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Big Brother 9 Week 12 Review: Chewed up and spat out

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Cold-hearted and desperate for celebrity they may be but contestants do not deserve to be left permanently scarred by the BB experience, says Feizal Rahman.

For the most part, Big Brother is a harmless bit of fun but this week was a perfect example of the more sinister side of the show.

All week long, the highlights shows were geared towards turfing rich bitch Nicole out on Friday night. Granted, the plummy-voiced girlfriend of Rex genuinely came across as a nasty piece of work but - ever willing to create a figure of hate - it's fair to suggest that the undesirable attributes of Nicole were greatly accentuated by BB producers.

Up against the far more likable pairing of Lisa and Sara, the eviction outcome was never in doubt. Yet, being howled out of the house with over 94% of the public vote in a three horse race - a new Big Brother record - is the sort of thing that can leave some with serious mental scars.

Maybe such contestants do deserve all they get, particularly when they have been as unsavoury as Nicole, but one can't help think that such 'reviled' individuals are merely the by-products of cold-hearted TV executives - chewed up and spat out.

Typically, Rex has come out of the whole episode none the worse for his other half's demise. His stint as Head of House was a relative success, with plenty of fun and games and a successfully completed task. Into [17.0] to win, the rebellious restaurateur continues to pose a sizable threat to the usual suspects at the head of the market.

Although favourite at [4.0] to be the 11th Evictee, Rex should be able to rest easy for yet another week. However rude or scathing he is of others, he always makes up with them in a calm, civilised manner and it's such honesty which has earned him the respect of virtually everyone in the house. Now the game gets interesting as thoughts turn to the final week and with Rex confident as ever, the other heavily paranoid housemates will seek to stick the daggers into each other's backs.

Second in the next eviction market is Mohamed at [4.7]. Moment of the week undoubtedly goes to the afro-haired glutton who, so rapacious to get his hands on a can of cider, volunteered to ingest the crusty nasal discharge of Mikey. Moments like this are Mo's only real chance of gaining attention but it's hard to gauge whether they cast him in either good light or bad.

It's more than likely that simply no-one cares either way about Mohamed but the fact remains that he's still in the house and floating at around [90.0] in the winner market, still offers a smidgen of value should he make it to the final week.

Elsewhere, this week's eviction survivors Lisa and Sara are both around [5.2] to go next Friday. The former is rapidly inspiring a cult following with her outrageous anecdotes. Nevertheless, it would be a major shock was she to story-tell her way to victory and as such, the [13.0] available for her to do so does not appeal.

Sara, on the other hand, is increasingly coming across as a very lonely and forlorn young woman. Shiny and happy on the outside, there's evidence of a tarnished and disturbed inside. Having jumped from male housemate to male housemate, she has inadvertently distanced herself from the likes of Mohamed and Darnell, both (in particular the latter) clearly infatuated with her. With the usual disadvantages of being female, a foreigner and not an original, it would be no surprise to see the Aussie brunette say her goodbyes next Friday.

Elsewhere, Mikey has solidified his status as overall favourite and is into [2.9] to win. Being the only housemate to wilfully challenge the dominance of Rex may ultimately work in his favour but at this sort of price, he is far more of a lay than a back.

Meanwhile, Mary Poppins wannabe, Rachel, continues to defy all logic and props up Mikey in the market at [4.2]. Darnell simply cannot curb his over-enthusiasm and incoherent outbursts - which often offend his closest friends in the house. He will surely continue to damage his chances at [5.7].