‘Big Brother Canada 2’ houseguest spotlight: Meet Arlie Shaban, major superfan
Sometimes, there are players on a season of “Big Brother” or “Survivor” that are hard to get a read on, mostly because they come into the house with huge proclamations, only to play a somewhat different game when they are actually there. The obvious answer last season was Aaryn, who casting thought beforehand was going to be a fan favorite until … well, you know. However, there may be a more current one that is more applicable for what Arlie Shaban from “Big Brother Canada” should hope to be: Spencer Bledsoe on this season of “Survivor.” He said in all his preseason footage that he was going to be some sort of huge character and player, and so far he has been much more subdued, and is saving most of that gamer talk for the confessional room.
Spencer and Arlie have a lot in common even if they are playing different games. Both love their respective shows, are pretty intelligent, and need to know how to channel their energy if they want to go far in the competition at all. Arlie’s still got his work cut out for him.
Name – Arlie Shaban
Age – 25
Location – Stouffville, Canada, which is northeast of Toronto. We’re trying to give some relatively specific locations in these since we know there are a ton of American readers also checking out the show.
Occupation – He is looking at this show as a job. Translation? He’s unemployed.
Three adjectives we would use to describe him – Fanatical, calculating, and delusional.
Strengths – There is no doubt that this is a guy who knows the show well, and he’s probably been to most of the “Big Brother” sites over the past few years. (If he’s a CarterMatt reader, we’ll high-five him after the finale.) He’s very smart, and he seems to have an understanding that this is a game first and foremost. You’re not bound to come in here and be, with a nod to Kevin O’Leary, a less-ironic Mr. Wonderful. You can be terrible and not have integrity, and it’s okay. Arlie understands that.
Weaknesses – Arlie unfortunately also fails to understand that he is not the greatest strategic mastermind to ever live yet. He seems to think that he’ll do great in competitions and manipulate everyone. Not going to happen. The best thing that he could do is win the competition over with kindness, and then start to play the game a little bit more and more over time. He seems to be a perfect candidate of going too hard too fast.
“Big Brother” comparison – He’s almost a combination of Brian from season 10, Keith from season 13, and Ian Terry. Two of those people were eliminated first, and the other had a rocky start before finding a way to turn things around and win.
Outlook – The reason we mention Ian is that there is an outside chance that Arlie channels his fandom well and actually wins people over. But he doesn’t seem as self-aware or as patient (a very important word) s Ian was in the game. He’s much more likely to be the first person voted out. He just seems delusional at times, including his quote from the “ET Canada” show where he claimed that he’s going to have multiple showmances. Yes, we were all cynical when McCrae said he was down for it on “Big Brother 16,” but lightning’s not striking twice in that department.
What’s your prognosis for Arlie this season? Vote in the poll below, and head over here if you want to see the rest of our houseguest spotlights so far. Also, sign up now for our CarterMatt Newsletter to get even more updates from us.
Photo: Slice