So the latest Celebrity Big Brother ends not so much with the flourish of yore but if anything with a bloodied crawl to the finish line. Out of a cast of potentially worthy winners this year’s show has been dogged by a level of unprecedented controversy that if anything marred the clear line of voting which normally selects a winner.
I’m not saying that for one reason or another Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty didn’t deserve to win. However I do find myself wondering if not for the ‘Shilpagate’ racism and bullying scenario whipped up by Jade, Danielle and Jo whether she would be walking away with this year’s crown. Early favourites like Leo Sayer burned out before the show reached its frankly miserable peak. Others with a little something to add walked as well. Resident bad boy Donny Tourettes was the first to vanish followed by Ken Russell who offered a seasoned eccentricity to proceedings.
If I had been asked to predict who would have made the final three I would have staked my money on Dirk, Jermaine and Cleo. Dirk’s on and off amicable behaviour punctuated with his dislike for Cleo who quickly established herself as a genial house matriarch. Then of course there was Jermaine who proved himself to be a man of seemingly endless reserves of tolerance, all worthy winners in the end.
However in the end the prize went to Shilpa and in fairness considering the hard ride she was given in the house by those of a somewhat stupid and cruel nature its possibly apt that she won after all. What this means for her career in the UK now should be interesting to see. As for the Big Brother format, after courting such negative controversy one has to wonder if an image rebuild is on the cards.
