Big Brother 8: Day 20: June 18th 2007

Charley sits down, “I don’t need no arguments. I’m showing them out there I don’t need to argue.” I give it five minutes, as soon as she spots the grubby tide mark in the bath that she left and Carole on the cleaning warpath the usual tedious, ‘I’m not been funny yea’ will start again. Its only two minutes later when she discovers water in her £200 boots and she launches into another ear bleeding whinge. Having said that, after watching Seány take a pee on the fake grass overnight, I’m not at all surprised that Charley might be worried.

Jonathan slithers around the house, exactly like that big snake off The Jungle Book. I’m still waiting for his eyes to start spinning in a hypnotic glower but I’m sure this is a trick he is reserving for the diary room. He gives me the heeby geebies. I don’t trust him. Nor Billi with his bizarre candy floss hair and sniping eyelids.

Nominations are due and suddenly everyone wants to hug and kiss and be polite. Seany’s blotted his copy by watering the boots and grass. Carole has blotted hers by telling everyone not to run on slippery surfaces, lest they fall. Huh Carole, God yeah what a bitch! Thinking of your health and safety? Silly old moo. Amanda takes only 15 minutes, probably easily persuaded by BB bosses that she must not nominate Charley under any circumstances, ‘but feel free to choose your dingbat sister with even less personality than yourself.’ “Luv it!”

Billi limps inside and last 18 minutes. Charley indulges the room with her ‘nice’ personality, all soft voice and ‘babe’ chitchat. If anyone falls for that then they deserve to be evicted for sheer foolishness. “You’ve lost weight,” Carole tells Laura. No she hasn’t Carole, not unless she’s cut her own tongue off. Brian next, and he manages a speedy 13 minutes, Carole is two better at 11 minutes (yes, I really do time these things…) Chanelle takes an age so Gerry takes the opportunity to tell Ziggy he thinks that he “has changed” and become “sad” over the week and that it’s the relationship with Chanelle that has done it. Gerry has a hungry look in his eyes when he talks to Ziggy, not the horrified look he gets when Seány drags him into a near faux homoerotic clinch, but the genuine article.
Charley follows a pale-faced Chanelle, a look of grim determination on her face. Make no mistake; she knows exactly whom she will be nominating. Tracey talks of “phat filmage” and flicks her fingers several times. I’ve given up trying to fathom Tracey at all and have resolved that she must be okay because bitchage and nastyage would have shone through by now, surely? Charley stomps out of the diary room and Gerry gleefully takes her place though I drift off and cannot be certain he even went in. Liam takes a busman’s holiday and decides to prune the plants – hopefully not the ones still containing Seány Pee. Jonathan’s nominations are fairly speedy I would hazard a guess that Nicky and a twin are in his internal eyeball target. Laura almost breaks into a run to take her turn, but thinks better of it. Her blood pressure wouldn’t be able to cope – she hasn’t run since she skipped up the steps into the house nearly three weeks ago.

The rest of the afternoon is fairly standard and dull.

An endurance swimming task is set in the world’s smallest pool. Chanelle struggles. “You are so unfit” Gerry jokes but Chanelle aint laughing. “I’m a beached whale, I feel so fat.” “Don’t be a prick Gerry” Nicky tries to retort in gest only it makes Chanelle cry even harder and Gerry storms off whining to Carole and Jonathan about being ‘insulted.’ (Is ‘prick’ really the most insulting thing he’s ever heard? I would have thought being a slightly podgy, over qualified, strangely hairless berk who doesn’t mind sticking his tongue down the throat of a crusty, glitter inhaling pixie like Seány would have warranted a much worse insult by now. ‘Arsehole’ maybe?)

The unholy alliance that is Big Brother’s mum and dad Carothan (Jonale?) riles at Nicky, demanding answers. It’s strange how a seemingly wise and sorted woman like Carole can be so quickly suckered in by a man she has known for 72 hours. I’m a telling ya! It's them devil eyes. Jonathan thinks the twins are fake – so now does Carole! Jonathan thinks Ziggy is deceitful – so now does Carole! Jonathan thinks Nicky is Satan’s spawn – so now des Carole!

Nicky tries not to tell tales about Gerry but he overhears his name and screams at her. She screams back INCREDIBLY LOUDLY as Tracey and Liam look on in utter terror. Charley is amazed that a) she’s not involved and b) at some point Gerry called Nicky fat. “You’re the next thinnest in here.” She says. “After me.” Of course.

Big Brother, bored of the arguing of skinny women and their insecurities, focus instead on an extreme close up if Seány as he pseudo-seductively flutters his eye lashes and whispers something unintelligible to camera. I feel so bilious I’d rather they cut to Billi pulling out his contact lenses. Suddenly Shabnam’s flaky scalp and mucky face don’t seem all that bad.

Think Jonathan is a schemer or a truth teller? Do you like Gerry’s grumpy side? Chillywinter@hotmail.co.uk