Big Brother 9 Betting: Shorn sheep on slow journey

Big Brother 11 / Chicken Dinner / 11 August 2008 / Leave a Comment

Mikey and Darnell are the men to beat, says Chicken Dinner.

Following in the footsteps of past winners Craig (series one), Brian (series two), Anthony (series six), Pete (series seven) and Brian (series eight), both Mikey [3.65] to win on Betfair] and Darnell [7.4] have undergone radical in-house haircuts. Both now have shaved heads, and are the men to beat.

It's essential that the eventual Big Brother winner goes on a journey inside the house. Last year, Brian learned how to socialise with other people, the year before Pete Bennett put Tourette's on the map. Now Darnell and Mikey are representing the world's many blind/Albino people, and are both growing more important to the show.

Of the two, Mikey is looking the most intriguing, having started appallingly. His association with Mario, combined with his vulgar stand up routine (guide dogs, oral sex etc) made him hard to like. Add the fact that he was persistently moaning about things in an unbearably loud Scottish accent, and his time looked set to be short. But as his pals have left him - Luke, Mario - he has grown in stature, and his week as head of house could see him further rocket to the top. He's a funny, balanced insider.

Darnell is equally interesting, but he appears to be mentally unraveling, which won't inspire voters to keep him in. It's great to watch people showcase their various weaknesses and insecurities, but 24 hour streaming of a fragile young American in the grip of a nervous breakdown might turn some people off. How Davina would cope with the exit interview would be fascinating, however. Should he pull himself together, and stop playing the Quasimodo card, he can still be a contender.

Those without fresh haircuts, but still worth a long look are Kathreya [6.4] and Lisa [18.5]. It's safe to assume that Rachel [4.2] and Stuart [10.5] are too bland to win - nice but dim doesn't win this show - so the more bonkers housemates will become increasingly important to the house. Both Kat and Lisa are nutters, and Lisa in particular needs to be studied closely. So far, she has insisted that she has super strength, she is a personal friend of Jesus, and she once frightened an alien. Don't forget, she met future-husband Mario when purchasing a crystal ball. A great British eccentric. Kat, meanwhile, is astonishingly cute, and will make the final.

As for those languishing at the bottom of the ladder, Rex [46] and Nicole [250] have morphed into one revoltingly posh entity that cannot win - they spend half the day slurring insults at each other and the rest licking one another's faces and talking about expensive products. That they are the future of the nation's aristocracy is terrifying. Elsewhere, Sara [46] is far too sexually liberated to go all the way (no pun etc) - girls must be cutesy, not steamy - and Mohamed [75] just eats.

This week Chickendinner predicts: Rex to go, Darnell to win.