Defending the Crazy
Scott
Trust me, I understand all the criticism of our nutty little Southern belle. She's a complete mess. She's no longer putting on makeup. She hasn't seen a brush in days. Her days are spent either dropping tears all over her bed, begging for compliments from Dan, or complaining to both Dan and Ian how they've ruined her life.
Yet she's the ONLY reason to continue watching the feeds.
I generally tune out the feeds during the last few days of the season. Once they're down to the final four, there's not much game play left. Everybody generally knows their place at this point, and the ramifications of each competition is usually obvious.
It gets even worse when the four become three. Those final days are usually nothing but sleep and reminiscing. How many times have you tuned into Showtime and saw everybody in bed? Even worse, how often can you bear listening to them predict their popularity outside the house, or the amount of money they think they're going to earn off ebay or personal appearances?
Yes, sometimes there is an odd man/woman out that can complicate things, but even then the feeds are a bore. Remember the last time Dan was in the house and old man Jerry was forced to spend a whole week sitting by himself? I actually felt sorry for that goof, which was the only time all year I had any empathy for him.
It's just a rare situation where the final week's feeds are entertaining. I'll still tune in now and then, and I definitely still watch the reactions to the final competitions. That's it, though. After almost three months of feeds, I'm ready for the finale.
This year is different, and it is all because of that hot Southern mess. She's a dream girl for those that study multiple personalities, manic/depression, master/servant relationships, daddy issues, and/or any other psychological issue. One minute she hate, hate, hates her coach-who-hasn't-been-a-coach-since-August 2; the next she's throwing competitions to him or begging for compliments. She doesn't want to be bothered by either Dan or Ian, yet she ensures they know she's around as she stomps around looking for Cheetos to feed her pain.
Speaking of Ian, while it is true that her treatment of him is due to "coaching" from Dan that will only ensure that HE is carried to the finals, I believe there is something more to it. Ian may have named the Quack Pack, but people seem to have forgotten that this alliance was created ONLY to get him to vote as they wanted. It was only after they did succeed in evicting certain people did the group become real, and only then that people like Britney and Dan saw him as more than a goofy kid. Danielle and Shane, though, never really accepted him, and after Shane's departure there is no doubt that Danielle had no clue how close Dan was to him.
The little light bulb in her head must have turned on at the conclusion of Saturday night's competition. Again, I know that Dan had instructed her to go off on Ian if he won, but she's not a good enough actress to keep this up as long as she has. Last night's bitchfest with Ian seemed to confirm that, as Danielle brought up a post-comp celebration more than once. Ian is known to go a little over-the-top in his victory celebrations, and I'll bet that Dan helped turn that into even a bigger scene.
Regardless of whether it's an act or not, she has single-handedly put a stop to the backslapping that always happens in those last few days. Ian and Dan still have moments when they try to tell each other how great they are, but it is always just a matter of minutes that Hurricane Danielle interrupts them and tells them how they've ruined her life. Add to that the growing list of maladies, threats, and former occupations, and I'm riveted...at least for a few minutes at a time.
