Former housemate votes to evict Kyle and Jackie O

"Will Jackie O be able to play the de facto mother to the girls and the reluctant object of affection for the boys?" asks former Big Brother housemate Tim Brunero.

"It’s quite a balancing act to make the most important show on Network Ten cheesy and fun for kids, sexy for adolescents and an interesting social experiment for adults" he writes on the LiveNews website.

Journalist Brunero was runner-up on the reality show in 2005. He casts his vote for host firmly behind Killeen.

And he doubts that new hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have the diversity of skills required to deal with the volatile juggernaut live on national TV. Big Brother evictions have seen everything from personal protests to emotional trauma.

"The host must have the authority, wisdom and wit to handle such controversies," he said.

"There are times when housemates are highly vulnerable, discussing on national TV their history of child abuse or a recent still born birth or the death of a family member," he wrote. Brunero points out that the Host is the first person housemates speak to after the most psychologically bruising experience they are ever likely to have experienced.

"It was in these situations that Gretel Killeen excelled."

You can read his full and interesting views here.
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Viva cash giveaways!

Week 43 was the week Seven and Nine tried to buy viewers with Bingo and Millionaire cash prizes and a Worm left everybody arguing.

Nine's revamp of Monday evenings was frought with pitfalls. The live Millionaire event was followed by the all-singing, all-dancing Viva Laughlin. But as host Eddie McGuire pointed out, US critics had asked if Hugh Jackman's venture was "the worst show ever?" Sitting in the studio audience it was a little odd to hear Eddie admit this directly before the show's premiere. If he hadn't been live it probably would have been edited out. Damned if you're honest, damned if you're not Ed?

By the time all was said and done, Seven's Sunday Bingo had run rings around Nine's new Monday.

Seven won the week 28.9% to Nine's 25.3%, TEN's 22.6%, the ABC's 17.9% and SBS' 5.4%. Seven won all cities plus national wins on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Nine won Wednesday and Saturday.

By all rights the Leaders' Debate should have been the number #1 show of the week. Its combined FTA audience was over 2.3m viewers, more if the subscription audience is factored in. But divided by Worm and Worm-less audiences, technically it wasn't.

Instead Border Security got that title with 1.85m viewers. For Seven the other top raters were The Force, Dancing with the Stars, National Bingo Night, City Homicide, Kath and Kim, Seven News, Today Tonight, Home and Away, All Saints, Better Homes and Gardens and Medical Emergency. But Seven finished third on Wednesday and is wisely winding up Las Vegas this coming week. Casino shows suck it seems? Seven did manage to win Thursday despite Bionic Woman already showing signs of weakness, and Heroes not getting any help. So much for fasttracking as the year's salvation.

Streaming direct to air also proved problematic for Viva Laughlin. If Nine had stuck to old school programming it could have slotted the show more strategically, with the knowledge that CBS had axed the show. Nine pulled the show after 833,000 viewers (only to then reinstate the second and final ep at 10:30pm tomorrow night). 60 Minutes was the top show for the week with its loud and proud Worm getting 1.4m viewers. Elsewhere its strongest shows were National Nine News, Missing Persons Unit, A Current Affair, Temptation, The Gift, Farmer Wants a Wife, Cold Case, Who Wants to be A Millionaire and Funniest Home Videos. Nine pulled off something of a feat by winning Wednesday despite having only one entry in the top ten (#10 National Nine News) thanks to Farmer. Moving Damages to 10:30pm also helped Without a Trace to lift the evening share. On Sunday The Singing Bee was off-tune by Seven's bingo night.

As usual House was tops for TEN with 1.4m viewers. It finished ahead of Australian Idol, and a particularly strong So You Think You Can Dance. Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, The Simpsons, NCIS, Rove and Supernatural followed. TEN had a disappointing Friday with a middling debut for Friday Night Download.

It was all good news at the ABC. On Wednesday it snared the top 3 shows with The Chaser, Spicks and Specks and the final hurrah for the controversial Summer Heights High. It almost outscored the Seven Network. On Saturday New Tricks was again the top show for the night. ABC News, Enough Rope, Rebus and the Leaders' Debate were all strong.

SBS was strongest on Saturday and Monday.

Ratings Week 43.
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To be replaced by THIS?

Big Brother to be hosted by Kyle and Jackie O?

I know I wound my clock forward, but I didn't wind it to April Fool's Day did I?

This has to be the the worst decision by TEN all year.

Removing Gretel Killeen is one thing. But THIS?

I can see some logic in moving on from Gretel. The show has been tired and woefully miscast its housemates for years. It clearly needed the axe or a major re-vamp. This will be a last-ditched attempt to revive its form. Sadly for Killeen she too closely represents the show as we know it. TEN had to cut her in order to say to the audience BB 2008 is not the show as you know it. And in truth it has probably served Killeen as much as it could ever deliver her. Where else is there for her to go with the show?

But Kyle and Jackie O?

To assume the BB viewing audience are all the Austereo generation is to underestimate the show's capacity. One of the problems has been its stubborn refusal to move beyond housemates who are all under the age of 30. Here is a chance to show that the social experiment that was BB can be so much more. Installing these two does not give me any faith TEN can move beyond this demographic. Other reality shows from Survivor to The Biggest Loser all cast beyond the tweens with considerable success.

Unless you count the Logies Red Carpet Arrivals, Jackie O is yet to host a hit TV show, although Kyle has managed to make something of his Idol inclusion. But judging isn't hosting, which requires an enormous degree of likability.

But like her or not, Killeen has set the benchmark for intelligent questions on Big Brother.

I'll leave it at that.....
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