Jasmine's Bachelors Part 4

Photos Courtesy: Corus/W Network

And the final five Bachelors have been announced...

Jasmine's Bachelors Part 3

Photo Courtesy: Corus/W Network

...And Jasmine's third group of five guys are:

Jasmine's Bachelors Part 2

Photo Courtesy: Corus Ent/W Network

The second group of 5 Bachelors. To see the first five, CLICK HERE

Jasmine's Bachelors: Part 1

Photo Courtesy: Corus Ent/W Network

Here are the first 5 of Jasmine Lorimer's 20 Bachelors, all vying to become her future ex-fiance:

(Additional names & bios will be added in additional posts, as they become available by Corus/W Network.)

The Amazing Race Canada 4 Teams

Don't you just love this time of year? Summer's here, network shows are done with their seasons, and The Amazing Race Canada takes over the airwaves. Now in their 4th season, it was become a summer staple.

The casting for our Canadian version always nails it. Well, usually. Okay, so they had that little hiccup last year. But I think they learned their lesson - don't cast a team unless you expect them to win. And with this cast, I think it's safe to say that any of these teams would make for a great win.

This year, we have ten teams to cheer. Of course, the first thing everyone has noticed is this is down two teams from last season. I'm not going to get into the reasoning behind this. I am just going to accept it and say I am glad. In my opinion, twelve teams last year were a little hard to follow in the first couple of episodes, with some teams getting overlooked in airtime and their story.

Besides, with such a fantastic cast this year, who needs two more teams? Yep, I am going to say it. I think this this could be the best cast producers have given us. Better than the cast of Season 2? Maybe. But then again, last year's cast looked good in the pre-season. Please, please, please don't let us down S4 people! Argh. I am sure they'll be okay. There are no Montani-types this year.

Big Brother Canada 4: House of Cards...The New House Guests (Updated)

Here are the Season 4 cast members. Official babble, bio & Twitter accounts, and my first impressions. Final impressions are pre-season as well - I've just had time to reconsider.

These initial bios are very deceiving. Pretty standard fare and they rarely - if ever, live up to their own ideals. It's almost as if once they get in there, they forget who they are and why they were there. The videos are not much better because they haven't fallen in love with the camera yet. I have also noticed the official info seems to be intentionally manufactured to remind us of past alumni, attempting to fit each Houseguest into a stereotype. Most remind me of BBCan cast, others from BBUS.  


So take my initial impressions worth a grain of salt. 

Sometimes I think I should hold off writing my impressions and predictions until I've seen the Live Feeds or until they all get hammered. Seeing them drunk is the only way to make sure.

Jared Kesler
Twitter: @JaredBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 24
Hometown: Winnipeg, MB
Occupation: Pipeline Worker
Jared is the quiet "pretty boy" who is looking for a showmance and plans to dominate the physical competitions that Big Brother Canada has in store.
Strategy: My strategy is just to not get caught up in household drama. Being polite is kind of my main goal. It’s gotten me pretty far in life – people take kindly to “Yes sir. Thank you ma’am.” I don’t want to have a showmance, but I’m going to get awfully bored in that house. It’s the worst thing you can do for the purpose of winning but I’m going to run out of things to talk about with the guys. My mom would not be happy.
My First Impressions: Fan, but maybe not quite "superfan" level. He may well be a "quiet, pretty boy", but he knows Big Brother Canada.
My Final Assessment: I can easily see Jared at least making Jury, if not farther. He could get in with a group of guys in an alliance. Despite his claims to the contrary, I give it two weeks tops until he's in a showmance. If he really has seen previous seasons like he's claimed, then he knows damn well of Emmett & Jillian's showmance and whatever the hell that thing was between Jon and Neda. Or last season's Lover's Paradise. Showmances can get you far, IF you know what you're doing game-wise.

Joel Lefevre
Twitter: @JoelBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 33
Hometown: Edmonton, AB 
Occupation: Actor
Joel is a self-proclaimed late bloomer who feels he will be able to fly under the radar and swoop in to win it all.
Strategy: My strategy is to make personal connections as soon as possible with everyone in the house. I don’t plan to have a showmance – I’m skeptical of them knowing that it’s a competition for a lot of money so the intentions aren’t necessarily good. That said, I wouldn’t say no to a showmance, because I wouldn’t want someone to be suspicious that I was on to them. I’d play along for a little while.
My First Impressions: He's got that Steve Moses/Ian Terry vibe going on. Plus, he gives a shout out to Jordan Parhar. If the others see it too, he may be first out. Externally, I think he's a nerd-poser - meaning I think either he or TPTB have played up the nerd factor. One word....VEST.
My Final Assessment: Joel is still a mystery to me, but until I see otherwise I'm still sticking to my guns that nerd-persona is exaggerated. Either he came up with it or production did. There are pictures of him on the internet with no vest or glasses. If this is a personality trait he is putting on for strategy - that is, to make him look less threatening, then it's a huge mistake.

Loveita Adams
Twitter: @LoveitaBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 25
Hometown: Fort McMurray, AB
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Loveita is an outspoken and ambitious ball of fire who is sure to stir up controversy in the Big Brother Canada house.
Strategy: My strategy is to make as many promises as possible; even if I have to make promises or search for things to promise. The purpose behind this is that if you’re able to make a promise and keep it, you’ll immediately build trust. I want people to believe that I will do whatever I say. For instance, if I know I want to vote a certain person out, I might go up to someone who I know is a supporter of theirs and pretend I’m not sure what I will do. Then I’ll offer them my vote to support them. If I give them my word and keep it, they’ll believe in me. I’ve watched the show and looked at it from a statistics and psychology stand-point, and I’ve seen how valuable building trust and credibility can be.
My First Impressions: Her bio suggests she is an unknown factor and may be a floater at least in the early stages of the game. She doesn't like all-girl alliances because girls can't play a physical game. (has she even seen the show?) That may be her downfall.
My Final Assessment: Loveita's main strategy has Sabrina written all over it (it's almost identical to Sabs pre-show bio), and we all know what happened with that. It worked for Sabrina in the early stages of the game, and it can certainly work for Loveita. BUT, the whole bit about girls not having enough strength to compete against the guys in challenges sounds like a load of hooey to me. Even if she believes it, it tells me that her unwillingness to get in an alliance with a girl or girls is a major mistake.

Maddy Pavle
Twitter: @MaddyBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 21
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Occupation: Server
Maddy is a fashionable tomboy and a serial dater who is so confident in her Big Brother Canada game that she has already declared victory.
Strategy: I do not [have a strategy]. I’m going to take every day as it comes because every day could be different than what I plan for. I have watched every season of Big Brother Canada and I know what a rollercoaster I am in for so I don’t think a strategy is what works.
My First Impressions: Recognizing that an overall strategy doesn't work looks promising, but she's just to much Danielle 2.0 to me. A real live-wire.
My Final Assessment: If she is as edgy and rambunctious as her bio suggests, I can see her irritating a lot of people, especially if she goes in swinging. Remember Kat Yee? Yah, like that. Are we looking at an early eviction here? Or maybe first out? Maybe one factor in her favour is she claims to have watched previous seasons. But is she a superfan?

Paige Distranski
Twitter: @PaigeBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 19
Hometown: Thunder Bay, ON
Occupation: Vet Tech Assistant
Paige is a real outdoor type who likes to hunt, trap, and fish. Her birthday present from her parents was a trip to audition for Big Brother Canada and she's ready to make it all the way to the finale.
Strategy: Growing up in Northwestern Ontario has prepared me for this experience. I’ve grown up outside, trapping and hunting. Those things are all about anticipating an animal’s next move and strategizing to maintain the upper hand, and that IS Big Brother Canada if you think about it. Basically the Big Brother Canada house is going to be my trap line. Being in nature all the time can be harsh, and it’s made me strong and it’s made me brave.
My First Impressions: She may be the biggest fan in the house this year. A bit of a ditz. She seems to fill the Talla/Pili role, mostly because of her own, made-up doggy language. 
My Final Assessment: Despite her fan status (or superfan status) the only thing holding me back on Paige is her age. Knowing BB strategy and knowing how to carry through with it are two completely different animals. Or have we forgotten last season already? Hey who knows. Maybe Paige can form an alliance where she can shine.

Ramsey Aburaneh
Twitter: @RamseyBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 26
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Occupation: Digital Marketing Specialist
Ramsey is a charming conversationalist who has an enormous family (65 first cousins!) and knows how to handle himself in a large group and chaotic situations.
Strategy: Yes and no. I don’t have an A to Z plan because the show changes so much and you can’t get too locked to a plan. It’s safe to say that for the first half of the show I want to downplay my athleticism and just come off like a guy that just seems to be there to have fun and not really think about the competition side. Then when it’s time to, I’ll start to showcase who I really am, win some competitions, and stab people in the back. That’s my plan. Hundo P.
My First Impressions: Definite Zach type. Extremely likeable, but he has never seen the show before (another recruit?)!
My Final Assessment: If Ramsey is a recruit, then I think casting just hit the jackpot. He has a girlfriend, so no showmances for him. But his charismatic personality should win over guys and girls. His bio suggests that he has done his homework and studied up on several episodes or seasons. If he can hide his athleticism long enough, he's got a real shot at this. 

Raul Manriquez
Twitter: @RaulBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 21
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Occupation: Fashion Stylist
Raul moved from Mexico with his family for a better life. He's a Mormon who is proud of his LGBT community and is convinced he can use his Latino charm to win Big Brother Canada.
Strategy: I do not [have a strategy]. I’m really bad at making strategies. I usually just go with the flow. If I had a strategy, I’d be changing it all the time. I prefer to just go with the flow of the river. All I know is that I do not want to fall in love because when I fall in love, I forget everything except for the guy I’m in love with. I just want to be with him and do whatever he wants and I lose myself. So, not a good idea for Big Brother Canada.
My First Impressions: No. This guy screams recruit. I hate recruits. Well let's just say they have to win me over. So, I will need to see him on the live feeds before I can really get a good opinion.
My Final Assessment: Except for the bit about being versatile, I just don't understand what this guy is about. He's all over the place in his bio and vid. It just makes me wonder if he's even seen the show. Unless there is data TPTB are holding back from us, I can't see him going far.

Cassandra Shahinfar
Twitter: @CassandraBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 22
Hometown: Winnipeg, MB
Occupation: Social Media Specialist 
Cassandra is the centre of attention in her family and is set on finding a showmance in the Big Brother Canada house.
Strategy: Well Cassandra means seducer of all men so that can work for a strategy – making everyone fall in love with me! I can talk to any person at any age and get to know them. I plan to use my social skills in the house to get to know everyone, and make them feel I’m just there to have fun and be their friend, and not necessarily strategize or get into a clique. Even if someone who I’m not in an alliance with or who isn’t a key player seems to be down or having a hard day, if I see them down I will try and make them feel better. The fact that I’m helping them, they’ll remember that down the line, that I’m not just there for the game, I’m there for the people. When really, I’m just there for the game! I’m also planning to make a secret alliance with one male. Not necessarily a showmance but sort of like a Jon (BBCAN Season 2) and Neda (BBCAN Season 2) thing. I’d have him win the competitions that I can’t do myself, and I’d have him do my dirty work too. That would be ideal.
My First Impressions: One word....DIVA. Second word: Sabrina. I'll just let that sink in a bit. Cassandra better learn how to do dishes. Quick. Yah, this one spells trouble.
My Final Impressions: That kind of attitude is going to make HUGE enemies of the other girls real quick. Maybe even the guys. It's so transparent. On the other hand, she could get carried along like BB16's Victoria Rafaeli.

Christine Kelsey
Twitter: @ChristineBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 47
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Occupation: Housekeeper
Christina is a single mother who is ready to use her maternal vibe to trick the houseguests into trusting her.
Strategy: I mean it’s all about the dynamics once you get in there, but basically I want to lay low while the big strong players duke it out, and then I’ll kick into high gear later. I’ll keep it under the radar for a while. I can be pretty loud and social but I don’t want to show that right away. I hide that side of myself all the time – people can’t handle me – so it won’t be hard to do that in the house.
My First Impressions: NO. I'm not saying that a person of that age won't stand a chance with all the younger people, but she won't stand a chance with all those younger people. It can be done, it just takes a certain personality to do so. I'm not sure she has it. 
My Final Impressions: Christine has some very good friends who are claiming she CAN fit in. I hope so. But I also believe that despite her youthful thinking, she will need someone in the cast to counter-balance the young 20-somethings. What I don't like is the fact that there was no one else cast even close to her age. The next oldest person in the house is Joel at 33. Then again, she could pull a double-cross. While the single & ready to mingle types are, as Godfrey put it - in a Lover's Paradise, she could form a nice alliance with Joel, Mitchell and/or Ramsey. Yah, I can see that.

Dallas Cormier
Official Babble:
Twitter: @DallasBBCAN
Age: 24
Hometown: Saint John, NB 
Occupation: Welder
Dallas is a hard-working, blue-collar guy who has a great sense of humour, a beaming personality, and is set to become everyone's confidante in the Big Brother Canada house.
Strategy: My strategy is to go in there and try and win that first HOH. I want everyone coming to me and trying to be my friend. After that I want to form an alliance with a male and a female houseguest. Sometimes it comes down to a bit of a gender war in there so it would be good to be covered on both sides. 
My First Impressions: A curious blend of Kenny Brain and Spenser Clawson, except his strategy is sooo wrong. Why does he want that first HoH?????
My Final Impressions: This is my favourite kind of guy. Loud, bombastic, lovable. Don't let that profile pic fool you. He looks a LOT different in some other pictures I've seen. I think he'll go far in the game, but just how far I don't know. The only thing holding me back from committing 100% (or should I say, HUNDO) is his wanting that damn first HoH. Why, Dallas, why?

Kelsey Faith
Twitter: @KelseyBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 25
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Occupation: Flight Attendant 
Kelsey is a free-spirited, girl-next-door who is single and ready to mingle Big Brother Canada-style.
Strategy: My strategy going into the house is to sort of have no strategy. I just want to have fun with it and meet some really good people and be positive about the whole experience. I don’t want to overthink everything too much. I feel like that would just make me go crazy!
My First Impressions: Her video is just too calm, cool and collected. So I would like to see her start overthinking things and go crazy. 
My Final Impressions: I'm not picking up a lot from this one. Sweet, calm, and extremely attractive. Her bio screams she is not there "for all the right reasons", which tells me she could be another recruit. Let's face it, none of the guys are voting to get rid of her anytime soon. Nope. If she plays her cards right, maintains that aura of calmness and learns along the way, she may make jury.

Mitchell Moffit
Twitter: @MitchBBCAN4
Official Babble:
Age: 27
Hometown: Guelph, ON
Occupation: YouTuber
Mitchell is a very successful scientist who has nearly five million subscribers to his YouTube channel AsapSCIENCE which he runs with his life partner. He knows the game well and is ready to strategize behind the scenes to win it all.
Strategy: I think that on a broad scale, my strategy relates to what they say in evolution, which is that it’s not the strongest or the smartest, but it’s the species who are most able to adapt who survive. I think that applies pretty strongly to Big Brother Canada. You can’t know what types of people you’re going to encounter in the house, and what kinds of connections and bonds you’ll make, or what twists will come, but you can be on your toes and go with the flow.
My First Impressions: His Youtube channel is a big deal with close to 4 million subscribers. Bill Nye even appeared in one episode. This guy could make things happen IF he can keep the science stuff in check and doesn't come out with, "I'm a Social. Media. Mogul" (ugh) Yes, I'm just joking.
My Final Impressions: Mitchell is high on my list of pre-season favourites. Not only is he intelligent, but I think he knows how to use it. Those two traits don't always go together. As some people say, there's book smarts, then there's people smarts. And I can see him in an alliance with someone totally unexpected. Maybe Christine, Sharry or Philippe. Another plus for Mitchell is he's a fan.

Double Down
Philippe & Nicholas Paquette
Twitter: @PhilBBCAN
Official Babble:
Ages: 21 (Phil) and 20 (Nick)
Hometown: Ottawa, ON 
Occupation: Students
The outspoken brothers from Ottawa will play as one houseguest, and these charmers plan to do whatever it takes to win.
Phil's Strategy: I’m going to try and stay under the radar for the first little while, and make some relationships and throw every competition possible at the beginning. And then beyond that, it’s all about the social side. I could stab anyone in the back – I know people say that but in my case it’s true. They get emotional. I don’t. To win, you have to cut ties eventually. Around day 42 I’ll be ready for a showmance. I definitely don’t want one right away. Girls are trouble in my life! They can’t be controlled. I’ll wait till it’s a bit safer.
Nick's Strategy: I will be trying to pull favours around the house and if my brother comes through with a business deal, I will have already laid the groundwork.  
My First Impressions of Phil:  He could be this season's douche. His video carried on about how distracting women are and he just can't get in a showmance. Chances are, he will at least try for one in the first week. 
My Final Impressions of Phil: He may not be quite the douche the video makes him out to be. Check out:This article Thank you video editing for making EVERYONE jump to the wrong conclusions. So tricksy! Take that douchy-sounding bit about "girls are trouble" and flip it around as if a student with good grades is saying it. Anyway, I would put Philippe way up on my list, except there is a major hurdle for him. I don't want to put spoilers in this post, so I will try to put this as unspoilery as I possibly can. Philippe will go into the house with a huge "complication". I suspect production has an agenda here. They may be trying to take the heat off the 2 Wildcards coming in. Another motive is to break the curse of the first evictees - they've been females in all 3 previous seasons. Who knows, maybe Philippe and his complication will charm his way into a protective alliance.
My final Impressions of Nick and the Double Down: Nick seems to be a bit more likeable than his brother. When the Double Down was first introduced, speculation tended towards the brothers being a massive target. However, there are some advantages for the other HGs forming an alliance with them! But most important of all, if the twist has been named the "Double Down", then u can place your bets now that eventually (and if the brothers survive) there WILL be a "Split" to complete the Blackjack reference. 

Sharry Ash
Twitter: @SharryBBCAN
Official Babble:
Age: 29
Hometown: Brampton, ON
Occupation: Customer Service Supervisor
Sharry is an intelligent, gregarious bi-sexual woman who guarantees her fierceness will help her dominate the Big Brother Canada game.
Strategy: My strategy to win is to be myself, listen more than I speak and to remain agile. By agile I mean I will take each day at a time, stay flexible and bend and manipulate my strategy as things shift. I think going in with one plan isn’t effective because I don’t know what I’m up against.
My First Impressions: Not having an overall strategy can either mean she knows what she's talking about OR she's a total newbie. But her video tells me she's highly personable and could go far. 
My Final Impressions: Her bio doesn't say as much as her video. Sharry has the same demeanor as Neda and Sarah Hanlon. Maybe a bit like Sarah Miller. I think her strength will help her stay calm, cool and collected in the worst situation.

Nikki Grahame
Official Babble:
Age: 33
Hometown: London, UK

Occupation: TV Personality
Adventurous, brave, and loyal, Nikki doesn’t play Big Brother with any sort of strategy in mind, and just enjoys the experience and people while she’s in the house.
Strategy: I haven’t even considered winning Big Brother Canada. It’s enough of a shock to me that I’m in Canada. Even if I get into the house I would just be elated to get to live that experience of Big Brother. Ten years ago, I did it for the first time and it’s like I’m doing it for the first time all over again if I go in there. That would just be so exciting!
My Final Impressions: This is a whole new ball game for Nikki, and you can see that in her bio. I think she'll take her time getting a feel for the style of game before she starts on her campaign. Do I think she'll win? No. But she may be around until just before jury or may even be an early jury member. At the very least, she'll make the show very entertaining.

Tim Dormer
Official Babble:
Age: 31
Hometown: Bondi Beach, Australia

Occupation: TV & Radio Host and Social Media Influencer
Unique and energetic, Tim's greatest challenge will be keeping himself out of mischief and off the chopping block.
Strategy: Play nice. Which is hard because I usually play mean! In Australia, it’s different. It’s all viewer voted, so even if you’re mean but you’re entertaining, you stay in the house. Whereas, here if people hate me in the house, I’m out. I’ll have to hold my tongue. My goal is to think before I speak or act. It’s going to be a challenge.
My Final Impressions: I think Tim may have a little bit better understanding of the game than Nikki, so I expect him to go a bit further. If either of the two Wildcards have a chance of winning, Tim would be my choice.

Who is your pick to get to the end?
To see my Top 5 aka, my Five-Card Draw, CLICK HERE

Big Brother Canada 3 Houseguests...The New Batch!!!

Who the hell IS this???

Here we go, people. ET Canada has announced the season 3 contenders. Of course, these cast photoshoots CAN be very deceiving. It's like that old saying, you can't judge a book from it's cover. Remember Jon Pardy's bio pic? Completely out of character. He looked like a math nerd. Geesh.

We just may be in for Superfanaramafest '15.

Just like last year, I am going to give it my best shot and give my first impressions and character rating. I will do preliminary survivability and predictions, but I reserve final judgement until I see the entire cast. Looking back over the stuff I wrote for last year's cast, I think I did pretty well.

The official cast reveal means these people have been sequestered, and have entered the house today...Thursday March 19... MOVE-IN DAY!!! As I write this, they are probably freaking out with excitement, and getting right to work sizing up the competition and jostling for position. Like race horses out of the gate. The latest commercial promises twists right from day 1. They will soon be playing for their first comp...HOH. Yep. Or, more appropriately, not playing for the HOH. Nobody wants that. Well, except Paul last year. Now THAT was hilarious. Not just for the fact that he wanted it. Or the fact that he thought he needed to. No. It's because of his social game. He ran his HOH like Brando in Apocalypse Now....laying in his bed and granting audiences.

Anyways, enough of the fluff. Hey here's something! There will be 16 Houseguests!!! This tells me something...I think it's part of some new damn twist. The 10 week time frame just doesn't fit. So I guess we should, ummn, what is that? Oh yeah...expect the unexpected. I almost forgot.

Britnee Blair
25 
Calgary, Alberta (currently N.Y.C)
Model
Strategy: Britnee's strategy depends on aligning herself in a showmance, which she prefers. But a fauxmance will do just fine. She also thinks she can win over the girls because she knows how to handle whiners, based on her experience as a model in NYC. Give them sympathy, boost their ego, and they'll be your friend.
BBCan Idols: Gary, Emmett and Jillian. She goes gaga over Emmett...or large, muscular guys in flannel and a cowboy hat.
My Impression: Don't let the high maintenance look in her bio pic fool you. In her video. she was quite comfortable wearing flannel. She likes flannel, I guess. She says she's in it to win it - which is possible, but something tells me she would be satisfied with the exposure. She may garner fans who see her as a role model for plus size women.
Character Rating: Marilyn Monroe. She's the girl next door who left home for fame and fortune.
Survivability/Predictions: Medium

Bobby Hlad
27
Oakville, Ontario
Rock Climbing Instructor
Strategy: He has strategies planned out in his head, but knows they will all change once he gets in the house. He wants to be the likeable friendly guy that everybody wants to stick around. It's not in his mindset to physically throw a challenge. A memory task won't be a problem though. And yes, he is open to developing a showmance, fauxmance, bromance or any-kind-of-mance.
BBCan Idols: Emmett and Jon (no surprise there) and he is secretly in love with Jillian. Maybe he should form an alliance with Britnee to break up the happy couple.
My Impression: He says he only started watching the franchise with BBUS9, but doesn't remember the trivia like a superfan. Yet, he is going to be ADHD with the excitement of being in the house with 15 other people. Something's not adding up here because he must have studied the game enough to recognize that any planned strategies change once you enter the house. On top of that...he looks and reads like the love child of Jon and Emmett.
Character Rating: Loveable Party Dude.
Survivability/Predictions: Medium to high. I think he may be at risk of the cast will recognizing the Emmett/Jon qualities, but I think he may be just too much fun to vote out.

Zack Oleynik
22
Regina, Saskatchewan
University Student
Strategy: He wants to align himself in a close, 4-person group. He will build his social game first, then bring physicality into play down the road. He wants a showmance or a bromance, and knows that his height (6'4") will put a huge target on his back and give him problems with endurance challenges.
BBCan Idols: He likes Jon, has a crush on Jillian. Oh great, another one.
My Impression: I don't know if I have one. This guy seems like a standard, cookie-cutter houseguest. In other words - yawn - what was I saying??? Oh oh. Yeah it seems Zach  trolled Peter Brown on Twitter. This was during Season 1 - two years ago. It was so nasty that Peter recognized this guy when he was announced today. So you can look for a nasty episode of Side Show when this guy is evicted.
Character Rating: Weasel
Survivability/Predictions: Medium...if he aligns himself with someone quick. Otherwise, yeah his stature and ego are a problem.

Sarah Hanlon
27
Toronto, Ontario
Hemployee at a Vapour Lounge
Strategy: She says she has too many strategies to list. Here's what she foresees happening: the cool kids will take over the house. The outsiders will tire of all the bossiness. She will then stage a coup and become Queen of the Misfits. That's her "title", not mine. She fears physical challenges. Of course she does...just look at her.
BBCan Idols: Gary, for remaining true to himself.
My Impressions: Hippy? I balk at that. No hippy-type would be caught dead in a dress from Le Chateau like that, even if you wear a headband. Her bio is a terrible read, but she calls herself a superfan in her video. Not too sure about that. She wants the first HOH, preferring to work around the target it puts on her back.
Character Rating: Poser
Survivability/Predictions: Medium to high. At this point she looks like this season's Anick and comes off more like BBUS16  Christine.

Ashleigh Wood
21
Calgary, Alberta
Unemployed
Strategy: Ashleigh wants to focus on her social game: be kind, nice and not win the first HOH. She wants to fly under the radar and form an alliance with people she wouldn't normally hang with...you know: nerds, quiet types. She has been trying to exercise her long term memory by doing puzzles (geesh). Another strategy is aiming to keep her mouth closed and her opinions to herself.
BBCan Idols: Jon - not because he won all that money, but because he's funny.
My Impression: Oh this one is trouble. I can see her getting into it with Britnee. Not good. But, I also see a Christine/Nicole kind of thing happening with her and Sarah. Meh.
Character Rating: Princess. And I don't mean Disney.
Survivability/Predictions: Low. Medium if she can lasso in a showmance quickly.

Jordan Parhar
21
Cloverdale, British Columbia
University Student
Strategy:  This one considers himself a superfan. He's been watching since BBUS2. Here we go. He wants to make friends and gain trust by wearing his McLovin, while deep inside he's really Frank Underwood.
BBCan Idols: Neda, because she is a superfan like himself. Also Peter - who he considers talked the talk, but couldn't walk the walk. He fears no challenges and thinks he is smarter than most other people he meets.
My Impression: Well, talk about being full of himself. Wow. He has thrown the gauntlet down. Right at Peter's feet. I can't wait for the episode of Side Show after this guy gets eliminated.
Character Rating:  Mr. Know-it-All Brown Noser. Maybe I will call him Parhar-dee-har-har-har just for laughs.
Survivability/Predictions: Medium. I think he is going to annoy the crap out of everyone. But let's see if he's smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

Bruno Ieto
31 
Ottawa, Ontario
Construction Worker
Strategy: It's not that he doesn't have a strategy, it's just that he wants to get to know his surroundings first, get to know his fellow houseguests, then adapt. Oh yeah then there's something about the houseguests are part of his toolbox. I think I know what he means, I just hope he doesn't slip and call one of them a tool. He wants to see who he connects with, and trust his gut. He believes he is stronger with physical challenges. He has one drawback...he is colour blind. He also knows he will have to keep his mouth shut, let things play out when there is bullying or fighting - even though it is not in his nature.
BBCan Idols: He has no idol from the alum, but he liked the humour of Paul and Adel.
My Impressions: Although he enjoyed Paul's humour, he knows the guy was pretty much the worst player in the history of the game. So he has that much going for him. The rest is a bit of a mystery, but he has a real trusting face, so that could help him a bit. He is married with 2 kids, and seems a little level headed - just like Mumzy.
Character Rating: Mr. Mumzy
Survivability: Low to Medium, but he will probably become a fan favourite.

Willow MacDonald
26
Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia
Sales and Marketing Rep
Strategy: She wants to make the others believe she has no strategy and is just flying by the seat of her pants. Meanwhile, she will be analyzing every person and their moves. She wants to align with intelligent, calm and cool people. She fears mental challenges, is horrible at puzzles and is mildly dyslexic. One more thing. She calls herself a superfan because she has been watching the show since she was 16 (her video says since she was 10).
BBCan Idols:  Jillian...something about how hard it is to be a woman in the house, especially when there is a dominant male alliance.
My Impressions:  I am not too sure about this one. It's like she's hiding her true nature. A bit like Heather whose bio suggested she was a ditz, then proved she had brains. Her video suggests she knows the game, BUT she seems to stress she'll be digging the experience of it more. She suggestively says she's in it for the "whole Shaban".
Character Rating:  Miss Shaban-ging It
Survivability:  Low to Medium

Naeha Sareen
29
Toronto, Ontario
Chiropractor, Entrepreneur
Strategy: Ummn. What the frig? She answers this question  by talking about how good she will do in mental challenges...because she is intelligent. But her memory is bad. She also says when she watches the show, she gets the answers before the houseguests. No, I didn't type that incorrectly. Like I said...WTF? She fears physical challenges even though she works out. Her video suggests she is a bigger fan. She wants to be the "go to person" in the house, and says there is nothing she won't do.
BBCan Idols: Emmett and Gary from Season 1; Adel, Arlie, Heather, Jon, Kenny and Neda from Season 2. Did she leave anyone out?
My Impressions: I don't know if I have ever seen such a discrepancy between a written bio and a video interview than Naeha's. The written bio came off as Sabrina 2.0 or even Paul 2.0. It was so bad, I started to think she auditioned for the wrong show, and I had her down as the first out. The video shows a completely different Naeha who looks to be a strong, determined contender. Amazing. I think she could be the one to round up the fringe collection, not Sarah.
Character Rating: Smooth Talker.
Survivability: High

Graig Merritt
36
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
Pro Baseball Scout/Coach/Ex-Dodgers Catcher
Strategy:  He's going into the house under an assumed personality: he is a 30 year old Costco worker. He has done his homework and even talked to a Costco Manager about wages, shift work and the like. He thinks his pro-ball career would put a huge target on his back and he is probably right. He fears mental challenges because, he says jokingly, he was a Catcher and has been conussed a lot. He does not claim to be a superfan and has only watched the show since BBCan1. He applied for last season but was in a very serious car accident.
BBCan Idols: Adel, because of his attitude and gameplay.
My Impressions: Graig's secret identity strategy is exactly the same as BBUS 16 winner Derrick Levasseur - an undercover police officer who said he worked for Parks and Rec. Just one problem...a ballplayer LOOKS LIKE a ballplayer. I get the feeling he will become a fan favourite.
Character Rating: Undercover Cop
Survivability:  High if he can keep up the charade and deflect any suspicions to other houseguests. Remember, everyone thought Derrick was foolish for playing his strategy that way, and look where it got him.

Godfrey Mangwiza
22
Toronto, Ontario
Psychology Student
Strategy:  Basically, he wants to use the power of distraction by planting rumours to make the others paranoid and fight among themselves. Meanwhile, he will fly under the radar. He plans to hide the fact that he is s Psych student by saying he is a high school dropout. One part of his plan is to lie, just like Adel did and say that he was granted special powers by Canada. He has brains and brawn, but plans on using neither to win challenges. He also wants to lie about his real life - substituting "Stripper" for "Psychology Student".
BBCan Idols: Emmett
My Impressions:  I really hope this guy doesn't try the Adel Special Power Trick. It just won't go over well. And I just can't see it fooling anyone. It was funny at first when Adel did it, became awkward and if I remember correctly, people (Jon and Neda) questioned it at the time. On the flip side, I like the fact he knows he doesn't have to win challenges to get ahead in the game - you only need to when it's absolutely necessary.
Character Rating: The guy who tries too hard.
Survivability: Medium, because I think his antics will be discovered. But, like Bruno or last season's Adel, he will become a fan favourite for sure. We will be mesmerized on the feeds. Remember that extra 5th camera we get to vote on? It's name will be Godfrey.

Sindy Nguyen
25
Huntsville, Ontario
Assistant Cruise Director/Pageant Queen
Strategy: Sindy admits to not having much of a strategy and is just going to wing it, basically. She also admits to "not watching the show much." She is not going to tell anyone she is a cruise director - just going to identify herself as a pageant queen. I don't know why. Does she think being a cruise director will make her seems to smart? She will find endurance challenges hard.
BBCan Idols: She doesn't have one, but she likes Heather and Gary. And apparently herself.
My Impressions: She is going to annoy everyone in the house. How can I tell? In the section asking who her BBCan idols were, she turned it back onto herself and detailed how her last boyfriend was a stripper...a la Channing Tatum.
Character Rating: Love Boat
Survivability: Is there a level below "Low"??? She has to be the first out or there is no justice in the world. The only way she can possibly survive, is to get into a showmance as soon as she enters the house. And I mean just like The First Five making their alliance in the first 5 minutes.

Johnny Colatriglio
26
Winnipeg, Manitoba
IT Project Manager
Strategy: He knows better than to go into any Big Brother house with a preconceived plan. But there is a bigger picture to look at. He will get to know people, size them up, and make sure he doesn't rub anyone the wrong way. He says he will be good at mental challenges and he's been training for the physical ones. He is highly competitive.
BBCan Idols: Neda. Enough said.
My Impressions: He calls himself not just a superfan but a huge superfan. How big? He left his 8 month old puppy Veto at home. A hard thing to do during a puppy's informative years, don't you think?
Character Rating: Veto Corleone
Survivability: High, if he can lay low and pretend he is not a superfan.

Pilar Nemer
22
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Student
Strategy: She doesn't know. She's just going in the house and go with the flow. The good thing is she has 9 siblings, which has prepared her to battle. Nine siblings? I'd say that would have prepared her for just about everything!
BBCan Idols: Neda - because she is competitive like her, and Talla - because she is goofy, like her.
My Impressions: Pilar's written bio came off better than her interview video where she was portrayed as totally clueless. A complete scatterbrain. I blame the editing which pieced together laughs that seemingly came out of nowhere. It could be they are trying just a little too hard to make her out to be the next Talla. Remember Talla just screaming for the sake of screaming? Yeah, like that.
Character Rating: Clueless???
Survivability: I am not sure about this one. But for now I am going to say Low. Pilar is definitely one I will have to see on the show and live feeds to see how she does. I'm confused. If she can tone it down for the first week, she seems likeable enough to win a few allies over.

Kevin Martin
22
Grand Prairie, Alberta
Professional Poker Player
Strategy: Kevin's strategy is to relax when the others go crazy. It's a marathon and you don't want to play your hand too soon after all. The others will get themselves worked up and totally destroy their game doing so. He is not planning on winning HoH EVER. In fact, he plans on elevating game-throwing to an art form. That sounds like game on, Arlie. Game on. Because of this, he fears no mental or physical challenges. But he does fear a boring challenge that he can't throw without it being obvious.
BBCan Idols: Arlie, of course.
My Impressions: I think Kevin will succeed where Arlie failed. Don't forget that Arlie was totally screwed within the "first five minutes" when he was suckered into that alliance. Arlie was the master of throwing comps (always remember the potatoes) but he could also win them if he had to. Yes, you can get by without winning anything even in the finale BUT you have to be able to convince the jury you had the winning hand all along.
Character Rating: Hold...Hold...HOLD! <Think Braveheart>
Survivability: High.

Patricia "Risha" Denner
41
Toronto, Ontario
Waitress
Strategy: Risha's strategy is to play the big sister to everyone in the house. She knows what not to do from watching the mistakes of those that came before and is aware that you have to adjust your game as you go. She fears no challenges, except anything that involves height, which she is quick to point out is ironic due to her 6'1" stature.
BBCan Idols: Emmett - classy, a good person and above all, he knew how to listen.
My Impressions: What do you THINK my impressions are of Risha? Well, you're wrong. I think she is going to take that big sister strategy and make it work much like Sarah Miller and her role as Mumzy. Which is also kind of ironic because Mumzy is younger. I can see a younger egotistical person (like Sindy, perhaps) trying to target her. But, let's face facts here...I don't think there is a straight guy in the house who wouldn't want to keep her around for a while.
Character Rating: Jessica Rabbit (You thought I was going to say MILF, didn't you???)
Survivability: Medium...if she can pull it off.

My thoughts so far: 

I think this cast is one of the best ever...at least on paper. And we can never get so comfortable with our predictions until we've actually seen them in action.

I am starting to get the feeling that we will be seeing a guys alliance happening this year. There just seems to be something about the guys announced so far. There may even be two. Let's just hope it doesn't happen on Day 1.

Something is amiss. There are two guys - Zach and Jordan, who have criticized Peter Brown, and I think this may have something to do with Side Show. It's still on Slice, it's an hour long and they will now be interviewing evictees right after elimination. Are they counting on a confrontation or two to fill that hour?

Another thing I have noticed is there seem to be a lot of houseguests who claim to be superfans. Everyone has. They could either band together (remember: get your friend close, but your enemies closer?), OR they could create a huge chasm in the house and kill each other off. So, don't let all these claims get to you. The claim to the title of superfan is debatable. There is a huge difference between a fan and a superfan. Or perhaps, we are just looking at various levels of superfandom. I guess we will actually have to wait to see which of these claims ring true.

My Pre-Season Top Five:

My money is on Kevin, but I also like the looks of Naeha, Sarah, Bobby, and Graig (in no particular order.) Let me explain. This is, of course, based on pre-season bios and videos on the official site. I can easily see it changing once the first few episodes air and the live feeds begin. It also doesn't mean I don't personally "like" others like Bruno, Pilar, Johnny, Godfrey or Jordan. I do like them, and they will have hoards of fans. But the biggest monkey wrench to these predictions is the level of involvement in fan participation. There are so many rumours out there, and if true, all these predictions will go right out the window. And I will be up all night Monday editing my choices.

...and I have already changed my mind...I also like the looks of Jordan, but I have no idea how he can fit in the mix. Who do I drop from these five?

My Pre-Season Pick for 1st Eviction: Sindy

Once again, this is based on the info we have received pre-season. There are all kinds of red flags there which suggests she is a handful and will irritate a lot of houseguests. If she survives the first week, it's because she has started into a potential show/fauxmance or is only being pulled along for her pawn value by one or more of the superfans. Harsh, I know. But that's the impression I got.