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Analysing the house: Week 3

19/01/2007

Corinne Sweet (www.corinnesweet.com) is a regular psychologist, writer and broadcaster on Big Brother's Big Brain.

She's been an avid fan of Big Brother since the very first show - here's her weekly view on the housemates in the Celebrity Big Brother house.

The third week in the house has been a reactive rollercoaster rodeo, with housemates thrown into (often painful) emotional turmoil. You'd have to be on Mars to have missed it in the national press!

On Day 10, facing eviction that night, Leo made a dramatic exit over pants (literally). He did a classic prima-donna 'fight or flight' - he flew the nest rather than be rejected.

Leo exploded and fought his way out of the house over his lack of clean underwear, much to housemates amazement. He was obsessed with himself, fame, hygiene and felt washing his own knickers was 'demeaning'.

The singer's flight meant 'mother-figure' Carole Malone was evicted that night instead. The house reeled from losing two housemates in one day, especially Carole, a stabiliser.

And the minute she left the remaining women began a battle of Alpha females.

Jade had been seething against Shilpa since Jackiey's time in the house, and took up the cudgels, with Jo, Danielle and Jack joining in the scapegoating.

The house split in two: Shilpa, Jermaine and Dirk in one faction; Jade, Jo, Danielle and Jack on the other, with Ian and Cleo floating between the two camps as pacifiers.

Jade, Jo, Danielle (and Jack) became a 'cabal', glued together by similar age, beliefs and working-class culture with Shilpa as their hate-object (Indian, upper-class, talented).

Superficially, the rows have been about petty things: Jade's gang criticising Shilpa for not cooking chicken properly (Day 12); Shilpa criticising back about them using too many stock cubes (Day 13).

Meanwhile, housemates failed the Celeb Obstacle Course shopping task for next week, leaving a £45 budget, fraying tempers further.

Jade's faction's behaviour escalated into bullying, with racial overtones, as their frustrations boiled over. Outrageous comments flew about Shilpa 'going home [to India]' (Danielle), about her facial hair (Jade and Danielle) and her accent (Jo mimicking her).

People who feel inferior often behave aggressively in order to raise their own status and make themselves feel better. Meanwhile, Shilpa has been "petrified", shocked and confused by the language and behaviour displayed towards her.

Seeing the one black woman in the house being attacked made extremely uncomfortable viewing, and the nation complained (over 38,000 complaints).

Housemates have looked miserable, and the atmosphere has been tense, with Jade and Shilpa 'not talking' after the Oxogate row on Day 13. Only Jermaine has tried to give the group a fatherly, uniting pep talk (Day 15).

The men have spent time together for the first time, commenting on how different an all-male house would be. Ian, Dirk and Jermaine agreed sagely that the hormones and fur have been flying too much. Indeed, the women's war has meant the men have been united.

And art therapy task on Day 15 meant housemates could 'express' their feelings - not surprisingly the chavvy gang depicted boozing, vomiting and hangovers; while Shilpa and co. expressed courage and love, overcoming adversity.

Not surprisingly this weeks' nominees are Jade and Shilpa, the Alpha females now head-to-head. Psychodynamics will change the minute one of these leaves, and the house will breathe a sigh of relief and regroup.

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