I doubt any of us could stay in a house with a group of people 24/7 and get on with them all the time.  I know I couldn't.  Regardless of how nice or not they are, sooner or later they are bound to get on your last nerve.  Only natural.  What I don't agree with is singling out one person and having constant picks at them.  It is wearing and depressive. and just unfair.

re my post, sorry with exception of Corin, i think Ben wouldve chosen her in the Dr, but i bet he let them choose first. But Laura did well

because he is an absolutely shallow self obsessed vanity case.  Totally selfish - only wants to talk about things he finds interesting, do stuff he wants to do without any thought to the group, although he expects the group to consider his needs when he wants peace to sleep etc.

He backstabs his friends and mocks people's accents in a not very nice way and can be a complete snob, as in the time he termed Steve a man who's never picked up a book.  picks people up and discards them as he sees fit.

he apologises without meaning it constantly and as he does so he  simultaneously justifys his own behaviour as right -he is just misunderstood- never in the wrong for a minute

On a physical level, his perm must contravene some part of the geneva convention and he has dead shark eyes.

. You lost me on that last sentence DS.

His mocking of Andrew's voice and appearance, on Andrew's first night, was unforgiveable.

I mean, I know Ben has done modelling but he's hardly an oil painting, himself!

Agree, absolutely, not on.  However, what about the constant references to his posh voice by the other hm's and being called Lord Fauntleroy in a demeaning way. He is a constant target for ridicule and goading. AND if we are going to bring physical appearance into it, ie. no oil painting, I think Ben is way more attractive than Andrew. Just my opinion.

As said before Ben has his faults, as we all have.  He is not perfect by no means.  But...... he is by far the best HM in there, imo.  I find him funny, endearing, caring and sensitive.  Not saying I could live with him, but thereagain I couldn't live with any of them

Ben to win!

When he does nothing but belittle other people what do you expect?

Ahh but you see Fairfax, people will overlook that or make excuses for that, in their quest to hate/dislike Ben.

Dave pronounces it "Fontellroy" and it makes me wanna scream, but then Dave just breathing does that

I like Ben, but somethings he does really annoy me

I don't like any of the housemates who do that anyway, but at least they got to know him, before ripping the piss.

He has made snap judgments of every single new housemate and, true to form, the young pretty ones are welcomed to his bosom (especially if they have plenty of beauty products).

In any case...I think most people on here like Ben, Blizz and DS are not keen...I think he's a bitch but a good Hm...and after that erm....I think most folks on here like him.  Not sure were all the blind hate and fury!!!eleventy!!! stuff is coming from. I haven't seen any here.

He annoys me at times too River.  But as I have said before, the bloke has his faults, he is not perfect.  Imo, there are far worse in the house then Ben and at least Ben makes me laugh which is more then i can say for the others.

I contadict you there Ds, i think it has only been pointed out thru the HL show, that Ben likes his sleep. and makes a big deal about not getting enough. In fact a lot of them have complained at sometime or another. I havent seen Ben being rude to anyone unless they have started first. Yes he has mocked some of them with their accents, and so have some others with his. Ben was willing to discuss a lot of things with Steve, but Steve didnt even know what Ben was talking  about, He said he didnt read anything. I dont see Ben as a snob, at all. yes he can be a bitch, but gay men are. He is, although Ben has the train of thought, that he doesnt want to be classed as one thing or another. He said himself, that he didnt want to be put in a box, to be one thing or another. If he falls in love its not important the sex of the person.  Ben has the Steiners (sp) school of thought, which i admire, my 2 nephews go to the one in Edinburgh. Sorry for long post

i really liked him at fist, he is witty and funny.

i've gradually gone off him the more i've seen of him, i am now ambivalent about him.

he irritates me more than makes me laugh, he's lost his mojo, i reckon. now that could be because ,as he claims, there is no one in there that he can have an intelligent conversation with, which i find pretty dismissive  especially as i tend to view him as educated rather than intelligent himself, listening to his ' intelligent' conversations with dave, it is far more of a monologue than a dialogue, i've come to the conclusion he likes to impose his alleged intelligence on others, for their own benefit of course, and not for his own glory...

his refusal or inability to stand on his own 2 feet but only wants but expects his 'friends' to back him up or 'hold his hand' when he's dropped himself in it ,yet again,is disingenuous, he expects this of his 'friends' that he has only known for however many weeks and yet one of his defence strategies is to say' oh how could  he/she possibly think we/they are friends, i've only known them for however many weeks'

i find him incredibly immature  for a man of his age and as mario said(and he's another one i've gone off that i used to like)

'he's a 12 year old boy trapped in a 13 year old boys body'

HMs are always divisive on the forum, naturally...but on the whole I'd say the majority of this forum are pro Ben and Pro Corin...anti Dave, anti Steve.  Loads of exceptions, of course.  But just in general.  JJ gets a very mixed reaction, likewise Josie.   Dunno about the others.


Edited to add, that little waffle there ^^^^ was an add on to my previous musings about the supposed rage, rage, hate, hate raaaaaaarghh! aimed at Ben.

River Rock I expect a bit of a level playing field  from the hm's and not a gang mentality. Noboday, least of all me are saying he is without faults, yes he bitches and moans, but they all do. I think you are over egging the pudding when you say "He does nothing but belittle other people".   Absolutely not true in my opinion.
What is not acceptable in my book is the goading and spiteful remarks that he receives on an almost daily basis from more than one housemate. Nothing he says warrants that.

Let he who is without fault, cast the first stone

Or something like that

I do believe that his background has alot to do with it...if he was the same guy who was totally the same in every way than Ben BUT was from the rough end of south London and was a plumber by trade he would be loved more.

That is my gripe too Fairfax.  I  understand that it is a game, and they are ALL in it to win it, but  I  detest the herd mentality that is going on in there... and I am sure that if it was anyone other than Ben they would have been in the DR crying and claiming that they are being bullied by now..... as has happened in other years....

Oh I dunno Video.  I don't think it would make that much of a difference.  Whereas with poor Freddy last year, his background/class/accent had alot to do with why people were gunning for him in the house and outside.  People couldn't seem to get past his posh accent.  Snobbery, but from the other end so to speak.

Ben gets away with all his negativity because he has a posh accent!!

And maybe if Nathan had jacked in  the swearing and had an RP accent he would have been loved more...who can say.

Rachel (mk2) there is NO WAY that her voice and accent isn't part of why she's disliked.

i also have to admit that certain elements of his  happy band of fans on this forum, put me off him too,because people, early on, would post even the mildest criticsm of him, and get  pretty much jumped on.for a while it seemed  that you couldn't post  a view of him without hassle and bad feeling and that tends ot polarise folk.

I dont come from south London, but i have heard plumbers talking and they speak more sense than a lot of them in there, Ben would probably get a good convo out of them, they see the world and thats what Ben likes. a good old blether, but there is nobody in there with any opinion about anything. Except make up, Josie on her period, Steve sitting like a plank, Dave talking a lot of shite...

Aye.

That goes for all of the HMs for me.

That's really made me laugh

I don't think there is anyone in there that Ben can have an intelligent conversation with.  It must be awful to crave an intelligent conversation, but be lumbered with folk that just want to talk drivel alot of the time.

So Dave is a young, pretty one, is he?

Ah, now I would say the opposite is true.

He would be hated.

Good, well really could you live in there, i would be off long ago

Ben and Nathan had some really interesting conversations whatever their backgrounds.

Also Corin and Ben are from different backgrounds and they seem to get on very well.

He loves talking 'beauty products' with Laura.
I'm sure he'll cope!

To be fair JB there were complaints of all the supposed Ben threads and the alleged inability to say anything negative about him , yet over and over in threads which had sweet bog all to do with him he was brought up....Anything negative said about another HM Ben was thrown in the mix,and I may add it came from his detractors.

yes they did, pity Nathan went, he had a lot to say, albeit swearing, but if you went behind that, he never would bully or put anyone down, and had no problem with gay, lesbian etc. Which some people would say he would be like that, but he was very aware and PC, without it being forced

That's the thing Lec's Nathan got such a hard time about the swearing yet in reality JJ is every bit as bad....I think some found it more acceptable coming from him, which was/is very unfair imo.