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.
