Big Brother: All-Stars – Phil’s Plea for Monica

When I found out that this season of Big Brother would be an All-Star season, I had mixed emotions. On one hand, I enjoy the show because I love watching strangers duke it out, and it’s always nice to see how they adapt to one another, how friendships and rivalries form and who the first to crack under the pressure will be. Then I think about how dull Survivor: All-Stars was and I recall how people were afraid to backstab people they knew outside of the game, and how much of the politics from the show were determined by outside friendships.

That being said, I was still pretty excited that they are having an “All-Stars” season of Big Brother. One thing that worried me was that America will be voting the first three girls and guys into the house, and I’ve always felt that the viewers naturally gravitate towards contestants who are the freshest in their minds, like Janelle (love her), Kaysar (sick of him), and Howie (over him). Contestants from the first three seasons of the show were going to have some issues being recognized, and many viewers don’t even know who they are if they just got into the show for the past few seasons.

Anyway, you know why I’m here and why I’m writing this – at least, if you read the title of the article you do! If not, let me refresh your memory on the woman I choose to support. Season two brought us some very memorable contestants. There was Nicole, who went from being nominated first all the way to the final two. Of course, there was Dr. Will, who blatantly lied to everyone and still won the game. There was the rest of the “Chilltown” alliance, including Shannon, who proceeded to clean the toilet with Hardy’s toothbrush. Then there was my favorite of the group: Monica, the candy store manager from NYC. I loved her from the second I saw her, and knew that she would end up being my favorite.

In the beginning, Monica kept to herself, stayed out of the drama, and managed to fly pretty low under the radar. However, she was playing the game from the instant she got in there. She was friendly with everyone and had the right attitude that if you didn’t mess with her, she wouldn’t mess with you. It happened eventually, though. Nicole nominated Monica and Krista because they were friends. Truth be told, there was no alliance in place, and Monica and Krista truly were “just friends.” Nicole used that as a way to nominate them and break them up as a pair.

Monica went into full game mode and fury, causing drama all week, and in her words, “kept it real.” I loved every second of it! It was good to see her turn into a little spitfire, and put me right in her corner because she was right – there was nothing going on with her and Krista as an alliance. Monica ended up not going home that week, as she thought she was. This was a big mistake, since Monica ended up going into full “game mode.” She eventually went on to win HOH at a crucial point – the final four – and turned the game around by nominating Hardy and Nicole, using the same reason that she was put up against Krista! She was a girl after my own heart. Loved the karma and loved the drama even more!

Tragedy stuck on September 11, 2001, while the final three Big Brother contestants were still in the house. It just so happened that one of Monica’s relatives was in the World Trade Center on that fateful day. She was notified in the house, and it was clear that Monica was caught up in everything, as she had every right to be. I’m not sure if it was that lack of concentration, or if she was just fed up, but Monica was voted out of the house that week by Nicole, who won the final HOH.

Either way, Monica wasn’t happy that she didn’t walk away with the win, and made it quite clear that she wasn’t happy the way Dr. Will talked about her in the diary room, or the way she was backstabbed by Nicole. My favorite Monica line ever has to be when she pulled the key out for Will to win and said “Congrat-u-damn-lations, you won!” Best quote ever!

Basically, I’m pleading with you, my loyal readers – give Monica another shot in the house, she deserves it! Besides, she’s always good for some entertainment and a few good quotes as well! I have no doubt in my mind that she’ll tell people the way it should be and be “real” in the process. If you don’t do it for me – do it for her! Even if you are voting for someone else, like Nakomis, who I’d also like to see back in the house, throw a few votes Monica’s way. You’ll be doing the general public a great favor to see her again, not to mention the newer viewers will get a taste of the “real” woman we saw in 2001!

Phil Kural is an office manager at a law firm, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. You can send feedback to him at pkural@gmail.com .

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find out about some other popular shows at our The Amazing Race 8 page and our Survivor: Guatemala page; and don't miss The Reality TV Hall of Shame. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!