Big Brother 9 Betting: Rebecca pays the price for complacency

BigBrother08 / Feizal Rahman / 28 July 2008 / Leave a comment

We all know the Betfair markets are a good indicator of public opinion, so watching the prices last week it seemed that everyone knew Rebecca was the next to be shown the door... everyone outside the house that is...

Every now and again, with certain Big Brother evictions, your faith in the Great British Public (GBP) is restored. Thankfully, one of those occasions befell us this week, as the hoggish Rebecca was dismissed with nearly two-thirds of the public vote.

Odds-on to go all week - and as low as [1.15] when voting lines closed - housemates were oblivious to her fate. Most predicted it would be the idle Mohamed to leave, with Darnell sure that he himself would be the man to go after his unpopular stint as head of house the previous week.

Most confident that Bex was safe, however, was human golf club Luke. Having mystifyingly fallen for the swine-like charms of the compulsive streaker, Luke fully expected that their cringe-worthy double act would be enough to see them through to the end. But with a relationship so manipulated that even Machiavelli would have stood back to applaud the handiwork, Puke and Hex threw all their chips on red, only to see it come up black.

Contrary to the pair's conceited belief, Rebecca exposing her flabby bits at any given opportunity, launching food around like a naughty five-year-old and pulling frequent temper tantrums to match, simply did not constitute entertainment for the GBP. And faker than a bottle of Chanel No.5 bought from a suitcase on Oxford Street, the sham romance ultimately backfired.

What fear then must now be pervading the mind of Luke - unbelievably still only [8.4] to win. Having survived previously against Sylvia and now Rebecca, the undeniably useless Mohamed has seen off two of the 'cool crew' and some may have to think twice before regarding him as easy prey. Consequently, Mo is now only third in the market to be the 7th evictee, currently trading at [5.0], with Luke temptingly just a touch shorter at [4.7].

Instead, one-time Mr Popular, Dale, has been installed as favourite to go next at [4.0]. With his less than empathetic reign as head of house this week, Dale has actively sought to antagonise those housemates stuck in 'Hell', with a bizarre attempt to provoke the nominations he has thus far avoided. Looking like a potential winner only a few weeks ago, the now increasingly caustic teen heartthrob is fast losing support and has been pushed out to [17.0] in the winner market.

Rather, it's workout partner Stuart who continues to impress, with his far more laid-back and inclusive attitude. Evidently insecure, Stu has been guilty of some bitching with the usual suspects but one can infer that this was merely done to fit in with what he perceived as the popular, and most powerful, members of the group. Yet, having seen several of Geordie Jen's former cabal drop like flies since entering, he would do well to re-align himself, which given his apparent nature, he should be able to do effortlessly. At [21.0] to win, he offers the best value at present, especially over certain individuals who it is hard to see winning.

When it comes to the crunch, failing a well-timed sob story about his disability, one wonders where the support for Mikey ([10.0] to win) will come from, similarly with the soporific Rachel ([17.0] to win), who staggeringly only found out this week that Darnell is an albino. With a planned career as a teacher awaiting her, heaven help the unlearned youngsters of Wales.

However, it's long-term favourite, Kathreya, who does less and less each week to convince us of victory. With growing numbers inside and outside the house turning on her and her wearisome 'happy house' singing, one gets the feeling that sooner or later, Kat will break down like a short-circuiting Furby and she's out around a point to [4.0].

Major market mover this week though has been smug egomaniac, Rex. Down to [7.4], he may be right to assume that he already has this won with a quick glance at the competition. Well into the final half of the show, the thoughts of some will be turning to the final four and certain individuals will now need to up their game if they are to make it that far. But coming across as someone who rarely fails to get what he wants, Rex may be the one to occupy pole position. The question he'll need to ask himself, however; is how much does he really want it?

Contrived Conversation Of The Week:

Luke (on Rebecca's drinking game kiss with Mohamed): "It bothered me and it shouldn't have bothered me"

Rebecca: "I'm sorry"

Luke: "Bex, it's fine, you do this sort of thing - it's your everyday life"

Rebecca: "It's not, because I actually really like you... (dramatic pause)... and that's not a lie"

Luke: "I didn't think I liked you"

Rebecca: "I did know that I liked you"

Luke: "You just didn't think..."

Rebecca: "I just didn't think you liked me"

Luke: "I think it's blatantly obvious now"

(cue lame 'emotional' hug and end credits)

Straight out of an episode of Eastenders, Luke and Rebecca leave us with their very own 'Dun dun, dun dun dun, dunna dun' moment.

Tags: Big Brother 2008, Big Brother 9, Big Brother Bets, Big Brother Betting, Eviction Betting, Luke, Mohammed, Rebecca