CBB Final - James Hill to win

I'm hardly going out on a limb with this one as James Hill is currently 1/3 in the betting, but it seems strange not to state a position on who will win so that's who I'm going to go with. He's played a blinder throughout the series really, and has had the patience of a saint with the likes of Austin, Jenna and Farrah  (who along with former Big Brother contestant Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace managed to help CBB Bit on the Side get taken off the air last night).

Natasha Hamilton similarly has done herself proud, only 'losing it' when at the end of her tether, she's 4-1. Austin is currently third favourite at 8-1. With all of the drama he's caused and the fact that despite his sometimes hateful outbursts he's not quite as one dimensional as Farrah and Jenna, I can see why he's given an outside chance. That said quite often people like the 'good guy' to win these shows, and I'm not sure that Austin fits the bill as far as that definition goes.

That leaves us with Stevi and Chloe at 40-1, Sherrie Hewson at 100-1 and Bobby Davro at 14-1. Bobby has definitely not done himself any harm, acting with a bit of decency and dignity where others have often failed to. I do think the holier-than-thou aspect to him may have grated with some though and he perhaps hasn't been quite as funny and jokey as we would've hoped. Can you blame him with housemates like this lot though!?!

While you're here, check out my Manchester United vs Sunderland prediction on topfourtips.com . 

Selection: James Hill to win CBB

Celebrity Big Brother: Next Eviction

Currently very short odds for Jenna Jameson to be the first out tomorrow night I see (1/5). I can understand why that is the case as she's adapt at either causing trouble or gossiping, typically as part of a terrible twosome. She certainly hasn't done a lot to get people onside. You could say the same for Austin of course, with his shocking and explosive attack on Janice last night turning off a few former fans. He's definitely gone off the rails towards the end of the series. There is at least though I suppose a sad backstory to his violent mood swings though and the general feeling is that he's rather lost in there. The show attracts or indeed seeks out people like that to star in CBB. Austin is 8-1 to go. Janice is 7/2. They're both 'marmite' type characters to be honest.

If persuaded to go for a more ambitious bet oddswise, I'd go with Bobby to go first at 8-1. He's been perfectly nice for the most part, but there may be a feeling with chaos all around that he's being a bit too holier than thou. The reality is that he's one of the more reasonable and fairminded celebs in the house of course, but does that make great TV? Could Bobby slip between the cracks?

Anyone Fancy a Tequila?

If there's one thing to remember about Reality TV betting, it's to not jump the gun. It's important to get a good feel of what's going on before leaping in with a bet. That point was reiterated today when Tila Tequila was kicked out of the Celebrity Big Brother house after just one day! Apparently she had previously posed in Nazi uniform in front of a concentration camp. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction! There goes her £113,000 appearance fee.

I wouldn't say this years housemates are the biggest names going and unfortunately many of those suggested early on such as Hulk Hogan and Christopher Biggins are absent at present, but there's bound to be fireworks as there is every year, especially once the drinks start flowing. From an early glance I'd say that there are some celebrities in there who don't stand a chance based on attitude alone (Farrah Abraham for instance), others that are a bundle of nerves and will struggle as a result (Gail Porter) and some in there performing the now well established route of going from reality TV show to reality TV show, collecting their cheques along the way.

It's no surprise that former X Factor contestants and unlikely couple Stevi and Chloe are current favourites at 4-1. They're an interested pair and it wouldn't be the first time we'd seen X Factor success cross over to CBB in such a way. Janice Dickinson  at 5-1 second favourite again is no surprise. She's more 'tough as old boots' than 'happy go lucky' but that and her former reality TV pedigree may well mean that she's in for the long haul. It's still early days right now and it'll be interesting to see how things pan out. Stay tuned!

IAAF 2015 World Championships - Bolt vs Gatlin

A bleary eyed me decide to stay up for the start of the 2015 Athletics World Championships last night as it aired on BBC2 throughout the night. Held in Beijing it's a shame it hasn't gained more momentum considering it's essentially no different from the Olympics in terms of talent and big names. Still, the time difference puts pay to that.

It was great to see Jessica Ennis-Hill get off to a good start in the Heptathlon - she currently leads. Katarina Johnson-Thompson too, is right up there in contention despite a monumentally shaky start in the high jumper, where at one point she was in danger of not registering a height at all. Mo Farah also impressed by retaining his 10,000m crown, despite recent headlines and almost getting tripped over half a dozen times during the race.

I hadn't really thought of placing a wager on any event, but was slightly surprise at the current odds of the Men's 100 meters. It was already largely seen as largely a two horse races before Usain Bolt and controversial figure Justin Gatlin breezed into the semis and I don't think the performances so far have changed that (though what an impressive 9.91secs run by young Trayvon Bromell currently at 40-1). Gatlin's time was 9.83, Bolt's 9.96

In terms of his own abilities though, it seems clear that Bolt is struggling. His start today was woeful and when it's all about 100ths of a second that counts for a lot. Getting out of the blocks fast has never been a strength of his, but even by those standards it was poor. His time wasn't unimpressive but the run just didn't look easy for him in comparison to a relaxed and super fast Gatlin. Let us not forget that Gatlin is undefeated since 2013 and is running the kind of times (9.74 this year - a PB)  that put him a clear 1/10 of a second ahead of anyone elses performance. He's been consistent too.

With all of this in mind, I was surprised to see the current men's 100m odds as Gatlin 9/10 , Bolt 13/10. It's nigh on an even money shot and at those odds I'd definitely go for Justin Gatlin. I'm just not convinced Bolt is 'keeping his powder dry' and think the current prices are largely down to his reputation rather than reality. We'll find out tomorrow morning though of course :)


Update: Everything pointed to Gatlin so well played to Bolt. It was something of a fairy-tale ending really. He performed at his very best, finally getting a good start and keeping his cool following an almost disastrous semi final earlier that day. As for Gatlin, his race just didn't go to plan and tightening towards near the end certainly didn't help his cause when only 1/100th of a second separated him and Bolt.

Who's Going Into the Celebrity Big Brother House?

Well, it's that time of year again when a bunch of half mad individuals you recognise but can't quite put a name to the face of are forced to occupy the same place together for far too long. No I'm not talking about the houses of parliament, but instead the Celebrity Big Brother House.

There are already a hundred and one A to Z listers rumoured to be taking part but since I haven't got forever instead of working my way down that list, I'll give mention to those currently listed as favourites to 'win' CBB 2015.  The logic being that in at least some cases this is for good reason. The bookmakers aren't hanging about, with plenty of them already pricing up countless celebrities. It has to be said though, that bookies aren't exactly going to be offering competitive odds at this stage, it's more about making easy money early on from those eager to bet on the competition.

With the US vs UK theme this year it seems likely that a lot of the touted US housemates will be entering the house. One short priced contender right now is David Hasselhoff. The Hoff  is very popular here and something of an anglophile himself so it stands to reason that if he goes in, he'll do well. Other potentials from across the pond include Hulk Hogan (WWE wrestler, recently revealed to have made racist comments so might be looking to fix his reputation), Janice Dickinson (again has been in the news due to her claims about Bill Cosby's behaviour towards her) and Austin Armacost (US reality TV show contestant who had a relationship with fashion designer Mark Jacobs). There's definite headline potential with this bunch.

As for the UK, favourite amongst them right now is the irrepressible Christopher Biggins. With a stellar reality TV record already in place, it could be argued that he is something of a 'nations favourite' already, so it's no surprise that his odds are short (7-1) with Coral. He was a close friend to Cilla Black, so whether that could have a bearing on his likelihood of taking part, or his narrative within the house if he does enter, I don't know. Other than Biggins, it's not the most inspiring bunch of Brits rumoured thus far. Bobby Davro, Duncan James, Eamonn Holmes and so on. Controversial 'Selfie Queen' and wife of politician Simon Danczuk, Karen Danczuk is in the running though. She could be entertaining!

The potential UK vs US aspect is certainly intriguing. I'll go into more detail, odds and bet wise, once we actually know who's entering the house.