Could Brian Belo be the first black winner of Big Brother? (News article)

[Mrluvaluva]

Black contestants have a terrible record in reality TV when put to the public vote. Should Brian win, it would be a landmark for the flagging BB franchise.

We're into the final furlong of Big Brother now and although the ratings are down there is still time for this to be a historical year. Brian Belo is neck-and-neck in the running for victory with the twin-pronged threat of Sam and Amanda (who now count as one housemate in an outrageously unfair move by Big Brother). Brian would be the first black winner of Big Brother and in reality TV terms this would be an achievement on a par with Viv Anderson being the first black footballer to captain England. But historically the Essex boy is up against it.

Brian is not the first contestant to walk this path. Big Brother was grooming Makosi for the role of first black winner in BB6. Flirty, outrageous and a born performer she floundered after the phantom pregnancy business and was thrown to the wolves in a pretty unpleasant open-air post eviction interview.

The fact is that black contestants have a terrible record in reality TV when put to the public vote. Javine was an astounding 50-1 on to make the girls' band in the Popstars: The Rivals final, but was beaten by the five white girls who are now pop royalty Girls Aloud. Lemar, an odds-on favourite to win Fame Academy, was laughably beaten by Sinead Quinn and David Sneddon in the final. Sneddon now plays to half-empty pubs while Lemar effortlessly knocks out top 10 hits. Then there's Colin Jackson - strong favourite to win the Strictly Come Dancing final and the clearly superior dancer losing out to Darren Gough. Beginning to see a pattern?

So what chance does Big Brother have of getting the PR gold of its first black winner? Well, Brian is as good a chance as they'll get. Producing some priceless diary room moments, standing up to syllable tsunami Charley, and battling his Hollyoaks fixation, Brian was the strong favourite before Big Brother combined the twins into one housemate. Two pretty blonde women against a young black man - we know how that usually plays out. It's almost as if Endemol are engineering another glorious failure for a black reality TV contest. It would be a depressingly familiar scenario. But should Brian win, it would be a TV landmark and an excellent fillip for the flagging franchise after the Shilpa Shetty and Emily controversies. I'm not saying it's Rosa Parks on the bus but it would be a start.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/tv/2007/08/could_brian_belo_be_the_first.html

[sexy_leigh]

^ omg thats so true i'm praying that brian wins it as it would give a boost to the black community and it would just be amazing as he would be the first ever black person the win big bro and thats gonna be a great achievement BUT sadly he's up against two blond bimbos so its gonna neck and neck at the finale but i know brian can do it, BRIAN TO WIN!!!

[Tasha_x]

I'll be happy as well if that happens
It's about time

[Juelz]

What about Leona?

[sexy_leigh]

Originally posted by Juelz
What about Leona?
leona's mix race so she half black it's like halle berry being the first "black" person to get an oscar but she just half black she and leona ain't full black are they??? where as brian is

[Juelz]

So??^

the article is practicly calling voters racist, without actualy saying it.
surely if that was the case iyt wouldnt be down to whos half black and whos fully black, it would just be the colour in general...........

[sexy_leigh]

look brian is black and if he wins he will be no doubt the first black person to win big bro let alone win a reality tv show in britain leona yeah is half black but she's not full black is she cos when on an application form shes gonna put down she mixrace than black i hate it when mixrace people say" oh yeah i'm black" but what about their other background/ethnic group mixrace people should be proud of where they come from and shouldn't be leaning on one background and have u ever heard mixrace people say their "white" no but you damn well hear mixrace people say their "black" they would be black if BOTH parents were black which in LEONA'S case isn't as her mother is white so she isn't black is she???

[zports]

Whoaa.. with some punctuation, I might even be able to understand that post above... :tongue:

[spitfire]

What a rubbish piece of journalism.:cloud:

[unoeye]

Originally posted by spitfire
What a rubbish piece of journalism.:cloud:
aye, why make it black and white?

[zports]

Because most newspapers are printed that way .. black and white. It saves money on fancy coloured ink..:laugh:

[JeanP!]

So he should win because he's black?

[CassetteFinger]

Someone shouldent win on colour thats stupid wish makosi won bb6 she is so stupid saying she was pregnant silly girl still think she was the greatest housemate that year if people want brian to win to be the first black winner than we should want samanda to win to be the first twin winners.

[JeanP!]

Originally posted by Rice_Square
we should want samanda to win to be the first twin winners.

Yeah, the first 2 winners in BBUk history :rolleyes:

[Sticks]

Finally someone has had the guts to stick their head above the parapet here.

So the Guardian and Channel 4 are ideological bedfellows with the Guardian the more militant holding Channel 4 to a politically correct agenda.

If you have never heard of this before, it is called "Positive Discrimination" or "Affirmative Action" where you get situations like this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6570545.stm). It is just as bad as the racist vitriol that comes out of organisations like the BNP

This also denigrates the people it is supposed to help, because they will forever be regarded as only getting there because they were female/black/gay/ HIV+ etc. It totally ignores that they might have got there on merit alone, and stirs up resentment.

Brian should not win because of race reasons, but for reasons of merit.

But Channel 4 and The Guardian are almost stable mates with obvious left-wing leanings, so should it be them or us calling the shots

[Sticks]

Originally posted by Sticks
Finally someone has had the guts to stick their head above the parapet here.



Thinking about it, the correct expression should be "Finally someone has let the cat out of the bag"

That was close to what I was thinking when I first red this, I just could not remember the expression at the time.


Sorry

[CassetteFinger]

Twins will win now they will have to wait for a black winner why must people anyway bring colour into things i see it as a gender thing two grils to win at once wow.

[Spike]

People dont vote on the persons race but on their talent or personality in Big Brothers case. Its basically saying people who vote sit there and think i wont vote for Brian to win because his black. Its this sort of thing which really annoys me.

[CassetteFinger]

I dont think people think that at all i wont vote for him cause hes black ok im sure there are people like that just like there are people who say i wont vote for that person cause there white or asian just cause a black person hasent won a reality programme dosent mean this person should cause there black the reason why most black people dont win is cause they ruine it for themselfs victor,derek,science and makosi by acting stupidly although i still think that makosi should of won her year.

[JeanP!]

Whatever, no way, Black or not, he won't win :cheer2:

[SairBabi92]

I really want Brian to win but no so that he will be the first black winner! Just because hes funny, considerate and a genuine guy regardless of his skin colour!

[Sticks]

I dug this up from the Daily Star website (http://www.dailystar.co.uk/bigbrother/view/11151/Twins-We-can-win-it-)

If you read through it, you will see that it is along similar lines to the Guardian.

:bored:

[CassetteFinger]

Brian wont win samanda will no one should win just because of there colour.

[Sticks]

Originally posted by Rice_Square
no one should win just because of there colour.

I agree.

If the Daily Star is to be believed, it exposes the Channel 4 PC agenda that dare not speak its name, lest anyone who does is branded a racist and banned from polite society. :rolleyes:

[KKBL]

but i mean it might be better for BB brian wins as i think we need to prove that the jade goody incidint and the emilincidint were just one offs!

[Sticks]

But then people will say he only won it because he was black, thus detracting from any achievement. This is the fallacy of what is called "Positive Discrimination"

People should get somewhere on merit alone, not because of some PC agenda which does more harm than good.

[CassetteFinger]

So true which is why the twins should win :D

[Sticks]

On the highlights show, Carole told Brian she wanted him to win as there had never been a black winner on Big Brother.

Brian to his credit said a person should win because they are a good housemate not because of their colour.

This is exactly the case against positive discrimination or affirmative action.

[Mrluvaluva]

Originally posted by CathalOS
but i mean it might be better for BB brian wins as i think we need to prove that the jade goody incidint and the emilincidint were just one offs!

I am sorry, but what is that going to prove? And Brian shouldn't win because of his skin colour. I am sure he is one of the favourites because of his personality and qualities as a HM.