Finally putting to rest a torturous thirteen weeks of unskilled labour, lukewarm ratings and an at times overbearing Erika Heynatz, The Hot House ended with nice, underneath-the-radar couple Simon and Jules coming out on top as winners. Topping off the win of the $2 million house was the fact that self-proclaimed and self-imposed underdogs Pete and Tina fell down losers collecting a KISS framed poster as their consolation prize.
The dream of the "Aussie battler" that contestant Pete so desperately tried to co-opt was not enough for the viewers who voted 61% against their claim of the prize. Had Pete won, viewers would have been vindicated in their similar lifestyle of watching other people do the work while claiming the kudos. There may no be real relief as only a week later, Channel Ten will unleash the fourth series of Big Brother.
In the usual style and manner of reality television, the results of the finale were drawn out. Unlike most, it only managed one single hour and the series closed quickly after the announcement leaving no time to wallow in the revelation. Most, if not all, of the final episode was filled with flashbacks and montages of the times leading up to the last night. Viewers may have been caught off-guard on seeing unfamiliar couples and faces such as Channel Ten's weatherman Tim Bailey who later turned out to in fact be Trudy, one of the contestants of the earlier rounds.
Recounting the favour held in both camps, Pete and Tina were heading in with their last elimination percentages at the third last with a comfortable 70%. Simon and Jules were in from the last round with 64% against gay couple, Brett and Jeff. Scheming to bring the last three couples into a head-to-head match up, the plan orchestrated by Brett and Jeff backfired when Pete and Tina chose not to split their votes sending what few viewers there were to choose between Simon and Jules or Brett and Jeff, leaving Pete and Tina with a 50% chance at winning the Hothouse. Their loss left them as naked as the truth of puppetry with the Australian audience other contestants were so vehement in pointing out.
The fact that Pete and Tina lasted until the final rounds has some thinking the result was rigged and that they were the only thing keeping the show afloat with anger and disgust driving the scant ratings beyond the level of Jon Steven's hosted The Resort.
Written on Monday, 26 April 2004