Richard speaks with BB06 evictee Rob

What was your original motivation for going into the Big Brother house?

I have no idea (laughs). It’s obviously a bit of a novelty year after year, watching Big Brother and watching the housemates wander through the house. I’ve been hairdressing for 10 years now, and I find that a lot of my clients say, ‘Oh you’d be great on that.’ Obviously people who’ve been watching me for a few years have a good indication of what my personality is like, so I thought I’d take the opportunity and trial and see what happens. Obviously 3½ hours of standing in 36 degree heat has done me a benefit.

Did the reality of being on the show match your expectations of what the experience would be like?

Wow. Wow! Being in there was like, because I was in the first lot of intruders I’d been watching the TV, stepped into it, lived it, enjoyed it, and then actually stepped out of the TV again and I’m still watching it. It’s a weird concept, but something that will never be forgotten. The way it’s all set up, each room’s a TV set, a Bold and the Beautiful set with no script. It’s fun and it’s entertaining.

Previous evictees have complained of judicious editing that deliberately portrays them in a bad light. If you’ve had a chance to catch up with the way you were presented in the house, are you happy with it?

By all means. When I was on stage with Gretel on Sunday night they did show some snippets, that little film they put together of different aspects of my time in the house, and it was great to see it put together actually. It’s quite warming to see how I was portrayed, but by all means nothing in there was false. The way they put it together of course it makes certain attributes of yourself come across a lot stronger, but by all means nothing false, and regardless of how strongly or weakly they were put across, they’re aspects of me and I’m proud of every part of them.”

In terms of being on the show, David has already been cast as the gay spokesman – when you entered the house, did you consciously avoid trying to be placed in that sort of a role?

Oh definitely. When you look at Dave you’ve got your clean cut, masculine, rough gay icon, you know? It’s almost like he’s gay but straight at the same time. He’s very good-looking, has great eyes, has done modelling; he’s your pin-up boy for the gay scene. Then I trot in, being this comfortably, festively plump gay Lebanese man that’s slightly flamboyant and has an ego to match. I never wanted to compete with David. We’re different sides of the spectrum. He’s held himself well in the house and I was never going to compete with that, but compliment him if I could, in any way, to set a good tone for the community.

So now that you’re out of the house and enjoying your 15 minutes of fame, will boys throwing themselves at you?

Well it will be interesting to see what happens, because I’m a little bit old fashioned with my morals and ethics, but by all means, people get a little bit fucked up in this scene and let the whole concept of what’s going on go to your head, but I’d like to think I can keep a level head. It sounds quite noble of me to say this now, but we’ll see what happens in a couple of days (laughs).

Were there any boys you fancied in the house?

Oh Ashley. Definitely Ashley. He’s magic. He’s quietly spoken yet strong and masculine at the same time. It’s a really nice combination and he has eyes to die for. Eyes to die for.

Do you think that by living alongside the straight boys in the house, that they might have become more accepting of gay men, which then in turn impacts on and educates the broader community?

Definitely. I hope so. I hope the boys learnt that if you are getting to know someone who’s perhaps a bit different from you in the house, that you’re getting to know their personality, you’re not getting to know them as a sexuality. We haven’t marched up and down Oxford Street for the last 20-odd years for equal rights and trying to get people to treat us the same, for us to go into a smaller environment like Big Brother and then to conform to a majority. No way. But there’s definitely a fine line between being yourself and being overly extroverted. It’s the way you sort of put your differences forward, in a soft, humorous way, that I think allows people to associate with it and understand it.

Do you think you ever crossed over that line, from being yourself to being larger than life in order to play a role?

To a certain extent maybe yes, but I think a majority of the time what you see is what you get with me, and that’s where my bitch quality sets in. If you don’t like me I’m not going to stop being myself just so that your time is going to be better in the house. I spent 26 years to become the person I am today. By all means I’m diplomatic and open minded about other people’s opinions, but I’m not going to change the core of who I am if I’m doing no wrong. It’s the biggest disrespect to myself as well if I do that.

I have to ask, what the hell is going on with David and the new intruder, straight boy Darren?

Darren’s lovely. I think Dave and Darren may have known each other beforehand, I’m not sure. There’s some association there, but it’s all above board. There’s definitely no inkling of them hooking up in the house though, not at all.

Going into the house, did you think about what you would and would not do? For example, did you consider what you would do if there was the possibility of developing a relationship with someone under what are quite unnatural circumstances?

Ok, the question is, would I have sex on national TV? It’s funny, when people are looking for a partnership or some kind of closeness with another, the best way to find it is by not looking for it. It will just kind of happen if it’s meant to be, and you don’t know where or when that’s going to happen. In a sense I was open-minded to something maybe happening in the house, with who I don’t know, but there’s a time and a place, and a way you conduct yourself accordingly if something did occur as well. I mean, you’re on national TV, you don’t want to get on there and start chopping each other up, so to speak. Conduct yourself. Conduct yourself.

What do you think the long term impact of your appearance on Big Brother will be once you’re back in Wollongong?

You mean will I have, like, a crack habit in about five years and I’ll be an abusive person? No. (laughs) Some trashy celebrity splashed across a trashy magazine going ‘Oh, I’m going into rehab.’ Nothing like that. But by all means, there was nothing wrong with my life when I left, and there’ll be nothing wrong with my life when I go back to it, but I’d like to think something could come of this. I might be able to use my talents and skills somewhere else further down the track, and if I do, fantastic, I’ll embrace that and run with it, but besides that I’m pleased with what I’ve been through and it could only help me along in life.”

This interview, conducted on Tuesday 22nd June, formed the basis for an article about Rob that appeared in MCV #286, published Thursday 24th June.