maternal and calm. Watching the guys tussle for top spot is hilarious. The Brad Pitt of ballroom is such a cock, but I love watching him.

(Feeling a bit embarrassed about the amount of BB I'm watching, but my excuse is I work from home and work while I watch - but I shouldn't be posting on the forum right now!!)
 
I'm watching that too, and Dee is an Alpha very much like Chrissie. Very maternal and calm. Watching the guys tussle for top spot is hilarious. The Brad Pitt of ballroom is such a cock, but I love watching him.

(Feeling a bit embarrassed about the amount of BB I'm watching, but my excuse is I work from home and work while I watch - but I shouldn't be posting on the forum right now!!)
It is 4:40am here, and I am talking with you, listening to rhap about bbus (not normally bothering to watch that one anymore, because it is so dull) and waiting for bots to go up on youtube.

I've noticed I'm starting to view my social and work circle in terms of bb. Hyper-reality. Actually, I might go to bed. Nice reading your stuff. Let's hope for some power struggles on tonight's show.
 
Exactly.
LOL@Ed being the alpha male, his insecurities made him totally Beta.
Ryan is also an insecure Beta, Dion and Travis are currently vying for the Alpha role but I'd say Dion has it.

Agreed, Dion has it in the bag!
 
It is 4:40am here, and I am talking with you, listening to rhap about bbus (not normally bothering to watch that one anymore, because it is so dull) and waiting for bots to go up on youtube.

I've noticed I'm starting to view my social and work circle in terms of bb. Hyper-reality. Actually, I might go to bed. Nice reading your stuff. Let's hope for some power struggles on tonight's show.

I've only just got into overseas BB and it's so interesting noting the differences. I love how the Uk audience supports the underdogs. Haven't tried BBUS yet - I'll see how desperate I get for things to watch. I have to discuss BB here because none of my friends watch it, but I think it's a mistake to just dismiss it as trashy (not that there's anything wrong with trashy telly!). You definitely need to go to bed! Likewise re. your stuff - what an interesting thread!
 
Because we live in a patriarchal world, if you have an Alpha Male and Female in a group, even if the male is the weaker of the two, people often still defer to him as the ultimate Alpha. So I am really interested how Priya pans out. The problem is, the audience often evicts the stronger females early in the game, because God forbid you should actually have self-belief and strong opinions if you're a woman.

I'm actually optimistic that vote to save will keep Prisus in the house for a lot longer than any of the male candidates (if there ARE any).
 
Well he was a master strategist for sure, but he wasn't really respected even by his friends in the house. He chose to play the clown, whether by strategy or by nature, and ultimately it worked! But if there was a crisis in the house, if someone was upset or feeling despondent, if anyone needed advice or a tough decision to be made, or someone was seeking approval, or hoping to bolster their position in the social hierarchy, would the other HMs have deferred to Tim? I really don't think so, because he wasn't an AM. At some stages in the game he was mocked and ostracised.
Yeah that's true.
Tim also got upset and insecure.
I just seen your post about Chrissie and that's so true, she wasn't overtly loud but put her foot down when someone had pissed her off! On the flip side what do you think of Katie?
Her video hyped her deluxe and then she was completely after validation in the house....same with Heidi last year...there are actually people I know in real life like this and I have very little respect for them.
Being loud and obnoxious but when it comes to confrontation, they're completely submissive.
 
Given how prominent the ladies are this year I believe that no matter how alpha the alpha male tries to be... He'll just sound like this...

image.jpg
 
Yeah that's true.
Tim also got upset and insecure.
I just seen your post about Chrissie and that's so true, she wasn't overtly loud but put her foot down when someone had pissed her off! On the flip side what do you think of Katie?
Her video hyped her deluxe and then she was completely after validation in the house....same with Heidi last year...there are actually people I know in real life like this and I have very little respect for them.
Being loud and obnoxious but when it comes to confrontation, they're completely submissive.

I always feel like the HMs are manipulated into talking themselves up in their videos to the point where it would be next to impossible to fulfill their promise - how often is the video version absolutely nothing like the in-house version of the HMs. You're right, some people really do go in there full of bravado and totally crumble within the first 24 hours. You can never underestimate the influence of peer pressure and how necessary it is for a lot of people to fall into line, because any kind of conflict or disapproval seems like a fate worse than death to them - like the Milgram experiment and the personality types that succumb to that. Those kinds of people can never be Alphas. And it's not just pressure from other HMs, but unquestioning obedience to Big Brother too. I can't remember any specifics, but I think in earlier series of the show, they used to test the HMs response to BB's authority as well as the social dynamics within the house, and they really don't do that now, making the show even less interesting. It was interesting to see how the 20k dilemma played out and how it was quite clear Priya was a potential Alpha and Katie was so close to giving up the money for fear of how the other HMs would react (more so than her public perception, I think).

I agree with you about people like Heidi. Being loud and brash is not the same as being a dominant personality type (in fact it can be quite the opposite - people with no self-belief are all front, no substance when it comes to social pressure). Even Alpha Males are usually calm, low key types and not outwardly aggressive. Maybe if you're living in a jungle and you need to choose a leader who's amazing at hunting and fighting off marauders you need an Alpha who's physically strong and aggressive, but not so much in the BB house. I think brains factor higher than brawn ultimately - which Matt failed to recognise. He was only the AM because there was nobody else who was a contender. I do hope this is an Alpha Female season - but it's interesting to note that Alphas don't usually win.

Despite finding him annoying and obnoxious, I do think Tim played a great game last year. If you look at it as a battle, the frontline is trying to avoid nomination by the other HMs, and the at the rear, it's about trying to win audience approval. A lot of people's downfall is getting so caught up with trying to be popular in the house that they forget about public perception, which is dumb for a number of reasons, especially because everyone's gonna end up nominated sooner or later. But a lot of people just cave in if their immediate environment isn't harmonious and they don't have their peers' full approval. Tim ignored the frontline and focused on the rear, which takes a lot of discipline and self-belief. He did start to slip near the end and get too embroiled in seeking approval from the other HMs, but ultimately that wasn't enough to ruin him. I think Priya is attempting the same strategy and I hope she gets the opportunity to give it a fair shot, but misogyny is alive and well and she might end up evicted before she has a chance.

Sorry, long post, but I find this so interesting!
 
You raise a good point @chumly. As a big Tim fan last year, I often wondered how he would have fared if he had acted exactly the same way, but was a woman. I think I came to the conclusion that a woman would not have been able to get away with the things Tim did. I don't think the general public would have been as forgiving if he had been a Tammy instead of a Timmy. Because when a man like Tim acts Machiavellian and mischievously, most of us can recognise it as entertainment, but I'm sure if a woman had made the same moves there would have been a lot more backlash about how much of a bitch she is. I believe Priya is already facing the backlash on social networks like Twitter.
 
On tonight's show Jake said that he thought that Lawson was the alpha male of the house. Do you agrree with him or not? I think Sam is the true alpha male of the house.
 
On tonight's show Jake said that he thought that Lawson was the alpha male of the house. Do you agrree with him or not? I think Sam is the true alpha male of the house.
I think Lawson likes to think of himself as the alpha male, especially after his HoH stint and winning the the Perfect Pair challenge. Sam flies under the radar but seems to have used his HoH power well. He's definitely more alpha male material, since he doesn't annoy half the group.
 
to
I think Priya is attempting the same strategy and I hope she gets the opportunity to give it a fair shot, but misogyny is alive and well and she might end up evicted before she has a chance.

Misogyny will have nothing to do with it.

If Priya has an undoing, it will be own fault.

Priya is doing a Drew 2013 with being in all camps & running back & forth telling others what someone has said.

David is the same, but they are on to him. I also think a few HM's are on to Priya.
 
Back
Top