Mad Mad House 4
Tantrums, tears and trials of strength.
In this week's episode the freak-flavoured Big Brother-a-like finally showed its true reality-TV colours.
Yes, scheming, sucking-up and backstabbing were the order of the day, as cheeky chappie Eric tried to throw a spanner in too-nice-to-be-true Nicole's works. Unfortunately for him, the Alts had a few tricks up their sleeves which made all the wheels fall off instead.
Tired with Eric and Nicole's mutual slagging, Wiccan Fiona decided there was only one thing to do - summon up the dark goddess. In practice, she acted more like she'd been taken over by the spirit of a sulky teenage goth trying to annoy her mum than by, say, Kali, but it worked all the same. Fiona's black clothes and attitude scared poor Eric witless.
Shaken and stirred, the contestants were loaded into a tiny cage for the episode's trial - what I call the "trapped in a broken lift" challenge. This didn't feel like a fair test, needing sheer endurance rather than mental strength, and so virtually handing victory to big lad Tim.
So to the eviction, the first genuinely touching moment of the series. Lovely, dear Bonnie, a fantastic older lady who was the mum you'd always wanted, was told to go.
Why? Because the Alts believed she'd grown enough, spiritually, already. And strangely, seeing this wonderful woman's supremely dignified exit, for once I agreed with them.
World of Cult web guide:
Neil Hamilton and Martin Bell in Tatton, 1997
