Dingo's Hamster Watch - Big Brother 5

"Position the habitat of your hamster somewhere light and airy,
away from drafts, heaters, direct sunlight and other pets.
Never put it on or near a television, radio or hi-fi or a fridge."

This site isn't about who should win, who will win, who I'd be friends with, or who is cute. It's about watching hamsters: which ones are doing what and why. Which are fun and which are dull. If they aren't entertaining, get rid of 'em! More to come, bookmark & come back! .. that dingo

Linkage

Daily feed recaps & opinion ratings navigation tool for this often-biased site
HamsterWatch Big Brother 8 here we go again
HamsterWatch Big Brother 7 Hamster all-stars in the house
HamsterWatch Big Brother 6 time to do it all over again
CBS Big Brother 5 the official site
Housecalls live web show with Marcellas, also archived shows
TV Updates feed updates, screencaps, and fun boards - easy to use and functional!
bb5fan's 30 second refresh screencaps if you don't have feeds (great at work!)
Hollyisms and Cowboyisms and Lisa-isms from me, that dingo person
Sir LinksALot Big Brother 5 all the links
Reality TV Links emphasis on individual hamsters' sites
Aldav has all of the edgier stuff & the best mini-recaps in town (alternate url)
Today's must-click special: Grin's BB5 Park: Day 59 from Jokers
Catch Marvin's The Young & The Restless appearance on Monday, August 30

8/29/04 - Day 59 >> to the future >> dwell in the past >> latest

Let's review things a bit, Diane

Everyone's in an uproar about a kiss. Again.

I don't like to post what I didn't witness, and I didn't see Cowboy telling Drew he saw Marvin & Diane kiss, so I don't know if he's referring to a quick peck last Thursday (I didn't think it was anything, and it's only mentioned in passing at TV Updates) or one way back on August 5 also at TV Updates - I have no clue what that was about! The other one I know of is below - Drew was present.

Either way, Diane's now scurrying around telling her girls - and Drew - that Marvin initiated it and that he must go. We've heard her complaints about him being a 'groper' and 'harasser' a lot - but not lately - until today. I caught her telling Nik & Karen 'now every time he comes around me I cringe' and 'I just want you to know I don't go around kissing Marvin!' Nik used the word 'violated' and said that they need to be able to feel 'safe.'

This whole 'flirt 'n cry harassment' style of Diane's is one of the first things that caught my attention about her. I'd hear the words, then I'd see the conflicting actions, and wonder WTF! Without getting into a big serious thing here, I have to wonder if this is Diane 'playing the game' or if it's merely Diane being Diane.. or if there's a difference. But if she's making such serious character accusations against Marvin, given the evidence below and elsewhere, she'd best watch out for that ol' karma boomerang.

Each of these scenes was initiated by Diane.. decide for yourself if she's a victim:

(left to right) Last night during condom volleyball
August 26 - about 45 minutes after the timestamp of the TV Updates post linked above
August 23 - a well planned striptease/lap dance - encouraged by Drew - reminiscent of the one she did for Cowboy

August 17 - she climbed onto his bed while he was napping to talk game (and later told Drew that Marvin had approached her)
August 17 again - she joined him in the hammock
August 10 - "I'll give you $10 if you can pick me up right off the ground right now"

July 28 - she straddled Marv and gave him a massage.. later told Drew she "had to"
July 27 - she left girls' group to join him at the hot tub, started rubbing his shoulders
July 25 - she joined him in the hammock and played with his hand - he said "hey this is my first time in the hammock with a chick!" (these were Jase/Holly days)

The pic above of Diane on Marvin's lap was also way back around July 25: her cries of 'groping' and 'harassment' were already in full swing but she's continued to approach him socially, strategically, and flirtatiously since.. tonight she's hanging out with him as usual, and not cringing at all.. so what's the deal with all that, Diane?

Moving on.. another slo-o-o-o-w Sunday in the habitat..
Diane provides a segue, telling Nik & Karen about gropes, kisses, etc. -
she is fun to watch when she tells a story!

Nakomis talks about "waddles - that floppy skin under your chin that old people get"..
she'll pierce hers, but for now she slaps it away.. Drew comes in & slaps her (playing!)

Karen's having a really bad hair day! but recovers nicely..
Drew seems pleased with yesterday's haircut.. Nik is going for hat-hair

Cowboy wins the call from home and finally speaks with the lovely April,
then falls in place for afternoon body count

Diane treadmills inside - Adria lifts outside (who'd win a face-off? a sucker bet..)
All sit down to a silent dinner except Diane & Karen, who've been eating all day

Drew and Adria have a long, long talk.. he talks (badly) about Diane and Marvin; she talks (badly) about Karen and Marvin.. they both complain about people talking about others behind their backs.. Adria and Karen also have a long, long talk - same story

Much of what Drew says Diane's told him between the sheets, between kisses and fingerpaints (many not true).. most of what Adria says we've heard already many times

I had a bunch of quotes here, but it's all so tedious.. they're all as bad as each other

Here & there they talk about other things: excuses to get out of work (Diane & Nik have used some doozies!), how much Diane weighs.. uh-oh, there she goes again!

Karen: I'm tired of getting hammered by them (twins)
Diane: Now you know what I went through for weeks and weeks!
....
Drew: Who do you think the strongest alliance is right now?
Cowboy: Marvin
....
Diane: You think you can tell how much I weigh by lifting me up? Ok!
....
Diane: I'm going to baste in the sun tomorrow

Just when I'm ready to give up on them, they get a little goony again :)

I really don't want to have to rely on this kind of thing

(does she think those things are fooling anyone?)

Let's face it: the hamsters just aren't very fun lately

Maybe it's cabin fever.. maybe it's mid-point numbers stress.. maybe they've finally gotten to know each other a bit, told each other all their stories, and discovered they just don't like each other very much

Much of the time all they do is whisper horrible things about each other, and viewers are saying worse things about all of them.. boards turn on individuals in the house as a mob - one person's an easier target today than yesterday - it's depressing, and hateful

There's a fine line between poking fun and being vicious..
I'm not always sure where that line is

She's in a tough spot. The producers and CBS came up with the whole twins scam, setting up Ad/Nat as known liars from the first days. Let's not forget Diane and Drew were each in twins pre-screening too, and I'm sure Diane would have gone through with it if given the opportunity - I'm not sure about Drew. Ad/Nat did a brilliant job playing one.. they weren't as likeable as two, but Adria's salvaging what she can now, like anyone would. She just says more, for longer, than most.

He's been campaigning to win the phone call since he got there, and it seems to have calmed him down a bit. The guy everyone likes to laugh at has turned into the guy everybody hates - why? He's kind-hearted and well-intentioned.. he's devoted to both April and her son.. and he's loyal (almost to a fault) - last I heard these are not bad qualities. So he doesn't have much tact or discretion, and he talks funny: he's one of those 'real people' everyone's always wishing for on a reality show. I'd imagine most of his critics aren't perfect beings either.

I admit I've been waiting for weeks for people to turn on her.. now that it's happening I'm starting to feel bad for her. I still think she got this far by luck and Diane-instinct (making sure she comes out of everything looking better than the other guy) but now that she's in this sweet spot she's holding it together pretty well. Few in the house realize yet how much she's putting them all against each other - it's not as easy to see as when it was her peers from the fast 'n pretty crowd. Drew's finally catching on though, but he's using her as badly, or worse. Tonight she said her dad used to beat her with a belt.

I'm making an effort to be positive about them all, and I just don't think much of Drew. He's not very bright, and if this were reality he'd be known as the guy jerking a girl around by her emotions.. but it's just a reality show, so all's fair. I think he's misguided and easily led (coincidence?) and he's far too naive to be in this den-of-vipers in the first place.

Karen's got a unique mix of genuine concern for people and all-out raunch. She mom's them all with food and empathy (and for some reason many viewers hate her for that? I don't get it.) She is definitely smarter than she lets on, and although her extended periods of crying and even chit-chat can make us scream 'enough already!' the people in there don't seem to mind.. because she gives them all exactly what they want. That's a rare talent: look around your life - you won't find many like that (or maybe won't recognize them - they're giving you what you want too.)

Marvin is this week's mob target - in & out of the house - all because he didn't nominate the 'right' people? Just a week ago everyone was rallying round his Y&R experience, and sharing his joy - which he gladly spread around - he's hated just in time for it to air on Monday. I hope he's on to 'pussy power' and Diane.. he'll so kick himself if he ends up getting bounced cuz a skinny white ex-stripper from I-da-ho outplayed him.

Nik really bounced back from her bland party-pooper mood yesterday. She's pretty much liked in and out of the house - which is surprising! The house weirdo spouts endless odd trivia like a know-it-all, along with inappropriate sexual comments and gross-out lines, and she says as many nasty things about the others as the next person. But there's something inherently likeable about her.. and I bet she isn't even aware it's there.

Reduced to a single but still negative for no show on Saturday - boo!! It didn't help that all hamsters were tucked in by midnight that night either - which isn't CBS's fault - but it made for a double whammy nobody needed on a Saturday night.