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| As much as I enjoy writing, it can be tough to find the time |
It's never too late to correct course though, and looking back I can see that what most motivated me to keep my keyboard crackling was last summer's Euro '12 soccer tourney. I think the whole "project" nature of the event, the set starting date and finish line, worked well to keep me on task and focused on carving out time each day to consider and arrange my thoughts. Even if those thoughts remained centered on one small, highly-specialized aspect of my life, it was time well spent.
Of course I tried the same thing with Bike Month this past May but quickly lost steam as the more general parts of the daily routine infringed on my free time, both for riding and for writing. But again, it's all about getting back on track here, and since I'm lucky enough to have a big chunk of extra free time coming up in the month of July, I want to do just that.
With all of the above in mind I have two new project ideas for this summer that I can hopefully execute with quality composition and the commitment to match.
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| Since David Chase cut to black, highbrow TV has never been better... |
These days I anticipate the week-by-week analysis of my favorite TV writers (Andy Greenwald, Tess Lynch, Alan Sepinwall, and pretty much the entire Onion AV Club staff) almost as much as I look forward to the shows they're writing about. Their work has enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of numerous series. But one of my very favorite shows doesn't even get a sniff from this crew, though it may inspire one or two snorts.
I'm referring to Big Brother, a show equal parts gaudy and glorious, one of the original reality game shows that never seems to get any of the critical love readily doled out to its cousins Survivor and The Amazing Race. It's not that there aren't any recaps or message boards out there following the show, indeed you can find a bunch. It's just that the best of the best recappers don't cover Big Brother, seeming to consider it beneath the dignity of a serious TV critic.
The high-end recappers I mentioned earlier, who so expertly illuminate the denser details of shows from Mad Men to Arrested Development, can't be bothered to debase themselves giving serious consideration to the cheesy summertime psychological experiment that is BB. While I think that's too bad, it does open up the door for me to bring my own far-below-expert-level analysis to bear on the show, and not feel hopelessly outclassed right out of the gate.
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| ...Lowbrow TV, however, remains blisfully unchanging. |
All of which is a long, drawn-out prelude to introduce the first of my two summer writing projects: Big Brother 15 Power Rankings! The show's latest season premiered Wednesday night, and since the ever-shifting power struggles inside the house are what drives the season's narrative, what better gimmick to use in writing about it than the old tried-and-true power rankings format?
It's obviously early, 1 episode into a season that will eventually consist of several dozen, and with the show's largest cast ever (16 houseguests), there's no way I could really get to know every single one of them in this premiere, so expect a few wild swings in the first few editions of the rankings. There is no formula for what designates who gets ranked where, just know that "power" in my head comes from a variable combination of competition wins, ability to control others' votes, social standing, and my own subjective evaluation of a houseguest's long-term potential to win the game, which is often tied to alliances and which cliques seize control of the house.
Hopefully this will be a fun project that lets me turn a few clever phrases, keeps me locked in to what has all the early makings of a very strong season of the show, and inspires a summer-long discussion between myself and my Big Brother loving friends.
And now, the rankings:
Bottom Tier - Delusions of Grandeur
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| Han may have hibernation sickness, but at least he's not going around saying he's going to win all the challenges |
16. Jessie
15. David
14. Howard
13. GinaMarie
It takes a special kind of girl to unashamedly, and repeatedly, declare herself the prettiest out of a group of eight strangers, and especially so when it's objectively just not true. Several times last night Jessie insisted on the superiority of her superficiality, even though two of the other girls in this year's BB house are former state pageant champions (Candice and Aaryn). Honestly Jessie would be fighting to crack my personal Top 4 from this group. Just sayin.
She probably spent night one in the house very proud of herself for starting introductory talks with Jeremy and David on "the best looking alliance in Big Brother history," but telling her potential allies that "all the other girls are already coming after me" is not a good look.
Oh, and neither was humping that Popsicle in the HOH challenge.
David, meanwhile, came off as so dumb at times that I turned to my girlfriend Eunice and said that he had to be playing a character...there's just no way he could be that clueless in real life. Trailing off the end of every sentence with a hair flip and a "...but, yeah...." may contribute to a healthy success rate in the meat markets of San Diego, but it's not going to get you power in the Big Brother House.
When Judd the country bumpkin dropped an epic "I thought I might come in as the dumbest guy in the house, then I met David" burn, you'd think it would be the low point for DudeBroDave...but he sunk even lower when, during the final four of the challenge, he fell victim to Jeremy's "Cherokee Mind Trick" and gave up his shot at HOH for nothing but a piece of white bread. I think Dave could float for a while but I don't see him leading any power plays.
Howard, meanwhile, made the right plays with the wrong people, putting his early trust in Jeremy and Spencer (a flake and a liar), and making a big deal about his strong religious faith (generally an "all-or-nothing" move on any reality contest show). I like that he's going in and trying to get active in the game early, but I'm not sure how much he's actually helped himself so far. Unless you count inspiring a bit of bi-curiousity in McRae as a major victory.
Howard seems like a guy who has read the right books about how to play Big Brother, but lacks the skills to properly execute the strategies he's been studying. We'll see where he goes from here, but for now I concur with Eunice's instant assessment...Howard's as good as gone.
As for GinaMarie, the loud and proud Staten Islander certainly made her presence felt in Episode 1, but not in a good way. She seems more interested in showmance than actual gameplay, and I don't see her going too far.
Third Tier - Accidentally Under the Radar
12. Helen
11. Kaitlin
10. Amanda
9. Candice
We got to know each of these folks a little bit in Season 15's premiere, but didn't really learn anything about their gameplay skills.
Helen screamed a lot and wasted no time playing the "I'm the oldest woman here so I'm going to call myself the 'House Mom'" card.
Kaitlin co-signed on a 5-woman alliance but then confessed in private that she's not really into the whole Girl Power thing, and also showed a flash of insight in the living room after the triple nominee twist was revealed: "...that's why there's a couch here instead of two chairs."
Amanda the real estate agent's most memorable moment was her shocking choice of average-looking, nice-guy Nick as her "most attractive in the house," despite the presence of several more traditionally beefcakey bros. She respected the confidence, gotta give it to her.
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| Where you stand in relation to this is always of the utmost importance |
I'm also interested in why the show did mention that Candice was adopted and tracked down her birth mother at age 26, but neglected to discuss how she's a former Miss USA Louisiana who's long-lost maternal reunion took place with Oprah's cameras rolling. I wonder how much of her past experience in the limelight will come out during this season.
Second Tier - Under the Radar On Purpose
8. Elissa
7. Judd
6. Andy
5. Nick
Each of these four is already playing the game harder than those below them, but they also all did a good job masking it in Episode 1.
For better or for worse, Elissa's decision to keep her relationship to the infamous Rachel a secret is a power move. I personally don't think it's one that's going to work out, but it is a power move.
Of course the reason it probably won't work to her benefit is that Judd, through an artful combination of a keen eye, a deep memory, an assist from Candice, and almost certainly a few off-camera tips from the producers, has already pieced the whole secret together. He's now got secret information that could potentially be used to make a power play of his own. And it's not that Elissa's secret is really all that explosive, it's just that you never want someone else revealing something about yourself to the group, you always want to deliver that message yourself.
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| Can you tell Andy is happy to be here? |
In a much more effective version of someone working hard to make it look like he's not working at all, Andy was on point in his role as the happy-go-lucky superfan. He's very non-threatening in a large group like this and revealed during his confessional interviews that he's a pretty studious observer of human nature. Andy should easily be able to avoid heat for the first few votes...can he work his way into the correct alliance?
It's much the same for Nick, who smartly went just far enough in the HOH to get a verbal guarantee that he won't go on the block, but then kept the target off his back by not actually winning. Note to Howard, Jeremy, and others: this is how you "throw" a challenge, but still get something out of it. Watching those big strong dudes jumping off their Popsicles in the first hour, I was embarrassed for them.
Second Tier - Early Movers & Shakers
4. Spencer
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| Dude. Bro. |
Spencer would actually almost qualify as "under the radar" after Episode 1, except he's way to awkward. Though he confidently talked up his "social game" in private sessions with the camera, when you watched him interact with his fellow houseguests he seemed uncomfortable and kind of invasive of everyone else's personal space. He did manage to forge some kind of 3-way super-secret alliance bond with Jeremy and Howard, though it's unclear right now how strong that is, but you have to give him some props for being super plugged-in to the dark side of the game right away. He expressed a strong distaste for GinaMarie (which makes him a man after my own heart), and if he does get ahold of any real power early on, expect him to go after her .
3. McRae
He may have shocked everyone by winning the first HOH, but if not for that McRae might've found himself down in the bottom tier. Socially awkward and initially dismissed by the plethora of pretty people in the house, he's just the type of easy mark that appeared a lock to be among the first few people put on the block before his big win. This was especially true because of the amazing way that no one believed he was actually a pizza boy! Loved that development.
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| There's no way this guy does anything crazy...right? |
McRae's confessionals did show that he is thinking strategically about the game, and if he can find a way to bond with a few folks, he could be OK. His best bet for the short term is to pull off as bloodless of an HOH as he possibly can this week, and try to get under the radar for a few weeks after this.
2. Aaryn
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| The eyes of Texas (and everywhere else) are upon her |
Not only is she the *actual* "prettiest girl in the house," Aaryn held strong for nearly 4 hours on that Popsicle challenge, and drew big props from her housemates for being the last woman standing (or hanging, as it were). On top of all that, she's from Texas and goes to college right down the freeway from Austin (a fact which Eunice first celebrated but then decried, after Aaryn dropped a cliched "I wanted to show everyone that you don't mess with Texas!")
Men want her, women want to be her...Aaryn didn't even have to do much of anything in Episode 1 and she's already one of the most powerful people in the House.
1. Jeremy
Jeremy isn't the smartest, but he knows jussst enough to be dangerous. In fact his combination of strength, attractiveness, semi-strategic brain, and dumb-guy charisma have to make him this year's first on-paper favorite, and he was out front and center through most of the premiere episode's action. Not only did he make the ladies swoon and give the guys massive broners, he was also responsible for a big portion of the episode's unintentional comedy quotient.
"I'm a little bit of German, a little Irish, but I really embrace my Cherokee side," Jeremy declared in his introductory scenes. He then proceeded to demonstrate this embrace with a passionately stereotypical "whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo" chant, an offensive display the likes of which we hadn't seen since...the commercial break, which featured a preview of Johnny Depp as Tonto in the new "Lone Ranger" movie.
Jeremy also delivered some classic blustery threats ("y'all don't turn on me, I'm a competition beast!") an epic malapropism when Julie Chen explained the new twist to the houseguests and he responded with "that's a nailbiter right there." I'm a sucker for a good malapropism.
Jeremy may have missed out on the first HOH, but he scored a potentially better prize with his Never Not Pass for the season. Staying off slop and out of the crappy beds will definitely help Jeremy keep up his constitution, though of course it also increases the size of the target on his back. As Candice said, "it's like giving a superhero another power," and giving everyone else in the house one more reason to feel resentful. He may have the most power for now, but Jeremy is going to have to play delicately for the first few weeks in order to go deep.
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| Cherokee People...Cherokee Tribe |
OK, I like most of these, but would switch Jeremy with Nick. And Andy, ugh, I don't know about him either. Superfans usually screw up early (and if their lucky get with a good alliance).
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