Comments on: Raef to win

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:12:00 +0000

I was bombarded by texts from female friends ‘absolutely gutted’ by Raefs departure, outpouring’s of grief not seen since the disbanding of Take That - is Arena planning to setup a ‘Raef crisis’ counselling hotline?

By: Emma

Emma — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:45:14 +0000

I think the whole female genre joined me in a collective girlie yelp at that point. Their advert was hilarious too – the woman’s face as she stood at the door!

Man U are jammy bastards. You just knew as soon as Anelka stood up that it wasn’t going in.

By: Chris Hughes

Chris Hughes — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:44:50 +0000

Benjamin, I’m feeling mightily guilty for putting the hex on Raef.

You’re right about him making the classic mistakes, though - it was a flashback to the first series task when they had to create a campaign for Sir Alan’s CD changer and Paul Torrisi copped a bollocking for barely featuring the thing. Claire evidently remembered that, when she implored Raef to restore the “vulgar” pack shot.

Still, Cheryl Cole would have bought those tissues, so some consolation for Team Raef.

By: Benjamin Knight

Benjamin Knight — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:32:17 +0000

Ha, now what? Looks like Lucinda’s possibly gonna go next week judging by the trail, making this list the kiss of death. Alex’ll probably win now.
I watched the match first of all; defying the commentators who said it would be difficult for neutrals to pick, by choosing Chelsea (I am from Essex after all). Part of me is glad to see that telling Mourinho “you’re fired” has yet to be rewarded. But yeah… it was one of those nights when the distance between you and what’s happening on the telly felt realistic; i.e. massive. And the thing was just un-influence-able, save for volume and channel.
Raef did make all the classic ad task mistakes. It’s a real shame. And what about Lee’s presentation! Females are a genre!? Not a gender? Is that ever how you would describe yourself Emma?

By: Hollie

Hollie — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:17:32 +0000

alan really is teeny tiny. sometimes when you look close enough when he fires people you can see his booster seat…i’m not trying to make a hilarious quip, seriously…

By: adam

adam — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:25:33 +0000

Jody that is hilarious, he does look very short and I agree about the beard. I think that is why he never b*****s Alex or Lee for not shaving. Surely a man of Al’s stature would insist on a clean shave!?

By: Emma

Emma — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:57:33 +0000

Ben, I hold my hands up. I’ll give 110% in next week’s task. Thanks for the opportunity. etc

By: Benjamin Knight

Benjamin Knight — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:45:01 +0000

Haha, although if I may correct you I was mostly Alex-defending not Alex-bashing. But yes… please give me a chance to show you what I can do, you won’t regret it; this opportunity means everything to me; I am your apprentice.

By: Jody T

Jody T — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:23:40 +0000

Why no one has has noted the fact that as well as being hideously conceited, lacking in common sense and education (Raef not withstanding) every one of these people is utterly incompetent is beyond me. I know that if they were capable in any way the show would be way less entertaining but to say the above bunch have more front than Southend is a disservice to British holiday making. Watching the photography task through my fingers (I do most weeks really) put the tin hat on it for me – I looked on with complete astonishment while several people try and fail to relieve a digital camera of its contents then try to out posture each other in the wake of this simple task within a task. I realised there and then that this show was much more than a jumped up Execu-Big Brother than I first thought. Incredible.

As much as I find Sir Alan repulsive to look at his steely eyed rantings do bring the show (and contestants) crashing back down to a sobering reality and give a lovely dénouement at the end of each episode.

PS – Sir Alan is very short and I think that bristly beard of his is hiding a nasty case of psoriases if you look closely. Explains a lot really.

By: Emma

Emma — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:20:57 +0000

Ben, I did notice but I forgave you because you held you hands up. Perhaps if we make you project manager of our next discussion you can prove there is more to you than Alex-bashing.

Adam, I agree, I was desperate for Edinburgh to issue a statement. On the other hand, they were probably trying to work out how they let him graduate.

By: Benjamin Knight

Benjamin Knight — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:06:41 +0000

I’ve just noticed an apostrophe where there shouldn’t have been one in my first comment… unforgivable in a discussion of this series; I’m sorry.

By: adam

adam — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:55:16 +0000

That’s brilliant!!! He is a legend. and Margaret is a fox!

I am surprised there wasn’t any more controversy over her comment last week when she said ‘Edinburgh isn’t what it used to be’ – hilarious and must I say very daring on national TV!

By: Emma

Emma — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:50:51 +0000

Well I don’t know what the general feminine consensus is but I do know girls who screech about him every Thursday morning. The kinds of girls who might buy a red sparkly wedding dress, in fact. I call them dum dums. I can see how Lee might have a certain charisma but essentially it just consists of two catchphrases. The real ladies’ man has to be Nick Heuer. His blank expression makes me weak at the knees.

By: adam

adam — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:32:32 +0000

Is Alex the most fancied by you ladies? I thought it was now Lee after seeing him on the cover of numerous ok mags

By: Benjamin Knight

Benjamin Knight — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:29:47 +0000

Occasionally his ’slagging off’ has been spot on though; on the photography task, the much derided step back from responsibility (until out of the room etc.) was, to my mind, a perfectly legitimate shirk from the practice of assigning nonsense titles, like 2nd in command, that serve no task purpose but do serve a boardroom one - where they become tripwires. So many teams waste time this way; by grappling with themselves before grappling with the task. And I thought Alex’s response was, after the leader that time had extolled his own suitability to lead by saying that ‘he has a mate who does photography and he knows about Single Lens Reflex cameras’, a perfectly understandable attempt to stay within arm’s reach of a life-jacket on a sinking ship. I also think that he didn’t disgrace himself in Morocco, while others did; if that doesn’t sound like too much of an endorsement then maybe it isn’t, I just don’t think he’s as bad as number 8 out of 8; that is all.