Canada's Playas

Showmances, for better or for worse, have become the cornerstone of Big Brother in every incarnation. The real ones, the fake ones, the weird ones, the surprising ones, the wrong ones.

Some last for years, others barely last beyond eviction, but one thing most are too smart to do is to break up inside the house. On Big Brother, when your social standing in the house determines your fate in the game, the last thing you want to do is lose what could be your closest ally - literally.


Which brings us to the first season of Big Brother Canada. There are arguably four interesting showmances operating within the game, with varying degrees of reality:

Alec and Topaz (Topec?)

Alec and Topaz and their self-described "cuddlemance" are getting the most attention from Big Brother fans so far. From almost the moment the feeds went live, it was obvious that both were attempting to play each other, hard. Topaz's number one ally is Gary, and Alec's number one ally (in his mind, anyway) is Peter. Both are openly manipulating each other at this point, and yet, they're so darn cute about it. The relationship is weak, but the attraction is real.

Will these two scheming kids ever knock it off and really open up to one another? Hard to say at this point, and the events of this week have moved both of them up on the target lists of their housemates. The bigger question might be: will they last long enough in the game to unleash the deadly potential they could have if their powers combined?

Tom and Liza (Tiza?)

This one seemed like another fake cuddlemance, with Tom boasting about his sexual prowess and lack of condom use (ew), and Liza snuggling up to Peter in her down time. But with both on the block this week, they chose to curl up in bed and engage in some NC-17 rated action instead of campaigning to their housemates.

Is it possible that two of the least popular houseguests have real feelings for each other? Or are they both that eager to throw their game away for a roll in the hay?

Whatever, as long as it's on the feed I'm not watching, I could care less.

Emmett and Jillian (Jemmett?)

These two crazy kids seem like the prototypical Big Brother showmance. Seems like a genuine attraction. Lord knows Emmett can't keep his hands off, whether or not the cameras are on.

Emmett's got that down-home farmboy swagger going on and Jillian seems fairly bland, so they could emerge as a cat-lady fan favorite if they last long enough in the house. Right now, despite comp wins under their belts, both are laying low enough that it's a distinct possibility. 

Peter and Liza (Piza?)

Oh, poor unrequited Peter. He knew his favorite scheming secret alliance partner was in a cuddlemance, and yet, he still went there. ("Why can't you be Coke?" he exclaimed dramatically to his Pepsi can after his failed attempt at seducing her, above.)

Ever since finding out about Liza's messed-up game, Peter has laid low. It seems like his attraction to Liza remains, but he's much more wary of her now, game-wise. He may not know about her nocturnal trysts with Tom, but he realizes she's not going to be the underground partner he wanted in the game.

In the meantime, Peter was on today's live feeds talking up his desire to find an American woman, preferably in Chicago or New York, to help him secure a green card.

Wait, what? Psst, Peter - call me.