The Battle Of The Big Brothers

It's that time of year again!

It just isn't summer without becoming overly invested in the lives of a group of complete strangers trapped inside a sound stage. There are versions of the show all over the world, and as I've become a little too interested in the different series, I have say that some countries are clearly winning, while some should probably bow out now.

                                                                                                            

 America

Oh America. This season of Big Brother is absolutely awful. I'm quite curious to know how this vile group conned their way onto the show. Besides the racist, sexist and horrifically inappropriate comments, all they seem to do is talk excessive amounts of shit and mercilessly terrorize the contestants who are deemed as weak. I'm ready for it to be over. Try again next year CBS. 

If you somehow haven't heard about this awful bunch, here is just a taste.

From the beginning I was rooting for Judd, Howard and Candice as they were the only genuine people in the house. Jessie quickly grew on me when I realized just how simple she really is; all the girl wants is a showmance and some alcohol. She's been without both for most of the last six weeks and this has her constantly melting down like a giant toddler. It's impossible to dislike her. What really pushed me towards #TeamJessie was the constant bullying that she's had to endure from the vicious group of mean girls. As she is my only remaining favorite, I really hope that she wins for no other reason than to say "F' you".

                                                                                                            

 UK

Needing a Big Brother fix, I decided to check out The UK's version, and let me tell you, it's absolutely fantastic. In BBUK there is no plotting or backstabbing; the whole point of the show is to be entertaining as the public is voting rather than the housemates. What a concept! Even without having the need to scheme and strategize, the house is in a constant state of turmoil and their drama is often explosive. The biggest shocker this season has been the scandal centered on the salacious affair between Daley and Hazel. What started as a simple crush, quickly turned into an inappropriate flirtation that resulted in Daley's removal from the show for exhibiting threatening behavior. It's been weeks since the fateful night and the house is still reeling over the event destined to be known only as "The Daley Situation".

The best part of this season has been watching what enrages the BBUK housemates. This bunch has a tendency to go off at the drop of a hat; the mere suggestion of someone "being aggressive" will destroy the strongest relationship, and if a housemate forgets to hold the door for another it's viewed as a personal attack against their entire family. If you don't have proper British manners in this game, you better be prepared for weekly nominations.

Throughout the summer I've definitely been a fan of the cartoon character that is Gina, as well as the sly and devious Dexter who has managed to survive eight straight weeks of evictions. While they both are cooky and incredibly entertaining, my absolute favorite has always been Sam. Even though he is one of the youngest on the show, he doesn't play into the high-school behavior that tends to happen when you've been locked inside a house for two months. At this point he is completely over all of the bullshit; anytime someone comes to complain to him, he simply stares back looking incredibly disinterested. He is sick of the Hazel-Charlie-Gina drama (aren't we all), and the constant "wos yor problem mate?" from Sophie is so far beneath him. Sam will hopefully win since he seems to be the only housemate having any fun. Give him a lager and little sun to lie in and he is the happiest Welsh boy in the world.

                                                                                                            

AUSTRALIA

The cherry on The Big Brother sundae this summer (or winter?) has been Australia. Out of the three it has the most entertaining group as a whole. The season kicked off a few weeks ago with the terribly awkward "Marriage Task" of Drew and Jade. These complete strangers spent an entire week masquerading as a newlywed couple, sharing a bed and playing up the PDA in order to avoid eviction. At times they slipped and became rather unconvincing, but no matter what happened, you couldn't help but love them. It was clear from the get-go that poor Drew fell for Jade, but since the beginning she's made a point to refer to him as "her bestie", often reminding him that he isn't her type and how disgusting his hair smells. Poor Drew, he has definitely been sent to the ultimate Big Brother Friendzone and he is never breaking free. Lucky for him (and for us all) he has Tim who is undoubtedly the quirkiest housemate of the year. While I originally found him to be over-the-top obnoxious, I now find him completely hilarious. Tim is the one person willing to do just about anything in order entertain himself and the viewers; he doesn't give a damn about being liked which makes him the perfect antagonist for The Big Brother House. He entered the game ready to play the villain and he completely embodied the role by sadistically withholding food from the halfway house during the first week of the show. "Why should we feed them, we won't have as much food over here? Don't give them anything." He is a strange mix of a Berkley hippie and an 80's hair-band guitarist, even admitting to being intrigued by the idea of marrying a dolphin. He is a riddle wrapped in an enigma and I can't wait to watch his antics every night. But the winner of the show has got to be the precious human being Ben. He's an unemployed flight attendant who carries on conversations with the photos of his mom and gran. He even cried when he thought that the house was mad at him for believing in the "Drade" charade. Ben reminds me of a socially awkward grown man who lives with his mother in New York City. I can imagine the pair of them dressing up in smelly old fur coats and covering themselves in fake diamonds as they head out hand-in-hand to a Broadway show. His overly masculine alpha-male character that he portrays while wearing Tim's clothes is absolutely brilliant and he deserves a show centered on his life. He has to be the winner.

     Which series is your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know!