[Epic.]

Originally Posted by Epic.

BB5 Week 1 (Mike Evicted)
1. Will
2. Mike
3. Jennifer
4. Diane
5. Holly
6. Marvin
7. Adria
8. Karen
9. Lori
10. Michael
11. Drew
12. Natalie
13. Jase
14. Scott

BB5
1. Diane (+3) - Her journey is possibly the best thing about this season, which I realise is a bit unpopular given the way she bows out, but I'll touch on that shortly. Diane is one example of the type of people you'd want to play competitive reality shows; game-savvy, instinctively intelligent, but also human in their flaws and consistent in delivering many relatable dialogues and moments. And as for what goes on for Diane in this season, she more or less ruled the house without ever making it obvious and eventually it caught up to her with several bitter and maybe even jealous individuals. Then she realised her original alliance wouldn't favour her by the end so thought her best bet would be vying with her showmance partner who she thought could bring her to the end where she doesn't think she'd win but have a chance, but then after making so many genius and entertaining moves throughout the season, she gets dealt a massive one at her right till to the end . Maayybe she didn't play things perfect, but her sacrificing game to help out someone she practically felt in love with is something that could happen to the best of us at any time . A 21st century rise and fall Shakespearian tragedy of a houseguest
2. Jase (+11) - The biggest opinion change I've had on a US houseguest so far . Jase was far from the nicest houseguest, in fact he was one of the most petty and insecure people to go on the show. But once he loses the insufferable power he wielded at the top of the house, he was capable of carrying the first half of the season all on his own. It's the first time I've seen in a reality show where someone becomes AWARE of how far they've fallen in the eyes of everyone inside and outside their environment. Jase as a result winds up being not only unintentionally hilarious, but notices why it is that they are. He threw himself into corners and confrontations he'd stumble in, he'd make atrocious social game moves, and he was generally a cartoon character trapped in the body of a grown man, but he still persevered in proving he was not a joke of a man even though he was<3. The easiest parallel for him really is like mixing Alan Partridge with Johnny Bravo .
3. Adria (+4) - In a lesser extent to Jase, this is another one I wasn't expecting to like as much as I did. For the first weeks, Adria/Natalie's twin twist fell a bit short for me because it felt like a gimmick where I was hardly really getting to know either of them. But once they were revealed to be both competing and got to compete separate, it lead to this sprawling power control where they become random villains and it was so pointlessly entertaining to sit through . Her sister and ESPECIALLY her were massive hypocrites who bent the rules of honesty when it would suit them but it becomes so absurd that it never feels like they're patronising or smug, just blissfully unaware of things . A perfect tool of temporary saving the value of the season once Jase was gone before the tumultuous endgame after they left.
4. Marvin (+2) - I went so rapidly on and off with him throughout the whole season but that was part of an appeal really. He could be really rude and inappropriate at the drop of a hat but then be the only courageously righteous person in a room. The one thing that stayed true about him was he'd keep you as a viewer invested and laughing in the side-story shenanigans he got up to in the 9~weeks where he was basically dragged that far because there was always a slightly bigger target than him to go after .
5. Nakomis (Jennifer) (-2) - Didn't really thrill me as a viewer but she was refreshing to see as someone who could play the game really cleverly while being honest about it all the whole way through. Her conscience got the better of her at times but that made her shine better in likeable qualities. I was impressed how she took everything that happened good or bad in her stride unlike practically everyone else in this cast.
6. Natalie (+6) - A considerably less interesting twin but not without her own funny moments and catastrophes to her name.
7. Karen (+1) - In a loosely similar way to Marvin, I went off her a couple notable times, and I didn't like how bitter she was about being evicted to the point of being much ruder about people than I thought she would be but she was still a charming albeit under-developed presence to the season.
8. Holly (-3) - So annoying . But like her showmance partner Jase, became so ridiculous (in fact even quicker than him) that I ended up treasuring how vapid and incomprehensible she was about everything and how awful of a social game she had.
9. Mike (-7) - It's hard for me to work out why I randomly liked Mike really. He was moody, complained, and his personality wasn't very vibrant. But he kick-started the drama and divides in the house without realising by alerting the house to how treacherous the Horsemen were and him taking them on by himself was a ballsy, even if foolish thing to do really. I would've probably still had him evicted first based on the options given but there was always that sense to me that he could've given more in the weeks that followed when the house turned on the enemies he warned them about.
10. Will (-9) - So like Bunky in BB2, it's a Southern gay guy with a friendly and clever demeanor to him that initially was one of my early favourites. Like Bunky, I suddenly lost interest in liking him that much but I can't really work out why. I think it might be the same in both cases; they just became so bitter about unnecessary things and it was pretty begrudgingly melodramatic. I know the house had reason to not be keen on the twins but Will just kept carrying on his frustration with them betraying them even when he was in the jury house and it irritated the hell out of me . Outside of that, he was a pretty funny, well-rounded guy. Just never hit the peak of appeal I wanted him to.
11. Lori (-2) - I remember vaguely liking her while she was there and even wanting her to survive over Holly when the plan was put in place to save Lori, ruined by Holly getting vetoed. But apart from winning 10 grand at the beginning of the season, I struggle to name much of what she actually did unfortunately.
12. Drew (-1) - It aggravates me how I was growing to like him more and more with each passing week in the first half and then somewhere along the way, he greatly disappointed me. When he was making valid, decently thought out ideas in the game and with people, I respected and admired his personality. Buut then Diane essentially carries his gameplay for him, he receives little blame for the evictions of others that she gets instead, is never grateful to her or returns any favour to her and was just a shitty boyfriend for her really. And no that's not why him evicting her pissed me off. If he wanted to get her out as a "gameplay move" then go ahead. But the fact is, he was even more likely to beat her in a F2 than he would be against Michael, and she even TOLD him this numerous times, so I think he might have just been looking for an excuse to bring a horsemen with him:/. And even after bringing someone recognised as a house coaster but still mostly liked in the house, it meant Drew only JUST won by 1 vote. Poor end to an otherwise great season.
13. Michael/Cowboy (-3) - I struggle who I like less out of him or Drew . Michael was harmless for the whole season and almost never technically does anything that bad. But I just couldn't abide a single scene of him lmao. He was soppy about everything, cried when he didn't get amazing things he'd want, didn't contribue anything to the game or house dynamic aside from transparent "jokes". It's why I struggle who I even wanted to win out of him or Drew because it was the choice between someone who made a load of pointlessly risky game decisions vs someone who made almost no game decisions at all.
14. Scott (-) - Terrible. I actually have reason to believe he doesn't get as much hate as he should. The way he picked on Diane and said things like comparing her to Saddam Hussein were disgusting, as was targeting his best friend's showmance partner purely because he hwas jealous Jase was getting attention instead of him . He settled down a bit near the end but the void hole of anything remotely okay to sit through was already done.

This season is fundamentally a great one, but one where I swing a bit in my opinion. A lot of its first half gets carried by Jase, while a lot of its second half gets carried by Diane. It leaves all the other people I liked being moreso lukewarm opinions where they're either people I like but have reservations about, or people who I kind of like but don't hit a big value of enjoyment for me. When I think back on this season, a lot of its best things will be because of Diane . Because she was a catalyst for a lot of the closest but unruly interactions within the house and shaped the merciless but likable way the season presented itself. So I do really like it the whole way through, particularly in the Horsemen's downfall and the crazy end-game, but had there been slightly different casting, I may have only thought the season was 'pretty good.' But some great UK series had that same quality too imo (3, 13, 17, 7, etc.). What I won't excuse however is the F2 being the worst one i've seen so far, even though, and in spite of me trying to avoid as much spoilers I can, I'm aware there's many more worse ones to come .



Will post about BB6 tonight!