Big Brother 9 Winner's Market: Will kindliness and affliction triumph over character?

Big Brother 11 / Chicken Dinner / 03 September 2008 / 4

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Chicken Dinner dreads a personality void victory while other contestants are carried into the reckoning by sympathy and affliction...

After nine years of watching angry people rattle around inside a lurid house, this is the toughest series of Big Brother to call. Nearly every housemate remaining has led the way at some stage, most of them also trying hard to torpedo their chances of victory somehow so it could be a case of the least tainted finalist gets it, in which case, Rachel, [4.3], will win.

Kathreya was supposed to win, before her persistent oscillation between singing and weeping became too much to bear. Darnell had it in the bag until his paranoid mumblings saw him spin into meltdown, and even Rex looked a likely winner until his girlfriend turned up and unmasked him as the most controlling boyfriend in the world.

So assuming Rex [11.0] and Darnell [36.0] simply can't win at this stage, it's left as a three horse race between Sara, Rachel and Mikey. Sara [6.4] can thank a massive wave of sympathy for her place in the final. Until about a week ago she seemed like a kindly Australian woman with an unbearable voice like a malfunctioning synthesizer, but after a few tough days facing jibes from Rex and Darnell, followed by revelations that her family has disowned her, she suddenly has a thrilling back story and an in-house journey. She has faced adversity, and is now the dark horse.

Rachel would prove to be a horribly dull winner, but should the votes be dictated by which housemates have done the least to upset the outside world, it's hers to lose. Of previous winners, only Cameron (series four) can match her anodyne kindliness - a bigger character must surely win it. It is really difficult for people to find the energy to vote for a personality void.

Which leaves Mikey [1.98]. On the plus side for the blind gentleman, he has the affliction (Pete, series seven), the Scottishness (Cameron, series four) and only once has a pedigree female won (Kate Lawler, series three) - Nadia was a gentleman at the time of winning series five. On the downside for the Scot is that he's an unbearable whiner, and he has the look of a man who smells, but the affliction vote could carry him all the way.

However, should the final three be Mikey, Rachel and Sara - as the odds would have it - then history dictates that a girl should walk away with the crown. Only once in the history of the show has the majority gender in the final three not won - when Lawler beat off the challenges of two boys (Jonny and Alex) in Big Brother 3.

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(4)

Gina | 03 September 2008

I think there is a difference between a 'sympathy vote' and a vote to reward achievement in the face of adversity and recognise the triumph of character over disability
Jon | 04 September 2008

Beautiful - I've been trying to find a single phrase to sum up Mikey and you hit the nail square on the head with "he has the look of a man who smells".

He is a whiner, but wouldn't you be in such dysfunctional surroundings? I think eccentricity will prevail over mundane and Mikey will be top dog.
p rowley | 04 September 2008

how could mikey win this, erm what does he do to win it.. rex should win he has been true to himself all the way....
charlotte | 05 September 2008

rachel to win! if the only thing she's done "wrong" (??!!) is to be a nice, unconfrontational person, i think that's pretty good going.

sara has led darnell on, rex has been rude, mikey has on occasion been quite nasty and darnell always feels so sorry for himself!