It's the premiere episode of season two and apparently somebody likes her because Arisa Cox returns as the host. She's probably a wonderful person and loads of fun to hang out with, but can somebody please get this woman a brush. We get a quick look at the new BBC house, which looks pretty cool especially the new "war room" but I can't help but think I'd bump into every one of those low hanging lights.
That's followed with the usual screaming and cast introductions for this season. I'll try to do a quick breakdown on the who's who of season two as they're introduced, with my immediate impression on those who leave one. We get the first five house guests and there's really no surprises here. Even the token gay guy isn't really a surprise, they can't all be flamboyant, over the top, cross-dressing divas. Say hello to . . .
Sabrina Abbate (25) a Hair Dresser & Make-up Artist from Montreal, QC;
Kenny Brain (25) a Male Model from Montréal, QC - the token secret gay guy;
Andrew Gordon (27) a Restaurant Manager from Calgary, AB - the "Suit";
Arlie Shaban (25) who's Unemployed in Stouffville, ON - the "loud guy"; and . . .
Sarah Miller (32) a Mortgage Broker from Langley, BC;
The first five enter the house and finally get to introduce themselves. Can Arlie be any louder? I don't think I want to know. They all pick their beds in the same room, which is a bit unusual but may just be the way the house is set up this season and then jump all over the place as we get introductions to the next four, who are just as self absorbed as the first five. Say hello to . . .
Kyle Shore (24) a Personal Trainer from Porter’s Lake, NS - the "Muscle";
Anick Gervais (27) a Reiki Master from Hanmer, ON - the "Free Spirit";
Ika Wong (29) a Hair Stylist from Thornhill, ON; and . . .
Jon Pardy (23) a Student from Clarenville, NL;
There's some nice video clips with a little background on each of them just like the first group but I'm not gonna go into all of that here. The way these scenes are edited makes everyone look nice and adorable, even their attitudes are Canadian.
Arisa congratulates this next set after they enter the studio and tells then they can enter the house where they're greeted by the first group. Lots of names are exchanged, and a few directions around the house and then it's back to mingling. As Arisa says, they're all getting along nicely . . . for now. Before the break she hints that there's a big secret coming up that's never been done on any BB before, anywhere. Sure there is.
With nine house guests already inside we now get to meet the rest of the house guests. More screaming, more jumping, more attitude, same old same old. Say hello to . . .
Adel Elseri (27) a Boilermaker from Edmonton, AB - the "Holy Roller";
Neda Kalantar (22) a Freelance Fashion Stylist from Vancouver, BC;
Rachelle Diamond (20) a Student from Edmonton, AB;
Heather Decksheimer (23) a Model Agency Coordinator from Barrhead, AB - the "Princess"; and . . .
Paul Jackson (43) a Consultant & Motivational Speaker from Toronto, ON - the "Dad."
Paul is the token adult in the house and pretty much the only one, my vote is still out on Sarah. He's basically got my spot this season. Hope he doesn't eat any of these kids. The final four enter the studio and then it's on into the house to meet the first nine. Fourteen house guests, twelve of them in their twenties, . . . with a few Moms, a Dad, and a bunch of spoiled brats . . . it's like a new age Waltons.
Time for Arisa to chat up the cast a little bit and then it's time for the first competition to get house guests into their swimsuits to determine the first Head of Household. I hated how Arisa was always hinting at something last season before every commercial and she's doing it again this season. Just tell us the damn twist and get on with it. I'm pretty sure it's just the way the script is written but I find it annoying. Maybe it's just me.
All 14 house guests are in the backyard in their red & white swimsuits for the Ice Breaker competition. They need to step off the warm, dry pedestals and onto the cold, wet pedestals of ice, the last one off is the new HoH. Nobody wants to be the first one out because it makes you look either weak or like you don't care but the upside is that as soon as you're eliminated you can go across and enjoy all the pizza, wings and beer you want courtesy of Pizza Pizza, which is a great little promo for them. Mmm, pizza.
Thirty two minutes in and everyone is still there writhing on the ice, until somebody, I think it was Anick, realizes they don't need HoH and steps off the ice. Paul starts playing like he can't handle it and Sarah steps off beside him. After forty five minutes they all start to realize that the pain may not be worth it. Andrew jumps off at 50 minutes, and at 51 another houseguest follows.
Time for a little motivation, the next three house guests to step down get to choose a cooler and keep whatever is inside which may help or hinder their game, but this is a limited time offer. Heather is off and she gets $1,000. Not exactly a game changer but it could be worse. Arisa says the coolers will only stay for two more minutes so one of the other girls steps down (I think it was Ika but I haven't memorized them all yet), chooses a cooler and gets to wear her bathing suit for the next 48 hours. Not exactly helpful for anything but ratings. Oh well, time to remove the coolers.
Paul tries to make a deal to get everyone else to step down by saying that he won't nominate anyone that's still up there. He tells them they deserve the security and it's actually a really good plan, one I would have tried about 30 minutes earlier. He even swears on his kids life when Kenny asks him to and that seems to close the deal for everyone. 1 hour and 32 minutes on the ice and everyone steps off but Paul. So ends the first competition and Paul is the new HoH.
Tonight's secret reveal is (finally) that Canada will have more power than ever before. There are three more house guests living inside a secret room within the house for the next week and we get to decide which one enters the actual house. Say hello to . . .
Scott Bosse/Contessa (36) the flamboyant, over the top Draq queen and hospital worker from Halifax, NS - we were so close to missing this stereotype;
Nate Sandri (23) a Sheet metal worker from Burnaby, BC; and . . .
Allison White (25) a Psychiatric nurse from St. John's, NL
Not exactly sure any of these will be a game changer but knowing the way Canada tends to vote in these cases we can assume that Scott/Contessa will be going in and the other two are just for show. If the producers really wanted him in, why not just do so from the start like all the Internet rumours suggested. Whatever. We follow the twist with the exterior reveal but really, who cares what's on the exterior of the house? The only people who see the outside are the studio audience and the evictees. I like the doors though.
As we close out the episode back in the house, everyone is just hanging out in their swimsuits. Paul can't believe they all went for it and put him in charge. Arisa points out that his deal leaves him only six targets, none of which are really happy with this turn of events. I guess they should have stayed on the ice longer. Of course nobody really trusts Paul but they all feel like he's a good guy. I guess we'll see. Paul just keeps shaking his head. So do I.
There you have it. Another season of Big Brother Canada is underway for the next 75 days. Ten weeks of watching total strangers self-destruct. Like a train wreck we can't turn away from. I'm still undecided if I'll do a review blog after every episode but there's a good chance of it. If you enjoy the show you'll watch it and likely read as many blogs as possible . . . And if you don't watch the show you can always just check back and see if I've decided to and then just follow the blog. I'll do my best not to bore anyone, but I can't promise I won't annoy a few. Feel free to leave comments and I'll be back soon.