This series has flown. Despite Big Brother's multiple attempts to reignite the series and keep things fresh, I feel hugely underwhelmed. With the final only days away, never in sixteen years have I felt as apathetic to any housemate line-up as I have Timebombs.
In the majority of Big Brothers, the strongest characters are usually evicted early, whilst the finalists coast their way through. Most of this years have been consistent, yet I feel something has been missing the whole time. For me there is a clear winner and one deserving candidate only this year.
It's fair to say that Christian is the least deserving finalist of all. The reality of this world is that beauty pays. Absent of persona, Christian will leave Big Brother as a forgettable extra in this year's series. Whilst being blessed with good looks has been key in his show success, he has brought very little extra to the series. If Christian is not the first one out on the final, it is solely because too many teenage girls are voting from their landlines without parental permission.
Jack's journey has been quite erratic throughout the process. Entering the house as the favourite and being put on a gigantic pedestal, resulted in a huge downward spiral. Jack has possibly been the most loathable housemate of the series, being a prime example of a human being that Big Brother brings the absolute worse out of. My hatred and disdain for Jack had become so strong that I have now passed the point of disliking him. After nine weeks of watching Jack moan like a grumpy old man and strop like a badly brought up child, I have learned to enjoy him at long last. Despite infuriating and irritating the viewers constantly, the series wouldn't have been the same without him. Jack is simply a normal guy with a normal life who has been lucky for once. Jack has miraculously survived multiple evictions by the skin of his teeth and has been fortunate enough to bank a life changing 23k, even after turning down 27k in his first week. All out of fluke, I am pleased Jack's experience did work in his favour, despite the truth of him not being one bit deserving of it all.
I sincerely believe Chloe is one of the least deserving finalists. Her 'salt of the earth' persona has proven transparent the longer the show has gone on and I feel she has brought little to the series. With Chloe's sudden panic that other housemates have not been themselves in the last few weeks, I feel this is her final push to prove herself as a normal northern 'lass' who sees herself as inferior to others. Chloe is much smarter than she looks and has calculated her win over the final weeks of the show. She has provided very little entertainment to the series and has not brought enough to the show aside from a moral high ground when it suits her to make others look bad. Chloe walked in to the house with a larger than life VT, assuring viewers she was a fun loving, bubbly and eccentric - everything the viewers want in an ideal housemate. She has not been a touch of what she promised and I'd be very disappointed if Chloe won.
Danny is another housemate who I would not like to see prevail. In tandem with Chloe, he has done just enough by standing up for others and giving a politically correct opinion when need be. I am certain Danny has kept a tight lid on his personality the whole way through the series, contemplating his win from the beginning by playing it safe until mid-way through the show. When Danny has behaved at his worst he has proved to be one of the most dreadful, ill tempered, unpleasant people in the house. Although I give him credit for keeping his cards close to his chest and playing the game cleverly, like Chloe I don't feel he's been himself throughout the majority of his Big Brother journey. Danny may have painted himself as the 'nice guy' from Essex but when regarding all the online claims about his ruthless desire for fame and shameful outside world antics; I'm a believer that there's no smoke without fire.
In the very beginning, Nick stood out as a fresh personality and intriguing individual. His obsession with the show has been made note of throughout the series, meaning it's been tricky to know whether Nick has been true to himself or played a game. Despite the flack he did receive for being weak around women and alpha characters, I can't argue that he is clearly a decent, kind person with good morals and values. I am slightly disappointed by Nick as a housemate as I expected a lot from him, whereas he has remained a secondary character throughout the show. Nick went into Big Brother with all the goods for a legendary housemate, yet has considerably under-delivered. Saying that, I am pleased he has made the final and gained the experience he seemed so hungry for. Many housemates go into the house for fame or a petty ego boost, whilst Nick clearly views the experience as much more.
My winner this year is Joel. Joel was invisible to me in the beginning but I quickly warmed to him after the early weeks. He has proven himself to be a well rounded housemate with intelligence, warmth, kindness and quirk. Although the journey phrase has turned into a well known Big Brother cliché, I've enjoyed seeing him grow as a person and become more comfortable in himself as the weeks have gone on. I don't feel like we've ever seen a character like Joel in the house before and he has played a key part in this year's dynamics and overall tone. Being a good housemate is not always about providing forced entertainment or controversy - anyone can act up to that role. Joel has managed to capture the nuances of what I personally value in a great Channel 5 housemate these days and I hope the rest of the viewers agreeby rewarding him with the win.