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)

9/2/04 - Day 63 >> to the future >> dwell in the past >> latest

Shit, meet fan

So.. Scott didn't show up today

The "special treat" for internet fans turned out to be fishies instead - lots & lots of fishes - and a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of those oh-so-dramatic nomination ceremonies: big frickin' deal. The tv professionals' idea tanked, but the hamster amateurs came through for us!

It started off normal enough - cards, bellies, bodies - the usual suspects..
Diane's found out about the What's Different game, finally

Diane: I must be the least observant person in the world

Something happened behind the fishies about being outside? They saw other buildings? "But Marvin," they say, "you got to go out once already" .. "Yea, and it just made me want more, like a crackhead" (another one for the WTF file)

They do a live show (so I hear - it did not air where I am): Adria unanimously walks the plank, Drew wins HOH, there's another eviction Saturday.. and nominations tonight!

Diane: I'm not saying shit to Drew!

They're stunned that Adria's picture is black & white already.. Diane talks to Drew after all - explaining the broken zipper in her jeans (which were too big when she got there - they're safety-pinned on).. Marvin reacts quietly to that.. Nik says hi to Joe-camera

Nik: Hi Joe

O well, might as well play euchre! Karen's still cooking for everyone.. Nik's still perching over everyone.. Marvin's still entertaining everyone.. hey is that new guy back??
Diane enjoys a couple of Snickers and a whole lotta chips..

Drew's HOH room is ready super-fast (hmm) and it's deja vu all over again as he shows his goodies.. Mom & Dad are watching on the internet! They're visiting websites! They're reading transcripts!! They send Listerine paks and lip moisturizer to the guy with the 4-hour makeout sessions (you couldn't write this stuff).. Karen pretends the last naughty thing Drew did was ages ago - she's been hearing D&D nightly for weeks!)

Drew (reading): Keep your clothes on
Karen: Uh-oh, no more streaking! (laughs)
Diane: This is better than the other picture.. he's hot!
dingo: Hi Mom!! Hi Dad!!

It begins: Drew tells Cowboy he'll put up Nik & Karen, so he can put up Marvin at the veto.. Cowboy says to put up Marvin & Karen instead

Drew: I don't want Marvin to think I want him outta here
Drew: Nakomis copped out, Diane copped out.. I'm so tired of people copping out
Cowboy: Can I.. can I have some gummies?

Break time: Drew's relieved his folks say he's being himself.. Karen plants a few seeds

Karen: Adria sitting out there alone all week, I mean really..
Nik: I tried to talk to her
Karen: I know, I saw that
Nik: I feel kinda bad
....
Drew: My mom seeing me kiss somebody! It's just weird, I've never done stuff like that in front of them before
....
Drew: I think Diane & Marvin are tighter than any of us think
Karen: Me too
Drew: If I put up you & Nakomis - this is weird saying this to you - I don't want to put Diane up, then Marvin would play harder for the veto
Karen: If Marvin gets the veto

He locks himself out of the HOH room - ahh the irony - and visits Diane

Drew: What's up girl?
Diane: I have a lot of mixed up emotions, about everything.. I feel lost, confused, like I'm not here.. I am happy for you, you know.. I have a hard time reading you: I don't know if I should spend time around you now

Then it's time for Karen's appointment..

Drew: Marvin made me a sandwich today.. I mean, c'mon! Marvin's not gonna make me a sandwich!
Karen: So you put up two pawns.. you don't have a vote.. Cowboy wants anybody out but himself
Drew: I don't want to put you in that position
Karen: There's no way to backdoor anyone now
....
Drew: Marvin's so bitter!
Karen: Everybody has such short term memories in this house..

Crash 'n burn

Diane: Is it time for me to kiss ass?
Drew: Kiss it!
Diane: I don't know where I stand with you, if I should be seen talking with you.. I don't trust Karen & Nakomis, they're parannoying the hell outta me
Drew: I'm not gonna make it personal this time like last time I was HOH.. I had a plan
Drew: How does Marvin know.. what made him think I'm mad at him?
Diane: Marvin doesn't think you're mad at him.. he isn't mad at you! Who told you that?
(a spider crawls across the bed - Diane squeaks & jumps, spilling some water)
Diane: I am not sleeping in that bed!

Drew: Let me ask you a question: there was a joke going around last week that I was going to be nominated.. why didn't you tell me about it?
Diane: What?
Drew: You out of everybody should have told me last week I was going up maybe, that there was a joke
Diane: It was mentioned but it wasn't a joke
Drew: I would have told you if it was about you
Diane (clearly flustered): Uhh..
Drew: I know you joked about it! Everybody in the house knew about it
Diane: I didn't even hear it.. I don't think it was a house joke
....
Diane: How observant are you?
Drew: Very
Diane: Have you noticed stuff's gone?
Drew: Yea, a chair's gone.. stuff like that

(Drew says something about Karen)
Diane: Karen? Was Karen in here?
....
Drew: I went to sleep that night (that he heard about the joke) and you never told me.. I couldn't believe it
Diane: If you heard about it, why didn't you ask me about it? I never heard about it!
(Drew says something about Marvin)
Diane: I don't talk to Marvin that much! I'm not gonna justify myself cuz you heard a joke and I may have overheard it!
Drew: I know you heard it
Diane: Ok let's put it this way, I wasn't part of it! Everybody else was joking about it, I wasn't involved in that joke

Diane: Sometimes I'm scared of you
Drew: As soon as Marvin got HOH last week you changed
Drew: Other people saw it.. Adria saw it
Diane: Other people were saying stuff and you didn't tell me??
....
Diane: If you don't trust me, I don't give a fuck anymore, put me up on the block - I'll walk out voluntarily
Drew: I didn't say anything before cuz I didn't want to freak you out, like you are right now
Diane: You are thinking too much!! You think way more than me, I just use 10%.. 4% of my brain
Drew: Three people came and told me about it

Drew: So who would you put up if you were here?
Diane: I'd put up Marvin, and Karen
Drew: It's just a game.. we're so lucky to be here, to have each other
Diane: Is this about me?
Drew: It's not personal, not about you
Diane (leaves): I'll respect whatever you choose to do

Diane goes outside and loses it.. Karen comes over right away, then Nik joins them

Karen: What happened??
Diane: I'm so sick of Drew pinning stuff on me, I never heard that joke.. I didn't think it was important..
(tears flow)
Diane: Oh well I don't give a fuck, I don't care what he does.. he's way up here and I'm way down here.. so I didn't graduate from college! I barely made it through high school..
....
Nik: Just a note, every time I've seen you hurt in this game it's been over that boy
Karen: He's one of those guys that's just really hard to communicate with

This treat wasn't very special

Live nominations on the feeds! Traffic jumped and feed quality deteriorated each hour as the air show ended with that announcement across the timezones.

The anticlimax finally occurred, an hour later than scheduled.. but the real treat was seeing Drew looking like an eejit as he awaited his "look troubled now" cues, and looked troubled..

Another production team idea backfires.

Drew holds a couple keys and stares at the photo wall..
It's like watching paint dry.. are my feeds frozen?
(fishies)
He quickly grabs the other keys and snickers
(cut to HOH room)
Drew stares at the key box..
Drew: So what do I do now?
(fishies)
He lays the keys out across the key box and stares at them..
It's like watching paint dry.. are my feeds frozen?
Drew: You want me to keep on doing stuff?
He stares at them some more.. the camera pans slowly left and right..
(fishies)

Drew: Ok you know how this works, we've done it 100s of times.. I take a key (etc.).. These were special circumstances - I had 3 hours to make this decision.. I tried to talk to everybody I could..
Drew: Karen, you're safe..
Karen: Michael you're safe
Cowboy: Nakomis you are safe
Drew: Marvin, I see you as threat.. you're a salesman, you're athletic, you got a good chance to win
Marv: Thanks for being straight up
Drew: Diane I talked with you earlier.. I nominated you cuz I felt you were somebody I could trust.. I found out some people I thought I could trust, I couldn't

Marvin packs again and Diane does the same.. Cowboy looks like he's liking all the new junk in Diane's trunk - let's hope he isn't headed for another "special" shower!

Diane: Apparently I'm up cuz I kissed your ass all week
Marv: What??? I knew something was up
Diane: I'll wear this miniskirt for you tomorrow, that'll show him
Marv: Ya can't keep your ol' lady, Drew..
....
Marv: You said you'd look out for me next week, I appreciate that.. I do like you, you know that
Diane: Even my bad-ass attitude?
Marv: Don't get me started on that

Whew, instead of creeping us out in the shower, Cowboy creeps into HOH to say BOO!!

Big ups to everyone visiting the site, and especially those who've taken the time to say hi - it's much appreciated!

Another just-there day for the actoring fella, but only cuz he was in such a hurry to be first into the HOH/ass-kiss room: anyone can tell you that the first one to shmooze Drew will get overruled by the next. We came close to having another creepy shower experience tonight, but bedtime showed us that Cowboy & Marvin should have been roomies all along: hysterical stuff! I figured out he gets that 'new guy' look when he puts on a shirt.

Big ups for Diane today, and although I do feel bad for her (yes, in spite of everything) it's not a sympathy vote. Diane finally cracked tonight when her boy came at her with a surprise sneak-attack - a brutal one - that he'd been sitting on for days. It was enough to strip away the last of her carefully constructed defenses and lay her open as the vulnerable, insecure girl we all knew she was hiding. And she felt real pain and cried real tears as a result that hurt to watch, no matter how much she brought it all onto herself. I think her biggest fear was to let that insecurity show (hence all the pissy bravado) but she finally let it happen, and found out the world didn't end. Tomorrow she'll likely overcompensate and be despicable, but today's big ups are for being human, and letting it show. All in her fat-jeans, even.

First-ever HamsterWatch double-negative, Pretty Boy finally showed what he's made of tonight. In one short hour, his own nominee choices - Nik/Karen in a 2-pawn system - were swayed by each visitor til he fingered Marvin & Diane, no pawns involved. He said Marvin's scared of him (but everyone knows it's the opposite, plus jealousy); and he's so afraid to break up with Diane that he's letting the game do it for him. He launched a between-the-eyes sneak attack on her that he's been sitting on for days - but he sure didn't have any qualms letting her wank him to sleep every night! He complained that Adria was isolated, but he stuck with the crowd anyway; and he whined that nobody tells him anything - but he forgot to ask. Diane's the one who did tell him a lot of what's going on - and also got him this far by letting him hide behind her short-shorts - but he penalized her for one thing she didn't spill. And he did it with a smirk. Selfish bastard.

Better every day. She couldn't have orchestrated any of this better if she'd tried (hmm maybe she did!) Again, what's remarkable about Karen is that she bad-mouths everyone as much as the next person, but nobody in there or on the jury hates her.. which may be a first. The reason is simple - I've been pointing it out for days, and she demonstrated it perfectly tonight - even though Diane's nomination saved her ass, she was at Diane's side immediately when she broke down, with genuine concern and compassion.. she knew the tears weren't from the nomination (ok, not all of them!) but from being made to feel like she'd been duped by the guy she liked. Sure, Karen's gotten this far by being sneaky, but what's really kept her afloat is that she shows true understanding and empathy to everyone in there - and keeps it apart from the game - and every human responds to that. She feeds all of their spirits as well as their bellies.

I'm real worried about Marvin now! His third nomination may have been the end of the charm.. but once again he took his fourth better than any of the others have, with grace and humor. He won't like finding out Diane was working to backdoor him after pinky-swearing him safe, but he'll get over it.. and he'll laugh about it. Marvin summed up the remaining hamsters perfectly tonight when he said 'the under-the-radars and the ass-kissers are having a pow-wow.' I'm still hoping the voters decide Diane is too much drama to deal with and will keep Marvin with us but I'm not counting on it.

The resident weirdo is just about done. It's almost time for her to fly solo, and her wings have too much ink on them to get off the ground. Karen will let her down easy though, and she'll never know what hit her. She did make an observation to Diane tonight that may have changed everything had she said it earlier: 'Every time I've seen you hurt in this game it's been over that boy.' So true.

Thursday's "big internet treat" was a crock: we got to see Drew hem and haw, look dramatised, and ask 'Now what should I do?' Bringing Scott back would have been better by a mile, guys! At the very least, you should have shown us Drew's picks before the hamsters knew - that would have been a nice little fishbone. And while we're on your screwups, WTF was Dr. Gene Scott doing on my feeds yesterday? You got some 'splainin' to do, CBS. (I understand there was a show Thursday for some folks, but not for all.. thanks to Republicans and football, I haven't seen the damn thing yet! and may never get to.. it did not air 'after my local news.' I am up on what went down on it though, thanks to It's Aawwn at KeithX's TV Updates, but I don't have the nuances and music I rely on for these critiques so.. 'no comment.')