So, Jade Goody has been predictably voted out of the Big Brother house for her bullying and racist slights against Shilpa Shetty. In what has been a turbulent week for the reality show, last night saw the climax – possibly the first of many – in the race row. The crowd were not present to ensure "the safety of the contestants" (although it was obvious that this meant Jade and not Ms Shetty) which left the show with a very strange atmosphere indeed.
Goody tried to smooth over the furore in her interview with Davina, but it all felt a bit like someone trying to fix multiple stab-wounds with a sticking plaster. "I’m disgusted at myself," admitted Jade to Davina during the post-eviction interview. After seeing the footage, she squirmed "That footage is nasty. I’m not a racist. I sincerely – hand on heart – apologise to anyone I’ve offended out there." She continued "I don’t approve of any of the words that come out of my mouth… my actions… I can’t defend myself." If Goody was unaware of the effect her words would have, Shetty was not. In one exchange before the eviction, she told Goody she did not think her a racist, but added: "You said it, its going to be out and a lot of Indians heard it. Trust me, it’s not going to go down well." But what is everyone else’s reaction?
Jade seemed reasonably pleased with the fact that "Shilpa [told me] I’m not a racist." However, Shilpa has not seen the footage of things said behind her back. Jade was given a carefully stage-managed exit after an overwhelming 82 per cent of the public voted for her to go.
It’s notable Davina McCall – who shares the same agent as Jade, and Big Brother spin-off hosts Dermot O’Leary and Russell Brand – ensured that Goody had a relatively easy ride out of the house.
In the aftermath, Jade hasn’t been such an easy time of it with The Sun branding her as "vile" and a "dim-wit" whose "sick antics" has left "TV bosses desperately trying to salvage Jade’s battered reputation". These thoughts came only one day after their ‘Evict the Face of Hate’ headline which urged readers of the tabloid to vote her out.
The Independent noted how McCall’s presentation of the show had taken on a defensive air. After showing a montage of the news coverage over the row, she pointed out that everyone up to the Prime Minister himself had felt free to give their opinions on the programme: "But that’s what democracy is all about … and you know what? So is Big Brother. Now, that’s power in the hands of the people, isn’t it?"
The Indy added "Somehow, the sense that it was a time for urgent damage-control had penetrated into the house itself as Big Brother’s pointedly leading questions in the diary room alerted Jade to the possibility that not everybody would be as approving of her argumentative style as her factional foot-soldiers inside."
The Daily Mail picked up on this theme also, speculating that Shilpa had been manipulated into saying she did not feel the victim of racism in a 90 minute chat by executives. The paper also highlighted that Big Brother fans have been accusing Channel 4 bosses of breaking the rules in a bid to salvage the career of Miss Goody.
The Mail wrote "Contestants are supposed to be unaware of events outside the house, but one comment in the programme’s official Internet forum, said: ‘Those girls have definitely been tipped off regarding racism and it’s so two-faced.’ Another added: ‘Big Brother and Endemol are protecting their precious Jade once again.’"
In an Indian national newspaper, The Hindu, claims have been made that many of Shilpa Shetty’s supporters felt disappointed at her retraction (when she said that "I don’t feel there was any racial discrimination happening from Jade’s end") and that Ms. Shetty’s decision to take the statement back was "attributed in some circles to gentle behind-the-scenes persuasion to pre-empt any possibility of her suing Channel 4 and Endemol on grounds of racial harassment". The Times, mostly touching on the same issues as most of the press added that this "debacle raises questions over why it took Channel 4 so long to question Goody about whether her remarks were racist, and whether viewing figures for the show have now peaked with her departure."
One thing is for certain. Jade’s departure is not the close of this row. It’s hard to imagine that Goody will be able to salvage her career from this with the feeling that Goody has outstayed her welcome in the nation’s heart. Most people have seen Goody as a waste of time, stealing a living from a reality show, but now, those that saw her as lucky and inoffensive have turned their opinions. With Danielle still in the house – the perpetrator of perhaps the most vile of comments ("f*ck off home"), this row will not die down. However, with the ‘ringleader’ now out of the picture, perhaps momentum will be lost? The debate has been opened and it will be interesting to see how the public respond in the coming weeks. [Mof Gimmers]
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