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)

9/3/04 - Day 64 >> to the future >> dwell in the past >> latest

Yet another two-for-one deal

Ok, now we have twistage.

In a shocking turn of events, the already-surprising Saturday "live" eviction took place today.. resulting in two exits within 36 hours.

Some east-coasters were upset, but hey, those of us in BB's own timezone have never seen a live show - not since TV10 went dark anyway. And you can't expect Julie to work a holiday weekend - she's got clout with the boss.

Still reeling from last night, the hamsters start the day with a veto comp: Diane wins (with a 1:20 bouncy time) and uses it on herself (surprise!).. Drew replaces her with Nik.. he's talking to himself again - announcing every action - and Karen's chameleon strategy becomes literal as she adopts the coloring of whoever she's with

Drew: I'll have some more of this

Marvin makes up the eviction bed neatly, and asks Karen for a favor

Marv: Karen, can you tighten my head up? You being the artist and all
Karen: You got Q-tips?
Marv: I fell out with my ex-barber.. she wanted mo' money.. how was the quiche?
Karen: Good, they ate it all.. somebody's gotta assume the position of head chef if..
Marv: Yep, if my time has come.. and to think, I just fell in love with Diane
dingo: A lot has been made of Marvin using 'the L-word' about Diane last night - I didn't report it, cuz it was a joke, said in fun at bedtime as he & Cowboy were goofing (within Diane's earshot - it was also about boosting her spirits.. he really is a good guy that way)

Then they're doing live show set-up, again! Already!

Marv: I like the way you're playing.. I like anyone with balls and integrity.. wishing you luck.. I've taken my last shit on camera, hopefully

When the fishies stopped swimming, he was gone.

Adria didn't get much of a HamsterWatch sendoff yesterday, and now she and Marvin are flying off to paradise together (wouldn't it have been funny if it was Nik fighting for the window seat with her?) I've said a lot here about both of the newly evicted though, so I won't dwell for long now.. except to say that I ran hot & cold about Adria: the twins twist was a good idea, and Ad/Nat pulled it off great. They gave us something extra to watch for, and caused rumors to fly about more twins switching. They weren't always likeable - even less when they became two - but Adria handled her final week as an outcast with incredible patience and calm, and dignity. She changed the entire course of the game by sending Will to the beach, and she set sparks flying that everyone wanted to see by making Diane question Drew's feeling for her.. without raising her voice or pointing her finger.

Marvin's just one crazy muthafucka: I've sung his praises daily so there's no need to repeat here. His graphic way of speaking is being blamed for his eviction, but let's not forget that nobody in there minded until their numbers dwindled. His most vocal critics - Diane and Karen - were the ones who joined in most eagerly and often.. so chalk it up to game. Marvin had a lot of viewers get pissy about his sexual how-to seminars and overall pervy ways.. but they watched, many probably enjoying it more than they'll admit (and wondering just what the hell that bowling ball technique might be like!) Broadened horizons are good.. sexual exploration can be fun.. being a prude usually isn't.

When Marvin left, the last of the fun went with him: he was the last one in there that we could laugh with.. now we've only got hamsters left to laugh at.

Reduced body count

They're shocked, and sleep-deprived, but try to get back to something like normal..
Diane unpacks, and Drew's short reign ends as Nakomis is now head of household

Karen to Nik:
I didn't want you to have to be the one again
Marvin says you played the best game in the house
I don't want to have to depend on Diane - she gets all her personal stuff in there.. she gets all demented with Drew and everything..
She's a good kid, she thinks everyone's out to get her though - it makes me feel like she'll turn on anybody, anytime
....
Diane: So where ya sleeping tonight, Drew?

Drew: It's like nobody's here.. it's like a scary movie, or a tv set that's not on
Karen: It's a different house
Diane: My letter from home, from Lindsey, will say 'Dear Diane, I don't recognize you: you're fat and your face is broken out.. but you can laugh about it'
Diane: As long as it's light, I'll eat it

Nik & Diane go through the options from the remaining "pussy power" point of view..

Karen listens to both, takes mental notes for later (look at her eyes!) and reminds
each what they have - and haven't - promised to Cowboy

Naps are needed instead of just time-passers for a change.. Nik in her usual spot.. Drew in his.. but Diane's around the corner with Cowboy

Karen stays up and we have another Diary Room slip-up.. then she has a
strange and/or "special" shower - but unlike Cowboy, she's ever aware of us..
Nik wakes and plays solitaire, digesting the latest bits of Karen-info

Big Brother: Karen? Everyone's asleep and I'd like to start diaries.. do you want to come to the diary room?
Karen: Ok
Big Brother: Hey Karen, thanks for coming in now.. I was gonna let everyone sleep and all that, but then I..
(fishies)

Nik cracks under the pressure a bit for the first time - not wanting to put up her newfound quasi-brother, wondering exactly what she promised him, not wanting this HOH, etc.. Karen begins another marathon chat session, comforting Nik and giving her all the scoop.. eventually Nik believes it's her own idea to put up Drew & Cowboy

Nik: I just don't want 2nd place to go to a liar.. I've always said an artist should get a chance if they get a chance.. do you know how much art supplies cost?? My colored pencils cost like a dollar apiece!

Yet more Diary Room slippage (it's a sloppy afternoon in the control room - apparently all senior staff wrapped up the phony "live" show & took off for the long weekend)..
The feeds skip the usual HOH debut formalities (it's just Nik again).. she cracks open her first beer of the day (and reminisces about the Cheez-it strategy days?).. Diane
shows up to see what new snacks are to be had.. Cowboy shows up cuz that's what he does.. Karen settles in when they leave to continue the ordeal for a couple more hours

Big Brother: Hi, I need you to just have a seat for a second.. it'll just be about 60 seconds
Nik: Ok, I'm just mirroring
Big Brother: What?
Nik: Mirroring, you know.. looking in the mirror
Big Brother: There's nobody in there right now.. I am about to let you out, make sure you round everybody up - all five of the others (five??) then head on in to your room!
(fishies)
Diane: You two were fine all along with us being a couple, I tried to tell him that.. Drew pulls away from me now just trying to hold his hand.. 'no PDA's!'

The Big Brother Five five

They sit around, adrift in the silence.. BB takes pity and sends in a surprise booze delivery

They toast to themselves - as well they should! - for having made it this far

Her work nearly done, even Karen has a glass of wine

Drew cuts his finger and they realize they share yet another bond: they all have in there.. Diane shows off her new figure and Drew shows off his old one - with
a Cowboy-esque tummy rolling display

They spend the rest of the evening huddled together - friendly, with a bit of
silliness here and there - tonight not resembling hamsters so much as lemmings..
lemmings who missed the bulletin saying "It's time"

Today's aliases courtesy of Marvin
Thanks for the smiles - you'll be missed

Who would have believed the misguided philosopher would make it this far?? He's getting called out as a snitch lately, but I still say he's been one of the most loyal in there, and it can't be denied he's got a good heart. He started telling stories again tonight.. Karen whispered 'Is he gonna be like this all week??' We can only hope so. He's next on everyone's hit list and this time it'll probably take. He's sleeping tonight for the first time in a long time though, in his usual between-the-twins spot in the wood room.

Gotta hand it to her: she rebounded from last night's crash 'n burn as if it was any ordinary day. It could have something to do with her winning another competition when it counted (ya think?) but despite her volatility she keeps coming back like a weebil. She's also making eyes at Drew again, since he's now trying to play 'ambushing you and reducing you to jello was part of my strategy, but I really like you' - will she never learn? Probably not: Diane's the kind of girl whose self-esteem is defined by the guy she's with at the moment. She's caught on to Karen's puppeteering so she'll be this week's Diane-target, and we should get plenty of cattiness on that front. She's got the cloud room to herself tonight, sleeping alone again in her love-bed.

Drew gets a free pass back to neutral, but only because he came out of his coma a bit when evening booze delivery came around. I'm not thrilled with his new cocky attitude, but it won't last when Nik nominates him. Anyway, his folks are reading (hi Mom & Dad!) and I was pretty harsh on their boy yesterday.. sorry. Drew was like a little kid after the big mean man went away (and the booze came) - he talked about Mary Poppins and Bedknobs & Broomsticks tonight, and wore his retainer to bed (it hurt though, since he's been leaving it out for all those Diane-a-thons.) He's sleeping soundly in the wood room with Cowboy, in Natalie's former bed/shrine, but whispered 'good night Mom, Dad, Ben.. I love you' when he was alone for a minute. Later he talked in his sleep a bit: 'What am I missing?'

They're on to her. She's almost home free with half a million in her pocket, having befriended everyone (genuinely, I believe), discovering what makes each of them tick, and then talking their ears off. It's like she's gotten them all to work against each other by some kind of alternative post-hypnotic suggestion. But Diane's got an inkling now that Karen's been running the show all along, and Karen may have to do some fancy footwork to make sure she doesn't become a veto casualty. She can still win without Diane & Drew's final votes if she makes it to the finals - she's said mean things about most of them, if not all, but she isn't malicious to them - I bet she's the one who'll stay friends with them all, and be the bridge between them for those who want one. She was going to sleep in her usual spot in the clouds, but decided to keep an eye on Nik instead (and sleep in the HOH for the first time.) Highlight of the day: a quick glance at the camera and a whispered 'I'm still here.'

'I got nominated, I got HOH, and I got my rag all on the same day.' That about sums it up, along with getting the final low-down on who's left and why from Karen. Nik's been remarkably even-tempered through this whole ordeal, but she got a little over-excited when discussing the final two: she doesn't want a liar to get second place. She went on to get downright heated about undeserving finalists: 'I've always said an artist should get a chance if they get a chance.. do you know how much art supplies cost?' (this to Karen) 'My colored pencils cost like a dollar apiece!' It's ok, she's young - she'll have lots of jobs in her future to earn those pencil dollars. She's sleeping soundly as usual, in her nearly-usual HOH room.

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.')
Update: I guess lots of cards & letter poured in: Thursday's show will run just before Saturday's here: a double header!