[Amy]

By Cameron Stout
THE climactic week of Big Brother had more twists and turns than Makosi’s corkscrew tongue.
I loved the whole “will he or won’t he” drama of Eugene’s Diary Room dilemma — to be £50,000 better off, or not to be £50,000 better off. That was the question.
Big Brother had become The Godfather, making him an offer he couldn’t refuse and, like most of the country, I was dancing round with joy when he opted to take the money and run.
Unaware that if he’d declined the cash, Big Brother would have rolled the winnings over to £200,000, he had quickly worked out that this way two housemates could share in the windfall.
The whole incident was very enlightening because when Big Brother summons a housemate to the Diary Room they’re usually falling over themselves to be first there.
Diary Room
Makosi in particular is like a rat up a drainpipe. But, with memories of Stuart Wilson’s summary eviction after his badly timed venture into the Diary Room last year still vivid in their minds, they dragged their feet.
Eventually Eugene stepped into the breach, but even he thought he had made a “schoolboy error”.
Quite frankly, I was disappointed Eugene didn’t win. I’ve been trying to reach him on his mobile ever since he came out just to congratulate him on getting as far as he did, but he was still in a press conference at 1 am.
That’s par for the course. When I won Big Brother Four, I didn’t get any shut-eye until 7 am and to this day memories of the night are still a blur.
Ever since I knew which housemates were in the frame as final contenders, I’ve been saying that I didn’t mind whether Anthony or Eugene walked with the title, either was fine.
Eugene himself didn’t seem to mind that he was runner-up. He was chuffed.
Yet I wasn’t as pleased as I thought I might be. And neither were a lot of people who had previously supported Anthony (pictured above).
Texts
After the result I had a barrage of texts telling me that they’d been for the Geordie all the way along the line, but were now regretting voting for him.
A consummate poseur, Anthony had gone into the House, milking it for all it was worth. Doing the dance, working the crowd, glorying in the attention. He got booed then.
His tenure in the House brought out a different side. He got stacks of “man points”, as he would put it, from the public for putting up with Craig’s mood swings and temper tantrums day in, day out.
He largely abstained from the back-stabbing. And when he wasn’t busy pouring sunscreen on himself, he could often be found pouring oil on troubled waters by intervening in disputes.
From unpromising beginnings, he turned the whole thing around, while staying true to himself.
No false modesty about Anthony, he flaunted the fact he wanted to win and didn’t hide his light under a bushel when evaluating his looks either.
It’s just a shame that his victory brought out the cocky side of the lad again. It was only natural that he should be on Cloud Nine. People can’t imagine what it’s like to emerge from that House a winner.
Prima Donna
True, Anthony The Performer never became Anthony The Prima Donna, but some of the qualities that marred his entrance also marred his exit.
And, you know, I still don’t think he’s grasped the whole situation with the prize money, the fact that Eugene didn’t know the £100,000 would double if he refused to accept half of it.
My advice to Anthony about his freshly-minted fame is simple. Enjoy. Relax. Have fun. Go with the flow.
There are things he’ll be offered that he might not consider quite his style. I would never have imagined that I would relish doing pantomime, but here I am, booked for the third season!
My sea change in feelings towards Anthony just goes to show how fickle the public is with their frail affections.
Take Anthony’s old sparring partner and pal, Craig, who had turned into his chief cheerleader after he was thrown out in Wednesday’s night’s snap eviction.
Eugene’s stressed-out weepy moments might have endeared him to viewers, but compassion fatigue had long since set in when it came to Craig’s constant greeting and bubbling.
Pleased
Still, I was pleased to see neither he nor Kinga got an especially rough reception from the mob. Craig was able to laugh at himself in his eviction interview and Kinga showed her heart was as big as her mouth and her buxom curves combined.
The real wrath had been reserved for Big Mak, and it was relentless.
I don’t think there was a moment during her interview with Davina when the mood mellowed. There were cat-calls and chants of “Liar, Liar” and “Off, Off, Off”. Her reception was unheard of in Big Brother history.
And if I had been there I think I’d have broken all my principles and booed myself.
The revelations this week that she was an actress whom Endemol had hired after seeing an audition tape are nonsense.
My understanding is that Endemol paid the agency for use of a studio room. I don’t believe the story has any credibility at all.
The feeling that they have been conned might have contributed to the crowd’s hostility, but a bigger factor was Makosi herself.
People like a loveable rogue, but to me, she was just nasty. Nobody could believe anything she said in the House, she gave a masterclass in deceit and untrustworthiness.
Even so, I’ve been asked if she deserved such a hard time, given that she had just put a few noses out of joint. After all, nobody died.
My answer is — yes.
Remorse
She had an opportunity to redeem herself in her interview yet she seemed completely unrepentant when talking to Davina, who was astonished by her lack of remorse and humility.
But the whole “Makosi-gate” furore does raise a valid point about the audition process for Big Brother. A couple of years ago, you had to apply on paper. Now you have to sell yourself in one minute of shouting your mouth off in a booth.
Maybe they should revert to the old way for next year’s marathon.
Despite the news that only an average of 4.4 million viewers have watched it this time, making it the one with the lowest ratings of the lot, I still believe the format has a future.
To me the star of the show this year was Big Brother itself. I loved the twists and turns the production team devised. I also loved the tasks and the Secret Garden.
It’s the housemates who have been the flies in the ointment!
The fact that the final two contenders, Anthony and Eugene, were amongst the most mainstream and likeable of the entire 16 speaks volumes.
Maybe the theme for 2006 should be — “back to basics”.
Well, tarra for noo!

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