With Big Brother Canada 2 premiering this Thursday, I wanted to share my thoughts about this season's Houseguests. Unfortunately, Ethan wasn't able to discuss the cast with me, so I wrote up some of my thoughts and opinions instead. Just so you know, the seasons of BB I've watched are 1/2 of 13, 14, 15, and Canada season 1. I wanted to wait this long to analyze the Houseguests because today, cast videso have finally been released for all 14. You can watch those on Slice's YouTube channel.
We'll have power rankings coming out tomorrow morning for Cagayan Episode 3 (I think!), and a recap of that up tomorrow night, so stay tuned! Image credit to Slice.
Pre-Season Impressions of the Big Brother Canada 2 Cast
I'll give each Houseguest a rating from "awesome," "good," "decent," "bad," to "trainwreck," starting in no particular order..
Adel Elseri
Adel is a 27-year-old welder who apparently has invented the world's first mounted toothbrush. So how exactly does that work? And is he going to bring one into the house to show it off? Adel came off as very naive, to me; the stereotypical Big Brother "bro" player. He claims to be all for the guys to the end Brigade-type alliance, which we see crumble every season. There's always the great start and then the terrible crash-and-burn ending. Just look at last season's "Quattro" alliance of Tom, Alec, Peter, and Emmett, who planned on making it to the end. Tom was what, 3rd evicted? Or look at the pathetic disaster that was the Moving Company. The one interesting thing with Adel is that he says he's a devout Muslim who prays five times a day. I'm not a Big Brother scholar, so I can't tell you if we've seen this before, but I can only see it being a bad thing for Adel, and could certainly cause some conflict in the house.
Sabrina Abbate
Sabrina describes herself as the typical "Italian housewife," which confused me, because she's only 25. But apparently she likes to cook and do makeup, and plans to win over the hearts, minds, hair, and stomach of the other houseguests through these techniques. I instantly thought of Chef Joe from season 14, who tried this same technique and found that it made no difference on whether you're going to get evicted or not. Things that could be described as either pluses or minuses for Sabrina are that she appears to be fairly competitive and maybe athletic, as well as energetic. Being a strong competitor and winning a lot of challenges often correlates to making it far in the game, although the wiser strategy would seem to be to lay low. I don't think we'll be seeing a lot of this smart gameplay (as long as it's strategic) derided as "floating" this season, however. For Sabrina in particular...she'll probably do all right but be manipulated by a smarter houseguest.
Rating: Decent
John Pardy
When I first read this guy's profile and saw his picture, I thought he was going to be a real jerk and again, one of those "bro" types, like Tom or Jeremy. But after watching his video, he won me over. He was funny, and seems like he could be a social threat. I see no problems for John if he wants to align himself with either the girls or go with all guys to the end, but I think he's smart enough to not make that mistake. A charismatic player, John reminds me more of Emmett than Tom, and he could go very far in this game.
Rating: Awesome
Kenny Brain
I had the opposite reaction with Kenny that I did for John. I read his bio, saw his picture, and started to like him, but then his video turned me off a little bit, and I'm not sure why. I usually like the Big Brother nerd/strategist players, but Kenny seems just a little cocky and overconfident, saying he's made "101 strategies." Still, he seems fairly strategic, even if the title "Brain" has not helped the Luzon tribe on Survivor so far this season. Even though I don't like him at the moment, that could certainly reverse as the season begins, and I think he'll do fairly well.
Rating: Good
Ika Wong
Have we ever seen a "blasian" on Big Brother before? Well, I don't think Ika will set the best precedent. Although I think she might lack strategy, she'll be an entertaining and huge character that will probably add a lot to the show. Historically, these type of players are all over the board in terms of placing (Amanda and Jeremy didn't do so well, but Rachel won and Gary was runner-up), so it's hard to say how well Ika will do. She's definitely going to be confrontational and will get in a lot of fights, which will probably drive the story along towards the beginning, but will probably be picked off around the start of the jury.
Rating: Decent
Paul Jackson
Another instance where I thought, going into his video, "we have a level-headed, strategic older player, seems like he'll do well." But he came across as a little weak and vacillating, which surprised me because he's a motivational speaker, which I would think would work in his favor. Paul also says he's very emotional and that missing his family might be an issue. Overall, I feel like Paul is just a nice guy who's going to wear his heart on his sleeve and get backstabbed by a more conniving player. Or, he could be the AJ/Specner of the season and go up on the block every weak as a pawn. Either way, not good.
Rating: Bad
Andrew Gordon
It was very hard to read Andrew, even from his video, which actually seems like a good thing. As a restaurant manager, he has to deal with people on a daily basis, and that has to be a benefit in the house. Andrew seems like he'll be able to read people pretty easily, which you would think would lead to being a good sidekick who can strategize in the shadows, but the other vibe I picked up from him was that he was a little full of himself. If Andrew is determined to be the star of the show and win competitions, it's unlikely he can save himself from being backdoored at some point, although some fast talking could certainly help.
Rating: Good
Sarah Miller
I have no clue how things will go with Sarah in the house. She could flame out spectacularly right away, or could get into an alliance and make it all the way to the end. Right off the bat Sarah comes off as sassy, saying she "doesn't get along with bitches and bullies." Well, news flash: you're in the Big Brother house. No matter how well she does, I think she'll be another huge personality in the house, and also seems very smart. With this cast of crazy people, she could fit in quite well and not be targeted for a couple of weeks, but I'm going to lean towards how Sarah would do in a conventional season, which is quite poorly.
Rating: Trainwreck
Anick Gervais
Is she our Ashley of the season? Kind of the ditsy peson who doesn't have much of a clue about what's really going on? On paper, Anick has all the skills to make it far: she's a bartender (good people skills?), wants to lay low (always the best strategy), and says she plans on playing strategically. But she won't. Anick won't be playing strategically. She's going to the Big Brother house for a fun and entertaining winter where she can maybe get in a showmance if she's lucky, but Anick is not there to play the game. Her claims of extreme spirituality serve to further highlight her naivete.
Rating: Bad
Heather Decksheimer
So if we're trying to fit the cast to different roles, is Heather our "hot girl/model-type" for the season? She's either going to be another Rachel/Janelle/Aaryn, and excel at HOHs and POVs, or she'll be a flop. She says she gets along well with the "jocky" guys, and could be perfect showmance material, which would propel her further along in the game. Now, I believe there is a model curse that strikes every season, correct? The second person evicted is always a model. So even though I think Heather could float along aimlessly this season (and will rate her as such), I predict 2nd boot.
Rating: Decent
Neda Kalantar
Finally! Here's some real talent! I'm going to call it right now: Neda is my winner for Big Brother Canada Season 2. I liked everything about her bio, and loved her even more in the video. Here is a girl who is here to play. Neda says all the right things, like not wanting to win competitions, that pegs her as the smartest player this season. She's a Big Brother nerd and plans on making friends and establishing good relationships with everyone in the house. The one downside with Neda is that she says she's not very fit, so she might not be able to win a critical POV even if she needs to, but with enough smarts and charisma, that won't be necessary. I'm seeing someone like Andy in her, who, for all his low public approval, played a great game. Let's go Neda!
Rating: Awesome
Arlie Shaban
And now we're back to the more boring characters. I honestly cannot tag Arlie as any specific type of character or stereotype that we've seen on the show. He just seems like a generic "longtime fan of Big Brother." The best comparison (purely from his fan status and way of speaking) is Eric Stein...???? No? Well, he says he "wants to be loved" and is planning on adapting to his situations and the people in the house, which is definitely good to hear. I don't know...it's all there, but I'm just not feeling it, or anything, from Arlie. He could be a villain though. Maybe. Helpful, huh?
Rating: Decent
Kyle Shore
Probably the dumbest player in the Big Brother house this season. HOW was this guy cast? He said he didn't even know where he was when his friends brought him to the auditions, and obviously knows nothing about Big Brother. Why would you cast someone like him? I guess they wanted drama and conflict, because Kyle describes himself as a "jackass" and lists his job as "picking up women." I mean, really? I hope that this guy is the first one evicted, just like I hoped with David last year (I can see the parallels between the two of them). Perhaps my prayers will be answered again, because Kyle is unimaginative, not strategic, and will bring nothing to BBCAN this season.
Rating: Trainwreck
Rachelle Diamond
Is she a diamond in the rough? Ha, see what I did there? Ok, fine. I definitely liked Rachelle's video; she seemed very poised and composed, and could give Neda a run for her money. She seems like a really nice person, and while I think Neda is going to have to work to make relationships, it seems like they might come easier to Rachelle, although she does mention that she can appear to be intimidating. She talks about the dangers of not being in a showmance (aren't there more dangers to being in a showmance?), and wants to align with one showmantic guy and another girl. Seems like fairly sound strategy to me, although she doesn't seem like the type to showmance. If it helps her game, though, anything goes. I'm definitely liking Rachelle, and although she didn't wow me like Neda, she's at least on par with John and should go far this season.
Rating: Awesome
The 15th Houseguest
I'm not going to talk about this too much, because I have no doubt that it will be Canada who'll be given some sort of voting power in the house, and would personally be shocked and pleasantly surprised if another houseguests enters. And no, it won't be a goat.
In conclusion, this is shaping up to be at least a good season of Big Brother Canada. Even if it doesn't have the same success as last season, I'll still be watching and writing weekly recaps of the season, which you can read on Fridays. Check back later this week for my analysis of the premiere.
Pre-Season Impressions of the Big Brother Canada 2 Cast
I'll give each Houseguest a rating from "awesome," "good," "decent," "bad," to "trainwreck," starting in no particular order..
Adel Elseri
Adel is a 27-year-old welder who apparently has invented the world's first mounted toothbrush. So how exactly does that work? And is he going to bring one into the house to show it off? Adel came off as very naive, to me; the stereotypical Big Brother "bro" player. He claims to be all for the guys to the end Brigade-type alliance, which we see crumble every season. There's always the great start and then the terrible crash-and-burn ending. Just look at last season's "Quattro" alliance of Tom, Alec, Peter, and Emmett, who planned on making it to the end. Tom was what, 3rd evicted? Or look at the pathetic disaster that was the Moving Company. The one interesting thing with Adel is that he says he's a devout Muslim who prays five times a day. I'm not a Big Brother scholar, so I can't tell you if we've seen this before, but I can only see it being a bad thing for Adel, and could certainly cause some conflict in the house.
Rating: Bad
Sabrina Abbate
Sabrina describes herself as the typical "Italian housewife," which confused me, because she's only 25. But apparently she likes to cook and do makeup, and plans to win over the hearts, minds, hair, and stomach of the other houseguests through these techniques. I instantly thought of Chef Joe from season 14, who tried this same technique and found that it made no difference on whether you're going to get evicted or not. Things that could be described as either pluses or minuses for Sabrina are that she appears to be fairly competitive and maybe athletic, as well as energetic. Being a strong competitor and winning a lot of challenges often correlates to making it far in the game, although the wiser strategy would seem to be to lay low. I don't think we'll be seeing a lot of this smart gameplay (as long as it's strategic) derided as "floating" this season, however. For Sabrina in particular...she'll probably do all right but be manipulated by a smarter houseguest.Rating: Decent
John Pardy
When I first read this guy's profile and saw his picture, I thought he was going to be a real jerk and again, one of those "bro" types, like Tom or Jeremy. But after watching his video, he won me over. He was funny, and seems like he could be a social threat. I see no problems for John if he wants to align himself with either the girls or go with all guys to the end, but I think he's smart enough to not make that mistake. A charismatic player, John reminds me more of Emmett than Tom, and he could go very far in this game.Rating: Awesome
Kenny Brain
I had the opposite reaction with Kenny that I did for John. I read his bio, saw his picture, and started to like him, but then his video turned me off a little bit, and I'm not sure why. I usually like the Big Brother nerd/strategist players, but Kenny seems just a little cocky and overconfident, saying he's made "101 strategies." Still, he seems fairly strategic, even if the title "Brain" has not helped the Luzon tribe on Survivor so far this season. Even though I don't like him at the moment, that could certainly reverse as the season begins, and I think he'll do fairly well.
Rating: GoodIka Wong
Have we ever seen a "blasian" on Big Brother before? Well, I don't think Ika will set the best precedent. Although I think she might lack strategy, she'll be an entertaining and huge character that will probably add a lot to the show. Historically, these type of players are all over the board in terms of placing (Amanda and Jeremy didn't do so well, but Rachel won and Gary was runner-up), so it's hard to say how well Ika will do. She's definitely going to be confrontational and will get in a lot of fights, which will probably drive the story along towards the beginning, but will probably be picked off around the start of the jury.Rating: Decent
Paul Jackson
Another instance where I thought, going into his video, "we have a level-headed, strategic older player, seems like he'll do well." But he came across as a little weak and vacillating, which surprised me because he's a motivational speaker, which I would think would work in his favor. Paul also says he's very emotional and that missing his family might be an issue. Overall, I feel like Paul is just a nice guy who's going to wear his heart on his sleeve and get backstabbed by a more conniving player. Or, he could be the AJ/Specner of the season and go up on the block every weak as a pawn. Either way, not good.
Rating: Bad
Andrew Gordon
It was very hard to read Andrew, even from his video, which actually seems like a good thing. As a restaurant manager, he has to deal with people on a daily basis, and that has to be a benefit in the house. Andrew seems like he'll be able to read people pretty easily, which you would think would lead to being a good sidekick who can strategize in the shadows, but the other vibe I picked up from him was that he was a little full of himself. If Andrew is determined to be the star of the show and win competitions, it's unlikely he can save himself from being backdoored at some point, although some fast talking could certainly help.Rating: Good
Sarah Miller
I have no clue how things will go with Sarah in the house. She could flame out spectacularly right away, or could get into an alliance and make it all the way to the end. Right off the bat Sarah comes off as sassy, saying she "doesn't get along with bitches and bullies." Well, news flash: you're in the Big Brother house. No matter how well she does, I think she'll be another huge personality in the house, and also seems very smart. With this cast of crazy people, she could fit in quite well and not be targeted for a couple of weeks, but I'm going to lean towards how Sarah would do in a conventional season, which is quite poorly.
Rating: Trainwreck
Anick Gervais
Is she our Ashley of the season? Kind of the ditsy peson who doesn't have much of a clue about what's really going on? On paper, Anick has all the skills to make it far: she's a bartender (good people skills?), wants to lay low (always the best strategy), and says she plans on playing strategically. But she won't. Anick won't be playing strategically. She's going to the Big Brother house for a fun and entertaining winter where she can maybe get in a showmance if she's lucky, but Anick is not there to play the game. Her claims of extreme spirituality serve to further highlight her naivete.
Rating: Bad
Heather Decksheimer
So if we're trying to fit the cast to different roles, is Heather our "hot girl/model-type" for the season? She's either going to be another Rachel/Janelle/Aaryn, and excel at HOHs and POVs, or she'll be a flop. She says she gets along well with the "jocky" guys, and could be perfect showmance material, which would propel her further along in the game. Now, I believe there is a model curse that strikes every season, correct? The second person evicted is always a model. So even though I think Heather could float along aimlessly this season (and will rate her as such), I predict 2nd boot.
Rating: Decent
Neda Kalantar
Finally! Here's some real talent! I'm going to call it right now: Neda is my winner for Big Brother Canada Season 2. I liked everything about her bio, and loved her even more in the video. Here is a girl who is here to play. Neda says all the right things, like not wanting to win competitions, that pegs her as the smartest player this season. She's a Big Brother nerd and plans on making friends and establishing good relationships with everyone in the house. The one downside with Neda is that she says she's not very fit, so she might not be able to win a critical POV even if she needs to, but with enough smarts and charisma, that won't be necessary. I'm seeing someone like Andy in her, who, for all his low public approval, played a great game. Let's go Neda!Rating: Awesome
Arlie Shaban
And now we're back to the more boring characters. I honestly cannot tag Arlie as any specific type of character or stereotype that we've seen on the show. He just seems like a generic "longtime fan of Big Brother." The best comparison (purely from his fan status and way of speaking) is Eric Stein...???? No? Well, he says he "wants to be loved" and is planning on adapting to his situations and the people in the house, which is definitely good to hear. I don't know...it's all there, but I'm just not feeling it, or anything, from Arlie. He could be a villain though. Maybe. Helpful, huh?Rating: Decent
Kyle Shore
Probably the dumbest player in the Big Brother house this season. HOW was this guy cast? He said he didn't even know where he was when his friends brought him to the auditions, and obviously knows nothing about Big Brother. Why would you cast someone like him? I guess they wanted drama and conflict, because Kyle describes himself as a "jackass" and lists his job as "picking up women." I mean, really? I hope that this guy is the first one evicted, just like I hoped with David last year (I can see the parallels between the two of them). Perhaps my prayers will be answered again, because Kyle is unimaginative, not strategic, and will bring nothing to BBCAN this season.
Rating: Trainwreck
Rachelle Diamond
Is she a diamond in the rough? Ha, see what I did there? Ok, fine. I definitely liked Rachelle's video; she seemed very poised and composed, and could give Neda a run for her money. She seems like a really nice person, and while I think Neda is going to have to work to make relationships, it seems like they might come easier to Rachelle, although she does mention that she can appear to be intimidating. She talks about the dangers of not being in a showmance (aren't there more dangers to being in a showmance?), and wants to align with one showmantic guy and another girl. Seems like fairly sound strategy to me, although she doesn't seem like the type to showmance. If it helps her game, though, anything goes. I'm definitely liking Rachelle, and although she didn't wow me like Neda, she's at least on par with John and should go far this season.
Rating: Awesome
The 15th Houseguest
I'm not going to talk about this too much, because I have no doubt that it will be Canada who'll be given some sort of voting power in the house, and would personally be shocked and pleasantly surprised if another houseguests enters. And no, it won't be a goat.
In conclusion, this is shaping up to be at least a good season of Big Brother Canada. Even if it doesn't have the same success as last season, I'll still be watching and writing weekly recaps of the season, which you can read on Fridays. Check back later this week for my analysis of the premiere.
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