Following the succesful wager task presentation and a helluva real-looking fake fight, the housemates were subjected to a new twist from Biggie.
Starting tonight, and proceeding for some time, the housemates will be separated according to their sex – the men will only be able to communicate with the other men, women with women.
The rules are incredibly complex (we've summarised them below) but basically, the guys and the girls have been split into two tribes who can only speak via a mediator nominated by each gender, in this case, Yaya and Miracle. They may only speak for an alloted number of times per day in squared-off areas for a time period to be decided by Biggie.
'Nil by mouth”meaning 'nada'
When we say “communicate”, we mean just that. It’s not just speech that is restricted, but all forms of communication: hand gestures, charades, smoke signals – the works. Housemates are not even allowed to talk to each other within earshot of the opposite sex. In order to enforce the separation of the sexes, sleeping arrangements will be reorganised so that women occupy a single bedroom while men inhabit another, and the kitchen is only to be used by one of the sexes at a time – and meals are only allowed to be prepared for a group by members of that group.
There are, of course, some areas that remain communal: the lounge, for example. While all the housemates are permitted to use these spaces at the same time, they are “encouraged” to figure out a plan that would minimise risk of accidental communication.
The extent of the ban
As if this isn’t going to be hard enough, it gets even worse: the rule applies at all times. Housemates cannot even communicate with the opposite sex during the Friday Night Games, for example. Or the pool party. Nada. Nothing. Dololo. You no fit even say pim.
And, if you haven’t realised by now, that means that housemates cannot even communicate with their partners, seeing as how those are comprised of one member of each sex. The Heads of House will receive briefings separately and will be required to share those briefings in the same manner. This also applies to treats like alcohol and rewards.
A small concession
There is, however, a small opportunity to ensure the sexes are at least on the same planet: the yellow zone. Each group must pick a member to act as their representative, and these are allowed to communicate with each other in this zone, but only a few times a day, signified by numbers on display at the yellow zone. This means that they will have to use their judgement as to when to use up a valuable opportunity for communication: when they have a lot of information to share, or when something is particularly urgent.
What’s at stake?
Rules mean nothing without punishments for their infraction, and Biggie has ensured that the housemates have a vested interest in colouring inside the lines: violators will be barred from participating in the Head of House games on Monday, which means a missed opportunity to win some immunity from nominations. So, yes – a pretty big deal.
As viewers will be aware, Biggie has not been shy to hand out punishments, recently:
What’s the upside?
For the housemates, there is no upside. This is going to be a serious inconvenience. For those of us at home, it might provide a welcome respite from hearing the same circuitous discussions between some female-male groups in the house. We’ll refrain from mentioning their names because you already know about whom we speak.
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