Big Brother / James Heffield / 22 July 2008 / Leave a comment Bet Now

Big Brother betting favourite Terri bounced back from her snap eviction on day one of the competition to emerge the winner of the show's eighth, and possibly last, season, writes James Heffield.

The NSW nana walked away with $250,000 and the adoration of Big Brother fans across Australia after spending a testing 85 days in the Big Brother house. At times it may have seemed like hard work for Terri but the cash prize, which equates to more than $2900 per day, will make have made the gruelling journey worthwhile.

Beating out 22-year-old brickie Rory and 19-year-old law student Ben to take this year's competition, Terri has had a roller-coaster ride in the house.

Terri was the first housemate evicted on day one of the competition before she even had the chance to enter the house. She returned on day seven as a chaperone for party boy Corey Worthington and was reinstated as a housemate after accepting a mission from Big Brother to evict two of the three original intruders.

She initially struggled to find her place among her much younger housemates, clashing over everything from her pessimistic outlook on life to her passion for controversial political figure Pauline Hanson. But as Terri loosened up and housemates moved past their original judgements, she formed some very close, and equally unlikely, relationships in the house.
Terri plans to spend her winnings travelling around Australia, New Zealand and Canada, with the remainder catapulting the 52-year-old into an early retirement.

Ben and Rory don't walk away empty handed. On top of the usual stack of prizes, which includes a mobile phone, wireless broadband and an overseas trip, Ben received a $10,000 Westfield voucher and runner-up Rory received a $20,000 Westfield voucher.

Terri's win demonstrates just how unpredictable Big Brother betting can be. Few would have picked her to walk away with the $250,000 prize at the beginning of the competition but Big Brother's power to change the game at his discretion, bringing back Terri after her original eviction and changing the voting format, meant punters experienced almost as many twists and turns as the housemates.

The future of Big Brother and Big Brother betting in Australia is up in the air after Channel 10's announcement that they would not screen further seasons of the show which has struggled for ratings this season. The show's only hope of survival is if it is picked up by another network.