[Amy]

WELL, WE do have a new addition to the household. Last year we were half-expecting Big Brother to surprise us with a new housemate.
That was probably the most disappointing ‘award room’ ever. Though there was beer and pizza, there was no party and no music. Just Lisa.
Although I didn’t like her very much, she did serve her purpose very well — she really stirred things up. Everyone had got on well up until then, but at that point the bitching started.
I don’t yet know what Big Brother expects by bringing in Becki.
Each year, before the series starts, there’s a practice run to see how the house works and Becki was one of the guinea pigs. Apparently she’s had an ambition for four years to get on BB and who can blame her? What an experience it is.
Suspicious
The others will have wanted to welcome her, but they are suspicious.
Lisa got all the housemates’ backs up, which united the clans. Shell perceptively pointed out that Becki hasn’t split the clans or reunited them. She’s friendly with everyone.
After BB told her to kiss somebody on both cheeks to signify who she wanted to be up for eviction, I think she was genuinely upset when Michelle’s name was read out as she was solely responsible. That was a very cruel thing for her to have to do.
When I had to choose one housemate not to be allowed into the reward room with everybody else, I picked Nush and it was awful. I really did have a tear in my eye.
And I also know what it feels like to be the new person in the house. At this stage last year I was sent to the Big Brother Africa house.
They were roused from a deep sleep at eight o’clock in the morning and informed they had a new visitor. I was nervous and excited, but the cheer I got when I said I was from Scotland made it much easier.
The housemates couldn’t have made me feel more welcome.
They showed me round, made sure I was getting fed plenty, asked about my housemates — who of course I was missing — and made a really big effort on the conversation front.
It was the same for Gaetano who visited the UK house. Our lot really welcomed him.
On the last night, when the voice came over the BB Africa House and said, ‘Cameron, you have three minutes left in the house’, I was really sad.
It was almost like being evicted — except I was going back to my other friends in the UK house.
BB Africa kindly let me take home the elephant mask I’d made for one of the tasks. It’s one of my favourite souvenirs of the whole summer and, would you believe, it’s on display in the Stromness Museum.
Wildest dreams
Big Brother is such a mega experience and to have had a stint in another house was beyond my wildest dreams.
I was at a big event in London some time back and the principal organiser said she’d been in a bar in Ghana when last year’s UK final was on.
There was Internet access so, as she’d been supporting me all the way, she went on to check the result.
When she ran back to her table shrieking “Cameron’s won” the barmen came to see what the fuss was.
She said the service hadn’t been very good until that point, but when she said I had won, apparently it turned into an all-night party.
It must have been because of my friendship with Sammi, who was from Ghana and had given me his shirt as a leaving present.
How cool is that?
Well, tara for noo!

Sunday Post