Who Is Going To Win British Big Brother?

After 11 series on Channel 4, I must admit I was worried that this series on Channel 5 might disappoint. But I'm absolutely loving it, from the great tasks to the interesting mix of housemates.

So who's going to win? Well, let's take a look at the candidates;


When I saw and heard Aaron on the opening night, I thought 'Oh my God, what an absolute tool'. But he's really grown on me, as time has gone on. He's the most interesting of all the housemates, because he's a real thinker - and game-player. He's almost as deep as Marcus Akin, who for me was the most interesting housemate of all time. Make no mistake, Aaron's in it to win the money for his son, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Who does he remind you of, from Big Brother's past? That's right, Nasty Nick. He looks a bit like him, and they've got a lot in common. Aaron has a streak of emotion in him, but almost everything he does is calculated. He learns as events unfold, and changes his act accordingly. You didn't really believe he was ever going home after the thing with Maisy, did you? Like Nasty Nick would have done, he went away and thought about it for a while, and then came back with measured responses for Tom, Faye and others, saying just the right thing to get them onside, and minimise damage. And he made himself the centre of attention for a while, didn't he? He knows that he isn't going anywhere tomorrow night, but the excellent Brian Dowling might make him sweat a bit, before revealing he's safe.

Aaron's clever, and will adapt his game as time goes on. Like Nasty Nick, he's got a subtle mean streak, and is capable of a bit of trickery, later on. But is he entertaining enough to win?


Aden - baseball-capped rap child. He's got an aggressive streak, but behind the bravado is an insecure young kid. Has moped about, since nasty, false Rebeckah left. He couldn't see that she was using him to try and stay in, and she'll use him on the outside too for magazine deals, if he isn't careful. The aggressive streak means he can't win.


Alex, that's her on the left. Quite a nice soul, but a bit shallow, a bit of an airhead. Can't win - is outgunned by the other girls on both looks and personality.


Anton - reformed gang member dude. You have to admire anyone who's chosen a better path in life, but make no mistake, there's a real nasty piece of work in there. As time goes on, he's going to struggle more and more to keep his true confrontational nature in check. I wonder how long he can keep the tape across his mouth? Can't win - too in-your-face.


Faye -  a quiet one, rather insecure too. What on Earth was it all about with Aaron? She was a bit withdrawn to begin with, so he felt a bit sorry for her, and told her that he liked her. She misinterpreted that, as an insecure young girl might, and it was the crime of the century when he kissed Maisy. He eventually said exactly the right things to get Faye back onside, and will use her affection for him to his advantage later on. She can't win - not engaging enough, doesn't do enough, too naive and shallow.


Harry - I disliked him on opening night, but I must admit, he's quite grown on me. He's interesting, and isn't afraid to speak his mind in a non-offensive way. A bit of a dark horse, might up his game a bit, but I don't think that a quiet-ish bisexual fox hunter can win.

Heaven, on the left, there. Will probably be evicted tomorrow. Her spiritualist approach to life does hold some interest, but too much of anything isn't a good thing. Won't last long, even if by some slim chance, she stays in tomorrow night.


Jay - a Newcastle man's man. When I first saw and heard him on opening night, I thought he was going to be trouble. But he's really grown on me. He genuinely cares about people, and has become a leader of sorts. He's a game-player too, and I think he's already cleverly using his Wolf Pack group to pick the outsiders off, by very subtlely encouraging others to nominate a target. I thought Tashie was his first target, because he thought she might be a candidate to win.

Who does he remind you of, from Big Brother's past? That's right, Johnny from Big Brother 3. There's a bit of Jason in him, as well. Make no mistake, Jay's got a real nasty streak in him, but he's shrewd, and will keep it in check to the end.

He swears a bit too much for me, but could win, if he ups his game a bit. Trouble is, Johnny and Jason both finished second....
 

Louise, in the middle, there. A bit quiet, but will come out of her shell more and more, as time goes on. I wonder if she's planning it that way, playing it non-controversial until the field narrows a bit. She's much cleverer than she comes across, and there's something engaging about her. I think she'll emerge as the top girl as time goes on, much in the same way that Kate Lawler did. And if she ups her game, like I think she will, maybe she has the looks and personality to pip the leading boys, like Kate did.


Maisy. Comes across as a tiny bit of a dumb blonde at times, but she's much sharper than she looks. I think her look is self-designed to win the big young vote, including her bottled blonde hair. She's a bit of a game-player too, and will try to use situations to her advantage. I think she did that with the Aaron situation. But she's a bit too quiet, doesn't do enough, and will have to really up her game to make the final.


Mark - clever dude. He's in it to win, he's trying to win. Tries hard to entertain, but a bit too hard at times, makes it too obvious. Thinks his mad inner world will get him to the final. Secretly fancies Aaron, I think, which might eventually be his undoing. Could well make the final, but he lacks a bit of substance, so will have to come up with, or be involved in, something a bit special to have a chance.


Tom - bisexual geek. I quite liked him on opening night, but now, I can't stand to watch him. He thinks far too much of himself, in reality he's immature and naive. What was all that aggression about Aaron leading him on? That's not what I saw.

Tom's a cross between Marco and Sam Pepper, and that's dangerous. He's capable of being spiteful, and will spread lies and malicious gossip to turn people against each other. Eventually, he'll be caught out, once too often. Can't make the final.


So who's going to win?

Aden, Alex, Anton, Faye, Heaven, Harry and Tom can't win. So that leaves Aaron, Jay, Louise, Maisy and Mark. Jay's the biggest personality, and will entertain. Aaron's the clever one. Louise is going to emerge from the pack. Quiet, non-controversial girls who make a bit of an effort at the end can win, look at Rachel Rice and Sophie Reade. I'm not sure that Jay could have won on Channel 4, but he might on Channel 5, especially in the year Paddy Docherty won Celebrity Big Brother. So at the moment, I've got;

1. Jay.
2. Louise.
3. Aaron.
4. Mark.
5. Maisy.

For updates on this story, please visit http://stevestonechat.blogspot.com/2011/10/whos-going-to-win-british-big-brother.html and http://stevestonechat.blogspot.com/2011/10/british-big-brother-nominations-update.html

Ed Miliband Slates Big Brother - What Is He Doing?


I just heard from two sources that Labour Party leader Ed Miliband openly slated British Big Brother on Radio 5.

To be honest, I had low expectations for the new series of BB, after it switched from Channel 4 to Channel 5. But I'm glad to say I'm loving it, from the great tasks to the interesting mix of contestants. So much so, in fact, that I'm going to start blogging about it soon.

Why would a political leader slate a popular reality TV show, especially when in opposition, and chasing votes? This can only lose him a few million votes, rather than gain any. What on Earth was he thinking about? And I wonder if his big brother David would have done it?


For a discussion on the credibility of the British Labour Party, check out http://stevestonechat.blogspot.com/2011/09/are-british-labour-party-credible.html

Are The British Labour Party Credible Anymore?


Ed Miliband - he seems like a nice guy, and knowledgeable too - but I thought his brother David had more depth and charisma. Ed's currently speaking at the British Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. It's taken him a year to start saying what he might do if he were in Government. They're going to be frugal, apparently, and manage money better, in a brand new economy.

But here's the problem. Twice in my lifetime, Labour has been in power.

In the 1970's, Harold Wilson and Jim Callaghan presided over borrowing from the IMF to bail Britain out, sterling being devalued, the miners' strike, the power cuts and the three day week. Then Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Government sorted it all out, in what proved to be the greatest boom in prosperity for both the middle and working classes.

And then, starting in 1997, Labour had another go. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown eventually left us crippled with debt, using the same tax and spend policies that Wilson and Callaghan used. And now, David Cameron's Conservative Government is left to try and pick up the pieces.

Although I do appreciate that the global economy played its part, you have to ask yourself a question. If you employed someone twice, and they messed everything up, would you employ them again?

Of course you wouldn't. And that's why the British Labour Party just isn't credible anymore. I don't believe a single word they say. Which is a shame.


And for a shocking update on Ed Miliband, check out http://stevestonechat.blogspot.com/2011/09/ed-miliband-slates-big-brother-what-is.html

Updated Review of 'Intrepid' by Rick Friedman (James Mason Community Book Club)

Here is Rick Friedman's updated (and astonishing) review of my novel 'Intrepid';


'BRILLIANT AND THRILLING AND SO WELL WRITTEN, Intrepid is not your typical thriller - Steve Stone proves that he is many notches above your average writer with his superb plot - very well constructed characters and locations that jump right out at you - a must read series.

Quite an ingenious plot - but can the book live up to the promise? The answer is a resounding YES!!! Steve Stone has produced a novel so full of superb characters, unique locales and gadgets, and most important - characters so finely drawn that the reader is literally plunged into his world. And what a world it is! The immense skills of Mr. Stone allow him to combine so many elements to create ..not so much a novel ..but an experience.

Lance Tucker and especially Jack Nelson are two characters so original and memorable that they serve as the anchor for this must read adventure. One can only be grateful that this is the first in the Intrepid series - as the world created by Mr. Stone is one any reader will want to return to!' RICK FRIEDMAN, FOUNDER, THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB

My Review of 'On The Run With Buddha' by E.N.J. Carter


Dante Carpenter - armchair Buddhist and family-inspired wannabe Hells Angel, turned relief worker - is on the run for a crime he did not commit, after a situation at a brutal post-Vietnam refugee camp goes wrong.

From Manila, around the Pacific Rim to the sordid and often dangerous streets of Bangkok, Dante lurches from crisis to crisis, surviving when perhaps he probably shouldn't. Back in America, a group of super-rich, power-mad businessmen are hatching a plot to wreak a terrible revenge on Japan for old war crimes, and the competitive cost of the emergence of the Japanese economy. As world events overtake him, Dante slowly realises that he is being implicated in that plot. As half the world's police forces, intelligence agencies and ruthless bounty hunters join the chase for his blood, only his student understanding of Buddhism keeps him going.

But then remembering his past, Dante begins to fight back. In the end, his friends and enemies converge, in a vast concurrence of causes and conditions, as everything threatens to change and pass away.........



Carter's character development is as outstanding as his fantastically detailed knowledge of the locations involved, and the politics of the region. I was left wondering if it is any coincidence that 'Carpenter' is a product of the words 'Carter' and 'pen'..........

Review of 'Intrepid' by Rick Friedman (James Mason Community Book Club)

Check out this review of my novel 'Intrepid', by Rick Friedman;


'BRILLIANT AND THRILLING AND SO WELL WRITTEN, Intrepid is not your typical thriller - Steve Stone proves that he is many notches above your average writer with his superb plot - very well constructed characters and locations that jump right out at you - a must read series.' RICK FRIEDMAN, FOUNDER, THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB

For an updated and more detailed review by Rick, please visit;
http://stevestonechat.blogspot.com/2011/09/updated-review-of-intrepid-by-rick.html

Review of 'Intrepid - The Two Storms', by S.J.Wist (Fantasy Cookie).


Check out the review of my novel 'Intrepid - The Two Storms', by Fantasy Cookie's S.J. Wist;

'The stages for The Two Storms are set. One is a political one when the Russian and American Presidents are shot, the other is a devastating hurricane.

'As with reading any sequel I always set the bar higher, and for this one I wasn't disappointed. The characters all fall into place and are easy to keep up with. Confronting a hurricane with a neutron bomb from a B-2 Spirit gets serious cool points as well. Going against mother nature comes with an awesome sense of class this round. But first the Intrepid crew will have to survive another attempt at time travel to get behind the storms with enough time in their hands to prevent them.

'After that, saving the world from a Cold War comes down to taking on street gangs to get to bottom of who The Chinaman is, and just as importantly, who he is working for. I was left right up to the very end trying to figure out the mysteries of identities here. I will read on to Intrepid - Revelations.'

S.J. Wist.
Fantasy Cookie.


For a further review of 'Intrepid - The Two Storms', see; http://stevestonechat.blogspot.com/2011/06/martin-ince-review-of-novel-intrepid.html

This novel is the second in a series of four. 'Intrepid - Revelations' is due out Jan 2012.

For reviews of 'Intrepid', the first novel in the series, and a top 100 Kindle bestseller in science fiction, military and war, see; http://stevestonechat.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-of-novel-intrepid-by-martin-ince.html, and http://stevestonechat.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-of-intrepid-by-sj-wist-fantasy.html

If you're interested in acquiring the 'Intrepid' books on paperback or electronically, you'll find all the purchase links at the top of this blog.