Big Brother Canada 4 premieres tonight, and before we get to formally meet our fourteen houseguests and two international wildcards, I thought I’d give you my take on the cast and what my first impressions and expectations are from each of them.
Of course, this is going off very limited information from their bios and videos on the official website, where you can learn about them as well. Due to the lack of much to go off of, I’ll likely end up being wrong about much of this as I was for Big Brother 17, but I’ll give it a go anyways. It might be fun to see just how wrong I end up being!
Without further ado, I’ll go through each houseguest as they are presented in the photo above, as well as the four potential wildcards at the end!
Dallas – I think he brings a lot of entertainment potential and might be decent at the game as well. He reminds me somewhat of Arlie from season two and think he could end up doing similarly. I did like that he plans to make both male and female allies to avoid being a victim of any sort of gender wars which plague Big Brother all too often. As long as he isn’t too abrasive, I would look for him to last a while and be a big, memorable character.
Christine– People are not liking her chances, and I can see why. She is easily the biggest outcast with her age being a big factor. There’s a season one Suzette comparison that I’m seeing. Unfortunately, she seems quite misguided, with plans to yell at people, get in a showmance, and to survive the game without any alliances. I do think with the youth of her fellow housemates that her only possible role here will be to slip into a loving, motherly role where her cleaning and comforting are something that is seeked out. I do like that she’s willing to do whatever it takes to survive, but I’m not sure that she’ll be granted that chance unfortunately.
Kelsey – She seems sweet but not that into the game and being willing to do what it takes to win. Instead, she cites that she’s there for the experience. If she is able to get her head in the game, she could do well due to her charming and good-natured personality. I also think her age and socially-active careers will make her more mature and well-rounded than her fellow houseguests. But, I worry that her being somewhat disinterested is going to leave her on the outs and someone who is easy to take out early. There is upside though, sometimes the people who are seemingly lost are good to keep around.
Mitchell – He has a lot of potential to be a popular housemate this season and very good at the game. It’s obvious that he has a natural charisma that oozes out with every word. Perhaps it’s something he’s learned from his YouTube career. He says that everything he does in the game will be calculated, but he almost seems to nice to be as cutthroat as he’s hoping to be. I think the challenge with him will be whether or not he can walk the walk. If he can, he’s absolutely a lock to go deep and someone who could win this game.
Cassandra – Absolutely one of my favorites from the get go, she stood out from the rest of the females in this cast in that she wants to do whatever she has to in order to win. As long as she isn’t too off-putting, I think she could do really great. She’s funny, sharp, charming, and has the right recipe for what it takes to be successful in this game. My hopes are that she just paces herself and doesn’t play too hard too fast like Naeha or Sindy from last year or she could end up experiencing a similar fate. If she’s able to pace herself more like Neda, I think we could see great things from her.
Sharry – For me, she stood out as someone who was immediately likable and someone that I’d want to hang out with. That is a huge factor in terms of deciding who you want to continue living with for potentially a few months. Sharry has a chill vibe about her, yet also has experience in customer service which could really pay off in terms of satisfying her housemates’ needs. I really think if she is savvy enough to navigate the alliances right, that she could be this years winner. There’s no red flags in terms of something I’m concerned about with her personality or potential gameplay.
Philippe – Meanwhile, I feel like Philippe is really someone who will rub people, particularly the women the wrong way. He’s very similar to season one’s Tom, and seems to have a chip on his shoulder due to past relationships with women. It’s written all over him that he’s going to try and make some sort of male alliance which is sure to frustrate fans and houseguests alike. I hope he causes enough controversy to get booted promptly otherwise it’s going to be a long few months.
Loveita – I really like her unorthodox perspective on the game in terms of building credibility with her fellow houseguests. I can’t recall seeing an approach like it in the past and am interested to see how it plays out for her. As long as she’s not too aggressive and transparent with her tactics, I think she should last for a little while on likability alone. She has a lot of potential, it’s all going to come down to how she executes and fits in with the rest of the house.
Raul – Like Kelsey, he seems somewhat disinterested in playing the actual game. More or less, it seems that he wants to get some attention and fame, which is fine but Big Brother isn’t the place for that. I do expect that he’ll last a little while because he has a personality that people will be drawn too and nobody will name him as an immediate threat. How long he lasts will depend on the atmosphere in the house, but I do think his chances of winning are slim to none given his lack of knowledge of the game.
Joel – For a second, I thought this was Big Brother 17 Steve‘s Canadian older brother. If there are enough fans of the show in the house, people are going to look at Joel as a threat because of this. Steve slipped through the cracks week after week despite always being an outsider, and Joel could do the same if given the chance. I think the group in there is smarter than that though and that he’s not going to make it very far unless he can get in with the right group of people that can protect him for the first few weeks.
Maddy – This girl is going to be in some early trouble. She claims to not get along with girls and she certainly seems like one of the bigger personalities in this group. Again, the atmosphere and attitudes of the group will impact how successful she is, but I think she could be someone named as an easy target early on simply because she doesn’t gel with the other houseguests. If she can tone it down in the house or get the men in the house on her side, perhaps she has a shot. But I’m not loving her chances at this moment.
Ramsey – He seems like a naturally nice person that people will be drawn too. Immediately, I see comparisons to Big Brother 6 Kaysar but maybe without the strategic mind. Don’t get me wrong, I think Ramsey is capable of it, but I expect that he’s going to be more along for the ride based on his interview. In the beginning at least, I expect him to go with the flow of the house, instead of going against it, which is smart for gameplay purposes. There’s very little chance that he’s someone who goes out early.
Paige – At 19, she’s the youngest houseguest ever in the Canadian version, and I wonder how much that will make it difficult for her. Perhaps Christine or some of the more mature women can take her under their wing, or maybe she’ll even get roped into a showmance. Other than her cringe-worthy impressions, there’s a lot to like here if she can demonstrate the emotional maturity that a good player needs. If she’s able to cope, I think we could see a similar trajectory to Ashleigh from last season.
Jared – I think he was cast to be similar to Emmett, and he might be, but nothing from his interview or bio stood out. He wants to be polite and that’s basically it. He’ll probably coast for a while and get involved in a showmance, but he won’t bring much entertainment to the table. But luckily, we’re about to get to the entertainment potential in our wildcards!
Jase – He was abrasive, outlandish, and a over-the-top ten years ago. Has he grown up? The haircut (or wig) makes me think probably not, but if he’s given the chance it will be interesting to see. I’d expect him to round up a group of guys and do something similar to his first season, but maybe he’s matured and has a better perspective on the game. Of all of these wildcards, he is probably the most recognizable simply because Big Brother US aired in Canada, so that could help or hurt him.
Tim – It should be a pretty tight battle between him and Jase for that spot, due to their popularity and the fact that it’s a worldwide vote. He’s a bit of a troublemaker and played one of the most strategic games possible in the Australian format. I’d expect people in the house to like and get along with him, but it’s hard to say how he’ll be incorporated into alliances and relationships at this point.
Veronica – I don’t think anyone expects her to get into the house given her competition. She was evicted early from Big Brother Italy, so she likely has a big personality. She seems raunchy and outrageous, but we’ll likely never get to see it. And while that’s unfortunate for her, because of who she’s up against, I cannot complain too much about missing out on it.
Nikki – She is without question one of the biggest names in reality television history and it’s amazing that she’s signed up for this. I have absolutely no clue how much game she’ll have, but she will without question entertain the masses for as long as we’re blessed with her presence. I think she has a natural likability and the fact that she’s Nikki Grahame will hopefully go a long way with her houseguests, but those who don’t know her may be somewhat caught off-guard by her brashness and outbursts. That said, she’s ten years older than she was on her first season and has matured, so I think she can do what it takes to get along with her houseguests when she needs to. I’m not entirely sure what to expect out of her in this format, but I’m excited to see it!
And that’s everyone! Tune in tonight to Global at 9:00 PM Eastern to see just how wrong I am, and make sure to follow our Big Brother Canada 4 coverage at @BigBroAccess where we’ll be tweeting feed updates!
