[Nine Lives]

Yep.

I'm honestly surprised by how the chirpy bland people who are following the lead of previous winners are lauded for being "real" and "true to themselves", while Aaron, whose behavior doesn't remotely resemble previous winners, is chided for being a "game player", and everything he does is labeled as manipulative.

The most manipulation we've seen from him was in his VT and audition tapes. Somehow Aaron's tapes are taken at face value, while everyone else's are dismissed as "oh, that's just how they tried to get on the show". (Wasn't Jay's about how much sex he had in Thailand with prostitutes? Am I remembering that right?) Yet Aaron is really the manipulative, arrogant mastermind of his tapes, and everything he does in the house is fake and calculated.

Aaron's really bared his soul in there, and exposed a complicated, flawed personality that seems far more three-dimensional than what the others are allowing us to see on TV. I have no doubt that Alex, Jay, Louise, and Tom are all complex, interesting people, but I couldn't tell you how. (Faye I will say has been an onion, as she said tonight on Bit on the Side, for better or for worse.)

As far as manipulation, we have seen him try to manipulate people - badly! He's been nominated more times than anyone else this year! So how he's suddenly playing this blinder of a game with Faye really, really baffles me.

Even if he's playing up for the camera at times - which they all are - I think Aaron's still the most "real" of all of them. For all the housemates who've come out of the house and accused Aaron of manipulating the audience, I think they just fail to understand why he's so well-liked. Of course they're resentful, they weren't liked as much.

It takes true guts to go on TV and bear this much to the cameras, especially with that much money on the line. Aaron's got more guts than any of them, and isn't afraid to let it all hang out, for better or for worse.

Aaron to win!