Michelle: Housemate from Hell

It’s part of the Big Brother Australia formula that they try to stir the pot in the latter stages with a loud-mouthed intruder. Transsexual Nadia (BB05) had evidently been a handful pre-op during BBUK, but as a (post-op) Intruder on BBAUS she was fairly civil. No-nonsense Perry (BB06) did make some waves, but for the most part had a maternal role in the House. Michelle, however, who joined BB07 on Day 50, was a genuine nightmare!

Rude, loud and inconsiderate, Michelle picked fights for her own amusement. “...I really don't give a frog's fat arse who likes me and who dislikes me!” she declared on Day 59. And she meant it.

She routinely swore at people, and couldn’t grasp why the other HMs, who would swear about things but not to each other, had a problem with this. (Not that she would listen if someone tried to explain.) This small irritation was the fuel for an argument she picked with Aleisha on Day 70, which turned into the mother of all BB07 conflicts — and saw the kind of vicious bullying that makes you wish Michelle would be sent for a 20-year tour on a remote deep-sea oil platform!


Bully tactics
Like Nelson, Michelle isn’t bright, affluent or attractive. Like him, a difficult past has left her with a ‘me vs the world’ attitude. And like him, she found herself in an environment where her targets couldn’t get away, and upsetting them provided entertainment for her. (Short of getting physical) she found she could have her fun without the rules or her peers intervening for the most part.

Although it wasn’t Michelle’s intention to make Aleisha so upset, when it happened, instead of backing off she lashed out viciously, shouting “Don't come that crying with me, mate!” That’s the moment pictured above, and it was disturbing to watch.

The argument carried on, in fits and starts, for hours, impacting every Housemate. Later, Michelle said to Travis “D'you now what? It's fun; it's fun stirring people up. Coz it's too boring for me otherwise.”

While she confronted Housemates about any slight way they were annoying her, any issues directed her way were met with the stock “Nah, that's me, mate.” And she even treated her few allies, such as Daniela (who’d used the Twist to keep her in the House) this way.

It wasn’t until her eviction on Day 78, when Michelle got to see the footage of her onslaught against Aleisha, that she finally began taking stock of her behaviour. She looked shocked by the clip, but still defended her actions, responding to Gretel’s “Did you finish that and think ‘Actually, I could have handled that better’?” with “Nah.” But if there was ever a BB contestant who needed to grow as a person, it’s Michelle, and The Guru hopes she’ll look over the recordings and do just that.