Nathan: He was there, and he was nice. He didn’t really mesh well with the cast as well as he could have. He seemed like a genuinely nice and likeable person but didn’t add anything at all to the cast. The age may have had something to do with it, which may have led to him not being able to cope in the house. It’s not fun to see people quit, but whether he or Madeline stayed didn’t do much to phase me either way.
Ben: I have been hot and cold with him every single time I have watched this season or whenever I revisit old clips. There have been times when I felt a lot of pity for him and wanted to love him for his simple nature. But there are a lot of times when I cringe at the constant favouritism and wrapping him up in cotton wool. At the time of the season airing, I felt that any positive feelings towards him by fans were forced by the show. I still feel like this now in all honesty. A whole segment on him being Big Brother’s assistant, ending several daily shows with him speaking to his photos and also just overall praise from Sonia other housemates were enough to show me they wanted him to win. In fairness, he made great TV. I think he was genuinely himself, whether or not he was in stand up or if this persona was a tad exaggerated, I still think the person he was on the show was real and everything he said or did was genuinely him. I won’t argue that the character he displayed was endearing and yes at times a bit heartfelt, but cringe non the less. He was a thirty-year-old man (the oldest at the house for a long while) and was treated like a baby. That’s what annoyed me the most, it was the babying. Production spoon-feeding him airtime and positive situations to provide content. He could have done all of this without the help, but they aided in propping him up to the point of it being cringeworthy. The edit does a lot to protect him, for instance, something simple like the housemates nominating him for “not existing in the house” or “not making effort”. But in terms of what made the edit, their nominations actually come across as incongruent with the storyline as he gets so much airtime and is shown constantly talking with people. They had full intentions of aiding him to a win. There is no secret there about that at all.
In a more positive opinion, I do think he and Tim stick out the most amongst the cast itself. Whilst his narrative is highly exaggerated at points and is shoved down viewers’ throats, I don’t doubt it’s real. I think he genuinely is/was a person who kept to himself in a very simple life with low self-esteem and little to no motivation in life. I believe all of the stories and details about his life, I do think this was the real Ben that we saw in the house. I do. It’s just annoying to be force-fed when you’re full. I do feel sorry for him in the sense that he exists in a world where he lacks confidence and has been rather unsuccessful in multiple aspects of life. I think Big Brother did help him a lot in the mental health department and the show did a lot of good for him. I don’t think he went in with the sole intent of a career, it may have been desired, but I think he went in for the experience genuinely with the money being a potential added bonus. He was key in driving the narrative along with Tim, he provided us with some great moments, “I’m in the pool” for example being an absolute classic. I can’t say he wasn’t fun. He was at times. It was also very warming to watch the other housemates all get along with him and develop this care for him. Despite the fact how cringe, it could be at times, he did bring out the best of this cast and I am impressed he managed to get along with many people of varying backgrounds. His social skills seemed to be a lot better than I would have guessed they would have been.
His popularity shouldn’t come across as a surprise to anyone at all really. What surprised me was his eviction. I still can’t understand it to this day. Fans may have directed thousands of votes Tahan’s way due to her being the only female which may have taken votes away from Ben? Fans may have assumed he was going to be safe (the fake eviction would have emphasised that a lot) and he just got caught in the crossfire? I still don’t fully understand it. I used to say it was rigged, but him losing wasn’t really what the show was aiming for, was it? His premature departure left a massive hole in the house, and it completely changed the dynamics. The housemates split into two specific groups and a lot of nastiness was amplified. Without Ben, in the house, there was no harmony or unity. He was essential for the group being able to stick together as one, as without him the Drew/Tim/Tahan gang was very clearly separated from the Ed/Jade/Mikkayla group. His dynamics were fun to watch, especially with Tim. His dry humour and unintentionally funny moments did make me laugh. Watching him navigate socially awkward situations was funny, despite the cringe-worthy parts to his story of course. I am relieved he didn’t win, to be honest; I may have preferred he lasted a bit longer, but I am happy he wasn’t the winner. I’m shocked that he isn’t on the new season, but I don’t think we needed to see any more from 2013 added to the cast.
Mikkayla: She had started off as my favourite when I was watching this season live. I found her funny and loved that there was a younger high school teacher with an out of school personality that was fun to watch. I was very confused as to why she was constantly nominated, and I felt that the edit didn’t do a good job at explaining it all to the audience. Now I get it. Now I get why she was constantly nominated and why she wasn’t that popular with the audience. I did still like her for a lot of the first weeks. I did feel sorry for her in her situation of feeling singled out and vulnerable. Being nominated every week for almost two months would be a hard pill to swallow (as it was for Tahan). I did like that she was outspoken, and I liked her a lot more when she started to get involved with Tim’s antics. For a long while, she had some intrigue to her fun side as well as interesting life experiences with her speaking of being adopted and growing up as an Asian woman in a white-washed lifestyle. Her insecurities were relatable at times, and I saw a genuine rawness to her that made her interesting to watch. She was one of the most fun to watch and take note of during the late-night feast episodes. But as time went on and she became less and less valuable to Tim, her ugly sides did boost increasingly throughout those final weeks. I saw someone on a moral high ground, I saw someone who was too invested in insecurities, and I saw someone who let the struggles of the experience get the better of her by the end. So, whilst she was someone who was really fun at times and interesting to watch, she let Tim get the better of her and ultimately lost the war. I don’t think she was ever a major contender to ever win, but she provided a lot of strong content and brought up lots of topics such as racism, body issues and modern youth. I do appreciate her as a really strong casting choice, and I feel she provided a lot for the show. Plus, when she leaves the house and cries hysterically when she has to say goodbye to Mr. Clooney, I cried with her.
Madeleine: She was there, she was a lawyer who looked a tad older than her age. That pretty much sums her up. She kind of got lumped in with the “boring” group by convenience if anything. She may have benefited from being in a different cast or coming in earlier. She got very lucky to be able to stay after Nathan walked, but it didn’t matter. She was going to be evicted the moment she was nominated. She just didn’t have anything to help her stick out in the cast.
